This is part 3 in an arc inspired by something KBar sent me, Burger's name stirs a beef. Part 1 dealt with the differences in Burgers. People who attended my Emetrics Summit SF 2007 presentation, this one's for you; Notice the difference between Mark Harmon's picture and mine? Which of the two wants to be your friend? How do you know?
Part 2 offered that no one is going to be upset by a "Yankee CheeseBurger" and questioned the reason for the lack of concern. The expression "Yankee" is just as much a stereotype as "Wop", I think. Is it because the term "Yankee" conjures up certain qualities people find favorable while the term "Wop" does not? Who decided which qualities were associated with each?
And if I don't like the words you're using, do I have to right to stop you from using them?
Want to know a joke I heard in high school and that made me laugh so hard I ached? Hugh (Welsh-Episcopal heritage) told it to me (Italian-Catholic heritage) over at Denny's (Irish-Episcopal heritage) house while Andy (Russian-Jewish heritage) listened. It started with Hugh drawing a picture much like the one below:
"Do you know what this is, Joe?" Hugh asked. "No idea."
"It's the all new Italian Star Studded Boot Tire," Hugh explained. "Dago through snow, Dago through mud, Dago through rain, Dago through ice. But when Dago flat, Dago Wop Wop Wop Wop Wop."
Denny laughed. Andy pointed at me and laughed. Hugh laughed.
And so did I. More so than they did. The only thing was, I wasn't laughing at the ethnic paucity of the joke, I was laughing at the punnage (I wrote in my first post that I'd make up words if I had to) that made the joke work. It was a great use of language, in my mind.
My dad didn't think so when I told the joke to him. I think it lost something when I translated it into Italian so he could understand it.
More to follow...
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