I was on a rugby forum the other day, and we were discussing global expansion of the game, and as often is the case in these discussions, the USA was mentioned, because the game is growing rapidly there, playing numbers are up, TV figures are up, and the USA even has it own pro league: MLR (Major League Rugby) which I watch from time to time.
And I innocently remarked that it was good for the game that the Yanks were getting better at rugby, because the more nations and the more growth in the game, the better.
And somebody took me to task on this, said I was racist for using the word Yank.
And I said it was a British expression, one we'd been using for centuries, and that they call us Limeys, and that has never bothered me.
Even during the grand alliance of WW2, when we were close friends and allies, the word Yank was used, and nobody on the American side cared.
So, I thought I'd ask some real Americans. Is using the word Yank offensive to you guys?
Most Americans would not. There are some where "yankee" or similar terms like "Yank" might be offensive, but it would primarily be a result of internal regional US issues where "Yankee" is seen as having a domestic geographic context, and in an international context most probably wouldn't have any issue.
All I can assume is that the person who took offense was from the southern United States and, therefore, misconstrued the international term "yank" for the very domestic term "yankee" meaning someone from north of the mason dixon line. haha. I don't think calling us Yanks is derogatory. But then again, I haven't heard anyone from the U.S. call a Brit a Limey in a long, long time hahaha.
I imagine any word with the right tone of voice behind it can be offensive, but off handedly I can't say I've ever been offended by the word yank. Then again I've spent most of my life in the South and Mid-west, where "yank" when coming up in a conversation was never directed at me.
I've come across a few Americans who were somewhat puzzled by it, but none who found it offensive. Not a term I tend to use, regardless, just in case...
Yes. Northeastern specifically (for a given value of north and east that sometimes includes Maryland in very specific contexts). West of Ohio, people would largely just look at you funny. Unless Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan are specifically thinking about the civil war (20th and 21st century, it's weird to apply that term in those places)
yank though.... It's pretty much out of US parlance, and only gets used by Brits as fas as I know, and sounds quaint and backwards. Like calling an Englishman a Norman or Saxon. I wouldn't expect offense, just a patronizing smirk, in a 'aren't you so adorable with your Britishisms' sort of way.
Yes. Northeastern specifically (for a given value of north and east that sometimes includes Maryland in very specific contexts). West of Ohio, people would just look at you funny.
yank though.... It's pretty much out of US parlance, and only gets used by Brits as fas as I know, and sounds quaint and backwards. Like calling an Englishman a Norman or Saxon. I wouldn't expect offense, just a patronizing smirk, in a 'aren't you so adorable with your Britishisms' sort of way.
Hah, well. Then you are more laid back compared to us, granted we are a confederacy instead of a federation but it is an absolute nogo if you ' d call us germans.
Or austrians, but that would probably be more acceptable.
Yea, if said with a British accent I don't think anyone reasonable would take offense, since it's a common British term for American.
Now, if you say it in a southern (american) accent in a derogatory fashion I may have words with you about how your mother and sister are the same person, but that's a different matter.
The only Americans who would be offended at being called "Yanks" would be die-hard southerners, of the thankfully dying breed that consider The War Between The States to be the greatest injustice ever, and refuse to be considered fellow citizens with those Yankees who brutally invaded their homeland, wrecked it's slave-based economy, and trampled all over their rights to own slaves.
Nowadays most Southeners don't really care about it anymore. It was a HUGE thing in the past, was pretty much guaranteed to get you in a fight in the South up to the 1960s or so, but most have gotten over it by now.
Now, if you say it in a southern (american) accent in a derogatory fashion I may have words with you about how your mother and sister are the same person, but that's a different matter.
Not offended by Yank, but certainly tire of hearing the above.
Yes. Northeastern specifically (for a given value of north and east that sometimes includes Maryland in very specific contexts). West of Ohio, people would just look at you funny.
yank though.... It's pretty much out of US parlance, and only gets used by Brits as fas as I know, and sounds quaint and backwards. Like calling an Englishman a Norman or Saxon. I wouldn't expect offense, just a patronizing smirk, in a 'aren't you so adorable with your Britishisms' sort of way.
Hah, well. Then you are more laid back compared to us, granted we are a confederacy instead of a federation but it is an absolute nogo if you ' d call us germans.
Or austrians, but that would probably be more acceptable.
Don't worry about it. Many americans would call you Swedish instead.
Yeah, that's it. There isn't a joke. That actually happens.
As a Brit import to the US and having been in the States for 16 years I’ve never seen any Americans get offended by the term, and I have been referred to as a limey now and again but I just laugh it off.
However, I have noticed that the culture in the US is not as filled with “regional poking” as the UK. It exists, but not to the same extent. Also Brits tend to use, from an outside perspective, insulting language when referring or talking to friends, which does not usually happen in the US. “Alright Tommy you old slag” or some such phrase is common and brushed off in the UK but in the US if you call your friend a “C word” they probably won’t like it.
Isn't a Selkie a mythological creature like a mermaid?
Yes it is, but I have heard it used as an insult to people from the Shetland Islands.
That seems like an odd choice for a slur, but what do I know
It is indeed, along with Falkland Islanders being called Kelpers, I think its more an affection thing instead of a hostility thing. Perhaps someone else can say?
Come to Canada. We love tearing into each other with insults. It’s how we know we’re close. A Canadian wouldn’t insult a stranger, but a close friend? For sure!
‘Round here, “Yank” is a slang term for masturbation. Ie:
“Where’s Bill? He’s supposed to be finishing this welding!”
“He’s probably gone off for a yank. He’ll be back in about 10 minutes.”
“That fething guy! Tell him if it isn’t done by quitting time he’ll be pulling pogey (unemployment insurance) instead of his pud (slang term for penis. Pulling one’s pud is another term for masturbation)!”
So when I clicked on the thread, I was expecting something different.
Bloke and Git are common in the UK too. The former just refers to a man, the latter is a very mild insult, often used affectionately.
Yeah, 'Git' is much more of a British thing than Aussie. 'Bloke' is used generally for a man, or for people collectively ('youse blokes' in place of 'you guys'...)
admironheart wrote: There are many other slurs...but most have faded with generations.
My wife comes from dumb Wops("Without Papers"...but normally Italians)
I'm a dumb Hunkie (slavs)
not to be confused with my brother in law the dumb Pollock.(polish)
many more out there in a country of mixed breeds
Yeah, those... aren't even vaguely acceptable anymore (except possibly the middle one, which I haven't ever heard). Haven't heard anyone in the flesh actually use the others since the early 90s, and even then it didn't fall into 'casual-friendly' insult, just outright racist.
The only people who might take offense might be some people from the South who use the term to refer to people from the North-east, and would not appreciate being lumped in with them. Most people will simply be slightly confused and/or not care.
We live in times where people get butthurt and whiny over anything. I've seen some situations where it seems as if people are deliberately trying to be offended.
If I hear "yank" with a british accent I assume it is referring to Americans, if I hear it from another American I assume it is referring to people from the northeast. Either way it's short for 'yankee' in my mind just different uses. Not offended either way.
Thargrim wrote: We live in times where people get butthurt and whiny over anything. I've seen some situations where it seems as if people are deliberately trying to be offended.
I honestly can't tell which is greater; the offense taken over dumb primary things or the over-reactive offense taken at people being offended. SJW and anti-PC are ultimately just mirrors of each other methinks.
I find this thread quite interesting. It's curious that all respondents from the US, because in my experience when I hear people using 'Yank' (in person) it's virtually always as a pejorative - though it's usually at least in part dictated by context (usually concerning them being ill-educated/insular and inward-looking like is the common stereotype in much of Europe). The remainder are generally using it to pointedly not use 'American'. I can't think of many examples of people using it simply as slang for 'person from the US'.
I presume this is a coincidence of my social circle given it seems so different from people above - though that circle is quite diverse.
Yes. Northeastern specifically (for a given value of north and east that sometimes includes Maryland in very specific contexts). West of Ohio, people would just look at you funny.
yank though.... It's pretty much out of US parlance, and only gets used by Brits as fas as I know, and sounds quaint and backwards. Like calling an Englishman a Norman or Saxon. I wouldn't expect offense, just a patronizing smirk, in a 'aren't you so adorable with your Britishisms' sort of way.
Hah, well. Then you are more laid back compared to us, granted we are a confederacy instead of a federation but it is an absolute nogo if you ' d call us germans.
Or austrians, but that would probably be more acceptable.
Don't worry about it. Many americans would call you Swedish instead.
Yeah, that's it. There isn't a joke. That actually happens.
Don't you also use our flag as a medical sign instead of a real medical flag? And yes i know it, i had on multiple ocassions to explain to people that SWEDES are not SWISS. Also rule of dumb, if the flag is quadratic and has a cross over it, you either run into a Swiss Mercenary host burning down southern germany (not common anymore, nowadays, more likely to happen in Lichtenstein though ) or you have a swiss flag infront of you.
Yea Southerners can take offense to it, I don't think us northerners ever really cared about it. I don't take any offense to it at all. I've been called a Yank by a Texan a few times, Europeans many times, to me it's like calling an Englishmen a Brit or an Australian an Aussie
Skinnereal wrote: Is that the one for US servicemen stationed in the UK?
There were parts of it on how to deal with the diversity of people here.
The whole archive is up on YouTube, tons of videos made by the war department, and they're good fun to watch.
In many respects, Britain was 'invaded' by the USA during world war 2. Yes, it was the most friendliest invasion in human history, but look at the damage they did:
they stole our women, gave us spam and had us seriously considering drinking root beer!
admironheart wrote: There are many other slurs...but most have faded with generations.
My wife comes from dumb Wops("Without Papers"...but normally Italians)
I'm a dumb Hunkie (slavs)
not to be confused with my brother in law the dumb Pollock.(polish)
many more out there in a country of mixed breeds
Yeah, those... aren't even vaguely acceptable anymore (except possibly the middle one, which I haven't ever heard). Haven't heard anyone in the flesh actually use the others since the early 90s, and even then it didn't fall into 'casual-friendly' insult, just outright racist.
Funny Story: my wife always heard my mom (100% polish) joke about us being Pollacks, so she'd occasionally joke to strangers that her husband was "a Pollack."
She apparently had never heard the term, and thought it was affectionate!
I've never met a single American who was offended by the word Yank. However, it's 2019 so I'm sure there is an institution built somewhere, funded by public money which is dedicated to eradication of the word because they "believe" it's offensive to someone, somewhere, somehow.
Being offended for someone else went from being a hobby to a god damn business over here.
Skinnereal wrote: Is that the one for US servicemen stationed in the UK?
There were parts of it on how to deal with the diversity of people here.
The whole archive is up on YouTube, tons of videos made by the war department, and they're good fun to watch.
In many respects, Britain was 'invaded' by the USA during world war 2. Yes, it was the most friendliest invasion in human history, but look at the damage they did:
they stole our women, gave us spam and had us seriously considering drinking root beer!
Damn those Yanks!
To be fair, you are now returning the favor. My daughter is now saying words with a British accent because of Peppa Pig.
Anyway, I was born in the South, raised and currently live in the north. I've never heard of anyone getting offended by the use of the word Yank, much less by someone from the UK.
Being from Ireland, I am of course a Paddy. Or a Mick, take your pick!
While I personally avoid using slang for people's nationality, there is far too much whingeing about it. The net would be a far calmer place if everyone paid more attention to the manner in which something is said, instead of zeroing in on their use of a particular term and playing the "I'm offended" card. Except for terms which are blatantly racist of course.
I remember a contestant on Big Brother called an Indian girl "poppadoms" and there was a giant media controversy over this "racist" comment. While she was clearly being unpleasant, I found it ridiculous that calling someone after one of their national foods was considered racist -it's just a lame insult. Had she called an Irish person a spud (slang for potato, our national crop!) I doubt there would have been any fuss.
thegreatchimp wrote: Being from Ireland, I am of course a Paddy. Or a Mick, take your pick!
While I personally avoid using slang for people's nationality, there is far too much whingeing about it. The net would be a far calmer place if everyone paid more attention to the manner in which something is said, instead of zeroing in on their use of a particular term and playing the "I'm offended" card. Except for terms which are blatantly racist of course.
I remember a contestant on Big Brother called an Indian girl "poppadoms" and there was a giant media controversy over this "racist" comment. While she was clearly being unpleasant, I found it ridiculous that calling someone after one of their national foods was considered racist -it's just a lame insult. Had she called an Irish person a spud (slang for potato, our national crop!) I doubt there would have been any fuss.
Yeah, we often overlook the huge amount of 'divisions' in Britain and the Republic of Ireland, when it comes to different groups and accents. Quite remarkable, given the small size of our respective nations.
You have Scots, Irish, Welsh and English. A north and south divide in England, Mackems and Geordies, Liverpool/Manchester, Glasgow/Edinburgh, Highlanders Lowlanders etc etc and Yorkshiremen and women thinking they're a cut above everybody.
And don't get me started on Cornwall and the West Country.
Yes. Northeastern specifically (for a given value of north and east that sometimes includes Maryland in very specific contexts). West of Ohio, people would just look at you funny.
yank though.... It's pretty much out of US parlance, and only gets used by Brits as fas as I know, and sounds quaint and backwards. Like calling an Englishman a Norman or Saxon. I wouldn't expect offense, just a patronizing smirk, in a 'aren't you so adorable with your Britishisms' sort of way.
Hah, well. Then you are more laid back compared to us, granted we are a confederacy instead of a federation but it is an absolute nogo if you ' d call us germans.
Or austrians, but that would probably be more acceptable.
Don't worry about it. Many americans would call you Swedish instead.
Yeah, that's it. There isn't a joke. That actually happens.
Don't you also use our flag as a medical sign instead of a real medical flag?
And yes i know it, i had on multiple ocassions to explain to people that SWEDES are not SWISS.
Also rule of dumb, if the flag is quadratic and has a cross over it, you either run into a Swiss Mercenary host burning down southern germany (not common anymore, nowadays, more likely to happen in Lichtenstein though ) or you have a swiss flag infront of you.
I'm not actually sure what a 'real medical flag' would look like.
But the swiss cross is familiar to most americans thanks to the 'swiss army knife'
Albino Squirrel wrote: No. But some people can find a way to be offended by just about anything.
So I went through the thread and counted; zero people saying they would be offended, three people going on about 'some people can be offended by anything.'
Possibly a little offensive here.... A while back when things were very slow at work, we were bored and started talking about old-timey talk. Mostly because we told a teenager she could leave at "a quarter to 7" and she replied "you mean 6:35?" BTW, she was serious.
This conversation lead to old-time insults and slurs that everyone had all but forgotten about. Everything from Wop to Dago, to Guido.
I then pondered the question, why is there no white-person slur that I truly find offensive? You'd figure that over the course of the last 400 years someone would have taken the time to think up something. The fact they haven't is more insulting than being called a Cracker.
Albino Squirrel wrote: No. But some people can find a way to be offended by just about anything.
So I went through the thread and counted; zero people saying they would be offended, three people going on about 'some people can be offended by anything.'
I guess you missed the very first post, which included: "And somebody took me to task on this, said I was racist for using the word Yank."
That's kind of what the whole thread is about. Clearly someone got offended by the use of the work "Yank". Though come to think of it, their complaint is rather non-nonsensical anyway, since Yank is not a race. So, I wouldn't put much stock in what that person thinks.
timetowaste85 wrote: Yank is short for yankee. Yankee is a baseball team. And a historical term for the guys who whooped Britain’s ass. I’d take it as a compliment.
I suppose at the end of the day you can't really account for what someone somewhere might choose to take offense about. The most straightforward "don't be a dick" response seems to just be apologizing and moving on with life. If they're getting huffy over things most people don't find offensive, do you really want to be near them anymore than absolutely necessary XD
timetowaste85 wrote: Yank is short for yankee. Yankee is a baseball team. And a historical term for the guys who whooped Britain’s ass. I’d take it as a compliment.
Eh?
When did America whoop Britain's ass?
Relations between our two nations have always been ultra-friendly. When I was at school, I remember being taught about the American Independence act of 1776.
When our Parliament granted the 13 colonies immediate independence, and sent over 20,000 social workers to help with the transition.
The social workers wore red coats, so everybody would know they were good guys, red being a calming colour and all that
Albino Squirrel wrote: No. But some people can find a way to be offended by just about anything.
So I went through the thread and counted; zero people saying they would be offended, three people going on about 'some people can be offended by anything.'
I guess you missed the very first post, which included: "And somebody took me to task on this, said I was racist for using the word Yank."
That's kind of what the whole thread is about. Clearly someone got offended by the use of the work "Yank". Though come to think of it, their complaint is rather non-nonsensical anyway, since Yank is not a race. So, I wouldn't put much stock in what that person thinks.
That wasn't someone actually in the thread though; it was a reference to someone outside of it. The point being there is just as much (if not more) complaints about others being easily offended than there is actual offense taken.
LordofHats wrote: I suppose at the end of the day you can't really account for what someone somewhere might choose to take offense about. The most straightforward "don't be a dick" response seems to just be apologizing and moving on with life. If they're getting huffy over things most people don't find offensive, do you really want to be near them anymore than absolutely necessary XD
When America apologies for two things:
1. Root beer. Evil, evil stuff.
2. Putting the month before the day, when writing the date. Everybody else does day/month/year. America has to be awkward and write month/day/year. why America? WHY?????
timetowaste85 wrote: Yank is short for yankee. Yankee is a baseball team. And a historical term for the guys who whooped Britain’s ass. I’d take it as a compliment.
Eh?
When did America whoop Britain's ass?
Relations between our two nations have always been ultra-friendly. When I was at school, I remember being taught about the American Independence act of 1776.
When our Parliament granted the 13 colonies immediate independence, and sent over 20,000 social workers to help with the transition.
The social workers wore red coats, so everybody would know they were good guys, red being a calming colour and all that
Really the colonies didn't win the war in more than a technical sense; they just kept fighting long enough to make Britain lose via budget. Still an accomplishment, and the leaders knew what they were doing, but it was not so much about military superiority. In a way there is a poetic similarity to Vietnam.
Also Americans tend to conveniently forget, or just don’t know, about the involvement of other world powers in their fight for independence, primarily France and The Netherlands. In addition, Britain was running a quarter of the globe at that point so the new world colonies weren’t the only thing on their plate.
A great result for the world, yes, but it was hardly a case of farmer bob running off the entire British army with his musket as so many people seem to think.
Nostromodamus wrote: Also Americans tend to conveniently forget, or just don’t know, about the involvement of other world powers in their fight for independence, primarily France and The Netherlands. In addition, Britain was running a quarter of the globe at that point so the new world colonies weren’t the only thing on their plate.
A great result for the world, yes, but it was hardly a case of farmer bob running off the entire British army with his musket as so many people seem to think.
timetowaste85 wrote: Yank is short for yankee. Yankee is a baseball team. And a historical term for the guys who whooped Britain’s ass. I’d take it as a compliment.
Eh?
When did America whoop Britain's ass?
Relations between our two nations have always been ultra-friendly. When I was at school, I remember being taught about the American Independence act of 1776.
When our Parliament granted the 13 colonies immediate independence, and sent over 20,000 social workers to help with the transition.
The social workers wore red coats, so everybody would know they were good guys, red being a calming colour and all that
Really the colonies didn't win the war in more than a technical sense; they just kept fighting long enough to make Britain lose via budget. Still an accomplishment, and the leaders knew what they were doing, but it was not so much about military superiority. In a way there is a poetic similarity to Vietnam.
EUUUUUUGHHHHHH
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, you were bailed out by Spain and France.
Both powers that wanted to get back at the island yokels.
Without neither of them youd be now the 50 colonies.
Albino Squirrel wrote: No. But some people can find a way to be offended by just about anything.
So I went through the thread and counted; zero people saying they would be offended, three people going on about 'some people can be offended by anything.'
I guess you missed the very first post, which included: "And somebody took me to task on this, said I was racist for using the word Yank."
That's kind of what the whole thread is about. Clearly someone got offended by the use of the work "Yank". Though come to think of it, their complaint is rather non-nonsensical anyway, since Yank is not a race. So, I wouldn't put much stock in what that person thinks.
That wasn't someone actually in the thread though; it was a reference to someone outside of it. The point being there is just as much (if not more) complaints about others being easily offended than there is actual offense taken.
timetowaste85 wrote: Yank is short for yankee. Yankee is a baseball team. And a historical term for the guys who whooped Britain’s ass. I’d take it as a compliment.
Eh?
When did America whoop Britain's ass?
Relations between our two nations have always been ultra-friendly. When I was at school, I remember being taught about the American Independence act of 1776.
When our Parliament granted the 13 colonies immediate independence, and sent over 20,000 social workers to help with the transition.
The social workers wore red coats, so everybody would know they were good guys, red being a calming colour and all that
Really the colonies didn't win the war in more than a technical sense; they just kept fighting long enough to make Britain lose via budget. Still an accomplishment, and the leaders knew what they were doing, but it was not so much about military superiority. In a way there is a poetic similarity to Vietnam.
EUUUUUUGHHHHHH
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, you were bailed out by Spain and France.
Both powers that wanted to get back at the island yokels.
Without neither of them youd be now the 50 colonies.
Apologies for not detailing all the factors in the revolutionary war.
timetowaste85 wrote: Yank is short for yankee. Yankee is a baseball team. And a historical term for the guys who whooped Britain’s ass. I’d take it as a compliment.
Eh?
When did America whoop Britain's ass?
Relations between our two nations have always been ultra-friendly. When I was at school, I remember being taught about the American Independence act of 1776.
When our Parliament granted the 13 colonies immediate independence, and sent over 20,000 social workers to help with the transition.
The social workers wore red coats, so everybody would know they were good guys, red being a calming colour and all that
Really the colonies didn't win the war in more than a technical sense; they just kept fighting long enough to make Britain lose via budget. Still an accomplishment, and the leaders knew what they were doing, but it was not so much about military superiority. In a way there is a poetic similarity to Vietnam.
EUUUUUUGHHHHHH
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, you were bailed out by Spain and France.
Both powers that wanted to get back at the island yokels.
Without neither of them youd be now the 50 colonies.
If the colonies stayed the colonies, would there have ever been a Louisiana Purchase? Would Mexico be 3 times it's current size and far more prosperous XD
Albino Squirrel wrote: No. But some people can find a way to be offended by just about anything.
So I went through the thread and counted; zero people saying they would be offended, three people going on about 'some people can be offended by anything.'
I guess you missed the very first post, which included: "And somebody took me to task on this, said I was racist for using the word Yank."
That's kind of what the whole thread is about. Clearly someone got offended by the use of the work "Yank". Though come to think of it, their complaint is rather non-nonsensical anyway, since Yank is not a race. So, I wouldn't put much stock in what that person thinks.
That wasn't someone actually in the thread though; it was a reference to someone outside of it. The point being there is just as much (if not more) complaints about others being easily offended than there is actual offense taken.
This thread is not the entire world. So what is your point?
As for the original question, I'm sure there isn't some large group somewhere who is offended by the term "yank". Except, as some have mentioned, some southerners might be offended to be called a yank, which to them would mean a northerner. But even that wouldn't be actual offense.
And obviously, one random person being offended by something is meaningless.
If the colonies stayed the colonies, would there have ever been a Louisiana Purchase? Would Mexico be 3 times it's current size and far more prosperous XD
Questions for another thread
No Louisiana purchase, but France would lose the land to the colonies anyway. As they would be at war and with no ability to resist invasion.
There is probably a British/Mexican War analogous to the Mexican-American war which might end with an annexation of Mexico by Britain.
I took a trip down south to hike the Appalachian Trail.
Somewhere in the Carolinas I found a BBQ shack called "Paw Paws".
My New Hampshire accent and his Carolina accent were quite the clash.
Me - "Oh, nice. Time fer ribs."
Pawpaw - "we'ain gaw naw pour. Sol'ow ta Fy-day. We gah plenny chiggin' doh."
Me - "Smoked wings? Uh... They like regular wings?"
Pawpaw - "Where y'all frum boy?"
Me - "Nah'Ampshuh"
Pawpaw - "Ooooooo DAMN YANKEE! Y'all gone love deez!"
And he handed me a pile of chicken wings.
I take no offence to being recognised as a Yankee or being given free smoked chicken wings.
timetowaste85 wrote: Yank is short for yankee. Yankee is a baseball team. And a historical term for the guys who whooped Britain’s ass. I’d take it as a compliment.
Eh?
When did America whoop Britain's ass?
Relations between our two nations have always been ultra-friendly. When I was at school, I remember being taught about the American Independence act of 1776.
When our Parliament granted the 13 colonies immediate independence, and sent over 20,000 social workers to help with the transition.
The social workers wore red coats, so everybody would know they were good guys, red being a calming colour and all that
King John of Cleese revoked our declaration a while back.
Formosa wrote: Yank... Nah we call Americans "spams" I assume it has something to do with WW2
Probably cause when the US began sending aid to the UK the food crates included lots of, you guessed it, spam (the original produced by Hormel Foods starting in the 30s). I never knew that was something Americans were called though. Neat.
To foreigners, a Yankee is an American.
To Americans, a Yankee is a Northerner.
To Northerners, a Yankee is an Easterner.
To Easterners, a Yankee is a New Englander.
To New Englanders, a Yankee is a Vermonter.
And in Vermont, a Yankee is somebody who eats pie for breakfast.
Galas wrote: In Spain we call people from USA yankees or gringos like mexicans do.
I didn't knew it was something people from the south called people from the north.
Aye. Historically it refers to people from the New England area of the US. Which includes Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. Though I would also lump in New York and New Jersey as well.
During the Civil War, it was what the Southerners called anybody fighting in the Federal Army, and people in the southern states still use it to refer to anybody from north of the Mason Dixon line.
As for why its used by people outside the US to refer to all Americans, its probably from the early days of the United States and its contact with the rest of the world. Most of the trading ships, as well as the US navy, were based out of the New England area of the US, and since people from there often called themselves Yankees and that is where most of our sailors would come from in the 1800s to early 1900s it probably stuck around in international spheres.
Wikipedia suggests it was being used by the English to refer to New England colonists as early as 1758, so the term (and it’s use as a pejorative) predates the USA.
timetowaste85 wrote: Yank is short for yankee. Yankee is a baseball team. And a historical term for the guys who whooped Britain’s ass. I’d take it as a compliment.
Eh?
When did America whoop Britain's ass?
Relations between our two nations have always been ultra-friendly. When I was at school, I remember being taught about the American Independence act of 1776.
When our Parliament granted the 13 colonies immediate independence, and sent over 20,000 social workers to help with the transition.
The social workers wore red coats, so everybody would know they were good guys, red being a calming colour and all that
Ah yes, my relatives, being fresh off the boat, mistook them for more British Redcoats, and properly responded in proper tricolor fashion with a hearty Vive Le Emperor!
I dont take any offense to it, of course having an English Stepmother and having her parents come to visit means I've been hearing it most of my life.
It was a quaint thing when I was visiting England a couple years back to be refereed to as a Yank or Bloody Yank while drinking with an older couple I met in a pub. Good people those two, bought me several drinks and politely refused to let me return the favor.
Polite in the retired Navy Vet slapped the money from my hand and said "You're our guest in this country Yank! Our treat!"
VictorVonTzeentch wrote: I dont take any offense to it, of course having an English Stepmother and having her parents come to visit means I've been hearing it most of my life.
It was a quaint thing when I was visiting England a couple years back to be refereed to as a Yank or Bloody Yank while drinking with an older couple I met in a pub. Good people those two, bought me several drinks and politely refused to let me return the favor.
Polite in the retired Navy Vet slapped the money from my hand and said "You're our guest in this country Yank! Our treat!"
I don't even like limes, but if an American called me a Limey, I wouldn't mind
But yeah, bloody Yanks is a common term of affection in the UK towards our American friends and allies
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Alpharius wrote: No true American would be offended by the term "Yank", or anything else muttered by an Englishman!!!
Years ago, I remember mistaking some Americans for Canadians. They were...unhappy to say the least
I also did the same with New Zealanders and Australians, but damn it, they all sound the same to me.
DeffDred wrote: I took a trip down south to hike the Appalachian Trail.
Somewhere in the Carolinas I found a BBQ shack called "Paw Paws".
My New Hampshire accent and his Carolina accent were quite the clash.
Me - "Oh, nice. Time fer ribs."
Pawpaw - "we'ain gaw naw pour. Sol'ow ta Fy-day. We gah plenny chiggin' doh."
Me - "Smoked wings? Uh... They like regular wings?"
Pawpaw - "Where y'all frum boy?"
Me - "Nah'Ampshuh"
Pawpaw - "Ooooooo DAMN YANKEE! Y'all gone love deez!"
And he handed me a pile of chicken wings.
I take no offence to being recognised as a Yankee or being given free smoked chicken wings.
Of course, being from New Hampshire you are, by definition, a Yankee. The real question is, would HE have been offended, and if so, HOW offended?
Given his reaction to serving a 'Damn Yankee', I'd bet it would be somewhere between 'firm but friendly denial of being a Yankee' and mild annoyance.
Most people really aren't all THAT bothered by it anymore, even southerners.
I'm curious if the guy ever really explained why?
What was his reasoning?
I want to know the history where Yank is on par with other, more known, racist name calling?
One of my good friends (and something of a distant love) is from the UK, and she calls me "Yankee Joe" or "Yank". Even her father calls me "The Yank".
I call her "Redcoat" and "Loyal Subject". We tease each other about our words, and I like to correct her spelling by removing the "u" from the British words like "Armor" (Don't lie, Brits, you only started doing that to feel fancy like the French).
I call her father "Sir". He's a pretty big guy, but one hell of a guy. Might be my father in law someday. I'd be taking his baby girl away, so... I joke with him a bit less, though more about what football really is, and how Brits drive on the heathen side of the road.
I don't mind it at all, to be honest. It's a joking bit of sport between us and our British cousins across the pond. I mean, even in the US we sometimes call people something based on where they're from- "Hey, Cajun! What's up?" or "Oh, what's going on, Tex", and "Oh, great, here comes New Jersey, don't breathe through your nose and just ignore him and maybe he'll go away if no one mentions Bon Jovi."
Even one of my good friends from the Marines was a northern fellow, and I used to call him "Yankee" and he called me "Redneck"- even those words can be more a term of endearment these days, more so than an insult. For some, "Rednecks" are the guy you call when something needs to be fixed, or moved- and you don't know what to do. So that word doesn't bother me, either.
So, no- it's not even offensive to me at all, and I don't think anyone ever should be.
Vulcan wrote: Originally a 'redneck' was someone who farmed for a living, and thus the back of their neck was usually sunburned.
Hardly something one should feel ashamed of or criticize others for, doing honest and productive work for a living.
Actually I heard that the term "redneck" came from a coal miners' strike, where the workers demanding better working conditions all wore red bandanas as a show of solidarity. Or something like that. Can't remember where and when that was supposed to have happened. Or how the term came to be associated with "country bumpkins" and Jeff Foxworthy...
Vulcan wrote: Originally a 'redneck' was someone who farmed for a living, and thus the back of their neck was usually sunburned.
Hardly something one should feel ashamed of or criticize others for, doing honest and productive work for a living.
Actually I heard that the term "redneck" came from a coal miners' strike, where the workers demanding better working conditions all wore red bandanas as a show of solidarity. Or something like that. Can't remember where and when that was supposed to have happened. Or how the term came to be associated with "country bumpkins" and Jeff Foxworthy...
It could be both.
I don't know about coal miners, but I do know the term originates in the political arena. The origin I'm familiar with is in reference to poor farmers back in the 1800s (back when the term carried an endearing connotation), but political terms are obviously pretty nebulous and can radically change connotation very quickly. By the 1950s red neck had become a derogatory term for poor "culturally backwards" whites, and by the time I was born and growing up less than 40 years after that it was expanded to mean "culturally backward and racist" whites. Also a pretty hilarious bait-and-switch meme series.
People in rural areas make a clear distinction between Redneck and Hillbilly, particularly in blue grass or coal country. Redneck is a like badge of honor and pride in many areas because they were the original union members (red bandannas on their necks during the riots), they might be poor but they're very hard workers and honest family men. Redneck can be both a compliment and joking insult between friends based on the context, or it can be fighting words.
Hillbilly has always been for the back country good old boy, uneducated, lazy, white trash, confederate flag waving, etc and is much more insult intended although people do sometimes use it jokingly with friends. The younger millennial crowd growing up in the city may not discern the difference but use the wrong one with somebody out in the country and you're setting up for a fight very quickly. It's one of those things like black people dropping the N-word between themselves it can be friendly or insulting and if you're not part of the social circle it's best to avoid using it until you get a feel for where their sense of humor lies. It's also more accepted to refer to a general random 3rd person as "that redneck" but if you direct it at them personally "you redneck" the context changes dramatically and they may take offense. Millennial's may not bat an eye with either term but older generations may get temperamental.
And don't get me started on Cornwall and the West Country.
Hehaha! That's gas you should mention that -one of my best pals is originally from Cornwall, so I happen to know exactly what you're talking about -he never shuts up telling me how Cornwall isn't actually part of England!!
Fun fact: The word yankee is actually derived from Dutch.
When the Dutch traded (lost control of) Manhattan and the rest of that general area for Surinam, the new English settlers had a lot of trouble pronouncing the settlers' more typical Dutch names like Jan and Kees.
Pretty quickly they glued the two together as anglicized slang for the earlier Dutch settlers, aka Yankee.
Getting offended by anything that someone else calls you is pointless and emotionally immature as an adult. You can't control what people run around saying, but you can control how you react to it.
Yank lacks the negative connotations (IMO, of course) of something like 'Hun' for the Germans or various slang I can't repeat for fear of a ban used for Japanese, Vietcong, and NVA forces. It seems especially pointless to be offended by that. I'd compare it to how New Zealanders are called 'Kiwis'.
I find 'rebel scum' and 'silly new worlders' are more effective than Yank, but even those are received in a hearty way.
Generally speaking Americans are pretty proud to be Americans, and if you call them something that refers to their American status they only get prouder no matter how glazed in offence the term is.
Nope, not at all. Not only am I American, but I am northern midwestern American (Michigan) who also lots of times portray a Union soldier at Civil War reinactments, so I am a super-yankee.
Late to the party, but I love the word Yankee or Yank. Aussies called us that all the time. Who cares. It's a regional description, not one of race or creed.
Yankees who brutally invaded their homeland, wrecked it's slave-based economy, and trampled all over their rights to own slaves.
and had us seriously considering drinking root beer! 
