Daughter- In-law and son did put on a pretty great spontaneous party for the lad who is now 24! One orphan stowed away in my bag, found a strawberry cookie and was sure that all the fuss was about her.
We all did eat too much, lounged around and five of the pilots went downstairs to the control center to simulate flight on an even larger machine than the one here.
There was one crash and one emergency landing on a rooftop. No one died.
This is nature's car wash on the way home- all the way, Rain did not let up even a little bit.
I did make it to the Daughter of Norway meeting yesterday. About as stimulating as your Granny's underwear drawer. Not my tribe, though I may join just to support them and make stuff for their fairs.
In our town, growing up, every group of folks had names that I suppose would be considered xenophobic now, but , back then, were terms of endearment. Scandinavians were four cornered hat wearers/blockheads. Italians were "Wops" - with out papers -but really it comes from Italian "Guappo"-definitely a slur. No one knew that though. Italians were just "Wops". Mexicans were "wet backs"...implying that they entered the country by swimming across the Rio Grand- which of course they did not do...but that was just a term used , friend to friend...I am not even kidding. No one knew any different or any better it was just a way of describing someone- like adjectives- "A blockhead toe head, pale eyed Swede married her handsome wrangler wet back fiance at the church this afternoon..." My Dad was the king of Archie Bunker-isms - we grew up blockheads, a badge of honor , every other ethnicity had their names and unless there was mean spirited thinking behind them everyone was fine with their ethnic nickname. A town where Women knew their place and girls threw like...girls. Boys were naughty because they will be boys. It was the fifties, for chrise sake.
Well, the fifties are well and truly over but some things die hard.
As an introduction to the Daughters of Snoreway, I had to tell a bit about why or how I was connected to the country, I did mention that my family had a fair share of blockheads from Norway and Sweden without even a glimmer of thought, just on automatic... the room went quiet...I had managed to offend the entire church basement full of elderly women. Whispering to one another "did she say ...BLOCKHEADS?" "Yes I do believe she did". I guess they thought it a negative thing but how could they? Weren't they all blockheads and proud of being from blockheadland?
They were gracious and did invite me to come back, though, so maybe they just knew that I was a throw back but it shocked their sensibilities. I hope I only offended, as ignorance can do, and did not hurt anyone's feelings.
So that was that. It is still raining , very cold, and I am reckoning that one must truly be a blockhead to live in this area- in the truest Norwegian sense. A compliment, actually, a great area in which to wear Dale of Norway woolens and eat butter. Perfect.
Here in Australia, blockhead means idiot. Perhaps that's what shocked the Daughters of Norway? But I know the original blockhead was because of the head shapes. English heads are very round in all directions, Germanic and Scandinavian head are more squared. Like blocks. Nothing at all to be ashamed of there. But these are the days of "being offended". I just hope all this "being offended" over every little thing goes away soon and common sense reigns once more.
ReplyDeleteThat was quite the deluge you drove home through.
Thank you for clarification- insults were not meant to hurt if indeed they were taken as such. You are right head shapes are different and blockhead is common. I am with you - being offended takes too much energy and is so utterly humorless.
DeleteAs a 75% Norwegian who lived for years (in the 60s and 70s) in Ballard , the Norwegian center of Seattle, I never heard the term blockhead, except for probably Archie Bunker call his son-in-law that. I never associated the term with Scandinavians. Interesting how we had different experiences. Well, I recently called myself that when I had my hair cut very short and it revealed what a block head I have.
ReplyDeleteArchie's son in law was meathead and I do believe that Ballard was far more civilized than the middle of Wyoming dirt. Ballard is cool! You were lucky to live there.
DeleteI never knew "blockhead" was a reference to Scandinavians. It makes me think of Charles Schulz (a Minnesotan, I believe? Or maybe Iowan?) who routinely used the word blockhead in "Peanuts." I always assumed it just meant a stupid person, especially since Charlie Brown's head was definitely round.
ReplyDeleteThe term could very well have been regional. It was never meant as an insult though. Except for here, at the meeting, from my mouth! I am so uncool.
DeleteI'd never heard the term "blockhead" used except as a description for an idiot either.
ReplyDeleteI always say that I never join anything with the word "club" in it. Nor "group" for that matter but I suppose that one is a lot slipperier.
Beans looks exactly like our old dog Dolly. She was not very bright.
I am with you Mary- I am not a meeting attender or a club sort of gal. They do good things, like scholarships and stuff but I can do that on my own If I want to.
DeleteBeans is adorable, have not checked his IQ but he does bark when he is supposed to and he does stare at birthday cookies willing them to jump off of the table.
oh, I did something similar not that long ago. we had two neighbors named Kevin, one white and one black. when talking to my friend I would refer to them as white Kevin or black Kevin so we would know who I was talking about. then one day at SHARE I told another neighbor who volunteers there also that black Kevin sold his house. in front of the black man who also volunteers there. no sooner were the words out of my mouth than I was horrified. did I just say something racist? I told the guy later why I had referred to Kevin as black and did he find that offensive. Not to me he said and gave me a hug, said all was fine.
ReplyDeleteDescriptive adjectives should not be sent to jail- In
DeleteDeaf culture they are used all of the time to tell what the person looks like.
Now, that's a rain. I hate driving in that stuff. It sounds like a fun day. And I didn't know about Scandinavians as blockheads, either!
ReplyDeleteWhen we lived in West Seattle the term we heard was square head. Some of the neighbors spoke Norwegian, which was always surprising. They were all getting on in years, and they were a very pleasant bunch of people.
ReplyDeleteNorwegians are very polite, and quiet and mind their own business for the moat part. Not a gregarious bunch, I find, saying only what needs to be said, and so you can imagine a meeting of such being dull.
DeleteWe had black and white Sanders in our neighborhood and it was an essential descriptor to let our parents know which Sanders kids we were going to play with.
ReplyDeletedescribing is essential. Fat , skinny, old, young, black, white, brown, are all essential for describing, but in the realm of my Dad and our little town descriptions also included , Wop, and Blockhead.
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