Counterpunch wrote:Seibertron wrote:Man both sides of this argument aren't doing a good job at being understanding.
Except me.
Seibertron wrote:Wasp-shot23 wrote:Again, the point is moot, but we're not gonna get a figure called "slag" anytime soon. If hasbro paid attention to that then why not "spastic", a word which has a meaning far more clear to children than "slag" does.
I didn't realize "slag" was an offensive term to anyone, other than possibly in the fictional Beast Wars universe.
It was my understanding that they lost the trademark to the word and that the rest was "urban legend" caused by fans.
Or I could be wrong: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&clie ... n&ct=title
Wasp-shot23 wrote:Seibertron wrote:Wasp-shot23 wrote:Again, the point is moot, but we're not gonna get a figure called "slag" anytime soon. If hasbro paid attention to that then why not "spastic", a word which has a meaning far more clear to children than "slag" does.
I didn't realize "slag" was an offensive term to anyone, other than possibly in the fictional Beast Wars universe.
It was my understanding that they lost the trademark to the word and that the rest was "urban legend" caused by fans.
Or I could be wrong: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&clie ... n&ct=title
"slag" in the UK is a term used through it's waste connotations to describe lowlife women or just any woman in a derogatory manner. E.g "how could you sleep with him, you slag!" it connotes that the woman is "dirty" or worthless. It is used in the same sense as whore.
Jeep! wrote:Why do I imagine Dead Metal sounding exactly like Arnie?
Intah-wib-buls?
Blurrz wrote:10/10
Leave it to Dead Metal to have the word 'Pronz' in his signature.
kjeevah wrote:Seibertron - there is no 'understanding' needed. It's simple enough, I assume I don't need to re-post the quotes from American disability rights groups explaining how offensive the term is in the US.
It is not an issue of trying to forcefully export culture and language.
And also for the record 'fag' is just as offensive in the UK as in the US.
Evolution of the term in the United States
In American slang, the term "spaz" is inoffensive, as most Americans consider it casual slang for clumsiness, sometimes associated with over excitement, excessive energy, or hyperactivity. Its usage has been documented as far back as the mid 1950s. In 1965, film critic Pauline Kael, explained to her readers, "The term that American teen-agers now use as the opposite of 'tough' is 'spaz'. A spaz is a person who is courteous to teachers, plans for a career..and believes in official values. A spaz is something like what adults still call a square." The New York Times columnist similarly explained to readers that spaz meant "You're strictly from 23-skidoo." Benjamin Zimmer, an Editor for the "American Dictionary" and researcher at the University of Pennsylvania's Institute for Research in Cognitive Sciences, writes that by the mid 1960s the American usage of the term spaz shifted from "its original sense of 'spastic or physically uncoordinated person' to something more like 'nerdy, weird or uncool person.'" By contrast, in a June 2005 newsletter for "American Dialect Society", Zimmer reports that the "earliest [written] occurrence of uncoordinated "spaz" (as opposed to uncool "spaz")?" is found in Elastik Band 's 1965 "undeniably tasteless garage-rock single" "Spazz".
Later in 1978, Steve Martin introduced a character Charles Knerlman, aka "Chaz the Spaz" on Saturday Night Live, in a skit with Bill Murray called "Nerds". Bill Murray later starred in the movie Meatballs which had a character named "Spaz." Both shows portrayed a spaz as a nerd or somebody uncool in a comic setting. Thus, while Blue Peter shaped the modern British understanding of the term, American viewers were being bombarded with a different image. In time, the term spaz, like its counterparts nerd and geek, lost its offensive nature and evolved into a term often used in self-deprecation.
The difference in understanding of the term between British and American audiences was highlighted by an incident with the golfer Tiger Woods; after losing the US Masters Tournament in 2006, he said, "I was so in control from tee to green, the best I've played for years... But as soon as I got on the green I was a spaz." His remarks were broadcast and drew no attention in America. But they were widely reported in England, where they caused offence and were condemned by a representative of Scope and Tanni Grey-Thompson, a prominent paralympian. On learning of the furore over his comments, Woods' representative promptly apologized.
Most Americans were surprised when they learned about the controversy. In fact, at least one American dictionary (Merriam Webster's) makes no reference to cerebral palsy in its definition or word origins. It simply defines "spaz" as a shortening of the word "spastic" and "one who is inept".
When people say 'you're such a spaz' they're talking about someone with cerebral palsy," says Nancy Salandra from Philadelphia ADAPT. "People use it all the time but they are wrong. It's part of the language now, like retard, but it doesn't make it right."
"I would think that anybody in the disability community would see it as offensive," says Babs Johnson of National ADAPT. "It would be looked upon as someone having a fit or seizure or something like that. Body movements that you're not able to control."
Counterpunch wrote:kjeevah wrote:Seibertron - there is no 'understanding' needed. It's simple enough, I assume I don't need to re-post the quotes from American disability rights groups explaining how offensive the term is in the US.
It is not an issue of trying to forcefully export culture and language.
And also for the record 'fag' is just as offensive in the UK as in the US.
Hey, what the F' is with people in the UK trying to tell people in the US "how it is" in our country? No one is arguing that the word is offensive in the UK. Why is there so much contention that the word is offensive in the US.
It isn't.
Are we supposed to get pissy over the use of the word "lame" to describe things we don't like or find boring?
Are we supposed to get pissy over the use of the 'v' hand symbol for victory when in some countries it's as good as a middle finger?Evolution of the term in the United States
In American slang, the term "spaz" is inoffensive, as most Americans consider it casual slang for clumsiness, sometimes associated with over excitement, excessive energy, or hyperactivity. Its usage has been documented as far back as the mid 1950s. In 1965, film critic Pauline Kael, explained to her readers, "The term that American teen-agers now use as the opposite of 'tough' is 'spaz'. A spaz is a person who is courteous to teachers, plans for a career..and believes in official values. A spaz is something like what adults still call a square." The New York Times columnist similarly explained to readers that spaz meant "You're strictly from 23-skidoo." Benjamin Zimmer, an Editor for the "American Dictionary" and researcher at the University of Pennsylvania's Institute for Research in Cognitive Sciences, writes that by the mid 1960s the American usage of the term spaz shifted from "its original sense of 'spastic or physically uncoordinated person' to something more like 'nerdy, weird or uncool person.'" By contrast, in a June 2005 newsletter for "American Dialect Society", Zimmer reports that the "earliest [written] occurrence of uncoordinated "spaz" (as opposed to uncool "spaz")?" is found in Elastik Band 's 1965 "undeniably tasteless garage-rock single" "Spazz".
Later in 1978, Steve Martin introduced a character Charles Knerlman, aka "Chaz the Spaz" on Saturday Night Live, in a skit with Bill Murray called "Nerds". Bill Murray later starred in the movie Meatballs which had a character named "Spaz." Both shows portrayed a spaz as a nerd or somebody uncool in a comic setting. Thus, while Blue Peter shaped the modern British understanding of the term, American viewers were being bombarded with a different image. In time, the term spaz, like its counterparts nerd and geek, lost its offensive nature and evolved into a term often used in self-deprecation.
The difference in understanding of the term between British and American audiences was highlighted by an incident with the golfer Tiger Woods; after losing the US Masters Tournament in 2006, he said, "I was so in control from tee to green, the best I've played for years... But as soon as I got on the green I was a spaz." His remarks were broadcast and drew no attention in America. But they were widely reported in England, where they caused offence and were condemned by a representative of Scope and Tanni Grey-Thompson, a prominent paralympian. On learning of the furore over his comments, Woods' representative promptly apologized.
Most Americans were surprised when they learned about the controversy. In fact, at least one American dictionary (Merriam Webster's) makes no reference to cerebral palsy in its definition or word origins. It simply defines "spaz" as a shortening of the word "spastic" and "one who is inept".
kjeevah wrote:well, yes, quoting wikipedia with its reknowned exellence of information is obvious way more relavant then the previous quotes, which I obviously need to repost.
This is NOT people in other countries telling you how it is in the US.
This is straight from the mouths of an AMERICAN disability rights group (ADAPT):When people say 'you're such a spaz' they're talking about someone with cerebral palsy," says Nancy Salandra from Philadelphia ADAPT. "People use it all the time but they are wrong. It's part of the language now, like retard, but it doesn't make it right."
"I would think that anybody in the disability community would see it as offensive," says Babs Johnson of National ADAPT. "It would be looked upon as someone having a fit or seizure or something like that. Body movements that you're not able to control."
ADAPT is a grassroots United States disability rights organization with chapters in 30 states. It is known for being part of the militant wing of the disability rights movement due to its history of nonviolent direct action in order to bring attention to the lack of civil rights the disability community has. However, ADAPT also practices legislative policy advocacy, grassroots education and mobilization, and individual members may engage in legal advocacy, as in the case of individual ADAPT members suing the Chicago Transit Authority in the 1980s.
MINDVVIPE wrote:THE KID DOESN'T GIVE A RAT'S ASS ABOUT THE NAME, if he wants the cool race car robot, he wants it. When the toy is a waiting time bomb to be injested as poison like a matel toy, THEN its news worthy, god damn fruitcakes and your over-sensitivity.
Jeep! wrote:Why do I imagine Dead Metal sounding exactly like Arnie?
Intah-wib-buls?
Blurrz wrote:10/10
Leave it to Dead Metal to have the word 'Pronz' in his signature.
Dead Metal wrote:Just see the humour in it, it's almost as hilarious as "Nexus Maximus".
Seibertron wrote:Some people on both sides of this argument aren't doing a good job at being understanding to our cultural language differences.
As I already said, usage of the word "spastic" in the UK is comparable to usage of the word "fag" here in the States. "spastic", while it originated as a medical term, took on a different meaning here in the US which is more comparable to dork or geek, generally implying clumsiness or "bouncing off the walls" (perhaps hyperactivity) or even "overreacting".
The US people should acknowledge that it is an offensive word in the UK just as the UK people should acknowledge that the word means something different in our countries and shouldn't take offense to our cultural differences. It is an offensive word to the UK folks despite that it means something totally different here in the States, a company selling a product in the UK should be aware of this and sensitive to the local cultures either by having a character with a name that doesn't offend in other countries or by having the character named differently in other countries.
Do the UK people here feel that they should stop calling cigarettes "fags" because it's an offensive or politically incorrect term in the US?
kjeevah wrote:And for those of you who mistakenly believe that this is only a UK term, ADAPT is an american disability rights organisation:When people say 'you're such a spaz' they're talking about someone with cerebral palsy," says Nancy Salandra from Philadelphia ADAPT. "People use it all the time but they are wrong. It's part of the language now, like retard, but it doesn't make it right."
"I would think that anybody in the disability community would see it as offensive," says Babs Johnson of National ADAPT. "It would be looked upon as someone having a fit or seizure or something like that. Body movements that you're not able to control."
Seibertron wrote:Wasp-shot23 wrote:Again, the point is moot, but we're not gonna get a figure called "slag" anytime soon. If hasbro paid attention to that then why not "spastic", a word which has a meaning far more clear to children than "slag" does.
I didn't realize "slag" was an offensive term to anyone, other than possibly in the fictional Beast Wars universe.
craggy wrote:"cor blimey guv, 'asbro's legged it up the apples and pears and won't be giving us any of these bleedin' Trasformatrons. "
"aye, ken, jings crivens and help me boab, hud on a minnit tho, at least there's nae been a murrrrder."
"gawd'n'bennet, this is a right ol turn up for the books then innit?"
"sod this fir a game ae soljers, I'm off oot tae smoke a fag."
Wasp-shot23 wrote:craggy wrote:"cor blimey guv, 'asbro's legged it up the apples and pears and won't be giving us any of these bleedin' Trasformatrons. "
"aye, ken, jings crivens and help me boab, hud on a minnit tho, at least there's nae been a murrrrder."
"gawd'n'bennet, this is a right ol turn up for the books then innit?"
"sod this fir a game ae soljers, I'm off oot tae smoke a fag."
lolololol!!!! I'm probably the only other person who understood all that!
"yer ol' cockerney sparrah! 'ow hintelligent of you."
Wasp-shot23 wrote:craggy wrote:"cor blimey guv, 'asbro's legged it up the apples and pears and won't be giving us any of these bleedin' Trasformatrons. "
"aye, ken, jings crivens and help me boab, hud on a minnit tho, at least there's nae been a murrrrder."
"gawd'n'bennet, this is a right ol turn up for the books then innit?"
"sod this fir a game ae soljers, I'm off oot tae smoke a fag."
lolololol!!!! I'm probably the only other person who understood all that!
"yer ol' cockerney sparrah! 'ow hintelligent of you."
Megatron Wolf wrote:This is a US figure so what ever the name is its taken from the US take on words not anywhere else on the planet. If some one not in the US doesnt like the name then tell hasbro to change it if happens to come to your shores. Names have been changed from region to region since TF began. I get people are pissed because hasbro didnt think on a global scale but last time i check they are mainly an american company.
Megatron Wolf wrote:Plus im sure the name fits the character (the US meaning of the word that is).
Megatron Wolf wrote:Ok lets say there is a figure released overseas and its not going to see the light of day in america, its a transforming cigarette & its called fagimus Maximus. Now over here in the USA "fag" is a derogatory term but in other places its what they call a cigarette. Now since the figure is not going to be release in the US do people really have the right to bitch about the name? If a Japanese man dressed up as hitler for some party in japan does a jewish person in canada have the right to complain because he saw a picture on the internet? People just need to really chill out for once instead of playing all high and mighty politically correct all the time.
Jimmy Drift wrote:Wasp-shot23 wrote:craggy wrote:"cor blimey guv, 'asbro's legged it up the apples and pears and won't be giving us any of these bleedin' Trasformatrons. "
"aye, ken, jings crivens and help me boab, hud on a minnit tho, at least there's nae been a murrrrder."
"gawd'n'bennet, this is a right ol turn up for the books then innit?"
"sod this fir a game ae soljers, I'm off oot tae smoke a fag."
lolololol!!!! I'm probably the only other person who understood all that!
"yer ol' cockerney sparrah! 'ow hintelligent of you."
I'm Irish, and i got the whole thing
And you've just given me an idea for a new TF - a Reliant Robin called Rodney!!
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