Sometimes, things can be accomplished much simpler here than NOB

canadian... the local joke is what is the difference between a Canadian and a gringo..the canoe tips so nothing great about the Canadian reputation either..

Clete wrote:

The term is widely used. Whether they have called you gringo to your face or not proves nothing. The word is prominent in general conversation.

That's my experience also, when living in a totally Mexican world and family.

brigitte wrote:canadian... the local joke is what is the difference between  a Canadian and a gringo..the canoe tips so nothing great about the Canadian reputation either..

All gringos travel in canoes?  

Clete wrote:

RichD wrote:When I lived in Guatemala on Lake Atitlan, an area highly influenced by Americans, I found that the indigenous people absolutely hated to be called Indians. The word Indian translates to Indio in our books, but means rube or hick to them. They always called Americans gringos and say they mean nothing by it.

Once I was talking to the head of public education in San Pedro La Laguna, a Tz'utujil Mayan Indian and he referred to me as a gringo. I asked him why he used such an offensive word and he replied, I mean no malice by it. I then said that it was OK, Indio.

The word indio is deemed offensive in this country also. Besides the meanings you mentioned, it is used widely by Mexicans to denigrate the indigenous.

The more Caucasian looking the Mexican, the more offensive the word, but offensive on any count.

brigitte wrote:canadian... the local joke is what is the difference between  a Canadian and a gringo..the canoe tips so nothing great about the Canadian reputation either..

Jaja.....I doubt that is a Mexican joke. Sounds like something an American would make up. The Mexican's know the difference anyhow. It usually works in my favor other than in Chiapas........

Yes the word is very offensive, I have been told that by many indigenous people. Not long ago I was at Lake Taco with indigenous friends who wore their costume and this well Tapatia came up to me and in front of my friends ask me if I liked "el Indio".. I could not beleved she used that word in front of my friends.. SHe was obviously out of it and was reading a book about el Indio something. ..I am usually quick to answer but that woman got me and I did not say anything at first and she repeated the question telling me I should read whatever book she had because I could lear a lot about " el Indio"- I finally told her , I think you are the one who could lear a few things and walked away but I felt really embarrassed. I know she was using the word to mean indigenous but i could not believe she came up to us and had that conversation. My friends told ne she did not mean anything and was ignorant but still..

People in this area also use the word tacataca when speaking avbout indigenous from Oaxaca and that is also totally offensive to the indigenous here.

Bob I was told that joke by a Mexican business owner about 10 years ago. Obviously he spoke very good English, I do not know who came up with that joke but it was a Mexican restaurant owner who told me the joke and that came up because Canadian were wearing the maple leaf to make sure no one thought they were Americans so I asked the man what does the Maple leaf means to you and he said "no tip" and then he told me the joke.. Iy probably was about 2002 o3 as I have not spoken English with the man for a very long time.

My realestate agent who was Canadian also told me that joke .

Some things happen NOB also.
I lived in Walton County NE of Atlanta. It was a rural county, run by a Scotsman who was cheap. Ran the county fine, kept the taxes low.
We has a youth sports program and all the businesses kicked in a few bucks.
We had a small local bank that always wrote a nice check that got bought by one of the big Atlanta banks and they put in their own manager, who went out on a dead end country road and built a huge house.
The sports season started and the bank said they had no funds to contribute since it all came from home office.
The county is out paving roads and stops short of the managers house and never returns. The manager calls the county manager and complains. The county manager said "We had to divert some funds for the sports teams and ran out of paving money".
A few days later, the bank finds some sports money and the county found some paving money.
The county manager was my neighbor, Rick Holder and I cornered him and asked him if he did that on purpose. "Absolutely" is what he said.

jrm30655 wrote:Some things happen NOB also.
 

Now that I can believe.

jrm30655 wrote:Some things happen NOB also.
I lived in Walton County NE of Atlanta.  It was a rural county, run by a Scotsman who was cheap.  Ran the county fine, kept the taxes low.
We has a youth sports program and all the businesses kicked in a few bucks.
We had a small local bank that always wrote a nice check that got bought by one of the big Atlanta banks and they put in their own manager, who went out on a dead end country road and built a huge house.
The sports season started and the bank said they had no funds to contribute since it all came from home office.
The county is out paving roads and stops short of the managers house and never returns.  The manager calls the county manager and complains.  The county manager said "We had to divert some funds for the sports teams and ran out of paving money".
A few days later, the bank finds some sports money and the county found some paving money.
The county manager was my neighbor, Rick Holder and I cornered him and asked him if he did that on purpose.  "Absolutely" is what he said.  

Great story! Y Muy Mexicano.

brigitte wrote:Bob I was told that joke by a Mexican business owner about 10 years ago. Obviously he spoke very good English, I do not know who came up with that joke but it was a Mexican restaurant owner who told me the joke and that came up because Canadian were wearing the maple leaf to make sure no one thought they were Americans so I asked the man what does the Maple leaf means to you and he said "no tip" and then he told me the joke.. Iy probably was about 2002 o3 as I have not spoken English with the man for a very long time.

My realestate agent who was Canadian also told me that joke .

How did my link to a story about getting work done here in Mexico vs NOB suddenly dissolve into insulting Canadians?

I don't appreciate that, Brigitte. I have and always will be an extremely good tipper.....I know from personal work experience how hard restaurant and retail workers have to work!

It was a joke SG.

From September 2008
Click on above link.

She's a peach.

The original joke read: what's the difference between a canoe and a Canadian?

Suegarn
The point of my telling the story was to make fun of anyone who thinks they are better than the next person and the Canadians not wanting to pass for Americans and displaying their Mapple leaf were not sending the message they thought they were sending to the Mexicans.
Nothing more, we all know that people are not all alike and there is a little bit of everything in every group so no point feeling superior about any othe group.
I you are a generous tipper I am sure the restaurants you frequent know it, past that who care what people think?

"Biting tongue"..............

I can think of many instances when you should have bit your tongue. Why now?

The like button! Where's the like button?

RichD wrote:From September 2008
Click on above link.

RichD.....I clicked on your link and I wonder if you read this comment regarding that 'joke'....

"This is the old 'Jew and a Canoe' joke, it was racist then, and it still is with your modifications. I must congratulate you on your level of epic fail."

suegarn wrote:

RichD wrote:From September 2008
Click on above link.

RichD.....I clicked on your link and I wonder if you read this comment regarding that 'joke'....

"This is the old 'Jew and a Canoe' joke, it was racist then, and it still is with your modifications. I must congratulate you on your level of epic fail."

There's a Canadian "race"?

No one nation has a monopoly on good nor bad human traits. But I have met a whole lot of Canadians that told me Americans are world leaders in the bad category. That shit gets old. I don't have much use for people that judge another solely on their place of origin.

Clete.

The point of the canoe joke link was to demonstrate that it is an old one. Nothing more and nothing less. Don't like it? Too bad.

Vandre wrote:I can think of many instances when you should have bit your tongue.  Why now?

Clete wrote:

RichD wrote:When I lived in Guatemala on Lake Atitlan, an area highly influenced by Americans, I found that the indigenous people absolutely hated to be called Indians. The word Indian translates to Indio in our books, but means rube or hick to them. They always called Americans gringos and say they mean nothing by it.

Once I was talking to the head of public education in San Pedro La Laguna, a Tz'utujil Mayan Indian and he referred to me as a gringo. I asked him why he used such an offensive word and he replied, I mean no malice by it. I then said that it was OK, Indio.

The word indio is deemed offensive in this country also. Besides the meanings you mentioned, it is used widely by Mexicans to denigrate the indigenous.

Funny thing is I had not idea that was a bad word because I saw all the beer trucks with Indio on the side. Does the indigenous buy this beer??? Can you imagine N word on the side of a bud truck in Compton?? Some things just confuse me in Mexico and this is one of them. Gringo doesn't bother me but never heard it in a negative sense but I am sure it happens.

Indigenous fiesta usually feature Modelo but plenty of Indigenous drink Indio. That does not mean they appreciate the word when applied to them.