Talk:cheesehead
Latest comment: 6 months ago by Equinox in topic Etymology head or -head
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Rfv-sense: "(slang) Used in the European Union to describe a person from The Netherlands." --Robbie SWE (talk) 13:28, 14 January 2021 (UTC)
- Seems redundant, since sense 3 already says "A German, Dutch, or Scandinavian person". Equinox ◑ 17:26, 14 January 2021 (UTC)
- Speaking of that third sense, I don't know how derogatory it really is. Dutch people speaking English use it quite often to describe themselves, and we use the equivalent term kaaskop without much in the way of negative connotations. (I think Dutch people tend to see it as a geuzennaam.) — Mnemosientje (t · c) 18:15, 14 January 2021 (UTC)
- I get the impression that the term kaaskop is specifically aimed at Dutch persons, as seen here and here, where Germans or Belgians are applying the terms to a Dutchman. Unless they are speaking English – unlikely in the typical situation – the scolders wouldn't use the term cheesehead, though. It seems to me that we need to verify that the English term is commonly applied as an ethnic slur for Europeans at all, whether German, Dutch, or Scandinavian. --Lambiam 16:40, 15 January 2021 (UTC)
- Speaking of that third sense, I don't know how derogatory it really is. Dutch people speaking English use it quite often to describe themselves, and we use the equivalent term kaaskop without much in the way of negative connotations. (I think Dutch people tend to see it as a geuzennaam.) — Mnemosientje (t · c) 18:15, 14 January 2021 (UTC)
- And what about the French, I wonder, also famous for cheese production? Equinox ◑ 16:51, 15 January 2021 (UTC)
- Part of that type of self-referential use is that it can become seen as offensive or at least overstepping when it is used by outsiders (a contextually defined group). So while the labels "derogatory" and "ethnic slur" are wrong, there has to be some kind of notice. I also think the definition "person from The Netherlands" is much too broad, it mainly is used for white/white-passing people of Dutch descent. Here are some attestations, including use for East-Indies Dutch people and Dutch Americans: [1] [2] [3] [4] Many of these uses do not seem to be written by native speakers of English.
←₰-→Lingo Bingo Dingo (talk) 18:37, 16 January 2021 (UTC)
RFV-passed Kiwima (talk) 21:45, 12 February 2021 (UTC)
Both could be argued, given the variety of senses. So maybe split it. Equinox ◑ 13:43, 4 February 2024 (UTC)