"Canadian" is the new "nigger"

[topaz]

"Canadian" has become the new slur for "black" in some parts of the South, according to Canada's National Post.

I am so boggled I do not know where to begin.  Thanks be to kcatalyst for the tip.

Comments

[feste-sylvain.livejournal.com]

I contrast this to my hometown, where calling someone a "Canuck" was the fastest way to start a fight. Americans were insulted at being called Canadian, and Canadians were insulted that they were being denigrated for it.

[opadit.livejournal.com]

Be careful as to how seriously you take that article -- the National Post is pretty right-wing and inflammatory.

[dbang.livejournal.com]

I didn't know it was Rabbit Hole Day at the National Post!

sceptical

[dbang.livejournal.com]

I can't get Google to verify this. Every reference I can find to "Canadian" as an epithet for "black" refers right back to this very article.

[rwx.livejournal.com]

The Canadian as poor tipper stereotype is alive and well in Seattle. I heard a waitress at our local complaining about it the other day because a group of canadians fought the minimum tip added to the bill for large parties.

[rsc.livejournal.com]

Because of the huge number of African-Canadians? Huh?

[rwx.livejournal.com]

FWIW, current slang term for Canada locally is 'Canuckistan'

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

At the risk of lowering everyone's opinion of me a tad, I have to admit the development makes perfect sense to me. You see, my boyfriend's building has a lot of residents who are relatively recent immigrants from Russia. Most of these have a standard of behaviour that is, by our standards, boorish--very pushy, demanding, and rude and eager to use the "no speak English" defence when called on it. (For instance, house rules are that residents must reserve the outdoor grills in advance, but Russians will regularly occupy them without doing this and brush you off when you complain about them taking your grill.)

So we frequently have cause to complain about "the Russians" there. At one point, I mentioned to him that the last thing we needed was for some track-suited flathead to overhear one of these gripes sometime and decided to teach us a lesson and suggested we adopt a euphemism. We opted for "Tartars" for our cryptoslur, since it both suggested barbarism and was very unlikely to be understood. I can equally well see choosing "Canadians" for its sheer humourous inappropriateness, but it didn't occur to us.

[nitouche.livejournal.com]

The Toronto Star is a rather more reputable newspaper than the National Post, and they ran the story a couple of days ago here: http://www.thestar.com/article/297666

And I will merely and meekly point out that being Canadian is a *good* thing, particularly when it differentiates you from the type of person who would need to use it as an ironic euphemism.

[primal-pastry.livejournal.com]

As I commented to dbang, I've heard two of my friends in S. FL use this starting about 5 years ago. Since the rest of my contacts there are either about as liberal as I am or superficial, I don't have any other personal data on it.

At risk of rezzing an old thread...

[(Anonymous)]

The term Canadian as blacks is indeed the way servers and bartenders have been getting away with complaining about about bad black tippers. It is epidmic in the south- the term and many blacks who eat and drink out. I used to think that it was a myth because in the north and out west where I have tended bar.. it was not much of an issue.. but southern blacks (where I live now) are really the worst tippers on earth.. of course.. my dad is white and from the country and he is just as bad a tipper. So many in my industry say "Damn Canadians". Even my black coworkers.

Heard this ten years ago

[(Anonymous)]

my first job waiting tables in wichita,ks was at a very busy mexican restaurant. we called 'them' canadians after a group came in often and never tipped and the man that always paid wore a Canadians baseball hat. one day a waiter was pissed off and when asked why he said the fucking Canadian didn't tip. when asked who didn't tip he said the fucking nigger in the Canadian's hat. After that the servers at on the border used it willingly and loudly,much like when mexicans speak about a person in spanish knowing the person is right their and unable to understand. only till recenct have people in town stopped using the term bc 'they' found out.