Basically just something people say that indicates a position indirectly, like how seperatists from a given region might always say they’re from [region] and not [country] or how trump supporters call AI “SI” now.
one shibboleth i noticed is that any mention of “race” strongly indicates that the person speaking is American, especially if it’s conflated with nationalities. “I’m [number]% [nationality]”, any use of “mixed race”, and stuff like “I can drink a lot of beer because I’m German” or “this recipe offends me as an Italian” are dead giveaways (and quite racist in my humble opinion)
I think it’s because immigrants wanted to preserve their culture when they came to the US, and that got passed down but was diluted over the generations, so you have people who have a very specific pride and identity that has deviated from the original.
In many cases the “original” deviated even more. It’s not like culture has been static in Europe for four hundred years.
? I’m talking about a scale of only a few generations and the USA hasn’t been around for four hundred years.
I’m talking about the timeline of European colonization of the Americas, which is the point of immigrant cultural divergence. And I’m actually off by over a hundred years, as the oldest continuously-settled Euro city in the West is Santo Domingo since 1496.
But even a shorter timeline an awful lot changed in Europe through the 1900s. A lot of “traditional” cuisine came after WWII.
That timeframe is a much larger cultural gap than what I was depicting, but regardless, it was not meant to imply that other countries remain stagnant.
Someone who’s family came from India two generations ago might still identify as Indian even though they never have been there, for example.
I hadn’t heard this theory before, but it does actually make a lot of sense.
I think a lot of the nationality stuff is because Americans are desperate for some identity of heritage. America is made of immigrants. Most people have no idea where their ancestors came from, unless it was relatively recently. If you’re in Germany, almost everyone around you is German and you have a shared identity. In America, no one knows where you’re from. American can be considered an identity I guess, but it doesn’t have much history. The history it does have is the lack of a homeland, and stealing it from others.
So yes, I guess it’s a dog whistle (usually those are intentional though), but I don’t see it as racist.
Seconding this. Its not racist at all, but a deep cry for some kind of uniqueness and being special because of the hyperindividualism of USA-culture. Europe is seen (and often treated) by US-americans as a theme park, an attraction.
To build on your example: inside germany, when you ask where one is from, you’ll get the culture/region. Saxony, bavarian, swabian, baden, franconian, hamburger, holsteiner, frisian. Or often even just the city lol No german, unless outside of germany and speaking to someone not german, will say they are from germany or german. And even then, though that is mostly bavarians, they might just say their region/culture.
US america doesnt have this past and sense of identity and belonging that even just your city in europe has. Except maybe NYC.
Portsmouth UK, proud harbor city and its identity is tied to everything seafairing. Has been since its inceptions by the romans. Same with Kiel, Hamburg, Lübeck (there ofc without the romans lol)
What identity does Portsmouth USA have? As faar as i know, none.
Even when i, a german, were to move to france or ireland, i still will be german/swabian at heart. No matter how long i lived somewhere else. Or where my long ago ancestors came from.
After the big protests in France there were a million bots posting racist stuff on Reddit. They kept referring to “liberals” but none speaks like that in France. Liberal is the word you’d use to describe corpo-centrists like Macron, never to describe leftists.
It was kind of like the 3 fingers meme from inglorious bastards.
Need to give Zelenskyy a few more drones to take out Russian datacenter troll farms.
Then go donate!
“I know pasta, my great grandmother was Italian”
Yeah, how do you know your great grand mother wasnt the worst fucking cook in the village? Maybe her food was so bad that her family had to get on a boat and move half way around the world where nobody knew about how shit her cooking was.
The narwhal bacons at midnight.
Something about Obama and shoelaces? I can’t remember.
I miss that. I genuinely do. Back when it felt like a community and things were fun. I know it’s never gonna happen again, it was great to see it, but I miss spontaneous community fun online.
As someone who used reddit during that time, lemmy something feels exactly like reddit back then. Small communities and mainly consisting of a bunch of nerds
I feel that Lemmy is much less fun. Maybe it’s the time period but it just feels more like people being depressed and arguing with each other than anything goofy
I agree, and I think it is all down to what is happening all around us and the state everyone is in
Holds up spork
And my axe.
I actually was around a guy who said this IRL at a party one time in 2011. I recognized it, but also internally cringed so hard that I pretended I didn’t recognize it. I’m sorry, Sean.
You’re a good friend.
Friends don’t let friends Reddit.
“I’m from Northern Virginia”
Sorry - it’s all I can think of after your example…
“This neighborhood is great. It feels like what Long Island used to be.”
lawn guylanders often tawk in a way that, like a dawg whistle, can only be heard by other lawn guylanders. you really have to listen for it, it’s subtle!
Not so much a position as preferences and experiences, but the words people use to describe elements of music can often give away what they either enjoy or play. If you call a rhythm a beat, you’re probably into electronic or hip hop. If you refer to a song’s chord progression as “the changes,” you must like jazz. If you use Italian words (outside of Italy I guess!) to talk about tempo and dynamics, you were either in an orchestra or fondly remember that one time at band camp. If a phrase is a “strain,” you should get your lungs checked out. If the bridge is the “middle eight,” get a colonoscopy while you’re at it.
What happens if you ask for a double bass pedal at a practice room?
Neil Peart and Keith Moon come to you in a dream. Your astral body will be tested far beyond the drumming limits of your corporeal body. Upon success, you will ascend to the next level of existence. It is better that you do not know what happens when you fail.
> Go to practice studio to get some exercise and maybe improve my bad drumming skills
> Ask for double bass pedal because I want to try to play some fast metal stuff
> Get sent on spiritual journey
> Fail
> Now I have to spend eternity being tortured by the CenobitesWell shit.
That sounds like the beginning of a joke. If it is, what happens?
Dual to the death with Mikkey Dee from Motorhead
Also less specific, but when people describe music as “tight” or similar, they’re usually a musician, or at least into music culture.
The voters pamphlet was full of them. “Common sense family values” means they hate trans/gays. “Law and order” means they support ICE. “Activist judges have gone too far” means they want to be an activist judge but for the other side of the issue.
I would consider all of those Nazi dogwhistles nowadays. There is no courtesy left for the right, it is very clear what kinds of fucked up shit they support
“No courtesy left for the right” is now going into my back pocket for later. Love it.
Law & order = whatever orders they make up are the law of the moment.
“Common sense” annoys me from researching gun laws and solutions. It’s shorthand for, “If you don’t believe this way, you don’t have common sense.” I’ve made an effort to drop the term both online and IRL.
Argued with someone that their use of “common sense” was a dog whistle… Sure enough, their next line was about the “family vote”…
This was in response to a Trans Rights comment chain. Like wtf is the “family vote”? Trans people have families too.
Family vote = man of the house votes and women don’t vote anymore. No, they don’t acknowledge anything other than the stereotypical husband, wife, and 2.5 children as deserving a vote.
I’m a self proclaimed crazy cat lady. I also work in a field that has a lot of interaction with the police. I used to have a pin attached to my work badge that said “All Cats Are Beautiful”.
What? I just love cats ;)
This took me a while
It’s taking me longer help me out
ACAB - all cops are bad.
Now I’m thinking about making badges that say “Assigned Child At Birth”.
Primus sucks
Or the Frank Mullen hand gesture regardless of what metal gig you are at
Primus sucks is the best answer, came to say.
When you blow into a special whistle and a dog hears it and comes to you.
I always throw an occasional “streets ahead” in my conversation just to see if they’re a Community watcher. Most of the people around me are streets behind, though.
I’ve never seen “Community” and I’ve never lived in Great Britain but even I know what “streets ahead” means.
it’s like giving them an all tomato.
You either take all the tomato, or none of it
An all tomato on a nice fresh baggle.
They may be a community watcher, or they may be British. Further investigation required.
That’s usually when I use my escape goat.
I used to do the same thing. Then I decided to actually look up the saying and found out they are both pretty coming British phrases. I was very disappointed.
I don’t think this is true. Or maybe it was at some time in the past. Streets ahead is. It a common British expression, at least in my experience.
“Hey buddy, if you already know no big deal. But, you know she…sleeps with a blahaj…if you catch my drift.”
A friend of Blåhaj
A chum of Blåhaj
I can think of some sex ones I’ve heard of.
A “snow white” is some kind of deranged sex thing for a girl i can’t remember… It is probably really bad though.
Also one place i was had furries who hung different color flags on their belt, it was pretty subtle but apparently it was a signal about what kind of sex things they were into. Someone told me that.
Also I’ve heard that long ago in hawai’i if you had a flower behind your right ear it meant one thing, and behind your other ear it meant another thing.
The flag thing comes from the gay community, back when it was a more underground experience.
It’s predominantly from the leather scene where it’s still in use. I occasionally flag when I go to events for example, but it’s mostly a conversation starter plus a “hey, I’m open to having some fun tonight” thing. Also it’s handkerchiefs in back pockets for us, which pocket is used also gives information
hung different color flags on their belt
Back in my day it was those jelly bracelets.
Pineapples are for swingers
Recently I saw a Ford commercial that seemed to be saying "Fuck you! We’re gonna make our trucks even bigger!! ". Maybe I misinterpreted it.
When someone professes their love for reading, they’re insinuating that those who do not read are necessarily below them on the cognitive ladder.
At least that’s how my disdainful mind works.
Just came across a profile of someone claiming to be a “veracious reader.” Fun fact, veracious is actually a word. I’m guessing it’s not what they meant, though.
I’m assuming they ironically misspelled “voracious,” I’ve heard that used a lot to describe heavy readers
I’ve really only heard the phrase as “voracious”. If that’s truly an ironic use, I feel it would be lost on most people.
Oh, unintentionally ironic is what I meant, with the misspelling in the self-description of a heavy reader. You’re right, much too subtle to be likely intentional.
No more so than any other hobby. If someone tells me they like fishing I don’t assume they think less of me because I don’t fish… actually maybe they do now that I think about it lol bad example.
But like sewing, or poker, it’s just mentioning a hobby.
“OwO, what’s this?”
How do you pronounce that?
“Oh-woah”
…when did that become a nazi-dog whistle? (Unless i misunderstand that term)
