Oikophobe: Word of the Day

[Steve R.]

Western society has been committing cultural suicide over the past few years. Finally, courtesy of Grok; got around to seeing if there was a one word descriptor . Seems that this is a word that we could be using.

Oikophobe
**Oikophobe**An oikophobe is someone who harbors a fear or hatred toward their own home, society, or culture, as derived from the Greek term "oikophobia," contrasting with xenophobia (fear of foreigners). This word specifically captures the self-directed aversion to one's cultural identity, as noted in discussions of cultural self-hatred.

 

[ColinEssex]

It started with the left telling us we had no American "culture". I think they think that because we don't have troupes of dancers who dress up in quaint costumes and dance for the tourists.

Is that your interpretation of culture? You need to get out more.

 

[ColinEssex]

No, again your grasp of English is flawed.

I was talking to an American person the other day. I must have caught something, antibiotics should clear it.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

I think they think that because we don't have troupes of dancers who dress up in quaint costumes and dance for the tourists.

Obviously, they've never been to New Orleans around Mardi Gras or during the Essence fest or the Southern Decadence fest.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

As long as you don't take Tylenol if you might be pregnant.

Col, pregnant? I would inquire as to whether he's one of those people who claims to be able to have a baby despite physiological barriers. Or by using "he" did I misgender that poor soul? However, I think that at his age, pregnancy might not be possible in any case.

 

[ColinEssex]

As long as you don't take Tylenol if you might be pregnant.

You've lost me on that comment. Why would I be pregnant?
Col

 

[Mark_]

You've lost me on that comment. Why would I be pregnant?
Col

Possibly implying you've been wanton in your behavior?

 

[ColinEssex]

Possibly implying you've been wanton in your behavior?

Looking back over the years that's true enough.
Col

 

[The_Doc_Man]

I was talking to an American person the other day. I must have caught something, antibiotics should clear it.

Col, if what you caught was bad enough to require antibiotics, it is pretty clear that your behavior the other day must have been wanton. Oh, you naughty fellow!

 

[Isaac]

Western society has been committing cultural suicide over the past few years. Finally, courtesy of Grok; got around to seeing if there was a one word descriptor . Seems that this is a word that we could be using.

Oikophobe
**Oikophobe**An oikophobe is someone who harbors a fear or hatred toward their own home, society, or culture, as derived from the Greek term "oikophobia," contrasting with xenophobia (fear of foreigners). This word specifically captures the self-directed aversion to one's cultural identity, as noted in discussions of cultural self-hatred.

That's interesting. I'll admit I went through a very brief period of time when I felt somewhat like that as I got to know the better aspects of Mexican/hispanic culture, which we were also 'missing' in ours, but ultimately as I aged it all balanced out. I realized there are a lot of contradictions to their culture, too. For example, they hate it when Americans speak spanish without correct pronunciation, and yet as Americans we are expected to tolerate other people's accents without even a second thought - and that's all it is when American speak spanish, an accent. I also noticed that while I would never, while speaking in spanish to a hispanic, pronounce "Guadalajara" in American-speak, ("Gwad-dala-JAR-uh"), they do that same thing all the time, while speaking to me and saying "Tay-has" for Texas, so they rename my states and cities according to their own pronunciation, but I am expected to never do the same in return. Funny memories.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

But then, we know from Henry Higgins, "The French don't care what they say as long as they pronounce it properly."

 

[Isaac]

I took three years of Spanish in high school. The first two years my teacher spoke Castilian Spanish but my last teacher spoke Mexican Spanish. You can imagine how unhappy she was every time I spoke. At least she didn't drop my grade because she didn't like my pronunciation. Later on in life I had a friend named Trinidad and she was so pleased that i actually pronounced her name correctly with a th instead of a d.

The British are really bad about place names (they can't even pronounce their own city names like Worchester) and they've had a large influence on how we pronounce country and city names from around the world. I cringe when I hear people improperly pronounce Iraq and Iran as I-raq and I-ran and pronounce Qatar as "gutter".

Yeah, I always think it's funny when American schools teach Spain-spanish.
What in the world is the purpoes of that? To be able to conversate with 1% of the spanish word vs. the 99%, ya know?

 

[The_Doc_Man]

I have to laugh at the TV show Swamp People because they put sub-titles on Cajuns speaking English, and it is actually one of the easier accents to understand. Of course, that ease of understanding MIGHT be due to having a Cajun wife. But Dick7Access doesn't have any trouble understanding her when he visits our area.

 

[Isaac]

There are a lot of Spanish speakers in the world, do they all speak Mexican Spanish? I doubt it.

That's not quite exactly what I'm saying, but something similar: there are x # of spanish speakers in the world, and only 5% of them speak spain spanish - that's the point. But ignorant american teachers think of "spanish" and they think "spain" without giving it much thought, volume-wise.

There's very little point in learning spain spanish unless you plan on vacationing in Spain this summer, as you're very , very very unlikely to just run into people from spain in every day life. They don't tend to come here - they like spain better

 

[Isaac]

I rather frame it in terms of actual experience, since most people learn spanish for the utilization of it in a practical way (although it's fine if you'd prefer to learn it for some historical, academic or sentimental reason).

The fact is this: In 45 years of lots of interacting with hispanics in daily life (living in Arizona for 20 years and CA for another one) , I've come across about a total of 1-2 situations where I could benefit from having that "spain spanish" accent. Ok, maybe 5-10. Out of 10's of 1000's.

Thus, my recommendation for the average kids learning spanish in school - learn the type that does you the most good, not the one you'll never use. Our next door neighbor is Mexico, not Spain. Hell, even when it comes to vacations, you're more likely to go to Mexico than Spain LOL

 

[AccessBlaster]

Isn't just a numbers game, you offer Mexican style Spanish in American schools because we share a common border with Mexico.

 

[Isaac]

Isn't just a numbers game, you offer Mexican style Spanish in American schools because we share a common border with Mexico.

That's pretty much my argument, yeah - it's a no brainer to teach Mexican style spanish to USA kids, but you'd be surprised how many spanish teachers for some reason either ARE from spain or prefer to teach spain-spanish, I think they think it's the cooler, more aloof higher class spanish, but I just think it's silly, as it won't be useful to most people.

At University, we used to have discussions with our spanish teacher about this. She was from spain and teaching everyone only spain spanish, I thought it was the dumbest thing, I'd never run into a spaniard in everyday life

 

[The_Doc_Man]

I actually don't have a horse in this race. Since I really don't speak French, the fact that I live in Cajun country simply means I have an interesting "country-style" menu in my vicinity. My palate "reads" Cajun quite well, though.

 

[Mark_]

Isaac, are you referring to the Spanish in Novella's or the Spanish in the street? They can be as different as the Spanish spoken in Puerto Rico VS that spoken in El Salvador. Due to immigration, even the Spanish in LA is different than the Spanish in Tijuana. Spanish is about as mixed as English or French these days.

Then again, for odd English parings, I'd worked for a bit with a Mr. Singh. His Irish Brough didn't cover local accent but made for a challenge some times. Blamed it on Irish instructors at his Catholic school.

 

[Isaac]

Isaac, are you referring to the Spanish in Novella's or the Spanish in the street?

No just the difference between Spains unique pronunciation vs others