THIS IS WHY I HATE DOING THINGS WITH MY EXTENDED FAMILY

[brigdh]

Relative: So, what kind of people were you studying in Oman?
Me: What do you mean?
Relative: You know, what kind of people?
Me: Ancient people? I don't know what you mean, 'kind of people'.
Relative: Well, how do you classify them?
Me: Farmers?
Relative: No, like, were they Egyptians, or…
Me: Omanis?
Relative: Okay, they were Omanis.
Me: Well, no, not really, given that the country of Oman did not exist in 2000 bc.
Relative: So what do you call them?
Me: Just local people? I don't think archaeologists talk about people in the way you're asking.
Relative: Yes, they do. I have these Indian artifacts, and they can be Paleoindian, Archiac-
Me: Those are time periods, not kinds of people.
Relative: But later, you have Cherokee, or other groups. What were their groups?
Me: Oh, yes. They almost certainly organized themselves into tribe-like groups, but we don't have any writing, so we don't know what they called themselves.
Relative: But what kind of people were they?
Me: We don't really look at race in this time period, it doesn't work that way.
Relative: But what I'm saying is, I have these Indian artifacts, so they must have lived in America, and are therefore Americans, and not... you know... Africans.
Me: But what does that mean?
Relative: Well, it means a lot to me. *chuckles*

AND THEN IT IS TIME TO WALK AWAY AND TALK TO SOMEONE ELSE.

I'm not sure why I feel the need to post about this, except that it makes me feel better to rage.

Comments

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, yeah, I see what you mean. I think it didn't occur to me because I've always used the word 'skanky' differently from that of 'a skank'; while the second to me is about female sexuality, the former just means dirty, smelly, nasty, most often applied to inanimate objects or ideas, and not so much to people's behavior. But maybe that's just a personal quirk of mine rather than a real distinction between the words, because clearly they are related. So, thanks for pointing that out.

[lady-ganesh.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I use skanky the same non-sexualized way-- I think it blends with skeeve in my brain, and someone pointed it out the other day and I was like '...oh!'

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Oh, I like skeevy much better. Thank you for reminding me of that word!