Second to None

[DMDarcs]

That's such a weird phrase. I mean, I know it's use. It's supposed to be a superlative. "You are so awesome that there is no way you could even be put in second place." However, if you look at the phrase a little differently, it's a complete slam in the face. "If I had to choose, I guess you would be ok, but I would have preferred no one in your place."

[Kyle]

That's definitely a glass-half-empty approach, but I see where your coming from.

My son told me this morning that the term "Long time no see" is a racist derivation making fun of asian people and they way they use broken english. So I researched it this morning and the most accepted view is that, in Chinese there's a phrase that literally translates into "long time, no see" which is (or was in the 18-1900s) commonly used. When Chinese speakers addressed Westerners in English, they would often use the English version of it. Westerners then adopted the phrase and it spread like wildfire-- and why wouldn't it, being such a concise way of a usually affectionate greeting.

So my conclusion is that it's not racist to use "long time, no see."

[DMDarcs]

Yeah, I don't really see how that could be racist if it's something that is atually just used by the group of people who created it and then fully accepted and used by other people in the same manner. That would be like saying bechamel sauce is racist because it's French.

[Mike]

Would it make a difference if for the first decade or so every white person who said it only did so in an extremely racist imitation of a Chinese accent?

[DMDarcs]

I think maybe it would have been racist at that point in time, but isn't racist now. Assimilation of culture takes time and contextual meaning can change over time.

[Mike]

A) I have no evidence of how it was originally used, and

B) either way, I agree with you.

[Kyle]

My family had this exact same discussion (and conclusion) last night.

[Mando]

That's such a weird phrase. I mean, I know it's use. It's supposed to be a superlative. "You are so awesome that there is no way you could even be put in second place." However, if you look at the phrase a little differently, it's a complete slam in the face. "If I had to choose, I guess you would be ok, but I would have preferred no one in your place."

Begging to differ. It is expressly meant to say that said person or thing is the best of the best.
To look at it from another point of view is to attempt to alter the meaning. Deconstruction does not yield the truth in this case.

ex. That fellow, DMDarcs, is second to none!

I am not at all biased even though my squadron (in basic training) was 3702 and our motto was "Second to none"