I learned that the word "marijuana" is racist and we should use "cannabis"

[dutch508]

mysteryowl (4,837 posts)
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100215366024

I learned that the word "marijuana" is racist and we should use "cannabis"

I am sketchy on the origins, but something to do with a derogatory word out of Mexico.

 
 

Star Member Celerity (19,157 posts)

35. the majority of people I know here (Sweden) call it maja (my-ah)

Star Member malaise (227,977 posts)

47. Here it's ganja, weed or herb n/t

Star Member Dream Girl (4,136 posts)

11. Yes. I heard that too. I heArd fewer and fewer people use the term. It's mostly referred to as

Cannabis or weed.Marijuana is starting to sound funny.

Star Member AZSkiffyGeek (4,003 posts)

18. I just learned that myself

It seems to have changed over the past few years. I say weed - cannabis just sounds wrong to me.

IbogaProject (161 posts)

19. The improper term is from yellow journalism scare articles

The improper term is from yellow journalism scare articles. The term yellow journalism refers to publishers like William Randolph Hearst, who used a cheap bleaching process on Pine wood product sawdust. The published sensational propaganda and attention grabbing exaggerations, and out right falsehoods. He had a personal animus to Poncho Villa, who was fighting the theft of indigenous land and was known for growing and smoking cannabis. The M-word comes from that era of propaganda. The historical terms are hemp and cannabis.

 

Star Member Cheezoholic (201 posts)

21. The closest interpretation is from the Aztec meaning brothel interpreted into Spanish

The word and the spelling have been bastardized and yes, the more foreign and brown they could make the word the bigger the illusion of danger in the early 20th century of prohibition and racism. But let's get real. If marijuana is now being picked out as a racist word and we should use cannabis instead, then the PCW police can kiss my ass. It's that type of thinking that does nothing but further divide people. I stop everything at speech police. And if one spends their day restructuring their language for every word that possibly has some sort of racist "root" as it is "suddenly" discovered then one might as well be mute.

Star Member Cheezoholic (201 posts)

31. Had a good friend in my younger days, his nickname was Dirty..

Not because he was actually dirty but his damn car was always full of trash, fast food sacks, beer cans, whatever. His apartment was spotless. He picked me up one night to go partake and my knees were above the glove box in his 73 chevy impala because of the trash. I made him go to a car wash and we/I got rid of the all the sacks and cans. I went to pull the floor mats and the sob had 3 pot plants sprouting out of his floor board! Looked on his side and there were 3 or 4 more lmao. This was back in the day when you scraped your "Marijuana" before you rolled it to get whatever seeds out.

Well dirty got popped for possession about a month after that, 2 grams under an ounce so it was a misdemeanor, but like class 3 or some shit, worst you could get. He did 60 days in county and was on probation for 2 years, first offence. Cost him around 7k in 1970's money. Pretty much destroyed his life at the time, he was a machinist just about to get his journeyman's card. He lost that.

Regardless, he showed me the original citation written against by the local small town cop. Not actual name but you'll get the picture. The ticket said "Mr. Leibowitz was in possession of "marijewana" in excess of 1 ounce."

My friend is Jewish

... so... he was a Dirty Jew?

Star Member Elessar Zappa (6,197 posts)

45. It does have a racist history.

Moralizers in the earlier 20th century wanted a Mexican sounding name to stigmatize the drug. I do agree though that the racist connotations are pretty much lost now.

Star Member obamanut2012 (20,243 posts)

48. The origin of "marijuana" is literally racial identification

Specifically racist and xenophobic racial identification against Mexicans.

You are mistaken.

Star Member Cheezoholic (201 posts)

33. The left has to be careful this time, this PC shit screwed us the last time

This politically correct or woke speak whatever you want to call it, if you start telling people what is proper and improper speech it will send a righteous agenda back 10 years and we can't afford that when we're 2-4 years away from never being able to speak again. Seriously man, this is petty shit to distract from the attack. Battle of the Bulge.

Star Member obamanut2012 (20,243 posts)

49. "PC shit"

"politically correct or woke speak whatever"

"this is petty shit"



What an... interesting take. Please, tell me about "PC shit" some more.

 

cinematicdiversions (283 posts)

60. Like try to ban the word picnic or black hole.

That is the kind of stuff that makes people i otherwise agree with look like loons.

Post removed

 

Star Member Withywindle (9,356 posts)

44. It's true the word "marijuana" was used to fuel racist suspicion

back in the day when Spanish-sounding words were used to scare white people. It's from Mexican Spanish and possibly derives from a Nahuatl word.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marijuana_(word)

I'm Latina and I think we should reclaim and embrace that.

Star Member Vinca (46,028 posts)

68. Someday we'll be a country of mutes afraid to say anything.

Am I allowed to say mutes?

Star Member tonedevil (2,636 posts)

111. So you insist on your right...to use racist terms? Ok it's Nice to learn who someone is from what they say.

 

[SVPete]

mysteryowl (4,837 posts)
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100215366024

I learned that the word "marijuana" is racist and we should use "cannabis"

I am sketchy on the origins, but something to do with a derogatory word out of Mexico.

So DU-Moron mysteryowl doesn't know the etymology of "Marijuana", but (s)he knows it's racist.                

DU-Moron mysteryowl needs to lay his/her .

[BamaMoose]

I heard that the word burrito is also racist, so, at the Mexican restaurant, I asked for a flour flat bread wrapped around a pile of meat and cheese.  The Hispanic waiter didn't seem to understand.  I can't believe how un-woke he was.  From now on, when ever I get food that isn't considered "American Food", I'm just going to tell them to just bring me a plate of stuff.  I pray that is sufficiently neutral and non-judgmental.  Because I feel guilty for all the times I ordered General Tso's chicken or lasagna, which apparently made someone somewhere feel bad.

[SSG Snuggle Bunny]

Whatever shall we do about the Cheech & Chong "Marijuana Song"?

[SVPete]

  

[ABC-2]

I heard that the word burrito is also racist, so, at the Mexican restaurant, I asked for a flour flat bread wrapped around a pile of meat and cheese.  The Hispanic waiter didn't seem to understand.  I can't believe how un-woke he was.  From now on, when ever I get food that isn't considered "American Food", I'm just going to tell them to just bring me a plate of stuff.  I pray that is sufficiently neutral and non-judgmental.  Because I feel guilty for all the times I ordered General Tso's chicken or lasagna, which apparently made someone somewhere feel bad.

Personally, if in a Chinese restaurant & I want to order General Tso's Chicken, which I happen to love ...

I will call it precisely that, and not give a fig about making "someone somewhere feel bad."

Life is too short to quibble about such nonsense! Best to spend time tending to the ever growing crisis at our southern border.

[ABC-2]

As for the word "marijuana" vs "cannabis" ...

Call it whatever they like, I still wouldn't touch the stuff with a ten foot pole!

[Ralph Wiggum]

I learned that the word "marijuana" is racist and we should use "cannabis"

I am sketchy on the origins, but something to do with a derogatory word out of Mexico.

Where did you learn this, some left wing blog? Based on the fact you posted this at the DUmp, it is probably manufactured outrage about a word that is totally innocuous.

And yes, as Sgt. Snuggle Bunny mentioned, Cheech and Chong would like some clarification on this all-important subject.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Personally, if in a Chinese restaurant & I want to order General Tso's Chicken, which I happen to love ...

I will call it precisely that, and not give a fig about making "someone somewhere feel bad."

Life is too short to quibble about such nonsense! Best to spend time tending to the ever growing crisis at our southern border.

Libs call things "cultural appropriation" when in reality eating Chinese or Mexican food etc. is cultural APPRECIATION.  Thought we were all supposed to be accepting of other cultures and enjoying their contributions.

[DLR Pyro]

Libs call things "cultural appropriation" when in reality eating Chinese or Mexican food etc. is cultural APPRECIATION.  Thought we were all supposed to be accepting of other cultures and enjoying their contributions.

Exactly.   A few months ago some high school senior woketard complained that the Trader Joe's chain was racist because they used the name Trader Jose on their line of Mexican food and Trader Ming on the chinese food.  I see that as a way to acknowledge the contributions other cultures make to their diverse offering of food and would hazard a guess that if Trader Joe's had never been cleaver with the names and Branded all of their food with the Trader Joe name the woketards would be crying cultural appropriation.

[enslaved1]

Star Member Cheezoholic (201 posts)

21. The closest interpretation is from the Aztec meaning brothel interpreted into Spanish

The word and the spelling have been bastardized and yes, the more foreign and brown they could make the word the bigger the illusion of danger in the early 20th century of prohibition and racism. But let's get real. If marijuana is now being picked out as a racist word and we should use cannabis instead, then the PCW police can kiss my ass. It's that type of thinking that does nothing but further divide people. I stop everything at speech police. And if one spends their day restructuring their language for every word that possibly has some sort of racist "root" as it is "suddenly" discovered then one might as well be mute.

The Resistance is all well and good until it hits home. eh?

Star Member Vinca (46,028 posts)

68. Someday we'll be a country of mutes afraid to say anything.

That's been the proggies goal for decades.  It was Tipper Gore (Al's wife) and Hillary Clinton who were the Washington Wives that started the PRMC, got Congressional hearings about heavy metal music, and gave us the Tipper sticker that made music labels decide to edit or not carry bands/albums that Walmart might not stock.  Again, it's all fun and games until they are knocking on your door.

Star Member Cheezoholic (201 posts)

33. The left has to be careful this time, this PC shit screwed us the last time

This politically correct or woke speak whatever you want to call it, if you start telling people what is proper and improper speech it will send a righteous agenda back 10 years and we can't afford that when we're 2-4 years away from never being able to speak again. Seriously man, this is petty shit to distract from the attack. Battle of the Bulge.

Two posts showing this guy hasn't been paying attention to that "righteous agenda".  Proggie's agenda is power.  Absolute power, and they will stomp on every face that dares think anything they don't put in your precious little head.