De-Coding Code Words in Portland: Laid Back??? (Hillsboro: sales, how much)

[philwithbeard]

I am still easing my way into Portland's life-style and enjoying everything. Well almost everything. I keep running up against local slang code-words that I seem to be mis-understanding. Right now the term 'Laid Back' seems to be a puzzle for me. As in "I am a laid-back person who...."

In the Mid-West, where I moved from, 'Laid-Back' was a term used to describe someone who is non-confrontational, non-argumentative, and not challenging an authority figure (ie boss, supervisor); but only at the specific moment of uttering the comment. It was presumed to be a temporary attitude and plus being a take on what was going on around them.

But in Portland, I seem to get the understanding this may have more of a term to describe a long term personality trait of being out-of-the-loop (does not engage) in Type-A personality elbow bumping, or should I use the term 'leader-of-the-Pack' dominance gamesmanship, or is the term 'one-upmanship office dog fights' (aka: ODF) also used here on the West Coast?

What are your usages or understanding of the term 'Laid Back'?

Please, if you know of others, add your own local code words, or slang, or whatever, used in Portland to this thread. Well, except the term '420 friendly' which anyone can Google to find out what that term means.

Phil

[subsound]

The term is not well defined anymore honestly, it can mean a wide range of attitudes or world views. Though generally those who express their anger, frustration, or domineering attitude would be pretty hard pressed to convince anyone they are laid back.

[pdxMIKEpdx]

I'd explain, but I'm too laid-back to make the effort.

[Leisesturm]

I've lived on the east coast, the midwest and now the west coast. More or less at the 40th parallel in all of the above. In none of these locales did I ever find any regional variation in the meaning of the term "laid-back". I also don't agree that there is any 'code' that needs deciphering. There are regionalisms, for sure, in everyones speech but we are all so mobile, and thanks to the Internet and TV our local flavors so well distributed throught cyberspace, that an English speaker from Boston can get along with an English speaker from Portland with very little trouble. Maybe its me but I simply don't find that anyone has any trouble understanding anything I say or vice versa no matter how much or how little 'slang' is used in the exchanges.

H

[Tesaje]

I could be way off base, but I always associated the west coast "laid back" as being fairly equivalent to being a toker.

But maybe its associations have changed over the past 35 years??

[John Shaft]

Originally Posted by philwithbeard

Leisesturm:

Dude, I am not diss-ing you, just a comment: Your have your location as Hillsboro, which as pointed out so many times is just a 'burb. Just a cookie cutter standard suburban community. And I would agree that any standard suburban community in America is similar to any other. Diversity is so limited out in Hillsboro.

I wonder if a poster from closer in to the Willamette river would agree with you? Or someone from NE Portland or Hawthorne district? Social-Economic diversity, and with it slang terms and code words differ. I was asking about Portland, not LO, Clackmas, West linn, Toutdale, or other 'burbs which are not in Portland city.

Again I am not diss-ing you.

Phil

That's why I always carry my handy Portlandish-Burbish dictionary whenever I cross into Multnomah County.

[pdxMIKEpdx]

I think the term "Laid Back" refers to a very casual, accepting, stress free, tolerant lifestyle, where very little bothers you, as opposed to a type A go-go-go corporate or sales lifestyle.

Think "Granola Muncher" (Laid Back) versus "VP of Sales" (Not Laid Back).

[malachai23]

Originally Posted by pdxMIKEpdx

I think the term "Laid Back" refers to a very casual, accepting, stress free, tolerant lifestyle, where very little bothers you, as opposed to a type A go-go-go corporate or sales lifestyle.

Think "Granola Muncher" (Laid Back) versus "VP of Sales" (Not Laid Back).

What Mike said. And I have *personally* never heard "laid back" as meaning anything but that (although many laid back people tend to be 420 friendly). And I do not live in a suburb. LOL!!!!!!!!!!!

[sayulita]

Originally Posted by pdxMIKEpdx

I think the term "Laid Back" refers to a very casual, accepting, stress free, tolerant lifestyle, where very little bothers you, as opposed to a type A go-go-go corporate or sales lifestyle.

Think "Granola Muncher" (Laid Back) versus "VP of Sales" (Not Laid Back).

Ditto. That's my take on the phrase. Always has been. Have never heard it connected to 420 friendly.

[Steve97415]

What is often important about such slang is the connotative value of the term, e.g., "likes to party" as opposed to "engages in substance abuse".

"Laid back" is an attempt to put a positive spin on a disposition of informality, low inertia and a lack of desire to conform to a set of expectations. Whether or not that is actually a positive attribute in any given environment depends on the view of the person making the assessment.