Way Down Upon

Pete, something I've been mulling since I read this yesterday. Hope you will take it in the utterly friendly if ribbing tone intended.

I'm not offended, for myself or anyone else, but some words are "speed bumps" for me. I was reading along, right with you, when I hit "There was a darky…."

In my upbringing, back in the middle of the last century, one used the term "Negro," not that other "n-word" (argh- I hate yielding to the language police, no matter how usual it is). People who used that other "n-word" were either low-class, bigoted, or both. But, as far as I remember, the d-word was not just similarly disrespectful, it was practically obsolete. Like pickaninny. Or maybe it was more of a further-down-South thing than where I grew up? Anyway, I rarely heard it; old-timers and old movies.

So, as I say, hitting "…a darky…" was a bit of a speed bump… for half a moment… until I read the rest of it: "…named Phallus…."

[The sad trombone of failure sounds] Nope, nope, sorry, if you're going as "Phallus," you don't get any respect on any other point. No how. That's worse than darky. Speed bump removed.

♥

I'm a slow reader, which is only a good thing when I hit speed bumps.

Need new shock absorbers, anyway. ⅏?