> This list is filled with people whom I may occasionally disagree with
> over some issues but whose opinions I generally value as they are
> about as progressive as one can be and still be grounded so I'd like
> to pose a question before I do something hateful and rash. Does the
> phrase "You speak with forked tongue" when directed at someone of
> known Native American ancestry seem like a very inappropriate racially
> offensive phrase? Since Kelley and I disagreed one time over the use
> of the term redneck I'd be especially interested in your opinion but
> I'd like several people to comment if they don't mind. Thanks.
I would say that it depends to a great extent on how the person addressed in this way feels. But I do think that there are plenty f other ways to express the same meaning without risking being racially offensive, so I think there is a high probability that the person who used that expression was probably intending to offend (or simply used the phrase without thinking).
Jon Johanning // jjohanning at igc.org _____________________________ "Simply by being human we do not have a common bond. For all we share with all other humans is the same thing we share with all other animals -- the ability to feel pain." -- Richard Rorty