Which army would you fight with?

[Shmavis]

Originally posted by John D Salt:

But what you're trying to make him understand isn't "basic", it's plain wrong. It's irrational tommyrot. It's malformed flapdoodle of the ugliest kind. And, as we're in that sort of mood today, it's deeply offensive to those of us who value the proper use of logic.

All the best,

John.

I'm offended by "tommyrot" and "flapdoodle", and so are the Klingons.

[A.E.B]

Originally posted by Shmavis:

EDIT: Sorry. Double post here.

I'm offended by double posts! :mad: :mad: :mad:

A.E.B

[Leopard_2]

Originally posted by A.E.B:

The obvious choice would be any elite military unit - paratroopers, SAS, Brandenbergs, Submariner, Fighter jockey, etc - but you only turn 18 in 1945: time to be trained and deployed but not time to see combat.

That way you can claim the glory without the danger/blame.

The glory is not in the color of the stripes on your shoulder, the glory is in your deeds and the scars to prove it.

PS: Just in case it's vastly different in US/UK/Australia, German Bundeswehr signifies what kind of soldier you are by colored stripes below your rank insignia.

PPS: That reminds me... the lowest of the grunt infantry today are the Panzergrenadiere, which are customarily made fun of. (Kein Mensch, kein Tier, ein Panzergrenadier...) They wear green stripes, to indicate "infantry", and green barets with an insignia of an ATV over crossed rifles. Paratroopers, on the other hand, wear the same green "infantry" stripes, only with bordeaux-red barets, stooping eagle clutching lightning bolts, to differentiate them. Which lead to some nasty incidents when people made Panzergrenadier jokes at them at some indoor disco etc. - barets are not worn indoors, and paratroopers customarily take offense at being mistaken for "grunts".

[Krautman]

The whole wbs-Sergei discussion looks like a clash between american pride/arrogance and european modesty/politeness/pc. wbs, if you haven't already done so, take a look at anus.com and gain insight about people being as far away from pc as you could ever get. It is actually remarkable how eager some people are to tell everyone that they are NOT pc and provoke reaction to that, then claim not to have intended any negative feedback etc.

[Shmavis]

I thought white signified infantry and grass green was for mechanized(armored)infantry.

[Tero]

Originally posted by Sergei:

Originally posted by wbs:

If no offense is intended by the use of the word, why should the recipient be offended?

Because you insist on using the word that offends them, instead of the neutral word, while fully knowing that it is so. In other words, you insist on offending them.

As to words like Yank, Brit, Aussie etc. - you're blurring the issue with apples and oranges. British people generally don't mind being called as Brits, but Japanese in general do take offense of being called as Japs, just like Jews don't like being called as Judes, Polish as Polaks or blacks as Niggers.

If it doesn't matter what your audience thinks you are trying to say, then why say it in the first place? After all, the point of saying something is to convey thoughts - and to do so, you try to form the message in a way that is understood by your audience in the way closest to what you originally meant.

Having said that you really should take into account the fact the word neekeri (a person of negrid descent) in the Finnish language is a prime example of use of a neutral word which has been tarnished by use of a remotely related word negro in a totally different culture.

[Tero]

Originally posted by Wisbech_lad:

Aren't finns called after an SMG? Suomi or sumfink?

To get the insult right you really should have spelled it Soumi.

[Tero]

Originally posted by wbs:

Just out of curiosity, do any of the Finns here object to being referred to that way instead of 'Finnish'? Based on what I've observed over 4 years on this Boad I would be surprised if any of you are. If any of you do object, why?

Why would we be insulted by it ? We are, after all, Finns.

I can not think of a term which would be really insultive to us Finns. The Russians for example have used tsuhna.

What we will find insultive though is to call us Swedes or Russians or some such.

[dieseltaylor]

I feel slightly aggrieved that [Krautmann] you can be so categoric

"The whole wbs-Sergei discussion looks like a clash between american pride/arrogance and european modesty/politeness/pc. "

I am European and understand that people when typing frequently shorten text. I think Sergei was unduly aggressive in telling another forum member what language he should use.

If we are talking politeness Sergei is entitled to think people who shorten words are insensitive racist b****ds - to put it into print is not very polite. I do not use most of the terms myself but that does not mean I take it as a racialist attack on someone if the term Jap is used. It is shorthand. [And incidentally a type of sweet small cake perhaps unknown to Yanks and Finns]

I do object strongly to people who feel they are the only true judge of what English words are permissible in normal society. The spectre of all speech and written word becoming emasculated and meanings wrapped up in pc speak makes me cringe.

Derogatory content will simply get transferred to whatever the new expression is. One thing is for sure, the expression will be longer than the original word : (

[Henry. G. H]

Originally posted by MikeyD:

I want to be the little guy driving the Hungarian truck!

You and me both!

LOL

[Bone_Vulture]

Originally posted by dieseltaylor:

I do object strongly to people who feel they are the only true judge of what English words are permissible in normal society. The spectre of all speech and written word becoming emasculated and meanings wrapped up in pc speak makes me cringe.

The national socialist agenda is alive and well in Finland.. MEET THE POLITICALLY CORRECT GRAMMAR NAHZEES!!1 :mad:

[JonS]

Originally posted by Wisbech_lad:

As for the original question - RN/RAF military attache at Washington embassy. Far enough away from danger & rationing, but a sharp uniform and cute English accent to help comfort those Southern belles whose menfolk are off fighting the war...

w00t! That's what my Grandfather (RNZNVR) did for a chunk of the war There are some photos around of him boating on the Chesapeake (I fink) with a bevy of young lovelies

[JonS]

Originally posted by A.E.B:

The simple fact is that many people want and even need to take offense, regardless of the intentions of the so-labelled offender, due to their own internal pathologies. You can offend people by your clothing, your sexual orientation, your colour, your nationality, your religion, or occassional for just being born.

I'm offended that you continue to steal oxygen out of the atmosphere.

[Leopard_2]

Originally posted by Shmavis:

I thought white signified infantry and grass green was for mechanized(armored)infantry.

You are correct - partially. The Wehrmacht did distinguish infantry (white) and armored infantry (green). Today, all infantry is green, and white is - get this - the music corps. :-D

But my little tale was about the paras of today, which wear green stripes.

[DaveDash]

I'm on WBS's side in this 'discussion'.

The comments from many people in this thread is yet more confirmation that western society is on the down slope.

At least some countries still have some sense, I believe Australia is looking to BAN Political Correctness from schools because it is actually detrimental to students learning, particulary history.

IMO the fact that someone from Finland gets all worked up about the word 'Jap' being used in a WW2 orientated forum really indicates in my mind that the Finnish people don't have enough to worry about in their daily lives.

Oh, and "slopes", "yellows", or "gooks" are lightyears ahead on the offensive scale than Japs.

[DaveDash]

Krautman:

"The whole wbs-Sergei discussion looks like a clash between american pride/arrogance and european modesty/politeness/pc".

I agree 100% with wbs, am I suffering from 'American arrogence' too?

I am not an American, so how do you factor that into your little equation?

Every time an American has a POV that a European doesn't agree with, it's because the Americans are arrogent?

It seems to me Europe is the land of politeness when it comes to anything BUT America and anything it's assosiated with.

FYI I've travelled to both America and Europe, far more extensively through Europe, and by whole Americans are far more polite than Europeans in my experiances (although I havn't been to New York .

Oh, I'm a Kiwi. Is it OK if I use that word here? Heaven forbid I want to offend someone who doesn't even speak my language natively.

[Mace]

Originally posted by A.E.B:

</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Shmavis:

EDIT: Sorry. Double post here.

I'm offended by double posts! </font>

[A.E.B]

Originally posted by Mace:

</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by A.E.B:

</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Shmavis:

EDIT: Sorry. Double post here.

I'm offended by double posts! </font>

[Michael Dorosh]

Edited

[Bone_Vulture]

Originally posted by Michael Dorosh:

Edited

Self-censorship?

[Wisbech_lad]

Originally posted by JonS:

</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Wisbech_lad:

As for the original question - RN/RAF military attache at Washington embassy. Far enough away from danger & rationing, but a sharp uniform and cute English accent to help comfort those Southern belles whose menfolk are off fighting the war...

w00t! That's what my Grandfather (RNZNVR) did for a chunk of the war There are some photos around of him boating on the Chesapeake (I fink) with a bevy of young lovelies </font>

[MrSpkr]

Originally posted by John D Salt:

</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by ErikinWest:

Italians, Germans, Japs, Brits, or whatever. Which one you would you choose and why?

In WW2, I think there is much to recommend serving in the Swiss, Swedish, or maybe Irish army.

Originally posted by ErikinWest:

Then which gun?

Isn't there some rule that says if you're not in one of the top six armies, your rifle is a Mauser?

All the best,

John. </font>

[MrSpkr]

Originally posted by John D Salt:

It's only five letters if you use "negro", a word I should have thought quite unexceptionable, but which some people are apparently determined to be offended by.

All the best,

John.

This whole discussion reminds me of the unfortunate experience of David Howard, a white man who served as the Washington, D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams' ombudsman. He remarked that, due to scarce funds, he would have to be "niggardly" in expending his departmental budget. He was immediately tagged as a racist and forced to offer his resignation, which was accepted.

The fact "niggardly" has nothing to do with race, is not related to the slur "nigger", and in fact predates it by several centuries was irrelevant. Instead, he was forced from his position and job because something he said might be perceived as racist by those too dim to understand the meaning of the word.

It seems to me that too many people wait to be insulted. They immediately ascribe malice to others' choice of words rather than trying to determine whether malice was intended or communicating to the speaker that a particular word or phrase was offensive to the listener.

This article in the Christian Science Monitor covers the issue rather well.

Steve

[John D Salt]

Originally posted by MrSpkr:

[instructuve story snipped]

It seems to me that too many people wait to be insulted.

Indeed so. And some people don't even wait, they take offence on other people's behalf.

All the best,

John.

[Patrick Brazil]

Originally posted by John D Salt:

And some people don't even wait, they take offence on other people's behalf.

Well said and I'll add, at the risk of being flamed, that the offended party is always white.