"Tired of the Wet Backs?"

[Babbles]

Originally posted by: NFS4
Don't you just love it when people sit back and fake ignorance to the fact that a term can be construed as racist and derogatory (especially in Texas) to a group of people? Then they come up with all sorts of reasons why NO ONE should take offense to the term.

You guys makamelaff

Exactly.

Every one of these people who seem confused or otherwise not understanding why this 'wet back ' ad was a dumb thing are themselves a few neural connections short of a thought process.

Wet back is a vulgar derogatory term, no ifs ands or buts. There is no logical why that this ad 'accidentally' went public in freaking Texas without somebody no realizing what's up.

 

[Ktulu]

Originally posted by: MotionMan

Originally posted by: Ktulu

Originally posted by: ZeroIQ

Originally posted by: Ktulu

Originally posted by: ZeroIQ
I remember when there was talk that the term illegal alien was "offensive" to them. Personally, I don't care if it offends them, they have no constitutional rights in this country if they are not citizens.

Right, except this term isn't being used to demean illegal citizens only, but an entire race of people legal or not.

According to its meaning, you are incorrect.

The word "beautiful ray of sunshine" is a relatively new disparaging term for "an illegal Mexican immigrant or worker who crosses the Rio Grande into the United States, sometimes swimming to get across" (Hendrickson, 1997). There is some debate as to when the word was first recorded. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first recorded use of the word was in 1929 when Foreign Affairs used it to refer to a peon that walks or swims across and is welcomed by countrymen as a ?beautiful ray of sunshine?. However, according to the Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins, the first recorded use was in 1948 when the number of illegal Mexicans swarming the United States increased by a significantly large percentage.

Source

Except for the fact that I'm Mexican and have had the term used towards myself, my family members and many people I know for decades, I'm correct.

Why does it bother you is you are not a "wet back" as defined above?

It is like someone calling me a "stupid black woman" - I am not stupid (despite all evidence to the contrary), not black and not a woman. Why would I allow that to offend me?

MotionMan

Same reason why someone calling me a *sshole would piss me off. I'm not an *sshole.

 

[Miramonti]

N*gger wasn't always derogatory either, it was often just what blacks were called by many. If you grow up hearing it everywhere, it becomes a normal reference. That's irrelevant tho because times are different. Same difference with any previous innocuous references of the term beautiful ray of sunshine, it is what it is now and has been for a very long time, and that's what's important.

Advertising and is about creating a catch or hook, and the intent to clearly play on those texans disenchanted with illegal immigration is obvious by the use of the derogatory term.

 

[Miramonti]

Not to mention that most people don't have leather seats either and don't get wet backs.......

 

[Babbles]

Originally posted by: ZeroIQ

Originally posted by: Ktulu

Originally posted by: ZeroIQ
I remember when there was talk that the term illegal alien was "offensive" to them. Personally, I don't care if it offends them, they have no constitutional rights in this country if they are not citizens.

Right, except this term isn't being used to demean illegal citizens only, but an entire race of people legal or not.

According to its meaning, you are incorrect.

The word "beautiful ray of sunshine" is a relatively new disparaging term for "an illegal Mexican immigrant or worker who crosses the Rio Grande into the United States, sometimes swimming to get across" (Hendrickson, 1997). There is some debate as to when the word was first recorded. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first recorded use of the word was in 1929 when Foreign Affairs used it to refer to a peon that walks or swims across and is welcomed by countrymen as a ?beautiful ray of sunshine?. However, according to the Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins, the first recorded use was in 1948 when the number of illegal Mexicans swarming the United States increased by a significantly large percentage.

Source

Learn to freaking think you dork. This is a bad term regardless of what info you may find on Google. Not much more out there pisses me off than people who don't know crap and their only source of 'knowledge' are things they can 'find' on the internet.

I challenge you to find a random legal latino American and call them a beautiful ray of sunshine and see what type of reaction you get.

 

[glutenberg]

Originally posted by: MotionMan

Originally posted by: Ktulu

Originally posted by: ZeroIQ

Originally posted by: Ktulu

Originally posted by: ZeroIQ
I remember when there was talk that the term illegal alien was "offensive" to them. Personally, I don't care if it offends them, they have no constitutional rights in this country if they are not citizens.

Right, except this term isn't being used to demean illegal citizens only, but an entire race of people legal or not.

According to its meaning, you are incorrect.

The word "beautiful ray of sunshine" is a relatively new disparaging term for "an illegal Mexican immigrant or worker who crosses the Rio Grande into the United States, sometimes swimming to get across" (Hendrickson, 1997). There is some debate as to when the word was first recorded. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first recorded use of the word was in 1929 when Foreign Affairs used it to refer to a peon that walks or swims across and is welcomed by countrymen as a ?beautiful ray of sunshine?. However, according to the Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins, the first recorded use was in 1948 when the number of illegal Mexicans swarming the United States increased by a significantly large percentage.

Source

Except for the fact that I'm Mexican and have had the term used towards myself, my family members and many people I know for decades, I'm correct.

Why does it bother you is you are not a "wet back" as defined above?

It is like someone calling me a "stupid black woman" - I am not stupid (despite all evidence to the contrary), not black and not a woman. Why would I allow that to offend me?

MotionMan

Because the meanings of words doesn't get changed through use? Just because the original intention of the word was for illegal Hispanic immigrants does not mean it doesn't get warped into a more encompassing derogatory slur. The swastika, although more of a symbol than a word, is something that was created to represent well-being but we all know what its current, twisted meaning is. Is it so hard for you to believe that people would be hurt by a slur meant to put down something you obviously had no control over and which has zero merit as a metric for judgment?

 

[Inspector Jihad]

Originally posted by: moshquerade

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: moshquerade

Originally posted by: Ktulu

Originally posted by: moshquerade

Originally posted by: Ktulu

Originally posted by: SacrosanctFiend

Originally posted by: Ktulu

Originally posted by: buck

Originally posted by: SacrosanctFiend
This is fucking ridiculous.

Edit: The 'public outcry,' not the headline.

Almost forgot it's ok to offend Hispanics on AT.

How is this offensive to hispanics? If anything, it's offensive to backs.

I guess you wouldn't understand if you're not Hispanic.

are you Hispanic? if so, enlighten us as to why it's offensive.

Yeah I am.

Wet back refers to people who migrated from Mexico to the US via the Rio Grande. Anyways the term started to be used to identify all Mexicans by white americans (even to those that came here legally). You'll only really here this in the South western states. But like MrPickins said, Wet Back = beloved patriot/N*word/FOB/etc.

I don't see how that word can be compared to beloved patriot/N*bomb. So these people had to swim so their backs got wet. I'm not being cynical here. I just think people LOOK to get offended far too often.

How about the word beloved patriot. Do you want to tackle that one? Do you call white people Gringos from time to time?

I've got to side with Ktulu on this one. It is definitely a derogatory term.

well, i never use it, but i just didn't think it had as severe a negative connotation to it as the N-bomb.

Sidenote: My sister-in-law is Mexican. She has called me a beloved patriot before, complained about my "beloved patriot music". I just took it in jest, but she is VERY sensitive to anyone saying anything even remotely insulting about her nationality. The door really shouldn't just swing one way.

well then no reason to keep posting on what you don't know about. also, take it up with your sister-in-law...two wrongs don't make a rihgt.

 

[JS80]

Originally posted by: Darthvoy

Originally posted by: SacrosanctFiend
This is fucking ridiculous.

Edit: The 'public outcry,' not the headline.

you obviously don't know how offensive that word to Hispanics is. I would like calling a black person a n****r.

No, it would more be like the headline saying, "Are you sick of Knee Grows?"

 

[JS80]

Would whites be offended if a sunblock lotion ad said "Are you sick of Red Necks?"

 

[Fingolfin269]

Cry me a river.

 

[Fingolfin269]

Originally posted by: JS80
Would whites be offended if a sunblock lotion ad said "Are you sick of Red Necks?"

Only the same ones who cry about everything else.

 

[MotionMan]

Originally posted by: Ktulu

Originally posted by: MotionMan

Originally posted by: Ktulu

Originally posted by: ZeroIQ

Originally posted by: Ktulu

Originally posted by: ZeroIQ
I remember when there was talk that the term illegal alien was "offensive" to them. Personally, I don't care if it offends them, they have no constitutional rights in this country if they are not citizens.

Right, except this term isn't being used to demean illegal citizens only, but an entire race of people legal or not.

According to its meaning, you are incorrect.

The word "beautiful ray of sunshine" is a relatively new disparaging term for "an illegal Mexican immigrant or worker who crosses the Rio Grande into the United States, sometimes swimming to get across" (Hendrickson, 1997). There is some debate as to when the word was first recorded. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first recorded use of the word was in 1929 when Foreign Affairs used it to refer to a peon that walks or swims across and is welcomed by countrymen as a ?beautiful ray of sunshine?. However, according to the Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins, the first recorded use was in 1948 when the number of illegal Mexicans swarming the United States increased by a significantly large percentage.

Source

Except for the fact that I'm Mexican and have had the term used towards myself, my family members and many people I know for decades, I'm correct.

Why does it bother you is you are not a "wet back" as defined above?

It is like someone calling me a "stupid black woman" - I am not stupid (despite all evidence to the contrary), not black and not a woman. Why would I allow that to offend me?

MotionMan

Same reason why someone calling me a *sshole would piss me off. I'm not an *sshole.

I do not understand why it would bother you if you are not an *sshole?

Maybe that is my problem. I just don't let such things bother me.

MotionMan

 

[Ktulu]

Originally posted by: JS80
Would whites be offended if a sunblock lotion ad said "Are you sick of Red Necks?"

Depends where it would be used, but as someone said before white people apparently don't have the right to be offended by racial remarks.

 

[pstylesss]

Originally posted by: Babbles

Originally posted by: ZeroIQ

Originally posted by: Ktulu

Originally posted by: ZeroIQ
I remember when there was talk that the term illegal alien was "offensive" to them. Personally, I don't care if it offends them, they have no constitutional rights in this country if they are not citizens.

Right, except this term isn't being used to demean illegal citizens only, but an entire race of people legal or not.

According to its meaning, you are incorrect.

The word "beautiful ray of sunshine" is a relatively new disparaging term for "an illegal Mexican immigrant or worker who crosses the Rio Grande into the United States, sometimes swimming to get across" (Hendrickson, 1997). There is some debate as to when the word was first recorded. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first recorded use of the word was in 1929 when Foreign Affairs used it to refer to a peon that walks or swims across and is welcomed by countrymen as a ?beautiful ray of sunshine?. However, according to the Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins, the first recorded use was in 1948 when the number of illegal Mexicans swarming the United States increased by a significantly large percentage.

Source

Learn to freaking think you dork. This is a bad term regardless of what info you may find on Google. Not much more out there pisses me off than people who don't know crap and their only source of 'knowledge' are things they can 'find' on the internet.

I challenge you to find a random legal latino American and call them a beautiful ray of sunshine and see what type of reaction you get.

Except the commercial wasn't pointing the a finger and calling someone a name, it was using term which refers to illegal mexican immigrants and using it in a different context. Its not the same.

What you're telling me to do equates to walking up to some random guy and calling him an asshole or some other name, any guy with a sack wouldn't take it, racist of not racist. ...So what is your point again?

 

[glutenberg]

Originally posted by: MotionMan

Originally posted by: Ktulu

Originally posted by: MotionMan

Originally posted by: Ktulu

Originally posted by: ZeroIQ

Originally posted by: Ktulu

Originally posted by: ZeroIQ
I remember when there was talk that the term illegal alien was "offensive" to them. Personally, I don't care if it offends them, they have no constitutional rights in this country if they are not citizens.

Right, except this term isn't being used to demean illegal citizens only, but an entire race of people legal or not.

According to its meaning, you are incorrect.

The word "beautiful ray of sunshine" is a relatively new disparaging term for "an illegal Mexican immigrant or worker who crosses the Rio Grande into the United States, sometimes swimming to get across" (Hendrickson, 1997). There is some debate as to when the word was first recorded. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first recorded use of the word was in 1929 when Foreign Affairs used it to refer to a peon that walks or swims across and is welcomed by countrymen as a ?beautiful ray of sunshine?. However, according to the Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins, the first recorded use was in 1948 when the number of illegal Mexicans swarming the United States increased by a significantly large percentage.

Source

Except for the fact that I'm Mexican and have had the term used towards myself, my family members and many people I know for decades, I'm correct.

Why does it bother you is you are not a "wet back" as defined above?

It is like someone calling me a "stupid black woman" - I am not stupid (despite all evidence to the contrary), not black and not a woman. Why would I allow that to offend me?

MotionMan

Same reason why someone calling me a *sshole would piss me off. I'm not an *sshole.

I do not understand why it would bother you if you are not an *sshole?

Maybe that is my problem. I just don't let such things bother me.

MotionMan

Except for a term like beautiful ray of sunshine includes all Hispanics (in its current evolved form) so there is no out from the word. If you're Hispanic, the derogatory term applies. You can't say, "well, I'm not Hispanic, therefore it doesn't bother me."

 

[MotionMan]

Originally posted by: glutenberg
Is it so hard for you to believe that people would be hurt by a slur meant to put down something you obviously had no control over and which has zero merit as a metric for judgment?

If the slur is being aimed at me, but it does not apply to me, why do I care? It just makes the person stating the slur look stupid and, if I respond to it, makes me look stupid, too.

(That reminds me of the guy in Porky's who was calling the Jew a "kite".)

MotionMan

 

[MotionMan]

Originally posted by: glutenberg

Originally posted by: MotionMan

Originally posted by: Ktulu

Originally posted by: MotionMan

Originally posted by: Ktulu

Originally posted by: ZeroIQ

Originally posted by: Ktulu

Originally posted by: ZeroIQ
I remember when there was talk that the term illegal alien was "offensive" to them. Personally, I don't care if it offends them, they have no constitutional rights in this country if they are not citizens.

Right, except this term isn't being used to demean illegal citizens only, but an entire race of people legal or not.

According to its meaning, you are incorrect.

The word "beautiful ray of sunshine" is a relatively new disparaging term for "an illegal Mexican immigrant or worker who crosses the Rio Grande into the United States, sometimes swimming to get across" (Hendrickson, 1997). There is some debate as to when the word was first recorded. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first recorded use of the word was in 1929 when Foreign Affairs used it to refer to a peon that walks or swims across and is welcomed by countrymen as a ?beautiful ray of sunshine?. However, according to the Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins, the first recorded use was in 1948 when the number of illegal Mexicans swarming the United States increased by a significantly large percentage.

Source

Except for the fact that I'm Mexican and have had the term used towards myself, my family members and many people I know for decades, I'm correct.

Why does it bother you is you are not a "wet back" as defined above?

It is like someone calling me a "stupid black woman" - I am not stupid (despite all evidence to the contrary), not black and not a woman. Why would I allow that to offend me?

MotionMan

Same reason why someone calling me a *sshole would piss me off. I'm not an *sshole.

I do not understand why it would bother you if you are not an *sshole?

Maybe that is my problem. I just don't let such things bother me.

MotionMan

Except for a term like beautiful ray of sunshine includes all Hispanics (in its current evolved form) so there is no out from the word. If you're Hispanic, the derogatory term applies. You can't say, "well, I'm not Hispanic, therefore it doesn't bother me."

So beautiful ray of sunshine is a derogatory term for all Hispanics. The derogatory nature of the term is the implication that all Hispanics have wet backs (i.e. swam across a river to get to the U.S.). If you are a Hispanic who did not swim across a river to get to the U.S., tell me how this is offensive to you?

MotionMan

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: MotionMan

So beautiful ray of sunshine is a derogatory term for all Hispanics. The derogatory nature of the term is the implication that all Hispanics have wet backs (i.e. swam across a river to get to the U.S.). If you are a Hispanic who did not swim across a river to get to the U.S., tell me how this is offensive to you?

MotionMan

Because people now use it as a derogatory term for all hispanics even if it didn't originally include all hispanics. Do you think a black person shouldn't be offended by being called a porch monkey just because they've never sat on a porch?

 

[glutenberg]

Originally posted by: MotionMan
So beautiful ray of sunshine is a derogatory term for all Hispanics. The derogatory nature of the term is the implication that all Hispanics have wet backs (i.e. swam across a river to get to the U.S.). If you are a Hispanic who did not swim across a river to get to the U.S., tell me how this is offensive to you?

MotionMan

My previous post already explained why words change meanings and the term beautiful ray of sunshine has changed its meaning for quite awhile now. Dictionaries are generally not the first place I would turn to get the meaning of slang terms.

Urban Dictionary Explanation

 

[MotionMan]

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: MotionMan

So beautiful ray of sunshine is a derogatory term for all Hispanics. The derogatory nature of the term is the implication that all Hispanics have wet backs (i.e. swam across a river to get to the U.S.). If you are a Hispanic who did not swim across a river to get to the U.S., tell me how this is offensive to you?

MotionMan

Because people now use it as a derogatory term for all hispanics even if it didn't originally include all hispanics. Do you think a black person shouldn't be offended by being called a porch monkey just because they've never sat on a porch?

But what is "derogatory" about it? Is it just because we have all agreed that it is a bad word?

MotionMan

 

[glutenberg]

Originally posted by: MotionMan

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: MotionMan

So beautiful ray of sunshine is a derogatory term for all Hispanics. The derogatory nature of the term is the implication that all Hispanics have wet backs (i.e. swam across a river to get to the U.S.). If you are a Hispanic who did not swim across a river to get to the U.S., tell me how this is offensive to you?

MotionMan

Because people now use it as a derogatory term for all hispanics even if it didn't originally include all hispanics. Do you think a black person shouldn't be offended by being called a porch monkey just because they've never sat on a porch?

But what is "derogatory" about it? Is it just because we have all agreed that it is a bad word?

MotionMan

It's usage is historically derogative. Like all derogative terms, it's all about the context that it's used. The word bitch by itself is fine if describing a dog but when applied to people it takes on a whole new meaning. beautiful ray of sunshine, the terminology, may not have an inherent negative interpretation but the context of its use is what has deemed it a negative term.

I should add that with derogatory terms, it's obvious that it's not the word that is causing the harm but the intent of the person behind the words. You can argue that people grow thicker skin and some people probably should, but you cannot conclude that because you believe people should have thicker skin that all people need to develop thicker skin. As a society, in order to remain intact, people need to get along and the best way to disrupt the cooperation needed is by discriminating a group of people instead of evaluating individuals by themselves.

It's arguable that generalizations is an evolutionary process developed by the mind to sort the world in an order that's comprehensible. Too much data overloads the mind so it has to simplify. It is thus easy to imagine that those who have not evolved past this simple mindset of generalizing that they may be simple minded.

 

[MrPickins]

Originally posted by: MotionMan

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: MotionMan

So beautiful ray of sunshine is a derogatory term for all Hispanics. The derogatory nature of the term is the implication that all Hispanics have wet backs (i.e. swam across a river to get to the U.S.). If you are a Hispanic who did not swim across a river to get to the U.S., tell me how this is offensive to you?

MotionMan

Because people now use it as a derogatory term for all hispanics even if it didn't originally include all hispanics. Do you think a black person shouldn't be offended by being called a porch monkey just because they've never sat on a porch?

But what is "derogatory" about it? Is it just because we have all agreed that it is a bad word?

MotionMan

It's derogatory because it paints all hispanics as illegal immigrants.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Originally posted by: MotionMan

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: MotionMan

So beautiful ray of sunshine is a derogatory term for all Hispanics. The derogatory nature of the term is the implication that all Hispanics have wet backs (i.e. swam across a river to get to the U.S.). If you are a Hispanic who did not swim across a river to get to the U.S., tell me how this is offensive to you?

MotionMan

Because people now use it as a derogatory term for all hispanics even if it didn't originally include all hispanics. Do you think a black person shouldn't be offended by being called a porch monkey just because they've never sat on a porch?

But what is "derogatory" about it? Is it just because we have all agreed that it is a bad word?

MotionMan

<slaps forehead>

 

[JAH]

Originally posted by: DanTMWTMP

Originally posted by: NFS4

Originally posted by: MrPickins

Originally posted by: CrackRabbit
While I agree with you Mosh. I grew up in Texas, and have heard this phrase to refer to Hispanics quite often and always with a degree of prejudice.
To think that no one bothered to consider that the use of the term at all in any manner, especially where there is a fairly large Hispanic population, would offend someone is naive.

QFT.

I grew up in a south TX town with 50% hispanic population. Calling someone a beautiful ray of sunshine there is likely to earn you an ass whoopin'.

FWIW, I'm white.

I agree. It's astounding how many people in this thread are ignorant to this display of ignorance.

exactly. didn't realize ATOT had this many bigoted idiots.

LOL...and this site is call AnandTech.

 

[BigJ]

"Tired of Wet Backs?" Sure go ahead.

"Tired of the Wet Backs?" Oh, I see what you did there.

Mugs had it spot on with his post saying the same.