White Cat Bar, Bangkok, is open

[vinapu]

1 hour ago, Olddaddy said:

 

Oh please spare me the singing !!

 

spare us your singing

[BjornAgain]

1 hour ago, macaroni21 said:

I have a feeling that the English language is a particularly fearsome minefield of "banned" words and expressions...  

Wasn't so long ago, that calling someone a 'wog' was a complement, as this was an abbreviation of the expression 'Western Oriental Gentlemen', a term used to describe people from the Middle East.

Used today, modern parlance has this as a derogatory word describing people from the Caribbean.

 

As @forrestreid said earlier:-

In England you might hear somebody saying “there used to be a Chinese restaurant there, but it closed and they opened an Asian restaurant in its place”.

Colloquially I would say "there used to be a Chinky there, but it closed and they opened a Paki in it's place". However knowing Chinky and Paki are now more offensive derogatory words, I would be consciously selective as to who I said it too. Same with describing the local corner shop which sold newspapers, sweets, cigarettes and basic groceries, ubiquitous across Thailand as 7/11, "just nipping out to the Paki shop to get some fags". Say that to an Amercian and they'll think you're gay.

 

Back in the early 1900's in the UK, "nipping out for a German", refered to the popular take-away food sold by Bavarian street sellers of German sausages or wursts. This abruptly ended after WW1, when all things German was considered derogatory or offensive.

 

As David Niven once said on Parkinson back in the 70's, "Gay, a good word ruined". Which as a compulsive womaniser his lexicon would have referred to it as being joyful, carefree or bright and showy. 

 

The word 'tranny' in my vocabulary refers to the Ford Transit van, a staple for all builders, logistics operators as the vehicle that built modern Britain. So much so, I got reported to HR by some member of the wokerati and noted for my language for describing the company van as such. As usual in these things, the name of my accuser wasn't detailed.

 

In the UK, prior to getting married, the groom would partake in his "Stag Night", the word 'Stag' implying male supremacy, size and stature. Whereas, the boys from down under would attend a "Bucks Night", a word associated to us Pom's with deer, rabbits or goats. Somewhat feminine in stature. Yes, admittedly a male red kangaroo, or buck, can stand at over 7 feet, so could be viewed the same.

 

So yes, the English language can be a minefield, especially when considering the vocabulary is nearly 1,000,000 words. A word in one country or time isn't necessary the same in another.

[spoon]

Late to the party, but for me personally, word itself, without intent, carry different weight when it comes to identifying a person. The word gay itself is still very offensive in many culture, religion and countries, even though many have accepted it. For this particular word, oriental, that is used in the thread here, I can definitely see those who didnt know it, view it as a normal word to be used as an adjective. Heck, in Malaysia, a famous cafe (kopitiam) here is called Oriental Kopi. And one of the famous 5 star luxury hotel brand here is called Mandarin Oriental. So is the luxury train Eastern and Oriental Express. Apparently, it is okay to use it to refer to inanimate object.