Hi,
I was asked to forward this on to LM Net as Dona (the original sender)
was having trouble sending to the list serve.
Diane Gallagher-Hayashi
Teacher-Librarian
Stelly's School
> Diane,
> Would you please send this on to the group? My program is not working
> right now and it won't send mail using my dodo account and the Peter has
> not changed my address as asked.
>
> I have finally decided to speak up on this discussion. As an American
> living in Australia for over 30 years, I have had to curb my tongue when
> using words that were acceptable in my eyes, but vulgar in Australian's.
> I remember clearing when, in my first year of teaching, in one day I
> made 2 large mistakes! I was teaching in a Christian school and using
> an American devotion book. The title of the devotion was "How to Love a
> Dirty Bum" In Australia, bum means butt! That same day I was reading
> Tom Sawyer and we came across "Bloody Indian Joe" Bloody was a very
> rude word at the time, radio stations even bleeped out the word in "The
> Bloody Red Baron" So words I used to use I can't any more.
> Transfer to the other way. I was playing a player piano (you know the
> kind, you pedal the music on paper rolls) with my boyfriend and at the
> end he turns to me and asks if I was "knocked up" meaning tired. I had
> to laugh and say no!!!! When he took me to my first football match he
> told me I was not to say that I was rooting! That word is the same as
> f****. And here I have my rooters card from high school. :-0 An eraser
> here is called a rubber so imagine an American high school teacher
> having a young man coming up to her and asking if he could go to his
> locker and get his rubber!
> Now, I go back to the States for a visit and hear the word fanny, fanny
> bag etc. Here in Australia that part of the anatomy is only on the
> female. I can tell you there were a lot of smiles on people's faces
> (and upset people too) when "The Nanny" was shown on TV and the song was
> being sung.
> Currently we are going thru a stage where bugger is becoming acceptable.
> It is on commercials (sometimes I have to admit, cleverly done).
> Although I get annoyed with hearing the word, I have to realize that the
> meaning of the word has changed and I should not be offended.
> I guess I usually have to listen to the context that it is being used.
> Australians often used "rude" words for terms of endearment. Bas*** can
> either mean a very close mate or be the cause of a fight!
> I loved a recent "Malcom" episode where all the words were bleeped out
> and he said, why did they bleep them out, everyone knows what they said!
>
> My point? English is a living language and we have to remember that
> meanings change. Although we have to help children use appropriate
> words, we also have to remember that! It is all in the ear of the
> listener. Take a look at Shakespeare sometime!
> Oh, by the way. I had always thought that the slang "suck" came from
> "to suck lemons", so it never offended me.
> Dona an x-pat from the USA
> Dona J. Hartwich
> Senior Librarian
> Horsham College
> Horsham, Victoria, Australia
> http://web.horsham-college.vic.edu.au/
> mrsh@dodo.com.au
> To read a book for the first time is to make an acquaintance with a new
> friend; to read it for a second time is to meet an old one.
> - Anonymous, Chinese saying
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: School Library Media & Network Communications
> [mailto:LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU] On Behalf Of Diane Gallagher-Hayashi
> Sent: Wednesday, 13 October 2004 1:04 AM
> To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
> Subject: Re: Need feedback: Bad Words
>
> The really annoying "bad" word that was going the rounds in my school
> a
> couple of years ago was b*gger. The kids assumed that it meant someone
> who
> "bugged" someone else. Whenever I heard someone using it, I made them
> look
> it up in the dictionary. The response was usually "Oh gross!" and then
> they stopped using it.
>
> Diane Gallagher-Hayashi
> Teacher-Librarian
> Stelly's School
> Saanich School District (63)
> Saanichton, British Columbia
> Canada
> Diane_Hayashi@sd63.bc.ca
> daichan@shaw.ca
>
> "I may not be an explorer, or an adventurer, or a treasure-seeker, or
> a
> gunfighter, Mr. O'Connell, but I am proud of what I am...I, am a
> librarian!"
> The Mummy
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Cathy Rettberg" <crettberg@MENLOSCHOOL.ORG>
> To: <LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU>
> Sent: Monday, October 11, 2004 7:53 AM
> Subject: Re: Need feedback: Bad Words
>
>
> > I too don't like the word and go nuts if it is used by my own kids.
> At
> > school however I have learned to roll with it - I spent 8 years in
> > elementary and even the kids there used it all the time. The parents
> > even used it! Now that I'm in a 6-12 school I don't make a big deal
> > about it, though if I disagree with the opinion that something
> "sucks"
> > I let them know. I do also on occasion point out (as I do for other
> > four letter words) that there are other, much more clever, ways to
> > express that opinion! "Use of four letter words indicates a lazy
> mind"
> > - yep, they are tired of hearing that!
> >
> > Cathy
> > -----------
> > Cathy Rettberg, MLIS
> > Head Librarian, Menlo School
> > Atherton, CA
> > crettberg@menloschool.org
> >
> >
> > On Monday, October 11, 2004, at 02:18 AM, Dawn Sardes wrote:
> >
> > > When I was a child, in the 60's, people, at times, used a word
> that I
> > > was told was bad to use to say that this person or that thing or
> some
> > > situation "sucks."
> > >
> > > I was told that it was okay to say that a baby "sucks" his bottle,
> but
> > > not to use it in that other context. Later, although nobody
> actually
> > > told me this, I surmised that it was "bad" because it was a
> reference
> > > to certain acts.
> > >
> > > I hear this word being used in this context all the time--even on
> > > national network television. When did this become ok? When I was
> > > young, I got my mouth washed out with soap for using it. I taught
> my
> > > kids to not use it to describe or deride a event or situation, and
> > > especially not a person. That is what the word "stinks" is for.
> > >
> > > When I taught, I did not allow that use of that word in my class
> or
> > > school, and was backed up by faculty.
> > >
> > > Today, in my public library, as we were about 15 minutes from
> closing,
> > > one of our printers began repeatedly jamming (my library offers
> free,
> > > unlimited printing--a "service" that is taken for granted and
> widely
> > > abused and that costs us over $15,000/year, but that's another
> rant).
> > > I turned it off and announced that it was broken.
> > >
> > > A young man came up and asked to be placed on a pc on the other
> side
> > > of the library. Those pc's on that side have their own printer.
> > > However, we have an automated sign-up system (invented by our tech
> > > guy) that assigns pc's randomly. There is no way to make sure
> someone
> > > gets a specific pc.
> > >
> > > When I explained that we could not do that, the young man told me
> that
> > > "Your Tech guy really "sucks."
> > >
> > > It took all my willpower not to get up and slap him. None of my
> > > co-workers "suck" and I told him that. Our tech guy is an
> absolute
> > > wonder. He is a techie God. Then this smug, self-important
> > > little......person...offered to come in & teach him how to
> properly
> > > wire a library. I offered him Matt's card and told him to call
> him.
> > >
> > > I am still fuming. Am I hopelessly out of date in my evaluation
> of
> > > this word? Am I the only one left who thinks it is wrong? I have
> to
> > > admit, it is one reason I've stopped watching TV (except for news
> and
> > > I even hear it there). Maybe it is not a bad word, like I have
> always
> > > thought, but isn't it at least rude and inappropriate?
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Dawn M. Sardes
> > > Teen Services Librarian
> > > Euclid Public Library
> > > Euclid, OH
> > > dawn511@adelphia.net
> > >
> > >
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