Reply
Fri 11 Sep, 2009 06:44 pm
shtick to reconcile = stick to reconcile ?
Context:
Jones's genius as an ideological entrepreneur was to mine white liberal anxiety -- they are quite aware of their own NIMBY hypocrisy -- by selling them the "green jobs" shtick to reconcile class/racial guilt with environmental enthusiasm, thus making them feel better about themselves.
@oristarA,
oristarA wrote: by selling them the "green jobs" shtick to reconcile class/racial guilt with environmental enthusiasm, thus making them feel better about themselves.
Making them feel better by telling them something* that would allow them to reconcile what they were doing with what they thought was right.
(something = the "green jobs" shtick in this example)
When there are Yiddishisms in standard English articles, who is the author writing for? Not just Jews, I believe. I wonder if the target audience is then a certain class of urban Gentile that would understand the foreign term?
In the New York Times, the other day, there was a lead article about the air bases that we have in Iraq, even after the combat troops leave. Referring to a part of the base where local merchants can sell items, a word used in the article was "tschotkes" (pronounced, chachkeys). I may have now misspelled it; however, the meaning is like knick-knacks or doo-dads in English (assorted trinkets, perhaps). This was very strange to see, since this is not the type of word I would expect in the NYT; too esoteric a Yiddish word, I thought.
@Foofie,
Foofie wrote: too esoteric a Yiddish word, I thought.
it's about as mainstream as verklempt these days
~~~~
the original editorial was published in
JWR ... link - they expect their readers to know their Yiddish
@ehBeth,
ehBeth wrote:
Foofie wrote: too esoteric a Yiddish word, I thought.
it's about as mainstream as verklempt these days
~~~~
the original editorial was published in
JWR ... link - they expect their readers to know their Yiddish
I had to Google that word. I know only a few Yiddish words. My mother used it as a secret language with her sister, when I was around, as a child. I was raised on standard English. Yiddish was something old folks knew. I think it will eventually die out, other than for the Chassidim, possibly using it. But, I think Hebrew will replace Yiddish as a Jewish language in the future. Meanwhile, English is my language thank goodness.
Stumble It!
Tweet This
Bookmark on Delicious
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace