# I'm shocked, but not offended... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 17, 2003, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-shocked-but-not-offended/155673 "2003-02-17T18:14:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2003, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-shocked-but-not-offended/155673/1 "2003-02-17T18:14:55Z")
The little jewish smiley icon is called “happyyid.gif” Yid? Yikes! hrh ---
**Author:** ![Daoloth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/82dd89/32.png) [@Daoloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daoloth)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2003, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-shocked-but-not-offended/155673/2 "2003-02-17T18:26:43Z")
Bizarre. My dictionary states it as “usually offensive.” Strange it would be labelled that… ---
**Author:** ![Yumanite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b487fb/32.png) [@Yumanite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yumanite)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2003, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-shocked-but-not-offended/155673/3 "2003-02-17T18:40:36Z")
I thought “yid” was Yiddish for Jew – I don’t see why that would be offensive. Terms like “yiddisha kup” and “yiddisha mazel” come to mind. Is this (Yid = offensive) a new development, or am I just out of the jewish-relations loop here in goyisha Arizona? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Daoloth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/82dd89/32.png) [@Daoloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daoloth)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2003, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-shocked-but-not-offended/155673/4 "2003-02-17T18:45:44Z")
From the AOL dictionary: Main Entry: Yid Pronunciation: 'yid Function: noun Etymology: Yiddish, from Middle High German Jüde, from Old High German Judeo, from Latin Judaeus —more at JEW Date: circa 1874 usually offensive ---
**Author:** ![Yumanite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b487fb/32.png) [@Yumanite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yumanite)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2003, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-shocked-but-not-offended/155673/5 "2003-02-17T18:51:57Z")
Yeah, I believe you, I’m just surprised. Why would a yiddish word for a jew be ‘usually offensive’? ---
**Author:** ![Daoloth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/82dd89/32.png) [@Daoloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daoloth)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2003, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-shocked-but-not-offended/155673/6 "2003-02-17T19:04:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Yumanite \* > \*\*Yeah, I believe you, I’m just surprised. Why would a yiddish word for a jew be ‘usually offensive’? \*\* I’m unsure, but I do know that white supremacists use it quite frequently. ---
**Author:** ![Yumanite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b487fb/32.png) [@Yumanite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yumanite)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2003, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-shocked-but-not-offended/155673/7 "2003-02-17T20:03:43Z")
I guess I know more Yiddish-speakers than white supremacists, then. I’ve always heard it used in a neutral way. Anyway, I would have been neither surprised nor offended by the smiley name, so I’m going to assume the creator of it was just as clueless as me of the potentially offensive implications. I like the lil’ guy too much to think his creator had any bad motives. ;j ;j ---
**Author:** ![japatlgt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df705f/32.png) [@japatlgt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/japatlgt)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2003, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-shocked-but-not-offended/155673/8 "2003-02-17T23:09:00Z")
Oh heck, I thought that was the “homeless smiley.” ;j ---
**Author:** ![Yumanite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b487fb/32.png) [@Yumanite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yumanite)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2003, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-shocked-but-not-offended/155673/9 "2003-02-17T23:49:41Z")
So, **hrhomer** , why are you shocked but not offended? It sounds like you were familiar with **Daoloth** ’s provided connotation, nu? can’t…stop…using…Yiddish…terms… ---
**Author:** ![Iteki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/eada6e/32.png) [@Iteki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iteki)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-shocked-but-not-offended/155673/10 "2003-02-18T10:41:19Z")
I am going to guess abreviation to fit the 8.3 file naming system. 8 letters in the filename, and 3 in the file ending is an (old) standard. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-shocked-but-not-offended/155673/11 "2003-02-18T14:28:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Yumanite \* > \*\*So, **hrhomer** , why are you shocked but not offended? It sounds like you were familiar with **Daoloth** ’s provided connotation, nu? > \*\* I’m not offended because, although I’ve heard the word used in a negative connotation, I’ve heard it used neutrally by Jews as well. I’m shocked because I find The SDMB to usually be free of this type of terminology, not counting racist posters. Perhaps “surprised” is more appropriate than “shocked.” hrh ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-shocked-but-not-offended/155673/12 "2003-02-18T14:33:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Iteki \* > \*\*I am going to guess abreviation to fit the 8.3 file naming system. > 8 letters in the filename, and 3 in the file ending is an (old) standard. \*\* Then why couldn’t they just call it “yiddish.gif”? If there was an asian one, and they called it smilejap.gif, would that be offensive? How about smilewop? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-shocked-but-not-offended/155673/13 "2003-02-18T14:59:44Z")
What Iteki said. Plus for those straining mightly to find some shred of anti-semitism in this, the last time I hear the word “yid” used in any form or fashion was as a Radio Shack trainee over 23 years ago listening to a Jewish, 70 year old Radio Shack store manager happy that Tandy Corporate had promoted Bernie Appel, a high level buyer, and it sounded old and musty _then_. He said “It’s good to see a hard working yid get ahead!” ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-shocked-but-not-offended/155673/14 "2003-02-18T16:59:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by astro \* > \*\*What Iteki said. Plus for those straining mightly to find some shred of anti-semitism in this, the last time I hear the word “yid” used in any form or fashion was as a Radio Shack trainee over 23 years ago listening to a Jewish, 70 year old Radio Shack store manager happy that Tandy Corporate had promoted Bernie Appel, a high level buyer, and it sounded old and musty _then_. He said “It’s good to see a hard working yid get ahead!” \*\* I am not straining mightily to find anti-semitism in this. It could conceivably be found, with little straining, although I belive without a doubt that the file was named innocently. “Yid” IS a term that DOES HAVE negative connotations. I hate to sound PC, because I’m not an enemy of freedom, I’m just stating a fact, and expressing my surprise that the term was used by the coders at SDMB. hrh ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-shocked-but-not-offended/155673/15 "2003-02-18T18:47:31Z")
;j ;j I think it’s the coolest smiley, but I don’t actually see an instance where you would use it.