Slang, Terms, and Phrases so you don't get lost.

[JowGaWolf]

So I'm creating this section to help people navigate some slang and other phrases so that you aren't taken advantage of or made to "feel stupid" One of the way that we show our age is by the music we listen to, the shows we watch, and the words we speak. Hopefully this will help to understand some of the new stuff that pops up in the world.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

I’m having no luck finding a clip from the South Park episode where Chef explains to Mr. Garrison that black people have to keep coming up with new slang terms because white people keep appropriating the old ones. Meanwhile, Mr. Garrison starts using the new terms as fast as Chef mentions them while Chef protests “stop doing that!”

 

[JowGaWolf]

Gaslighting - Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation in which the abuser attempts to sow self-doubt and confusion in their victim's mind. Typically, gaslighters are seeking to gain power and control over the other person, by distorting reality and forcing them to question their own judgment and intuition.
- Source: How to Tell If Someone Is Gaslighting You

So here's what I know about this term. When I was teen we, people my age and in my community (hip hop community) didn't refer to it as gaslighting. We used terms like "Gassing your head up" or "don't let him gas you" I highlighted in bold the definition that we used back then. There was a group called "3rd Bass" who made a rap called "Gas Face"

This is part of the lyrics. For those that aren't aware. Rap back in the 70's and 80's were written like poetry to a group that has been through it or may go through it. (It just means the experience of something). The lyrics below is a about how rappers were being taken advantage of record producers and being deceived and made to believe that they were bigger than they were. The bold refers to the parts of the definition above. Fables is not so clear in this rap, without knowing the history of the group. Fables here are the incorrect stories of history that are told to others for the purpose of maintaining control over another group. History is anything in the past, that a story is built upon.
"
A grin shows a trick up a sleeve
What a tangled web they weave
Deceivers, stupefied through fable
Say Let's Make a Deal at the dinner table
Put you on tour, put your record on wax ("Trust me!")
Sign your life on the X
You eXit, X-off, but what you really get:
A box of Newports, and Puma sweats"

While the lyrics above only refer to the record producers, it was also a indirect way of calling some other groups out, who do the same thing. For example, Newports (a type of cigarette) is also the cigarette that is marketed to black people. But that's a totally different rabbit hole to get in.

So to sum it "Gas your head up" "getting gassed" or "Gaslighting" is an expression to mean that someone seeking to gain power and control over you or another person, by distorting reality and forcing your or them to question their own judgment and intuition.

The oldest phrase I can think of is "Don't believe your lying eyes" which is said when someone tries to deceive you, even though you see the truth with your own eyes. So people say "Don't believe your lying eyes." when someone is trying to deceive you.

 

[JowGaWolf]

I’m having no luck finding a clip from the South Park episode where Chef explains to Mr. Garrison that black people have to keep coming up with new slang terms because white people keep appropriating the old ones. Meanwhile, Mr. Garrison starts using the new terms as fast as Chef mentions them while Chef protests “stop doing that!”

Dang it South Park. That's supposed to be a secret ha ha ha. South park is probably a good reference to everything American lol.

 

[JowGaWolf]

I’m having no luck finding a clip from the South Park episode where Chef explains to Mr. Garrison that black people have to keep coming up with new slang terms because white people keep appropriating the old ones. Meanwhile, Mr. Garrison starts using the new terms as fast as Chef mentions them while Chef protests “stop doing that!”

There's a clip where Chef says Flipity Flopity Floop . .is that the one?

 

[Tony Dismukes]

There's a clip where Chef says Flipity Flopity Floop . .is that the one?

I believe that's the one.

 

[Steve]

I have a Gen-Z interpreter in my house. I rely on them to explain things to me often. If anyone has specific terms that are confusing you, let me know.

 

[Xue Sheng]

I don't mind feeling my age, and I don't feel stupid either, I resort to saying "Speak English" if that fails.... I throw in some Mandarin slang .... and happily walk away

 

[JowGaWolf]

I don't mind feeling my age, and I don't feel stupid either, I resort to saying "Speak English" if that fails.... I throw in some Mandarin slang .... and happily walk away

ha ha ha.. now you sound like my grandparents lol.... You totally skipped "sounding like my parents" to "sounding like my grandparents" lol. I would like to know some Mandarin Slang lol. But I'm sure you'll enjoy what's to come

Slang is probably the best expressions of who we are and sometimes we just don't make sense lol. But seriously, when proper language can't capture the expression of something. We can always count on slang lol. I still laugh about this scene today. People create connections through slang in a way that "proper language" can't.

 

[mograph]

Gaslighting - Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation in which the abuser attempts to sow self-doubt and confusion in their victim's mind. Typically, gaslighters are seeking to gain power and control over the other person, by distorting reality and forcing them to question their own judgment and intuition.
- Source: How to Tell If Someone Is Gaslighting You

I can't speak for the connection to the term "gassing," but apparently the term "gaslighting" comes from the play and film Gaslight. I don't think the two are connected. I also don't see how the first usage of the term "gaslighting" would have meant anything, unless the film were popular. (shrug)

Gaslighting - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[JowGaWolf]

I can't speak for the connection to the term "gassing," but apparently the term "gaslighting" comes from the play and film Gaslight. I don't think the two are connected. I also don't see how the first usage of the term "gaslighting" would have meant anything, unless the film were popular. (shrug)

Gaslighting - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

It's not out of the possibility that the term "gassing" came from the play. That play or the film, not all slang is born out of thin air, sometimes it's related to something else. I don't know how accurate this is but according to Collins Online Dictionary | Definitions, Thesaurus and Translations the word as least has been around for a long time. The majority of the slang out there doesn't make it into the dictionary unless it's gets traction by the masses.

Sometimes movies and plays are named after slang. It's possible that it was a slang from the UK, this is what I found when I looked up the playwrights name: Patrick Hamilton "English playwright and novelist, notable for his capture of atmosphere and the Cockney dialect traditionally associated with the East End of London: Other times movies and plays create the slang.

 

[JowGaWolf]

 

[mograph]

The evolution and origin of slang is fascinating, isn't it?

 

[Holmejr]

The term “woke”
The term woke by dictionary definition is an awareness or sudden awareness of pertinent issues. But the slang definition and the definition that is widely used today is to describe a person, group or way of thinking that is overly sensitive to all issues. From safe rooms on college campuses, corporate CRT, defund police departments, teaching 8 year olds they can choose genders, trans women in real women sports to Greta the climate change mascot.

 

[Flying Crane]

The term “woke”
The term woke by dictionary definition is an awareness or sudden awareness of pertinent issues. But the slang definition and the definition that is widely used today is to describe a person, group or way of thinking that is overly sensitive to all issues. From safe rooms on college campuses, corporate CRT, defund police departments, teaching 8 year olds they can choose genders, trans women in real women sports to Greta the climate change mascot.

This is getting dangerously close to politics but I will simply say that what you are describing is a very recent phenomenon instigated by those of a certain political persuasion to turn the actual meaning of this term on its head. It is a deliberate theft and co-opt of the term to give it a different meaning, in an attempt to vilify those who originally used it.

Perhaps you need to become a bit more woke, so these people don’t pull the wool over your eyes.

 

[geezer]

This is getting dangerously close to politics....

Politics??? I don't get that. Everybody sees politics where I just see ...normal stuff. Like when my neighbor, who knows I'm a teacher asked if my students were woke. I said sure they are. I don't allow them to sleep in class.

Then he asked me about CRT in the classroom. I had to tell him that my CRT was replaced with a screen and projector years ago.

Then he went off about BLM this and BLM that. I told him he should talk to my cousin who recently retired from the BLM. He just looked at e funny and walked away.

I always try to be polite to my neighbors.

 

[JowGaWolf]

The term “woke”
The term woke by dictionary definition is an awareness or sudden awareness of pertinent issues. But the slang definition and the definition that is widely used today is to describe a person, group or way of thinking that is overly sensitive to all issues. From safe rooms on college campuses, corporate CRT, defund police departments, teaching 8 year olds they can choose genders, trans women in real women sports to Greta the climate change mascot.

You are correct about this but all of what you described is a forced meaning from a political perspective to gaslight people about the real meaning of the term. The easiest way to determine if this is what is happening is to take a phase that uses the slang and replace it with the new definition.

Slang: "Stay Woke" = Stay aware, Stay awake, Stay vigilant.
Political definition: "Stay Woke" = Stay Overly Sensitive to all issues

Which of these definitions makes the most sense? Why would someone tell another person to be overly sensitive? Normally when people are overly sensitive to something, people will respond by saying things like "Man up", "Put your big boy pants on" for women "Put your big girl panties on"

Here you have two different slang terms that contradict each other. This causes confusion and problems. If this doesn't make sense to you then think of the Slang "The N-word" is it good or is it bad? Why can one group say it and another group can't. Why can one person say it without getting punched then when another person says it, they get beaten up? See the confusion?

To prove that it's the same thing that is happening with "Woke" there was a huge push earlier on in the Gangsta Rap beginnings to take awake the power of the "N-word." the goal was to intentionally make it a word that has lost it's meaning and therefore take away it's power when it's used to insult black people or degrade black people. Think about it. How many rap songs have it? How many white people can do the same? Now we see the conflict and confusion that can occur when a word is defined for the purpose of gaining power.

This is type of confusion is what happens when people use the same slang to contradict itself. Ironically I would have thought that the conspiracy groups would have used the term "Stay woke" but unfortunately there is a group trying to redefine it with the goal to gain power of the word, hence power over those who try to use it.

Normally I wouldn't share this type of insight about the black community but things have gotten really crazy and from my perspective there's a lot of people "getting played." (slang for being taken advantage of). If I was only talking to another black person then my I would end with the the phrase "Stay Woke." which means I'm reminding that person to "not let people take advantage of him or her and to keep an eye open for the tricks that are played to manipulate you."

In the black community the term "Woke" is usually used in serious conversations when someone really cares about your well being. It doesn't matter if they are misguided or "asleep" themselves. The one thing that you know is correct is that they care for you. It's not a term that is often used unless the conversation turn into one where there's a discussion about someone being taken advantage of.

The frequent way that it's use in the media is the incorrect way that it is use. In the black community I usually hear it once or twice a year and it's always around serious conversations. Black conspiracy groups use it often because that's their whole "element" "Watch out for the man" type stuff. Sometimes they are right but a lot of times they are incorrect or to broad with their accusations. I don't socialize with those groups because they tend to be negative about a lot of things and that negativity is draining.

 

[JowGaWolf]

This is getting dangerously close to politics but I will simply say that what you are describing is a very recent phenomenon instigated by those of a certain political persuasion to turn the actual meaning of this term on its head. It is a deliberate theft and co-opt of the term to give it a different meaning, in an attempt to vilify those who originally used it.

Perhaps you need to become a bit more woke, so these people don’t pull the wool over your eyes.

This is 100% correct. It's a recent definition used to gain power over the word. I should have read this before I made that long post lol. But Flying Crane is correct about this. The same way that Martial Arts speak about not letting our emotions control the fight, is the same caution that we have to have when someone attaches emotions to define a word. Especially if there is some kind of power over a group of people.

For me, I personally don't get angry when I hear people use the term "woke" incorrectly in the media. I usually have 2 emotional responses.

The first is the disappointment because I see the intentional manipulation, but it doesn't stop there. I also see how some black conspiracy thinkers are going use that same political definition to push there cause and they will say "See I told you that's how white people really are." Both are sad narratives that can be used to "blind" other people and guide them in a negative way.

The other emotion that I get is borderline arrogance as I tend to look down on the intelligence of people who are being mislead. The best way I can describe it in short is "You (general) are crazy" in the literal sense of not being sane. Then I fight with that feeling until it addresses the truth. That people aren't crazy (insane) they are being mislead because no one is sharing the truth about that word. So here I'm am, sharing the truth about "Woke" so that others can catch when someone is trying to mislead them. I tried to stay neutral about this for so long but it's gotten to the point where I really can't stand the deception anymore.

I think a lot of people on here are good people and are open minded enough to get into discussions like that without "blowing up" (getting uncontrollably angry). I guess in the way, I don't want to see people in this forum to be taken advantage of, and I want people in this group to have a better idea of the black American community and what we are really like. Things you may not hear in regular conversations about black people. Also Slang is complicated at times.

 

[JowGaWolf]

I'm a teacher asked if my students were woke. I said sure they are. I don't allow them to sleep in class.

This is so funny to me because I would say the same thing in slang.
"Woke" meaning they are getting the education they need so that others can't take advantage of them. Education refers to math - so people can't them off financially, history - so that they can see and understand what really happened. Language - so that they can communicate with others and understand what others are saying to them. Literature - so they can read the thoughts of great writers and discuss some of the elements of the story and talk about how it relates to the period of time (history) that the author was a part of and identify if those same elements exists.

"don't allow them to sleep" - this would mean that I don't allow my students to be "ignorant of things." Like when people sleep they are ignorant of what is happening while they are sleeping. (like people who draw on other people's face when they are sleeping)

At the same time your sentence would mean exactly what you say. Once sentence for the purpose of communicating 2 different truths lol. Black folks are complicated huh. lol.

 

[JowGaWolf]

Then he asked me about CRT in the classroom. I had to tell him that my CRT was replaced with a screen and projector years ago.

Nice.. Response. I never heard about CRT until it hit the news. I was and I'm still an active parent in my sons education so when then started talking about CRT. I thought it was a new test lol.