does anyone need another example of positive ANYMORE?

Wilson Gray hwgray at GMAIL.COM
Thu Feb 14 06:14:42 UTC 2008


I heard the punchline ca.1944 as "What you mean, 'we,' white man?" And
no mention was made of weapons. Of course, such jokes have many
different versions. I heard it in Saint Louis from a white neighbor
boy and I took its point to be that, when the deal goes down, white
people can not trust the non-white and I didn't find it humorous at
all.

-Wilson

On 2/14/08, James Harbeck <jharbeck at sympatico.ca> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
>  Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>
> Poster:       James Harbeck <jharbeck at SYMPATICO.CA>
>
> Subject:      Re: does anyone need another example of positive ANYMORE?
>  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
> >BTW, I am indeed white. I've only been called paleface in Makah, though,
>  >never in English. BB
>
>
> The line "Whaddya mean 'we,' paleface?" is from a joke -- I thought I
>  had mentioned it here before, but I am perhaps mistaken. It goes like
>  this: The Lone Ranger and Tonto are holed up in a high crag, on the
>  run from large numbers of highly irritated Indians who, perhaps, have
>  wearied of being targets for LR's bullets. The look to the north:
>  Indians. To the south: Indians. To the east: Indians. To the west:
>  ...uh... yup, more Indians. LR turns to Tonto and says, "Well, Tonto,
>  looks like we're surrounded." Tonto turns, reaches for his weapon,
>  and says, "Whaddya mean 'we,' paleface?"
>
>
>  James Harbeck, who is probably even paler than you (and occasionally
>  beyond the pale). Even if he did grow up on and near an Indian
>  reserve.
>
>
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--
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
-----
                                              -Sam'l Clemens

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