Monday 19 October 2015

What I learnt this week from the internet....(Race and Furniture)

This is a new series of posts, the reverse of Riddle me this, where I actually give you the answers, instead of asking you for them:

1. I was reading an article on cultural appropriation, and they were talking about feathery headdresses, and American Indians (they didn't have Native in the front, which I thought was the correct name) but later in the article, they were referring to bindi's and Indian Americans. It stopped me in my tracks as I'd never thought about, or heard this term. Obviously, yes, if you think about it, it stands to reason. Italian American, Chinese American, African American and so on...I'd just never heard it.

2. I purchased a new footstool and asked my son to move the 'footstool type thing'. He then asked why I paused. I'd paused because I grew up knowing this as a 'poof' and I figured it was called something else these days....but NO. It is still a Pouf (or Pouffe) and was NEVER a poof as our Australian drawl led me to believe. However, in Australia it due to our dangerously mistaken politically incorrect accent on this word, you may care to use Hassock or Tuffet (I got to 107 before I learnt what I tuffet was - I thought it was some sort of tiny grassy knoll you could sit on). So Footstool is the umbrella term that all of the above and ottomans fall under. Ottomans have the defining feature of storage inside.

3. Backpfeifengengesicht is a German word which means a 'a face in need of a slap'

What did you learn this week?

Linking with #OpenSlather

24 comments:

  1. Huh! Ottomans have storage inside? I have been calling our poof/pouffe/pouf an Ottoman for years for the same PC reasons ... but it ain't got no storage. Damn. This knowledge has changed the course of my entire day ...

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  2. Haha! I love number three. Ahh yes, we used to call it poof as well. What a funny thing to say. I much prefer small little footrest stool type thingy :)

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  3. I've been reading about cultural appropriation too! I read a great piece on everyday feminism about white people and dreadlocks- so many things I had never considered. It's always good to keep learning!

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    1. I find it interesting, and it makes me a little uncomfortable, as I do it - we went to 3 celebrations for the Lunar New Year, gave out red packets and eat long noodles for a long life on your birthday, but we're not Chinese (or any other Lunar New Year celebrating ethnicity). We do it because it's fun. So is that good or bad? It's not the right intent, but it's honouring, not making fun of....It still makes me a little uncomfortable when I read those articles...

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  4. Ottomans have storage inside? Holy moly I have been living under a rock!
    Is 3 real? Honestly, if it is....is is brilliant!

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    1. German and French have the best words. English is so...limiting...

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  5. Omg number 3. I love how other languages have words for things that require long phrases and big concepts in English. Sum it up in one!

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  6. Love what you learned and passed on to those of us too lazy to look up things on the internet !!!!
    We always had a pouffe at home - I definitely learned something about the ottoman today - I thought it was just a big pouffe and not that it's differentiation was storage capability.
    Love number 3 too !!!
    Have the BEST day xox

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  7. Hah - the footstool type thingy. I have one of those that I call a *poof* too but never disclose my terminology to visitors for fear that it is now a politically incorrect term. I feel much better knowing it is spelt *pouffe* - amazing how that rearrangement of letters makes all the difference to how comfortable I feel using the term. American Indians - well I never have heard that term before. I always think of them as Native Americans. Backpfeifengengesicht - what a word!! I will tuck that one away because I think it may well come in handy! :-)

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  8. I've been reading a lot about cultural appropriation in terms of babywearing recently and it's certainly been an eye opener. In the most recent article I learned that 'Native' is an offensive term in Canadian tribes and they are called 'First Nations' instead.

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  9. Sending that German word to Boatman who has a German colleague he likes to pretend to talk German with. :)
    So when Miss Muffet sat on her tuffet, was she sitting on a footstool? If so, that changes everything! There are many nursery rhymes that need new illustrations, and the Muffet family should look into pest control.

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  10. I learnt that faced with a strict deadline I really could get 9 photos edited and a six-page magazine feature layout created in InDesign, a program I've never used in just under 6 hours! Who knew! Especially when it took me 8 to edit 1 photo and design a 1 page ad around it! I love that German word, if only I could pronounce it!
    #teamIBOT

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  11. I love finding out new weird words! My favourite is still neorxnawang. It means 'altar' in Old English.

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  12. Heh, the last one reminded me of my grandma, when we were naughty she used to call us "hussenchaisers" (I've spelt it the way she said so I'm sure it's not right) - German for either sh*thouse, or crapper in your trousers ... LOL!

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    1. That's funny Janet. I have recently found out what my Dad used to say in Spanish when us kids were giving him grief. It is not to be repeated here! It made me laugh.

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  13. I love number 3, Lydia!! Trust you to find a fabulous word like that.
    Cultural appropriation is so layered, isn't it? When someone asks where John's from, I say he's Chinese, but I never describe Bella as Chinese Australian. Even though we celebrate all of the traditional holidays/celebrations, I don't think of us as a Chinese family.
    And we had a pouffe at home, when I was little, only because my mum thought she sounded posh when she said it that way LOL x

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  14. I sadly learnt that life can be really cruel and there is often no reason why. Hopefully next week I will learn something more positive.

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    1. Oh no!! I hope it's not something insurmountable...here's to a great week next week!!

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  15. I learnt that oxymoron doesn't mean what I thought it did!

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  16. Funny. I like number 3 I know a few Backpfeifengengesicht

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  17. I would call it a foot stool because I need a sensible family... The conversation would not stop

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  18. I always thought the poufs were the soft cushy type foot stools. I tell you what I need is a foot stool to go under my computer desk, one of the ergonomic slanted ones. That would be awesome!

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