New Year Omen

[Mike Lamb]

Chicago's temps have gone from zero to 50 faster than a wop sports car. It was raining when I showed up to my job and just like that the sun broke and then a rainbow. It's an omen of good luck for 2011.

After 1 hr. it was raining again and my client told me to stop the inspection. She didn't want the house. So it goes.

Everything will turn out for the best. Good luck to everyone in 2011.

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[gtblum]

Chicago's temps have gone from zero to 50 faster than a wop sports car

LOL!

[Jim Katen]

Chicago's temps have gone from zero to 50 faster than a wop sports car. It was raining when I showed up to my job and just like that the sun broke and then a rainbow. It's an omen of good luck for 2011.

After 1 hr. it was raining again and my client told me to stop the inspection. She didn't want the house. So it goes.

Everything will turn out for the best. Good luck to everyone in 2011.

How do youi know it's not an omen that, just as things start to look bright, we'll be plunged into the depths of despair again?

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[caryseidner]

Chicago's temps have gone from zero to 50 faster than a wop sports car. It was raining when I showed up to my job and just like that the sun broke and then a rainbow. It's an omen of good luck for 2011.

After 1 hr. it was raining again and my client told me to stop the inspection. She didn't want the house. So it goes.

Everything will turn out for the best. Good luck to everyone in 2011.

How do youi know it's not an omen that, just as things start to look bright, we'll be plunged into the depths of despair again?

- Jim Katen, Oregon

"start to look bright"?!? Did I miss something?

[Terence McCann]

Chicago's temps have gone from zero to 50 faster than a wop sports car. It was raining when I showed up to my job and just like that the sun broke and then a rainbow. It's an omen of good luck for 2011.

After 1 hr. it was raining again and my client told me to stop the inspection. She didn't want the house. So it goes.

Everything will turn out for the best. Good luck to everyone in 2011.

How do youi know it's not an omen that, just as things start to look bright, we'll be plunged into the depths of despair again?

- Jim Katen, Oregon

If gas prices keep going up it will wreck any chance of a recovery.

[asihi]

a wop sports car.

Care to explain what this means?

[Mike Lamb]

a wop sports car.

Care to explain what this means?

Italian sports car.

[randynavarro]

Did y'all know that the first man, Adam was an Italian?

When God scooped that first lump of clay, he took it in his hands and "Wop!" and began to form it.

[Jim Katen]

a wop sports car.

Care to explain what this means?

Italian sports car.

Yeah, dago forward, dago backward, and when day get a flat tire, dago wop, wop, wop, wop. . .

[asihi]

Okay, now I get it. Its okay to use ethnic slurs on this site. You know I don't consider myself to be a PC person at all, but this thread is the thing that gets me. It's okay to use these slurs against one group, but not others. How long would this thread last if Mike used the N-word or used some derogatory term about a Jewish or Hispanic person.

My grandfather was a "wop" (a term used for Italians that came over from Italy in the early1900's with the popular meaning of "with out papers"). He came over when he was 13yrs old, became a citizen and busted his rear end all his life until he died at age 80. He gave his familya great life. Nowadays we use the term "undocumented immigrant".

Here's my philosphy and it's pretty easy, I try not to say or write anything that I wouldn't say to someone else's face. It's cowardly and I guaranty you Mike if you say it to my face, you'll have a size 11 "scarpa" sticking out of your ass.

[Jim Katen]

Okay, now I get it. Its okay to use ethnic slurs on this site. . .

No. And I'd like to apoligize if you felt personally offended.

That said, at least in the Italian neighborhood where I grew up, those terms were considered so old fashioned and outdated that no one viewed them as slurs anymore. And that was 40 years ago. Aside from the movie Gran Torino, I can't recall anyone seriously using those words as slurs in my lifetime. (And even in the movie, they were considered anachronistic.)

The intent that a word is wielded with is much more important that the word itself. Do you detect malicious intent on this thread?

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[Mike Lamb]

Okay, now I get it. Its okay to use ethnic slurs on this site. You know I don't consider myself to be a PC person at all, but this thread is the thing that gets me. It's okay to use these slurs against one group, but not others. How long would this thread last if Mike used the N-word or used some derogatory term about a Jewish or Hispanic person.

My grandfather was a "wop" (a term used for Italians that came over from Italy in the early1900's with the popular meaning of "with out papers"). He came over when he was 13yrs old, became a citizen and busted his rear end all his life until he died at age 80. He gave his familya great life. Nowadays we use the term "undocumented immigrant".

Here's my philosphy and it's pretty easy, I try not to say or write anything that I wouldn't say to someone else's face. It's cowardly and I guaranty you Mike if you say it to my face, you'll have a size 11 "scarpa" sticking out of your ass.

Tony, this doesn’t have anything to do with using the word, “wop.â€

[asihi]

Okay, now I get it. Its okay to use ethnic slurs on this site. You know I don't consider myself to be a PC person at all, but this thread is the thing that gets me. It's okay to use these slurs against one group, but not others. How long would this thread last if Mike used the N-word or used some derogatory term about a Jewish or Hispanic person.

My grandfather was a "wop" (a term used for Italians that came over from Italy in the early1900's with the popular meaning of "with out papers"). He came over when he was 13yrs old, became a citizen and busted his rear end all his life until he died at age 80. He gave his familya great life. Nowadays we use the term "undocumented immigrant".

Here's my philosphy and it's pretty easy, I try not to say or write anything that I wouldn't say to someone else's face. It's cowardly and I guaranty you Mike if you say it to my face, you'll have a size 11 "scarpa" sticking out of your ass.

Tony, this doesn’t have anything to do with using the word, “wop.â€

[Marc]

The intent that a word is wielded with is much more important that the word itself. Do you detect malicious intent on this thread?

- Jim Katen, Oregon

I can see that Jim had not the slightest malicious intent, but I got curious and quizzed my wife who's half Sicilian. She says that on the east coast (Philly and elsewhere) where she grew up, a remark like that could get you killed. She ain't kidding. She would've been offended by it herself. Like you said, it's a regional thing but TIJ's reach spans many regions, east to west, north to south.

Marc

[charlieb]

The churchill quote is good but Marc said it well. It's regional.

Speaking for myself and any other spics on the board, I saw no malice in Mike's adjective.

[gtblum]

The churchill quote is good but Marc said it well. It's regional.

Speaking for myself and any other spics on the board, I saw no malice in Mike's adjective.

I can't speak for the other 1/2 potato picking mic, 1/2 Krauts here but, I'm not going to apologize for being the first one to laugh at it. Big deal.

I wonder how guys like Dave Chapelle, Eddie Murphy, Goerge Lopez, Richard Prior, Joe Piscipo, and others ever made a living. Malice? Not in my book. Inappropriate? Maybe. Funny? Yes.

[Mike Lamb]

Okay, now I get it. Its okay to use ethnic slurs on this site. You know I don't consider myself to be a PC person at all, but this thread is the thing that gets me. It's okay to use these slurs against one group, but not others. How long would this thread last if Mike used the N-word or used some derogatory term about a Jewish or Hispanic person.

My grandfather was a "wop" (a term used for Italians that came over from Italy in the early1900's with the popular meaning of "with out papers"). He came over when he was 13yrs old, became a citizen and busted his rear end all his life until he died at age 80. He gave his familya great life. Nowadays we use the term "undocumented immigrant".

Here's my philosphy and it's pretty easy, I try not to say or write anything that I wouldn't say to someone else's face. It's cowardly and I guaranty you Mike if you say it to my face, you'll have a size 11 "scarpa" sticking out of your ass.

Tony, this doesn’t have anything to do with using the word, “wop.â€

[John Dirks Jr]

Double rainbow on my way to an inspection this morning.

This is the first double I've ever seen.

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[charlieb]

John, is this our "bridge" to peace?

[John Kogel]

Double rainbow on my way to an inspection this morning.

This is the first double I've ever seen.

The pot of gold will be on the other end of the other one. []

A sports car "with out papers". I learned something!

Ever seen a perfect circle rainbow? Flying through a rain cloud in a chopper. There was no gold.

[John Dirks Jr]

John, is this our "bridge" to peace?

I guess that depends on who you're trying to convince.

[Bill Kibbel]

Okay, now I get it. Its okay to use ethnic slurs on this site. You know I don't consider myself to be a PC person at all, but this thread is the thing that gets me. It's okay to use these slurs against one group, but not others. How long would this thread last if Mike used the N-word or used some derogatory term about a Jewish or Hispanic person.

My grandfather was a "wop" (a term used for Italians that came over from Italy in the early1900's with the popular meaning of "with out papers"). He came over when he was 13yrs old, became a citizen and busted his rear end all his life until he died at age 80. He gave his familya great life. Nowadays we use the term "undocumented immigrant".

Here's my philosphy and it's pretty easy, I try not to say or write anything that I wouldn't say to someone else's face. It's cowardly and I guaranty you Mike if you say it to my face, you'll have a size 11 "scarpa" sticking out of your ass.

Wop is not an acronym for "with out papers". The term was in use in Italy and the United States long before passports, visas or any form of documentation was required for immigrants entering this country.

Wop is an Americanism for the word guapo, sometimes vappa in the common dialect for some Italians immigrating in the 19th century. It meant arrogant and/or scoundrel. It was also commonly used as a salutation among immigrants that came from Sicily. It was used by the Italian-Americans for quite some time when referring to someone in their own community and ethnicity. When outsiders originally used the term, it wasn't necessarily derogatory. It's just another word that sounded like what Italians called each other, but wasn't paisan.

During the 1920s, wop evolved into the pejorative form at the same time stereotyping the criminality of Italians began. The term was still being used among working class Italian Americans well into the 20th century, without derogatory connotation. Like Maggio (Frank Sinatra) said in the movie From Here to Eternity: "Only my friends call me wop".

[Bain]

There are widely divergent views of what is or isn't appropriate these days. Check out what this guy has to say.

[asihi]

Wop is not an acronym for "with out papers". The term was in use in Italy and the United States long before passports, visas or any form of documentation was required for immigrants entering this country.

Wop is an Americanism for the word guapo, sometimes vappa in the common dialect for some Italians immigrating in the 19th century. It meant arrogant and/or scoundrel. It was also commonly used as a salutation among immigrants that came from Sicily. It was used by the Italian-Americans for quite some time when referring to someone in their own community and ethnicity. When outsiders originally used the term, it wasn't necessarily derogatory. It's just another word that sounded like what Italians called each other, but wasn't paisan.

During the 1920s, wop evolved into the pejorative form at the same time stereotyping the criminality of Italians began. The term was still being used among working class Italian Americans well into the 20th century, without derogatory connotation. Like Maggio (Frank Sinatra) said in the movie From Here to Eternity: "Only my friends call me wop".

Bill, no matter where the word derived from, it evolved into a term that's offensive to millions of Italians. I remember when I was a kid and I said "wop" in front of my dad. He gave me a smack and said you're a Italian. Don't ever use that word again. This was many years ago and I never forgot it. Plus I guess Sinatra had it right. It's different coming from a friend. I'm sorry this thread went this far. I guess I'm a little touchy these days. The comment just hit me the wrong way.