Counting only to two

[Wilson Gray]

I apologize for having been so ethnocentric. But it *was* the case
that the story, as I first heard it, was that the killings had begun
with the murder of a _white woman_. Whenever a white woman is raped
and/or killed, all of Black America reflexively tenses till the word
comes down that the known or suspected doer is not a "buck negro."
(For those unfamiliar with the reference, these exists a racist screed
with the title, "The Buck Negro." It's part of an encylopedia of
old-school "scientific" racism.)

-Wilson

On 4/19/07, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu> wrote:
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: Counting only to two
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> At 11:32 AM -0400 4/19/07, Wilson Gray wrote:
> >What I had to say about Gypsies wasn't meant to be funny. The fact of
> >the matter is that stereotypes are all too often extensions of
> >reality. A recent unfortunate example is the shootings at VA Tech. I
> >was deathly afraid that the shooter would turn out to be black. When
> >it became clear that he was *not* some crack-crazed, black street thug
> >who'd lost what was left of his mind after he was finally dumped by
> >the naive, white-liberal, teen coed that he'd been pimping off of, a
> >great weight was lifted from my shoulders.
> >
> >-Wilson
>
> I'm sure there were a lot of Arab-Americans and/or Muslims who were
> equally relieved, if not more so.
>
> LH
>
> >
> >On 4/19/07, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
> >>---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >>-----------------------
> >>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >>Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> >>Subject:      Re: Counting only to two
> >>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>
> >>At 4/18/2007 08:33 PM, Wilson wrote:
> >>>You left out the funny part of that story, Joel. ;-)
> >>
> >>What part did I leave out?  I didn't see it below  :-)
> >>
> >>Joel
> >>
> >>>As for Gypsies, they've been making a good living off the colored for
> >>>dekkids. As the saying goes, "When you find a good horse, ride it to
> >>>death." Gypsy fortune-tellers are mentioned in any number of blues and
> >>>rhythm-&-blues songs. Gypsies posing as Native Americans collecting
> >>>money for rehabbing the educatonal facillities of reservations once
> >>>conned me and some friends out of money. The story in the local paper
> >>>warning that Gypsies running this game had hit town came too late to
> >>>save us. But, at least I was able to recognize this particular con,
> >>>the second time that I came across it. The Gypsies hadn't changed the
> >>>game at all, another way of riding a good horse to death. The only
> >>>thing different was the location. They succeeded in conning me in
> >>>Porter Square in Cambridge.
> >>>When they hit on me again in Boston''s
> >>>Downtown Crossing about twenty years later, I knew better than to go
> >>>for the okey-doke.
> >>>
> >>>-Wilson
> >>>
> >>>-Wilson
> >>>
> >>>On 4/18/07, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
> >>>>---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >>>>-----------------------
> >>>>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >>>>Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> >>>>Subject:      Re: Counting only to two
> >>>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>>>
> >>>>And then there is the tale of the two Romanian noblemen (as told by
> >>>>either Victor Borge or Theodore Bikel) who had a contest -- who could
> >>>>name the larger number.
> >>>>
> >>>>The first thought for a moment, and said "two".
> >>>>
> >>>>The second thought for a while longer, and then said "I give up."
> >>>>
> >>>>(This probably immediately preceded, or followed, the slur that a
> >>>>gypsy would sell you his mother, but a Romanian gypsy would deliver.)
> >>>>
> >>>>Joel
> >>
> >>------------------------------------------------------------
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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
> >
> >"Experience" is the ability to recognize a mistake when you make it again.
> >
> >------------------------------------------------------------
> >The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>


--
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

"Experience" is the ability to recognize a mistake when you make it again.

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org