Was Malthus ever poor?

[CountDeMoney]

I'm not sure I can think of a "legitimate" reason for Malthus to call himself black.

[Malthus]

How is it like that at all? Meri and CC aren't taking issue with the word poor but just as he applies to himself. I don't think the same would be true if Malthus started calling himself the n-word in public. Then black people would probably take issue with the word itself just as much as him applying it to himself.

No-no. I don't take issue with his use of the word for himself at all, anymore. He's convinced me that he's correct - from his perspective - in what he says. At this point, I don't agree with his use of the word "poor" because of the confusion that it can cause, not because I don't believe that he was or wasn't poor.

If he chooses to use that particular word to describe his circumstances, he absolutely can do so. My only remaining concern is that in doing so, his circumstances can be misconstrued to mean something that he doesn't mean. Malthus has pointed out, however, that he's kind of between a rock and a hard place on that one. I suggested broke, as his circumstances were transient, but he didn't like that word. Since I can't offer any other suggestions, I kind of feel like the conversation is at an impasse.

So far as I'm concerned, I no longer have a dog in this fight.

I don't really mind "broke", only it doesn't really fit well with a condition that lasts years. "For a few years after undergraduate, I was broke" sounds like I had no cash at all.

[Malthus]

How is it like that at all? Meri and CC aren't taking issue with the word poor but just as he applies to himself. I don't think the same would be true if Malthus started calling himself the n-word in public. Then black people would probably take issue with the word itself just as much as him applying it to himself.

I'm sure they'd also be annoyed if he called himself black.

Perhaps though I think part of that would depend on why. I'm not sure I can think of a "legitimate" reason for Malthus to call himself black.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057889/

You're going to star in a movie where you pretend to be black?

Hey, you asked for a "legitimate" reason. 

[Malthus]

I'm not sure I can think of a "legitimate" reason for Malthus to call himself black.

Unlike Seedy, who *is* a Black Single Mother of Six ... cats. 

[garbon]

How is it like that at all? Meri and CC aren't taking issue with the word poor but just as he applies to himself. I don't think the same would be true if Malthus started calling himself the n-word in public. Then black people would probably take issue with the word itself just as much as him applying it to himself.

I'm sure they'd also be annoyed if he called himself black.

Perhaps though I think part of that would depend on why. I'm not sure I can think of a "legitimate" reason for Malthus to call himself black.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057889/

You're going to star in a movie where you pretend to be black?

Hey, you asked for a "legitimate" reason. 

I don't think that's legitimate.

That said, I do recall one legit reason. If you were calling yourself black as in Canadian then that would work for me.

[Malthus]

I don't think that's legitimate.

That said, I do recall one legit reason. If you were calling yourself black as in Canadian then that would work for me.

I was riffing on the use of "scare quotes". 

Does that 'Canadian' thing work in reverse?

[garbon]

Does that 'Canadian' thing work in reverse?

To be honest, I can't even remember where we'd gotten that you can use black as a synonym for Canadian.

[Malthus]

Does that 'Canadian' thing work in reverse?

To be honest, I can't even remember where we'd gotten that you can use black as a synonym for Canadian.

I thought the original 'thing' was that racists used 'Canadian' for 'Black', so that they could plausibly deny being racist? As in, 'those Canadians sure are lousy tippers. And they don't care for working.'

[garbon]

Does that 'Canadian' thing work in reverse?

To be honest, I can't even remember where we'd gotten that you can use black as a synonym for Canadian.

I thought the original 'thing' was that racists used 'Canadian' for 'Black', so that they could plausibly deny being racist? As in, 'those Canadians sure are lousy tippers. And they don't care for working.'

Ah, using this search string "canadian as euphemism for black", I found that you were correct.

[derspiess]

Unlike Seedy, who *is* a Black Single Mother of Six ... cats. 

[Eddie Teach]

'those Canadians sure are lousy tippers. And they don't care for working.'

And they're afraid of the dark.

[HVC]

This is one of the weirdest languish threads in a very long time.

[mongers]

Does that 'Canadian' thing work in reverse?

To be honest, I can't even remember where we'd gotten that you can use black as a synonym for Canadian.

I thought the original 'thing' was that racists used 'Canadian' for 'Black', so that they could plausibly deny being racist? As in, 'those Canadians sure are lousy tippers. And they don't care for working.'

Ah, using this search string "canadian as euphemism for black", I found that you were correct.

Interesting never heard of that before, either; you'd have thought it would have come up on this forum before ?

[garbon]

Does that 'Canadian' thing work in reverse?

To be honest, I can't even remember where we'd gotten that you can use black as a synonym for Canadian.

I thought the original 'thing' was that racists used 'Canadian' for 'Black', so that they could plausibly deny being racist? As in, 'those Canadians sure are lousy tippers. And they don't care for working.'

Ah, using this search string "canadian as euphemism for black", I found that you were correct.

Interesting never heard of that before, either; you'd have thought it would have come up on this forum before ?

It has. That's what I was referencing though I reversed it.

Teach references it now and again. We had a thread, before one of the board reboots, about it.

[DGuller]

This is one of the weirdest languish threads in a very long time.