I think I was just unintentionally racist
A few years ago, one of my colleagues went into a tailspin because she was worried she'd misused the word "linchpin" and that it somehow had a connection to lynching. Which it does not.
But I just was talking to another colleague, who asked why a particular call was scheduled with an outside group:
"Are they in trouble?"
"Not really...they've just sort of gone off the plantation, and we need to get them back in line."
What I meant to say was "off the reservation," but when I stumbled over "plantation" and thought about both of those phrases, I think probably both are rooted in some kind of racial or ethnic intolerance. I don't really know, and my colleague didn't seem offended by my idiocy generally, but I still feel as though I ought to excise both of those terms from my vocabulary.
But I just was talking to another colleague, who asked why a particular call was scheduled with an outside group:
"Are they in trouble?"
"Not really...they've just sort of gone off the plantation, and we need to get them back in line."
What I meant to say was "off the reservation," but when I stumbled over "plantation" and thought about both of those phrases, I think probably both are rooted in some kind of racial or ethnic intolerance. I don't really know, and my colleague didn't seem offended by my idiocy generally, but I still feel as though I ought to excise both of those terms from my vocabulary.
2 Comments:
I am not sure if we can remain married.
I would say yes, but the thought of that is totally off the plantation!
Oh shit... I mean... ummm... reservation
By
Smelmooo, at 8:38 AM
I've actually never heard of either but i'm not exactly wordly. I do remember though, being a part of a game of some kind when another player attempted to use the word "JEW" as a verb. That ended the game and it wasn't even me, the only jewish person in the room, who took the greatest offense.
-Shari
By
Anonymous, at 9:18 AM
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