Since today got Very Philosophical on CoSo, let's end with something sillier.
In my house growing up, to make light of oneself after saying something intelligent, we'd point to our heads and say "kidneys".
What's an expression that only makes sense to your family / local in-group?
@MLClark throw rocks. It came from “boys are dumb throw rocks.”
😅 And now it just floats in the ether, context-less!
I'm familiar with the original context, but my preference was the follow-up context: brains are dumb, throw rocks at them. :) Now I guess "throw rocks" is universal!
@MLClark whew, wasn't aware of that follow up. In my world with my daughter and her friends “throw rocks” is a whole shorthand
It's amazing to watch language change before our eyes through the easy synthesis of young speakers, eh? You must be hip to the whole jive of the next generation via teaching, too. :)
@MLClark its definitely amazing. They are also so willing to share, explain, teach.
@MLClark @LaurelGreen The first way I heard the point-to-head and go "kidneys" thing, it was part of a very offensive joke about nazis and Polish people!
I just did a deep dive through a 1973 text called "The Types of the Polack Joke" and couldn't find that one, but I DID come away with a greater disgust for our species, so it wasn't a total waste of time! 🙃
Huh raayyyyyy....!
I suspect that this "joke" was the sort where people replace the Polish people or nazis with their personal favorites.
I have an old one lying around somewhere called "Jewish Jokes for the John". It is written by jewish comedians though, so it's no more terrible than it usually is when jewish people get up to when making fun of each other.
The jokes are mostly silly and dumb rather than mean, though some are shockingly sexist by today's enlightened standards (Jewish princess jokes, blonde jokes). Pretty sure the authors would be excoriated for it today.
@MLClark @LaurelGreen Note that just because someone is a "whatever the joke is about" when they tell it, it doesn't necessarily mean it's okay and not racist.
There's always been some comedians whose stock in trade has been deprecating their own people to members of a more dominant society around them.
That makes me feel more than a bit disgusted when I see it.
@MLClark @AskTheDevil @LaurelGreen
I heard it as a school for developmentally delayed kids, and one of the kids was in front of the class reciting for a parents day event. The teacher asked him the location of his eyes, ears, mouth, hands, etc, and he got them accurately. She then moved on to stomach, heart, lungs, larynx, spleen, liver, and the kid was right for every one. One of the parents exclaimed, "My goodness, how can you know all those organs?" And he taps his head and says, "kidneys."
Oh, I LOVE that I asked this question.
I had no idea about the deeper provenance of this family habit!
Not a fan of its use in hateful jokes, mind you! But it was *never* used that way at home - always for self-deprecation, so we didn't sound like we were boasting. What a history!
@MLClark @AlphaCentauri @LaurelGreen
I much prefer your version!
@MLClark it was pretty self evident at the time, mid 90s.