don't mention the V-word.....

[zombie no.one]

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/society-culture-and-history/race-and-racial-identity/pub-of-the-year-sued-by-kitchen-worker-who-said-vinegar-being-left-near-him-was-a-slur/ar-AA1Wjqt3

I've been reading the court documents online... not properly mentioned in any of the news articles is that the guy also claimed a staff member saying "Yabba Dabba Doo" made him think of Scooby Doo, which made him think of dogs, which made him think they were calling him a dog.

this is an official court case 

[Trevor]

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/society-culture-and-history/race-and-racial-identity/pub-of-the-year-sued-by-kitchen-worker-who-said-vinegar-being-left-near-him-was-a-slur/ar-AA1Wjqt3

I've been reading the court documents online... not properly mentioned in any of the news articles is that the guy also claimed a staff member saying "Yabba Dabba Doo" made him think of Scooby Doo, which made him think of dogs, which made him think they were calling him a dog.

this is an official court case 

Oy 😳😳

[LilCerberus]

Sheesh!
My ADD sometimes triggers my PTSD, & it doesn't drive me THAT crazy!

[claws]

"Vinegar" is not typically a slur in its direct, literal sense. However, it has emerged in recent years as a coded, phonetic substitute for the N-word, particularly on social media platforms like TikTok and in online,, or, and , anonymous, forums.

Phonetic Manipulation: Because "vinegar" shares similar phonetic components with the N-word, it is used to bypass content filters, censorship, and moderation on social media platforms.

Contextual Misuse: When used to harass or mock, the intent is often to sound out the slur while providing the user with plausible deniability (claiming they only said "vinegar").

Memes and "Edge" Culture: The use of the word as a euphemism has been popularized through internet memes and, occasionally, in discussions about "innocent" words that sound similar to profanities or slurs.

This is all news to me 

[Alex]

"Vinegar" is not typically a slur in its direct, literal sense. However, it has emerged in recent years as a coded, phonetic substitute for the N-word, particularly on social media platforms like TikTok and in online,, or, and , anonymous, forums.

Phonetic Manipulation: Because "vinegar" shares similar phonetic components with the N-word, it is used to bypass content filters, censorship, and moderation on social media platforms.

Contextual Misuse: When used to harass or mock, the intent is often to sound out the slur while providing the user with plausible deniability (claiming they only said "vinegar").

Memes and "Edge" Culture: The use of the word as a euphemism has been popularized through internet memes and, occasionally, in discussions about "innocent" words that sound similar to profanities or slurs.

This is all news to me 

First I heard of this was an article I was reading a couple of days ago about someone making an unfair dismissal claim against their employers for leaving bottles of vinegar near them as a racial slur. Case was dismissed as having no basis in fact, and that his firing was more than justified on the grounds of his repeated poor behaviour towards other members of staff. Beyond that it isn't something I'd ever heard of before.

[claws]

In the 2000s (or maybe earlier), I remember people saying "Ninja" as a "coded" version of the N-word.

Usually, when someone said or did something silly, the other person would say "Ninja, please!".

[zombie no.one]

"Vinegar" is not typically a slur in its direct, literal sense. However, it has emerged in recent years as a coded, phonetic substitute for the N-word, particularly on social media platforms like TikTok and in online,, or, and , anonymous, forums.

Phonetic Manipulation: Because "vinegar" shares similar phonetic components with the N-word, it is used to bypass content filters, censorship, and moderation on social media platforms.

Contextual Misuse: When used to harass or mock, the intent is often to sound out the slur while providing the user with plausible deniability (claiming they only said "vinegar").

Memes and "Edge" Culture: The use of the word as a euphemism has been popularized through internet memes and, occasionally, in discussions about "innocent" words that sound similar to profanities or slurs.

This is all news to me 

First I heard of this was an article I was reading a couple of days ago about someone making an unfair dismissal claim against their employers for leaving bottles of vinegar near them as a racial slur. Case was dismissed as having no basis in fact, and that his firing was more than justified on the grounds of his repeated poor behaviour towards other members of staff. Beyond that it isn't something I'd ever heard of before.

you realise that's the actual story this thread is about, right? see link in the first post

[zombie no.one]

I suppose a take away from this is that it's not the actual audible formation of the word itself which is offensive, because every time you say the word 'vinegar' you are literally saying that word, and yet nobody (at least nobody sane) bats an eyelid.

ditto every time you say the word 'country' you are technically turning the airwaves blue.

so ultimately all the controversy is 100% about the semantics behind words, rather than the actual words themselves.

maybe that's a very obvious and self evident point to make? feel like it often gets lost in all the surrounding commotion though....

[claws]

I suppose a take away from this is that it's not the actual audible formation of the word itself which is offensive, because every time you say the word 'vinegar' you are literally saying that word, and yet nobody (at least nobody sane) bats an eyelid.

ditto every time you say the word 'country' you are technically turning the airwaves blue.

so ultimately all the controversy is 100% about the semantics behind words, rather than the actual words themselves.

maybe that's a very obvious and self evident point to make? feel like it often gets lost in all the surrounding commotion though....

The exhausting part is the current 'edge culture' that thrives on this exact technicality. There's a specific type of person who loves to play with phonetic proximity, using words like 'vinegar' with a metaphorical wink, just to see how close they can get to a slur without 'technically' crossing the line.

They treat language like a game of 'I'm not touching you,' pushing boundaries specifically to provoke a reaction, then retreating into 'it's just a word' when they get called out.

[chainsaw midget]

Mr Lafeuillee even went into the kitchen at one point during this incident and 'clapped or clicked his fingers at staff, shouted at them across the floor in front of guests and when he found that the steak was not to his liking, started shouting loudly, saying that he was not going to pay'.

Yeah ... that guy just sounds like a bundle of joy right there, one of those people that goes through life looking to start fights with others. 

They pretty much should have told him to leave and not come back right there.  It's bad enough when random customers do that to people, actual employees... no.  just no.