0
Usenet Posted 22 years ago
Usage
Is *shine* offensive?
Hi folks,
Recently I had a chat with an American parish priest living in California, but born and brought up in Chicago countryside. Intrigued by the scarceness of my name "Shine" in the US, he asked me if I knew what it meant to a black person. I said, "no". Well, I was astonished to hear him say that, among other meanings, the word "Shine" was also a disparaging term for a Black person.
I never thought the name "Shine" had such a black side! To my dismay, the dictionary.com testifies it, though it comes only as the eighth sense:
Shine
n.
1. Brightness from a source of light; radiance.
2. Brightness from reflected light; luster.
3. A shoeshine.
4. Excellence in quality or appearance; splendor.
5. Fair weather: rain or shine.
6. shines Informal. Pranks or tricks.
7. Slang. Whiskey; moonshine.
8. Offensive Slang. Used as a disparaging term for a Black person.
Given the fact that I am not a black, is it strange for someone to call me "Shine", when s/he already knows it as a disparaging term for a black?
Any comments about my name?
Love,
Shine.
I appreciate any spelling, grammatical or punctuational corrections by you in my post.
Recently I had a chat with an American parish priest living in California, but born and brought up in Chicago countryside. Intrigued by the scarceness of my name "Shine" in the US, he asked me if I knew what it meant to a black person. I said, "no". Well, I was astonished to hear him say that, among other meanings, the word "Shine" was also a disparaging term for a Black person.
I never thought the name "Shine" had such a black side! To my dismay, the dictionary.com testifies it, though it comes only as the eighth sense:
Shine
n.
1. Brightness from a source of light; radiance.
2. Brightness from reflected light; luster.
3. A shoeshine.
4. Excellence in quality or appearance; splendor.
5. Fair weather: rain or shine.
6. shines Informal. Pranks or tricks.
7. Slang. Whiskey; moonshine.
8. Offensive Slang. Used as a disparaging term for a Black person.
Given the fact that I am not a black, is it strange for someone to call me "Shine", when s/he already knows it as a disparaging term for a black?
Any comments about my name?
Love,
Shine.
I appreciate any spelling, grammatical or punctuational corrections by you in my post.
Top answer
Shine filted: [nq:1]Recently I had a chat with an American parish priest living in California, but born and brought up in Chicago ... for one thing, we're supposed to be more "sensitive" about things like that, and for another, there are vanishingly few people of any race in the shoe-shining profession these days (I once had one offer to brighten my Adidas, which should give some indication of how scarce the work is).. r
- Shine filted: [nq:1]Recently I had a chat with an American parish priest living in California, but born and brought up in Chicago ...
- for one thing, we're supposed to be more "sensitive" about things like that, and for another, there are vanishingly few people of any race in the shoe-shining profession these days (I once had one offer to brighten my Adidas, which should give some indication of how scarce the work is)..
- r
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
27 Answers
0
Shine filted:
[nq:1]Recently I had a chat with an American parish priest living in California, but born and brought up in Chicago ... to hear him say that, among other meanings, the word "Shine" was also a disparaging term for a Black person.[/nq]
It's a fairly rare usage, and is probably more so today than it was in the past...for one thing, we're supposed to be more "sensitive" about thi
[nq:1]Recently I had a chat with an American parish priest living in California, but born and brought up in Chicago ... to hear him say that, among other meanings, the word "Shine" was also a disparaging term for a Black person.[/nq]
It's a fairly rare usage, and is probably more so today than it was in the past...for one thing, we're supposed to be more "sensitive" about thi
00
[nq:1]Shine filted:[/nq]
[nq:2]Recently I had a chat with an American parish priest ... "Shine" was also a disparaging term for a Black person.[/nq]
[nq:1]It's a fairly rare usage, and is probably more so today than it was in the past...for one thing, we're ... ghosts, a gift he shares with the old caretaker, butsince the caretaker is Black, King's agent thought there might bemisunderstand
[nq:2]Recently I had a chat with an American parish priest ... "Shine" was also a disparaging term for a Black person.[/nq]
[nq:1]It's a fairly rare usage, and is probably more so today than it was in the past...for one thing, we're ... ghosts, a gift he shares with the old caretaker, butsince the caretaker is Black, King's agent thought there might bemisunderstand
00
[nq:1]Shine filted:[/nq]
[nq:2]Recently I had a chat with an American parish priest ... "Shine" was also a disparaging term for a Black person.[/nq]
[nq:1]It's a fairly rare usage, and is probably more so today than it was in the past...for one thing, we're ... (I once had one offer to brighten my Adidas, which should give some indication of how scarce the work is)..[/nq]
You think tha
[nq:2]Recently I had a chat with an American parish priest ... "Shine" was also a disparaging term for a Black person.[/nq]
[nq:1]It's a fairly rare usage, and is probably more so today than it was in the past...for one thing, we're ... (I once had one offer to brighten my Adidas, which should give some indication of how scarce the work is)..[/nq]
You think tha
00
Mark in Stumptown filted:
The book was published as "The Shining" because Mr King took the advice of his agent and changed it from the title he originally intended..
It is possible to understand a title as meaning something completely unrelated to what the work's creator intended...I know of two glaring examples where I did just that:
(1) Michael Nesmith's experimental video
The book was published as "The Shining" because Mr King took the advice of his agent and changed it from the title he originally intended..
It is possible to understand a title as meaning something completely unrelated to what the work's creator intended...I know of two glaring examples where I did just that:
(1) Michael Nesmith's experimental video
00
[nq:2]Shine filted: It's a fairly rare usage ... (and) there are vanishingly few people of any race in the shoe-shining profession these days ...[/nq]
[nq:1]You think that's the source of it? I dunno. Black complexions seem to reflect, or shine, more than lighter complexions. It's easier to envisage a shiny black face than a shiny white face. I wouldn't bet either way, though.[/nq]
I would
[nq:1]You think that's the source of it? I dunno. Black complexions seem to reflect, or shine, more than lighter complexions. It's easier to envisage a shiny black face than a shiny white face. I wouldn't bet either way, though.[/nq]
I would
00
[nq:2]You think that's the source of it? I dunno. Black ... a shiny white face. I wouldn't bet either way, though.[/nq]
[nq:1]I would take this bet. In Philadelphia where I grew up this was a fairly common racist appellation and there was never any question what the speaker meant. The connotation was clearly "shoe shine" related.[/nq]
I'm not defending either source. Someone that dates fir
[nq:1]I would take this bet. In Philadelphia where I grew up this was a fairly common racist appellation and there was never any question what the speaker meant. The connotation was clearly "shoe shine" related.[/nq]
I'm not defending either source. Someone that dates fir
00
[nq:1]Hi folks, Recently I had a chat with an American parish priest living in California, but born and brought up ... name "Shine" had such a black side! To mydismay, the dictionary.com testifies it, though it comes only as theeighth sense:[/nq]
(snip defs)
[nq:1]Any comments about my name?[/nq]
Are you talking about your first name? I ask because the surname "Shine" is somewhat uncom
(snip defs)
[nq:1]Any comments about my name?[/nq]
Are you talking about your first name? I ask because the surname "Shine" is somewhat uncom
00
(snip discussion of "shine" as racial term)
[nq:2]I would take this bet. In Philadelphia where I grew ... the speaker meant. The connotation was clearly "shoe shine" related.[/nq]
[nq:1]I'm not defending either source. Someone that dates first appearances might shine some light on this. How early in our history were shoe shine "boys" on the streets of America compared to how long black peo
[nq:2]I would take this bet. In Philadelphia where I grew ... the speaker meant. The connotation was clearly "shoe shine" related.[/nq]
[nq:1]I'm not defending either source. Someone that dates first appearances might shine some light on this. How early in our history were shoe shine "boys" on the streets of America compared to how long black peo
00
[nq:1]The "Making of America" site (approx 1850-1930) has 65 hits for "shoe-shine." I looked at two the 1915 book ... 1924 book mentioned how the Greeks of New York had taken over the shoe-shine parlors and stands from the Italians.[/nq]
Ay! That preceded "Famous Original Spiro's"!
In modern-day New York most of the shoe-shining professionals one sees on the street or other public spaces a
Ay! That preceded "Famous Original Spiro's"!
In modern-day New York most of the shoe-shining professionals one sees on the street or other public spaces a
00
[nq:1]In modern-day New York most of the shoe-shining professionals one sees on the street or other public spaces are African-American, and specifically, I think, Southern-US-descended African-Americans.[/nq]
Surely the vast majority of African-Americans have their earliest American ancestry in the South? Perhaps you need to clarify "descended".
Andrew Gwilliam
To email me, replac
Surely the vast majority of African-Americans have their earliest American ancestry in the South? Perhaps you need to clarify "descended".
Andrew Gwilliam
To email me, replac
0
Related Questions