[Ads-l] "What do you mean we, paleface / white man / kemo sabe?"

[Ben Zimmer]

In an Oct. 2010 "On Language" column about the presumptuous use of "we," I
discussed both "What do you mean 'we,' paleface/kemo sabe?" (citing the
1956 L.A. Times example that Bill brought up) and "We? You got a
mouse/rat/etc. in your pocket?"

https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/03/magazine/03FOB-onlanguage-t.html

See this 2009 ADS-L thread for more:

http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/ads-l/2009-October/thread.html#93505

On Tue, Jun 4, 2019 at 9:02 AM Ben Yagoda <byagoda at udel.edu> wrote:

> Another variation was a favorite comeback of my college buddy Bob Zaglin,
> back in the ‘70s.
>
> Me: What are we gonna do now?
>
> Zag: You got a rat in your pocket?
>
> >
> > Date:    Mon, 3 Jun 2019 05:17:34 +0000
> > From:    Bill Mullins <amcombill at HOTMAIL.COM>
> > Subject: Re: "What do you mean we, paleface / white man / kemo sabe?"
> >
> >> Could Bridwell have written the joke for the LA Times? I think he was
> still
> >> living in Oklahoma at the time, and I have no sense of what he was
> writing
> >> then, and where he was submitting it.
> >
> > He didn't write it for this particular quote -- it was from a column
> > called "Cityside" written by Gene Sherman.  The column was widely
> syndicated, and it
> > ran in Bridwell's home newspaper, the _Daily Oklahoman_ on 12/12/1956.
> >
> > It seems far more likely that Bridwell read the joke and rewrote it for
> Mad.
> > We know that Bridwell read this particular Oklahoma paper because he had
> assorted
> > Letters to the Editor published in it on 8/8/1954, 5/15/1955, and
> 6/30/1964.
> >
> >
> > [
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> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >
> > ------------------------------
> >
> > Date:    Mon, 3 Jun 2019 02:16:26 -0400
> > From:    ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> > Subject: Re: "What do you mean we, paleface / white man / kemo sabe?"
> >
> > Here is another citation in 1956 that appeared about a month after the
> > citation Bill found. Arthur Godfrey broadcast the joke on his morning
> > television program. (The text is ambiguous; he also hosted a radio
> > program.)
> >
> > Date: September 23, 1956
> > Newspaper: Sunday News (Daily News)
> > Newspaper Location: New York, New York
> > Article: Laughs from the Air
> > Author: George Maksian
> > Section 2, Quote Page 17, Column 3
> > Database: Newspapers.com
> >
> > [End excerpt]
> > Arthur Godfrey was amused by this rib-tickler and repeated it for his
> > CBS audience the other morning: The Lone Ranger and Tonto were riding
> > along the plains when suddenly they saw some 500 Sioux Indians heading
> > towards them. They turned around only to find hundreds of Apaches. To
> > the left and to the right were the same. Then the Masked Man turned to
> > his faithful companion and said, "Well, Tonto, I guess we've had it."
> > "What do you mean WE--white man" the Indian indignantly responded.
> > [Begin excerpt]
> >
> > There are several citations in 1957. The following interesting
> > citation used the variant phrase "'What do you mean by 'us'" instead
> > of "What do you mean 'we'".
> >
> > Date: May 10, 1957
> > Newspaper: The Abilene Reporter-News
> > Newspaper Location: Abilene, Texas
> > Article: GOP May Launch National Magazine
> > Author: Leslie and Elizabeth Carpenter (Washington Bureau)
> > Quote Page 4B, Column 6
> > Database: Newspapers.com
> >
> > [Begin excerpt]
> > Adlai Stevenson has a Lone Ranger story . . .
> >
> > "The Lone Ranger said to Tonto: 'Well. Tonto, it looks like they've
> > got us this time!' Tonto's reply was quick: 'What do you mean by "us."
> > White Man?'"
> > [End excerpt]
> >
>

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