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PaperclipPerfector  5mo ago (text post)   2197 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for November 29, 2024

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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Is anyone else surprised that they never excised “chief” from modern PC English? As in chief executive officer? I can’t think of any other context for chief other than an Indian chief. Maybe some military ranks? But it’s all based off Indians.

Thoughts?

I had the same thought and looked into this a few years back and found that it long predated European contact with American Indians. But historical context didn't matter for niggards or sniggerers, so maybe it's just a matter of time.

Niggardly isn't that common and there are plenty of alternatives.

Chief is in the top 3000 most common words, so trying to get rid of it is much more difficult.

The upsetting one is "tar baby" because it's actually a useful concept without a good alternative.

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