Tech official resigns over slur, school says (referred to NO evacuees in Greenville as "yard apes")

Greenville News ^ | 9-15-2005 | Ben Szobody

[VRWCmember]

Yard apes may be silly, but it has nothing to do with blacks, and simply a fondly insulting term for kids (of any color).

Sorry, but you are incorrect. In Louisiana yard apes is most definitely a reference to people of color.

[Texas_Jarhead]

I've heard the term yard-apes used as well but it didn't have anything to do with skin color.

[ARealMothersSonForever]

Thank goodness the moniker of "curtain climber" did not come up.

[Irish Queen]

Beverly Cleary wrote a wonderful series of books based on her characters of Henry Huggins, Beezuz and Ramona Quimby, and Howie. And several times in those books the words, "yard apes" was used.

My husband uses the words. "Yardbirds to describe children playing in the schoolyard."

[petitfour]

I grew up in MS, and I have heard the term "porch monkeys." Until now, I don't recall ever hearing the term "yard apes."

[Cagey]

Neither have I.

[dead]

I call my 19-month old daughter "The Baby Orangutan" and she's as whiter than Michael Jackson covered in snow.

But she doesn't know what an orangutan is anyway. You don't want to use such terms about people who can hear and comprehend you.

How about just informing the knucklehead that the term is considered offensive to some and he should not use it? If he complies, he keeps his job. If he continues using it, he's an unemployed jackass.

[Zuben Elgenubi]

What no tenure? She should teach at University of Colorado because Ward Churchhill has spoken along similar lines and he's still on the job.

[MEG33]

I googled and looked it up..It is insulting to kids but does not specify color..

http://www.tumalo.com/unruly.htm

unruly, ill-mannered, yard apes
a childfree by choice site

all white kids pictured..

[SouthernFreebird]

I'm white and have called kids yard apes and also had my own called that. It's not a racial thing.

[VRWCmember]

Our very white, blue-eyed baby is referred to as a little ape-child every day.

That's very cute, and I call my very white boys "Monkey-boy" all the time. That does not change the fact that "yard ape" is very much a racially charged term in Louisiana - and recognizably so. This administrator might as well have said "busses will pick up the little n***ers" because that is exactly what the term "yard ape" means.

[nuconvert]

I've never heard the term. But why wouldn't she call them children and why would she say it twice?

[ScreamingFist]

The derogatory term is based on long-held stereotypes comparing blacks to monkeys and is considered "highly offensive" to blacks, said Dr. John Simpkins, associate director of the Riley Institute at Furman University. Simpkins also is an assistant professor at the Charleston School of Law and an author on race and culture in the South.

Well, at least she didn't say niggardly......

[Kiss Me Hardy]

no, the word that got the DC joker in trouble wqas "niggardly".

[hispanarepublicana]

The "denigrate" thing reminds me of the feminists who insist on using the term "herstory" rather than "history". The word "history" is derived not from the word "his" as in the male possessive, but from Latin, and although I'm not sure what the exact Latin word is, I can tell you that it's probably pretty close to the word "historia" (silent h), which in Spanish, means "story". So, when the feminists use the word "herstory", they're denigrating the Latin languages such as Spanish.

[Frank_2001]

Good question! Consevative blacks are often seen as race traitors, they're fair game for any derogatory comment and lefties will not sound a peep in protest. The double standard is sickening!

[ScreamingFist]

16 seconds apart LOL.

[kAcknor]

Oh, for pete's sake. That's ridiculous.

Sure is...

The three stages of 'child':

1. Rug Rats
2. Drape Hangers
3. Yard Apes

After that they become teenagers, and while we all have many names for them, most can't be printed here at FR. ;)

[L98Fiero]

"This administrator might as well have said "busses will pick up the little n***ers" because that is exactly what the term "yard ape" means."

I'm glad this thread came up because I had no idea. It would be very embarrasing to start slinging racial slurs and not even know it.