Do any knackers go to Trinity?

John · 13-03-2006 04:54PM

Roundtower2 wrote:

you're choosing to ignore this. Also the equality case i pointed out. Ah, the power of selective quoting.

But it's not the only meaning of the word. It's to do with context and the meaning attached by the user to the word. If Joe was looking for his cigarettes (I'm just using him as an example because he's a smoker) and said "Where are my fags?" would you call him homophobic? Or if someone was feeling stressed out and said "I think I'll go to a spa"? Are they prejudiced against those with neuronal diseases?

"Knacker" has split in meaning, it doesn't just refer to those who slaughter horses and travellers (the groups aren't one and the same) but also to those who act in a socially unacceptable way. As someone else has pointed out it's also being used as an adjective to describe things that are unpleasant. Is this because the word is associated with travellers? Maybe but I think the majority of people understand the concept of context and that just because you use a word it doesn't make the word have a particular meaning.

Hitchhiker's Guide to... · 13-03-2006 05:11PM

John2 wrote:

If Joe was looking for his cigarettes (I'm just using him as an example because he's a smoker) and said "Where are my fags?" would you call him homophobic? Or if someone was feeling stressed out and said "I think I'll go to a spa"? Are they prejudiced against those with neuronal diseases?

LOL - i do like the point you made here! And, it is well-made. Having said that, i don't think it describes this particular situation. I think the 'dumb Paddy' analogy i made earlier is more appropriate to this situation.

Boston · 13-03-2006 05:25PM

Roundtower2 wrote:

you're choosing to ignore this. Also the equality case i pointed out. Ah, the power of selective quoting.

It's irrelavent to the arguement. You seem to feel the need to point at that Knacker is used to describe travelers, no one disagreed with that point

Having said that, i don't think it describes this particular situation. I think the 'dumb Paddy' analogy i made earlier is more appropriate to this situation.

What about Paddy, Or "Yea drunken mess of a moron", Should irish people take offense? Dumb paddy = Stupid Irishman, I'm not a stupid irish man, in the same fashion i'm not a bastard or a spa. Just what is your point, that offensive phases are offensive.

John · 13-03-2006 06:20PM

There's a good example Liousville, the word bastard. It is used everyday by people to mean an unpleasant person. It is also historically a child born out of wedlock. I can see the difference and don't take offense to it as people aren't using it at me to question my lineage but as a completely different insult.

Blub2k4 · 13-03-2006 06:41PM

Roundtower2 wrote:

Based on your responses, i accept that you didn't mean to be racist, but were just careless with your choice of words.

ffs you are consistent with your inability to read my posts, I was relaying an incident, the choice of words was never mine to start with.

I give up mark II

Crash · 13-03-2006 08:43PM

Closed. you know, i dont mind semantics, but when an argument becomes cyclical and just revolves around the same semantic points, it becomes REALLY off topic.

Do any knackers go to Trinity?

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