Turd Burglar

tiny said:

So... just a little bit homophobic...? :dunno:



Ha! Yeah -- I'd have thought that saying "duh" to someone meant you were calling them stupid. Huh.



Oh, it depends what you're reading! Is Enid Blyton as famous in the US as over here? She would have described bunting as gay, brave characters as "full of spunk" (*snigger*), and then there was Aunt Fanny. But at some point (during the 1960s?) certain words came to mean rather different things!



I think "honky tonk" relates to music, so I presume it's onomatopoeic. I've never come across "honky", so I've no idea of the background there. :dunno:

Language is a complicated beast... :-/

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What I mean is, it never evolved past the school yard, here. At least, it seems that way to me, but, I was lucky enough to be the straight kid on the playground, so, to the little gay kid, or, even an adult, with the miles on 'em to to know what it actually, or, originally meant, yeah, it's a good verbal weapon, I'd imagine.

Duh can be used to call people stupid, but, we use it so frequently, the sting is mostly gone. Take the conversation I have with my bladder, daily.

"Duh, you dumb ass! Where do you think we're headed, the bathroom, so, you yelling at me like that, ain't gonna make me move any better, or faster! Chill, will you!?"

Then, there's, "Where's my remote? Oh, duh, right by the TV."

Enid who? Um, no, you're the first I've heard mention her. Tell me; who is she? Aunt Fanny sounds like a little kid hasn't learned the R sound, yet.

Have you noticed anything about the skin color of most people who go to honky tonks?

SpAzpieSweeTot said:

What I mean is, it never evolved past the school yard, here. At least, it seems that way to me, but, I was lucky enough to be the straight kid on the playground, so, to the little gay kid, or, even an adult, with the miles on 'em to to know what it actually, or, originally meant, yeah, it's a good verbal weapon, I'd imagine.

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I'm surprised that even kids at school would use it without knowing what it means. It's such an odd phrase that... I dunno... :-/

It's funny (or awful)... going to school to school in the 1980s... we used the word "gay" very liberally for anything rubbish or silly, and even had a secret hand single that meant "that is so gay". Teachers would go mad if we swore, but would occasionally join in with homophobic banter. None of us had heard the more "exotic" phrases like "turd burglar", though.

A few months after leaving school, I heard that an acquaintance had "come out" as gay, and I was ashamed and mortified. No one was ever suspected of being gay or teased because of it at school... It wasn't something that any of us really thought of as "real". The only gay people any of us were aware of were flamboyantly outrageous celebrities like Elton John, Julian Clary, and drag queen acts -- characters, not real people.

It hit me how casually homophobic our playground banter was, and how there were probably other gay kids at school too. I felt stunned and sick to imagine what it must have been like to hear these comments all the time (even if they were never "singled out").

Since then, I've always avoided homophobic banter and (if it comes up) made it clear that I don't have a problem with gay people. Several people have "come out" to me, and I've worked with quite a few other openly gay people. I'd always stick up for them if I heard any derogatory comments.

SpAzpieSweeTot said:

Duh can be used to call people stupid, but, we use it so frequently, the sting is mostly gone. Take the conversation I have with my bladder, daily.

"Duh, you dumb ass! Where do you think we're headed, the bathroom, so, you yelling at me like that, ain't gonna make me move any better, or faster! Chill, will you!?"

Click to expand...

But isn't, "Duh, you dumb ass," calling your bladder stupid for yelling at you to head to the bathroom when you're going there anyway?

SpAzpieSweeTot said:

Then, there's, "Where's my remote? Oh, duh, right by the TV."

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And doesn't "duh" there just mean "how silly of me not to have noticed the remote control"? Isn't it just calling yourself stupid...? :dunno:

SpAzpieSweeTot said:

Enid who? Um, no, you're the first I've heard mention her. Tell me; who is she? Aunt Fanny sounds like a little kid hasn't learned the R sound, yet.

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GASP! No way! You must have heard of Roald Dahl (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The BFG, etc.)? Well in England, Roald Dahl and Enid Blyton are the two "classic" authors that are a "rite of passage" for kids getting into reading for fun.

Enid Blyton was a prolific author, best known for the "Famous Five" series of books aimed at 8 to 12 year-olds(?), and the "Secret Seven" series for slightly younger children. Both series involved some very middle-class families, and kids who went off on "adventures", solving mysteries, thwarting crime, getting lost, and having picnics involving "lashings and lashings of ginger beer!"

Blyton's books depict exciting mysteries against the backdrop of innocent idyllic surroundings. The stories are often set during school holidays, and involve kids in a rural location, having innocent fun. They are safe and free to explore the world away from adults, and... it just seems like a wonderful place/time to be. (Until they uncover thieves, smugglers and fraudsters!)

One of the Famous Five was a girl whose name was Georgina. However, she insisted on being called "George", presented as male and would get annoyed if she was referred to as a "girl". Quite interesting for books written in the 1940s.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Famous_Five_(novel_series)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Secret_Seven

SpAzpieSweeTot said:

Have you noticed anything about the skin color of most people who go to honky tonks?

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I've never noticed a honkey tonk! All I know is that it has something to do with music. I'm guessing a "honkey tonk" is a music hall...? In which case... I've been to music halls where almost everyone has been white; I've been to ones where almost everyone is black; and I've been to more diverse events too.

What exactly is a "honky tonk" and does it really have anything to do with the term "honky"?

tiny said:

I'm surprised that even kids at school would use it without knowing what it means. It's such an odd phrase that... I dunno... :-/

It's funny (or awful)... going to school to school in the 1980s... we used the word "gay" very liberally for anything rubbish or silly, and even had a secret hand single that meant "that is so gay". Teachers would go mad if we swore, but would occasionally join in with homophobic banter. None of us had heard the more "exotic" phrases like "turd burglar", though.

A few months after leaving school, I heard that an acquaintance had "come out" as gay, and I was ashamed and mortified. No one was ever suspected of being gay or teased because of it at school... It wasn't something that any of us really thought of as "real". The only gay people any of us were aware of were flamboyantly outrageous celebrities like Elton John, Julian Clary, and drag queen acts -- characters, not real people.

It hit me how casually homophobic our playground banter was, and how there were probably other gay kids at school too. I felt stunned and sick to imagine what it must have been like to hear these comments all the time (even if they were never "singled out").

Since then, I've always avoided homophobic banter and (if it comes up) made it clear that I don't have a problem with gay people. Several people have "come out" to me, and I've worked with quite a few other openly gay people. I'd always stick up for them if I heard any derogatory comments.



But isn't, "Duh, you dumb ass," calling your bladder stupid for yelling at you to head to the bathroom when you're going there anyway?



And doesn't "duh" there just mean "how silly of me not to have noticed the remote control"? Isn't it just calling yourself stupid...? :dunno:



GASP! No way! You must have heard of Roald Dahl (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The BFG, etc.)? Well in England, Roald Dahl and Enid Blyton are the two "classic" authors that are a "rite of passage" for kids getting into reading for fun.

Enid Blyton was a prolific author, best known for the "Famous Five" series of books aimed at 8 to 12 year-olds(?), and the "Secret Seven" series for slightly younger children. Both series involved some very middle-class families, and kids who went off on "adventures", solving mysteries, thwarting crime, getting lost, and having picnics involving "lashings and lashings of ginger beer!"

Blyton's books depict exciting mysteries against the backdrop of innocent idyllic surroundings. The stories are often set during school holidays, and involve kids in a rural location, having innocent fun. They are safe and free to explore the world away from adults, and... it just seems like a wonderful place/time to be. (Until they uncover thieves, smugglers and fraudsters!)

One of the Famous Five was a girl whose name was Georgina. However, she insisted on being called "George", presented as male and would get annoyed if she was referred to as a "girl". Quite interesting for books written in the 1940s.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Famous_Five_(novel_series)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Secret_Seven



I've never noticed a honkey tonk! All I know is that it has something to do with music. I'm guessing a "honkey tonk" is a music hall...? In which case... I've been to music halls where almost everyone has been white; I've been to ones where almost everyone is black; and I've been to more diverse events too.

What exactly is a "honky tonk" and does it really have anything to do with the term "honky"?

Click to expand...

Turd burglar is something we say as, "Oh, my gosh, I'm angry with you! Therefore, you're this," gay or not, . . . And then, unless we're thick, bigoted asses, we grow up, and realize we have more recourse than calling names, thank goodness!

Oh, gosh, yes, I was calling my bladder stupid, in that example. Do it every few hours, because it freaks the hell out on me. In the second example, I wasn't being nearly as hard on myself, and could have easily just said obviously.

Dahl, I've definitely heard of, but, haven't read. Blyton, nope.

That being said, thank goodness for the Potter books, which were released when I was about 15, and back then, The Wicked Bitch Of The South had custody of me, so, I'm glad I listened to them as an adult. Thank goodness I wasn't in special education reading, in high school, because, holding my book like a best friend, and crying over a fictional character, would have given the others more reason to pick on me. They never bullied me about the wheelchair, because, my aid would have noticed. They chose the Asperger's, that which is noticeable, without being seen, to pick on. Who needs ginger beer, when there's butter beer?! Rowling is definitely better! This needs to be said. For gosh sakes, it's Philosopher's Stone! Americans know what Brits call things, and those who don't, can sure shooting figure it out! There was absolutely no reason for a separate American version of the series, unless the editors honestly believe we're that stupid.

A honky tonk is a bar, where there's lots of country music, and oh my gosh at the beer! Think Ireland, okay? Beer, that much beer. Line dancing, maybe even. And fiddles, gosh, my neck is showing, and it's a sea of white! That's, my hand to God, where I think honky came from.
[video]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vbVn4MCSimg[/video]
When Charlie Pride came along, just imagine several racist white folks' bowels just falling directly out of their bodies. I'm sure it happened.