Rhyme at center of lawsuit against Southwest Airlines

The Kansas City Star ^ | Monday, February 10, 2003 | ROBERT A. CRONKLETON

[The Old Hoosier]

I've heard this rhyme many times, and I never knew it had the n-word in it. Sounds like a jackpot lawsuit to me.

[Bikers4Bush]

Neither did I.

[r9etb]

Sigh. They ought to fine the people who file stupid lawsuits like this.

[Poohbah]

If I were the flight attendant, I would countersue on the following grounds:

• Intentional inflicting of financial harm;
• Inflicting emotional distress (by telling me the origin of the rhyme);
• And I'd sue their attorney for being an a$$hole :o)

[trebb]

Of course, if this is allowed to go through, there's no telling how many innocent phrases can be made to look racist, sexist, etc., "if you only changed a few words".

Looks like the lawyers and self-appointed-victims have found a new potential cash cow and are going to run with it if the courts don't wise up.

One way to "wise them up" is to express your outrage vociferously...

[axel f]

I have never ever heard the offensive version of this rhyme. This country just gets more and more looney by the day.

[Paul Atreides]

It seems that minorities can claim any sort of slight or hurt and they are automatically given a windfall. How long will it be until someone has to tear down his house because it reminds someone of a plantation?

[Guillermo]

There is a class of people in this country who do nothing but look for ways to be offended.

This frivolous lawsuit should be thrown out of court and the plaintiff should be made to pay all the costs incurred by the defense.

[Lee Heggy]

"Robert Hendrickson dates the rhyme to the mid-19th century and says that the original version was "insensitive at best."

I'd say that's calling a spade a spade.

[EggsAckley]

I've heard it all my life WITH the "n......" in it. I'm sort of torn on this one. I guess I would say that, if nothing else, the flight attendant used questionable taste and timing.

[Billy_bob_bob]

Another proof of the truism that those who are perpetually aggrieved will ALWAYS find SOMETHING to be outraged about.

Another truth is that the perpetually aggrieved will eventually run out of people willing to listen to yet another of their endless complaints.

[RonF]

I used the rhyme numerous times when I was a kid, in the original form. I had no idea what the term meant, however, until I was 12 or so, and by that time I was a little old for "eenie-meenie-minie-moe". I was born and raised in a town about 20 miles southwest of Boston that had exactly 1 black family in it, and they didn't move in until I was in high school, I think.

I did use the word once in referring to a black person. Mom heard it. In short order I was bent over the stairs and Mom was whacking me on the butt with her sewing yardstick (4' long, heavy wood), which eventually broke, making her even madder. Then I got it explained to me what the word was all about.

[trebb]

I've heard this rhyme many times, and I never knew it had the n-word in it. Sounds like a jackpot lawsuit to me.

Old phrase from at least the 40s and 50s, possibly even earlier. Used as a child's game for selecting things like teams for sports in the unenlightened period when racism was condoned.

Went something like this:

Eeny meeny miney moe
Catch a N---- by his toe
If he hollers
Let him go
Out goes y...o...u

[Trust but Verify]

I grew up with some kids from a family whose father was the neighborhood racist. The kids used the n word in the rhyme. It was appalling then and it is now. I'm pretty sure a 22 year-old flight attendant had no idea there was a racist version of eenie, meenie.....

[Free State Four]

Because she did not have health insurance, she did not seek medical attention, she said.

Yeah. I'm supposed to start feeling sorry for her because she didn't have the money to buy health insurance. But she did have the money to fly out to Vegas and drop money down a one-armed bandit all weekend. Go sell your victimology crap somewhere else, Buttercup.

[ofMagog]

One of my daughters had a friend who dated a lawyer once. Shamed the entire family and ours, too.

[ken5050]

There was an article in the WSJ a few weeks ago about how the SWA flight attendants are starting to use humor again...it's a good read...do a search..

[MrB]

I'd say the stewardess has a case for being liabled. She was directly called a "racist".

And worse, she was called a racist in order for the name caller to gain monetarily.

I saw the "jackpot" handle when the woman did not seek medical treatment, therefor there was no evidence of her "grand mal siezure".