Just found out the origin of "grandfathered in".

The term originated in late nineteenth-century legislation and constitutional amendments passed by a number of U.S. Southern states, which created new requirements for literacy tests, payment of poll taxes, and/or residency and property restrictions to register to vote. States in some cases exempted those whose ancestors (grandfathers) had the right to vote before the American Civil War, or as of a particular date, from such requirements. The intent and effect of such rules was to prevent African-American former slaves and their descendants from voting, but without denying poor and illiterate whites the right to vote. Although these original grandfather clauses were eventually ruled unconstitutional, the terms grandfather clause and grandfather have been adapted to other uses.

What else has a problematic history you didn't realize until later?

  • neebay [any,undecided]
    ·
    4 years ago

    I'm shocked at how common the term "gypped" still is, and most people using it seem to not even know it has anything to do with Romani (I didn't back when I still used the term).

    I've been trying to get "anglo'd" to catch on as a replacement.

    • wtypstanaccount04 [he/him]
      ·
      4 years ago

      I didn't even realize that was a slur until about a year ago when someone pointed it out. The connection had never clicked in my mind.

    • rozako [she/her]
      ·
      4 years ago

      Yeah, I don't care about the word Gypsy being used (as someone who is Roma) but 'gypped' does make me genuinely upset

      • ConkZonk [any]
        ·
        4 years ago

        I hear that so often from otherwise genuinely progressive people, and it makes me physically cringe every time. Especially in America, people seem both unable and unwilling to understand why that term is problematic

    • Wmill [he/him,use name]
      ·
      4 years ago

      I was gonna type it but too drunk to figure out how to do that. Gonna see about using anglo'd though. That's brilliant tbh.