Forum > General Discussion
teabagger
magus:
As I have heard the term used on TV by political pundits, "teabagger" is not derogatory but merely a reference to those of the Tea Party. (I don't go to Wikipedia to learn about the language.) I remain unaware of any sexual connotation of the term, but if you are, I'll accept that.
What irks me is that we consider words in and of themselves offensive. Certainly the scatological and certain epithets are to be avoided, but to some, Indian may be offensive. Alas, we are becoming hyper-sensitive, vying to see who can be more "aware" of what may or may not offend someone. Words are, with very few exceptions, not to be expurgated when used per se. We define words and use them in crosswords as objective symbols for meaning, and as such they should not be made taboo because they can be used improperly. Dictionaries do not eliminate words on that basis and neither should cruciverbalists.
XMAAS:
"Teabagger"/"Teabagging" has been sex term long, long before the Koch bros. Tea party came into being. The whole joke was that the people in the Tea Party (and Fox News) were blissfully unaware of the other meaning of the word at first.
magus:
So now I get it --- had to look it up on-line.
If teabagger cannot be used because in some quarters it is known to have a sexual connotation in slang, then hummer (for hummingbird) and Hummer (the car) should be avoided because it too can have a sexual connotation.
Let's not lose our head, so to speak. In other words, let's grow up.
SJS:
--- Quote from: magus on January 26, 2012, 08:54:19 AM ---So now I get it --- had to look it up on-line.
If teabagger cannot be used because in some quarters it is known to have a sexual connotation in slang, then hummer (for hummingbird) and Hummer (the car) should be avoided because it too can have a sexual connotation.
Let's not lose our head, so to speak. In other words, let's grow up.
--- End quote ---
I asked about this recently on the cruciverb mailing list. I wondered about "hook up" and other terms that could be clued one way but interpreted another. Most thought it was fine if there was a common "clean" interpretation.
But teabagger is very different than hookup or even hummer. The term was invented as a way to slander and embarrass political opponents. Political pundits who use it are either intentionally trying to be inflammatory or are unaware of the history of the term.
I agree with you that we are generally becoming too sensitive, but I do think it is appropriate to leave some things out of crossword puzzles. Teabagger is definitely one of those images best left out.
magus:
Hi, SJS---
I wonder how you know why the term was created and, tangentially, who created it.
It may be of interest to note that President Obama used the term --- politically and without malice.
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