Offend-O-Metering: U.K. vs. States

[MathGirl]

Re: Welcome, Jewel

OK, someone talk about beer or sports now.

Oh, why? I could give you a few paragraphs when I overhear someone refer to me as a 'kike.'
MG

 

[cahab]

Re: OH DEAR ...

Soccer is played by eleven cissies who are all big girls' blouses and are not allowed to touch each other. They use a round ball because an oval one is too difficult to control.

Well, yes, they use a round ball because oval doesn't roll straight when you kick it with your foot. FOOT ball, get it?

With you on the rest of the way, though. What I never understood was why the US took the game of football (which is admittedly very dull for long periods, and only watchable at all if you care who wins) and changed it so dramatically to make it interesting when Rugby was already there.

Were they afraid of getting hurt? As a comedian here once said, if you come off the pitch after a game of Rugby with all your limbs intact, you haven't really tried hard enough. Or did, as I suspect, they need a game that stopped every thirty seconds so they could get more ads in.

And for God's sake, why didn't they rename it? Why does it never seem to occur to Americans that football is a dumb name for the game they play? Soccer seems more apropriate for the US game, as you kind of sock people out of the way.

That's always bugged me.

 

[Guest]

kite flying?

Oh, why? I could give you a few paragraphs when I overhear someone refer to me as a 'kike.' MG

MG: please do; you don't need an invitation. Don't know why anyone would call you a kite though; do you wear ribbons on your tail? P

p.s. we could skip the beer and talk about Chianti.

 

[TheEarl]

We are very cool, Gauche, cause one of the huge benefits of the internet is learning about others.

For example, I am perplexed about the, well perceived differences between welsh, british, UK, Yorkshire..........I perceive here.

Britain is very very parochial and people like to separate themselves into groups. I personally identify myself as an Englishman, whereas someone from Northern Ireland may regard themselves as British. Gauche may regard himself as a Yorkshireman, despite the fact that I'd see him as an Englishman. Yorkshire is very parochial (The cricket team only recently started letting people born outside the county borders play for them).

And don't even get me started on Glaswegian Scots and Edinbrough Scots.

The Earl

 

[gauchecritic]

Re: U.K. vs. States

I have a nephew thats 1/2 Asian, a nephew thats 1/2 black, a grand nephew thats 1/2 mexican and a son that is 1/4 native american (PC on terms? ).

Welcome Jewel and Eyup.

I don't think nephew is all that PC actually, is should be male relative.

TheEarl,

"Gauche may regard himself as a Yorkshireman"

How many times must I tell you? This is the main difference between Yorkshire folk and other county's inhabitants. Not even Kentishmen and Men of Kent comes close. I'm not a Yorkshireman I am Yorkshire. The most well known proof of this is that Leeds U. supporters are the only club supporters in the country who don't just support the team, they are the club "We Are Leeds".

Gauche

 

[Gabriel_Lee]

I am not football literate, not really race literate (what is a kike?), but I do know my beer. British ales are amongst the best. Personally, apart from Belgium, I have seen little competition elsewhere in the world.

Belgium, incidentally, also do some excellent fruit beers.

GL

 

[MathGirl]

I(what is a kike?),

Dear GL,
"Kike" is an ethnic/racial slur for a Sheeny or a Yid. My mother was born in Israel, so I'm sort of a hemi Jewette. Just to make my genes interesting, my father is an okie.
MG

Ps. I collect racial/ethnic slurs. I think I've heard about all of them, but I'm always eager to learn new ones.

 

[Guest]

Yorkshire Gauchenicity

I'm not a Yorkshireman I am Yorkshire.

Sweets, I really like that, more than like, I'm at a loss for words so I'll use Will's. Recall Antony's lines to Cleo when he addressed her as her land rather than as his lover:

I am dying, Egypt, dying...

You own quite a profound element of that most elusive aspect of being human - self identity. I envy you. Truly. I do not think of myself as American except legally, and I am estranged by circumstance from the land of my parents.

thank you, Perdita

 

[Gabriel_Lee]

Originally posted by MathGirl
"Kike" is an ethnic/racial slur for a Sheeny or a Yid. My mother was born in Israel, so I'm sort of a hemi Jewette. Just to make my genes interesting, my father is an okie.

I luv them interestin' jeans. Why isn't u wearin' any?

GL

 

[pop_54]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

I luv them interestin' jeans. Why isn't u wearin' any?

GL

They anything like Levi's, or maybe more like Wranglers, job to tell with these mixed jeans.

pops.............

 

[Guest]

sans jeans

I don't wear jeans; that's a sin in San Francsico. I'm rebellious like that.

 

[Croctden]

On the seventh day God made football and saw it was good

American football is playedby teams of forty-five players who are also big girls' blouses and run (slowly) round the field wearing the equivalent of mediaeval armour. It is too difficult to place the ball on the ground while wearing all this armour plating so they do not have to put the ball on the ground to score a touch-down. It is too difficult to see through the tiny hole in the helmet to check who is carrying the ball, so they tackle just anybody.

Football is thinking man's violence. They try to kill eachother for 5-10 seconds, then go back and plan for half a minute for the next five seconds. They've practiced all week for one three hour game, putting in a gameplan of near military complexity. It's the greatest sport. If your European your're going to say you've seen the European league and it's not interesting. That's true, those guys are scrubs, but the NFL is the greatest, you just have to trust me on this.

--Croctden

PS: oh, I almost forgot....GO NINERS!!!

 

[Croctden]

49ers Rock!!

Well, yes, they use a round ball because oval doesn't roll straight when you kick it with your foot. FOOT ball, get it?

With you on the rest of the way, though. What I never understood was why the US took the game of football (which is admittedly very dull for long periods, and only watchable at all if you care who wins) and changed it so dramatically to make it interesting when Rugby was already there.

Were they afraid of getting hurt? As a comedian here once said, if you come off the pitch after a game of Rugby with all your limbs intact, you haven't really tried hard enough. Or did, as I suspect, they need a game that stopped every thirty seconds so they could get more ads in.

And for God's sake, why didn't they rename it? Why does it never seem to occur to Americans that football is a dumb name for the game they play? Soccer seems more apropriate for the US game, as you kind of sock people out of the way.

That's always bugged me.

I can't comment on the name, but they wear body armour because if they didn't they'd getting killed. Two men running at full speed towards each other need protection. Because play stops (not for commericals, but to discuss the next play) everyone gets back on their side to charge again. Guys lose limbs and die on the field, literally (but rarely).

Football did dervive from Rugby, but that was over 125 years ago. Football is pretty different than Rugby now. Rugby allstars come to the US to try out for the NFL occasionally and they never figure it out.

49ers Rule!!

(I feel better now)

 

[gauchecritic]

Re: 49ers Rock!!

Rugby allstars come to the US to try out for the NFL occasionally and they never figure it out.

What the hell is a Rugby allstar?

Besides which how come you need all those UK spot kickers?

Gauche

 

[Guest]

Gauche:

Tell us (well, me) something a bit more exciting about UK matters. It's early here and I need a wake-up call despite the fact that I'm at my work desk. Purr

 

[Rainbow Skin]

Well here's something I heard last week about identity. The Isle of Portland is a little blob of land about 3 km long off the coast of Dorset, attached to the mainland by a bridge. Not only do they have a special term for mainlanders (I forget what it was, muggles, emmets, skraelings, whatever), but they would talk about the mainland as 'England', and there were Portlanders who would almost proudly say 'I've never been to England'.

Now I want to go there.

 

[Guest]

Hi Rainbow, luvvvv the AV. Thanks, that's interesting. People here are like that too. I had a friend in Massachusetts whose relatives lived 60 miles from Boston. Whenever they traveled from their small town to the big city they would get traveler's checks!

A bit similarly too, No. Californians identify themselves in comparison to So. Cal people. The thing is we northeners are snobby about it and make all the noise, while in the south no one cares or notices us.

Best, Perdita

 

[TheEarl]

Croctden: I think you'll find that the general attitude of rugby players to Yank football is something of general amusement. We can't actually work out why you need two tons of armour to play a similar contact sport to us. Two men running at full speed towards each other don't need anything more than a gumshield, as can be seen by Josh Lewsey's hit on Mat Rogers at the weekend.

Isn't the NFL where Gavin Hastings went to retire? He played Yank football in the NFL as a kicker 5 years after retiring from union. He was 40.

I personally would be quite interested in seeing a cross-code challenge like the one between Wigan and Bath a couple of years ago.

The Earl

 

[Guest]

Rugby gals

I would like to know if rugby is also played by women in the U.K., if not professionally then community team wise.

Here everyone thinks female rugby players are dykes. I actually have dyke friends who play but wonder if the same thing goes on over 'there'.

 

[oggbashan]

Re: Rugby gals

I would like to know if rugby is also played by women in the U.K., if not professionally then community team wise.

Here everyone thinks female rugby players are dykes. I actually have dyke friends who play but wonder if the same thing goes on over 'there'.

Yes it is. It is played "for real" and also as a tamer version for developing bodies. Full-on rugby is not now recommended for under-14s of either sex. My daughters have played rugby but the youngest started her own school's football team.

I actually saw some girls coming back from rugby practice this afternoon. They did not look unfeminine. I would say much more than that but they are too young to mention on this site.

Og

 

[Guest]

Re: Re: Rugby gals

I actually saw some girls coming back from rugby practice this afternoon. They did not look unfeminine.

Ogg, putting on my American PC button, it seems to me you are implying dykes are not feminine.

Hold out your palms (unless you enjoy that sort of thing). P

 

[oggbashan]

I can't tell whether someone is or is not a dyke at ten paces or even face to face.

Sexual orientation is not normally a matter of appearance unless made overt by an individual's personal choice.

Seasoned rugby players, particularly seasoned amateurs, look like rugby players. Broken noses, cauliflower ears, missing teeth and a general air of having tried to stop a heavy truck with the face once too often are the signs of the dedicated player.

The higher the level of skill, the less obvious is the damage.

Og

 

[Guest]

Sexual orientation is not normally a matter of appearance unless made overt by an individual's personal choice.

Good save, but stereotypical dyke insults often note their appearance, so I made that connection from your post.

Still, if I broke my nose and had to wear splints, etc., I don't think I'd be called unfeminine. P

 

[oggbashan]

Rugby players don't splint their noses.

It would stop them playing the next game.

If they have a broken nose then it stays broken - for ever.

Eventually it gets flattened.

Og

 

[TheEarl]

English female rugby players are, as a rule, very scary. This is not in the Anne Widdecombe child-scaring sense, but just in watching them play. They are utter mentalists.

I'd personally never play mixed rugby for the fact that women rugby players tend to shed any compassion or restraint after crossing the whitewash and turn into high-pitched killing machines.

The Earl