What is your definition of a yinzer? (Pittsburgh: casino, racist)

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by Aqua Teen Carl

I personally don't think so, but that's my opinion. We throw call each other Yinzers in the office openly all the time and people actually take pride in it. I've lived here all my life and not once have I seen someone insulted for being a Yinzer. That's the local identity and people embrace it. ::shrug::

We would get our mouths washed out with soap for saying "yunz" (as it was pronounced in Beaver County).

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Originally Posted by Katiana

We would get our mouths washed out with soap for saying "yunz" (as it was pronounced in Beaver County).

That comment reminded me of this:


07: "Greg and Donny Have An Accent" - YouTube

[raubre]

Originally Posted by Katiana

You still don't get it. Both terms are insulting (rube and yinzer).

There is a store in the Strip called "Yinzers." I can see some people being offended by the word because it is meant to be derogatory, but why would you call a store that if it is offensive by a large ammount of people?

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by raubre

There is a store in the Strip called "Yinzers." I can see some people being offended by the word because it is meant to be derogatory, but why would you call a store that if it is offensive by a large ammount of people?

I'm sure they get enough business from people who think it's funny, also from people who want to make fun of yinzers.

[BettyTheHun]

Originally Posted by raubre

There is a store in the Strip called "Yinzers." I can see some people being offended by the word because it is meant to be derogatory, but why would you call a store that if it is offensive by a large ammount of people?

SteelCityRising is a manager at "Yinzers"

[BrianTH]

"Rube" and "Yinzer" seem like different sorts of words to me. At least where I grew up (Michigan), people from rural areas were not generally called rubes. "Rube" was rather a term for unsophisticated and gullible people, and in fact you could be a rube without coming from a rural part of the state.

In contrast, obviously there are some people here who view "Yinzer" as necessarily having negative connotations, but I don't think everyone uses the term like that. To me "Yinzer" is more like the term "Yankee"--some people view that as a negative term, other people just use it in a more or less neutral way.

[Burghson86]

After reading this thread I can safely say that I would much rather be part of the "yinzer" crowd than whatever group most of you would fit in. Honestly, could you people be more pretentious? And I just have to laugh at anyone calling themselves progressive in one sentence, and then generalizing and stereotyping in the next.

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Originally Posted by Burghson86

And I just have to laugh at anyone calling themselves progressive in one sentence, and then generalizing and stereotyping in the next.

We are only human.

[raubre]

Originally Posted by Burghson86

After reading this thread I can safely say that I would much rather be part of the "yinzer" crowd than whatever group most of you would fit in.

If you would much rather be a "yinzer" what do you consider a yinzer?

Originally Posted by Burghson86

Honestly, could you people be more pretentious? And I just have to laugh at anyone calling themselves progressive in one sentence, and then generalizing and stereotyping in the next.

My defenition of a yinzer is someone from Pittsburgh who is stuck in the past, doesn't like change and is not progressive. Are you saying yinzers are more progessive?

Honestly though, no matter what people say or if they deny it, we all stereotype others no matter what. Yinzers do it too.

[UKyank]

I have to think that the phrase 'progressive' and the phrase 'yinzer' when used to define someone are about equal in regards to their negative & positive connotations, just in different ways.