Comments on: Oh, those niggardly yard-apes

By: SayUncle » Pesky language

SayUncle » Pesky language — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 19:59:12 +0000

[...] It’s almost comical now. In the beginning, some DC politico got into trouble for using the word niggardly. Turns out, some ignorant twits just needed to buy a damn dictionary as it’s merely a synonym for stingy. Then, there was the time where some school official used the term yard-apes, and everyone called her a racist. Yard-ape, they said, was a derogatory term for black people. Well, it’s also a derogatory term used for children. Then I recall the time when someone asked if the phrase That�s Mighty White of You is racist. turns out, one definition of white is Honourable; square-dealing. [...]

By: SayUncle » Almost Niggardly

SayUncle » Almost Niggardly — Wed, 31 May 2006 13:04:03 +0000

[...] But there is a bit of overeagerness in labeling things racist, which is what I think MTA has done here. For example, there was that time a public official was almost fired for using the word niggardly, which turned out to really be a sign that a lot of folks needed to buy a damn thesaurus. Then there was the time when a Tennessee school official used the phrase yard-apes, which I’ve always heard as being a derogatory term for children, not black folks. Some folks are just overly sensitive. [...]

By: Aunt S

Aunt S — Wed, 21 Sep 2005 20:42:45 +0000

The Greenville Tech official who used the term “yard apes” to refer to children, ALL children, happens to be a very dear friend of mine. I can assure you that she does not have a malicious, racist, or hurtful bone in her body. She had no idea that the term could be misconstrued as a racial slur or attached to a derogatory meaning. See beverlycleary.com. Beverly Cleary is an award-winning children’s author who has a character named Yard Ape. They call him Yard Ape because he runs around on the playground acting like an animal. She has used this term for years to refer to children…friends, family. To her it is a term of endearment for children, like pookies, rugrats, crumbcatchers, etc. Even her own parents called her a yard ape. The media attention to this subject has been so unfounded and ridiculous. My friend was the sacrificial lamb for a college president with a bad track record for his hiring practices. I can assure you that the truth will be known and she will be exonerated.

By: Guav

Guav — Sun, 18 Sep 2005 14:23:16 +0000

“Yard Ape” is basically the same thing as “Porch Monkey,” I never heard it used in any other context other than a derogatory term for black people.

By: Rusticus

Rusticus — Fri, 16 Sep 2005 20:27:26 +0000

I nominate Thibodeaux for “Having The Most Racial Comment”!

By: _Jon

_Jon — Fri, 16 Sep 2005 17:46:28 +0000

A few points:
- A great thing about this country is when someone says something stupid, they get fired. In some other countries it is labeled “hate speech” and they go to jail. Big difference.
- Calling a person by a derogatory name and treating them that way are not the same.
- Has any other nation actually outlawed slavery?

By: cube

cube — Fri, 16 Sep 2005 14:18:08 +0000

As a side note, a principle got fired from my school in the south because he called everyone a bunch of “yard apes”.

My mom said it refered to black people. He must have been from the same part of the country that you are…stump jumper (that is my personal favorite which does not appear on tha list). It means inbreed redneck (think family tree with not branches type of comment)

By: Jay G

Jay G — Fri, 16 Sep 2005 14:05:55 +0000

Hey, I was told that the phrase “looked like a monkey f**king a football” was racist. (I was using it to describe my 6′ tall, 250 lb. self riding a Ninja 250 motorcycle).

By: Thibodeaux

Thibodeaux — Fri, 16 Sep 2005 14:01:39 +0000

Let’s call a spade a spade: this kind of behavior is a chink in our nation’s armor, and we need to nip it in the bud. We should clean up our act—get it spic and span.

By: kevin

kevin — Fri, 16 Sep 2005 13:25:12 +0000

No, sorry — yard ape has more than just that meaning, Uncle. I have lived all over the country, and in a lot of places its only used to describe black kids. The DC thing was stupid – -this was legite.

By: countertop

countertop — Fri, 16 Sep 2005 13:08:48 +0000

It was in DC about 3 years ago.

By: Steve K.

Steve K. — Fri, 16 Sep 2005 13:07:09 +0000

You remember that time (I think it was in Georgia) where some politico used the word niggardly
http://www.cnn.com/US/9902/04/dc.word.flap/

It was an over-educated asisstant to Mayor Bowtie in DC. And he was (and I guess still is) gay, which made it all the more hilarous, or pathetic, or something.