[quote][quote=“housecat”]When I was teaching, I’d always ask my kids, adults, or Chinese co-teachers to say, “Oh my goodness.” OMG is offensive to me. It IS taking the Lord’s name in vain, but it also just sounds so corse and en-educated to me. They were always very respectful and didn’t want to offend me.
quote][/quote][/quote]
I have to be honest and say that I am very surprised that people are so offended by OMG. Such is the secular mind.
To be fair to myself, I say “Oh my gosh” about as often as OMG.
BTW, I am genuinely curious as to why you think OMG is taking the lord’s name in vain???
[quote=“jdsmith”]
BTW, I am genuinely curious as to why you think OMG is taking the lord’s name in vain???[/quote]
I guess I’m just a little old school. I realize that one could be referring to any god, but as this phrase, in English, comes from western culture, mostly I think it means the Christian God. I am a Christian.
To Christians, those who think like me, anyway, OMG is offensive because back in Old Testament days, the Hebrews, the chosen people of God, would not even speak His name, it was so Holy and He so feared. He even has no proper name, as Budha for example, but is the I Am. So to utter “God,” is to directly refer to Him, which men simply did not do. To do that was like saying, “hey, Bob,” and thus equating a humble human to the status of God.
OMG still has that sort of sense to me. Not exactly, but that kind of simply disrespectful feeling. People do say it all the time and I don’t get angry. I don’t like for Taiwanese to say it, partly, because as someone else said here, they don’t usully use it correctly. But here or in the west, I always have an internal negative reaction to that phrase.
I’m not offended by “oh my God” but can understand how it could offend someone with more intense religious beliefs than mine. It was on my parents’ unspoken banned phrase list.
I don’t think the Friends allusion is accurate either. It’s been the Chinese translation as the English translation for Tian-uh for years, in the cartoon section of the newspapers here.
Oh, I don’t mean Friends is the cause of the whole issue. Basically, I was using Chandler as a metaphor for modern media. The first instance I remember of this whole thing was Jack Tripper from “Three’s Company” saying “Lordy, Lordy, Lordy”. At the time I thought that was really risque.
On the other hand, I don’t think all of this is coming from the Chinese translation of 天啊. Many times when I hear OMG spoken by Chinese you wouldn’t use 天啊 in Chinese in that situation.
I think it’s a combination of factors including translation from 天啊 and popular media.
[quote=“housecat”][quote=“jdsmith”]
BTW, I am genuinely curious as to why you think OMG is taking the lord’s name in vain???[/quote]
I guess I’m just a little old school. I realize that one could be referring to any god, but as this phrase, in English, comes from western culture, mostly I think it means the Christian God. I am a Christian.
To Christians, those who think like me, anyway, OMG is offensive because back in Old Testament days, the Hebrews, the chosen people of God, would not even speak His name, it was so Holy and He so feared. He even has no proper name, as Budha for example, but is the I am. So to utter “God,” is to directly refer to Him, which men simply did not do. To do that was like saying, “hey, Bob,” and thus equating a humble human to the status of God.
OMG still has that sort of sense to me. Not exactly, but that kind of simply disrespectful feeling. People do say it all the time and I don’t get angry. I don’t like for Taiwanese to say it, partly, because as someone else said here, they don’t usully use it correctly. But here or in the west, I always have an internal negative reaction to that phrase.[/quote]
Hmm, ok. I can buy that. I can’t agree because I do not share similar beliefs in creator beings.
Gosh! I’ll just claim ignorance, or is it selfconceptualized blindness?
I think the reference I gave earlier from the TV commercial is a prime example. They wouldn’t say “天啊﹗005 比 006 還便宜”, but they say the exact same phrase using OMG-- “OMG, 005 比 006 還便宜!”.
they wouldn’t? i’m not quite sure. in any event in NY at least that’s not incorrect usage of oh my god my views on this issue may be somewhat influenced by the local dialect–oh my god, it’s raining, oh my god, it’s time for lunch :)
seriously it is quite prevalant in the ny/nj area, if the same was true in s cal i might wonder if the considerable interaction between taiwan and those areas was a factor
I am so sick on how the world is becoming so PC. It’s getting to the point where you can do nothing without someone getting offended. People are just too touchy and sensitive about stupid little things like that. Get over it, you can’t control the world and i’ll say whatever I god damn want to! Saying Oh my god is just an expression its not meant to insult anyone.
Things becoming PC is completely irrelevant to this discussion. OMG becoming acceptable is the exact opposite of things that were once acceptable becoming unacceptable because it’s not PC. The term was once socially frowned upon, now it is only frowned upon by a small segment of the population.
I think a total of 1 person posting on this thread has said they feel offended by the phrase, but most of the rest say they are aware that the phrase still carries an emotional load. This isn’t a discussion about telling you what you can or can’t say. It’s a discussion of whether or not it is appropriate to teach to kids who lack the cultural understanding of native speakers that would let them use the word appropriately.
So, do you think it’s a good idea to teach the phrase to kids here in Taiwan? Please join us in discussing the question at hand.
they wouldn’t? I’m not quite sure. in any event in NY at least that’s not incorrect usage of oh my god my views on this issue may be somewhat influenced by the local dialect–oh my god, it’s raining, oh my god, it’s time for lunch :)
seriously it is quite prevalant in the ny/nj area, if the same was true in s cal i might wonder if the considerable interaction between taiwan and those areas was a factor[/quote]
It could be my perceptions of this as well. Maybe OMG could be used where I don’t think it can.
Just the way I view the commercial in Chinese (with my 2 language learner Chinese) and the phrase in English (with my particular variety of English) it seems to be out of place in both cases.
[quote=“puiwaihin”]…I think a total of 1 person posting on this thread has said they feel offended by the phrase…a discussion of whether or not it is appropriate to teach to kids who lack the cultural understanding of native speakers that would let them use the word appropriately.
So, do you think it’s a good idea to teach the phrase to kids here in Taiwan?..[/quote]
Please, does no one read what I write? More than one person takes offence to “Oh my god/God.” Or…are you saying I’m the only one?
And 2) Why is it every time I try to join in a discussion (ok, only twice) about teaching English it’s like teaching adults is completely ignored? The Teaching English in Taiwan forum is not just teaching kids, people.
Ok, do carry on people! I know you all take your jobs very seriously and I admire that! Great info too!
[quote=“914”][quote=“puiwaihin”]…I think a total of 1 person posting on this thread has said they feel offended by the phrase…a discussion of whether or not it is appropriate to teach to kids who lack the cultural understanding of native speakers that would let them use the word appropriately.
So, do you think it’s a good idea to teach the phrase to kids here in Taiwan?..[/quote]
Please, does no one read what I write? More than one person takes offence to “Oh my god/God.” Or…are you saying I’m the only one?
And 2) Why is it every time I try to join in a discussion (ok, only twice) about teaching English it’s like teaching adults is completely ignored? The Teaching English in Taiwan forum is not just teaching kids, people.
Ok, do carry on people! I know you all take your jobs very seriously and I admire that! Great info too!
Thank you, now let’s pray for some rain![/quote]
Ok, two people, sorry.
Well, I’m not against teaching it to adults and advanced adolescencts, but then you need to inform them that some people will find it offensive and give them alternatives.
I personally never use OMG. But I think it’s better to tell people what it means and how it is used and let them make an informed choice then have them hear it on TV and just repeat it. For younger kids, though, I would avoid it altogether.
“Jesus fucking CHRIST in a sidecar” works for me. “Great googly-moogly” is also good.
But anyway, I’ve never heard anyone saying “Omigod” here. They say “Ow! My gaww!”
Come on, my own personal pottymouth notwithstanding, there are millions of folks all across North America and other parts of the West who, I promise you, would take serious offense at this phrase.
Certainly, when I was a kid, use thereof around my house would have earned a very severe reprimand, and I certainly didn’t grow up in any kind of religious extremity.
The fact that I personally am apostate and have been so for many many years is irrelevant here.
As are the personal opinions of the teacher with regard to assholes from Texas who have hijacked “Christian values” to serve their own insane power-mad agenda.
But I digress.
The 10 commandments, a set of rules that are still regarded as valid by a huge percentage of the world’s population, very clearly state that it is a sin to take the Lord’s name in vain.
Period.
OMG is an expletive that does precisely that, it may sound cute to cite the G part as reference to a generic deity, but it’s crap, as anyone knows.
The G is a direct reference to the Judeo/Christian deity.
Any person taking money to “teach” English has a responsibility to advise students (of any age) when a usage carries the potential for offence.
Obviously, sensitivity to Western Christian standards of offence is nowhere near as clove cigarette-smokingly hip as it is to other more “exotic” systems of belief, but that doesn’t mitigate the actual facts.
This commonly-held attitude (much moreso among our demographic) of “tolerance for all beliefs…oh, well, except for white southern fundamentalists, 'cause they’re DICKS!” is pretty durn hypocritical, no?
Try shooting off a random OMG around a Conservative Jewish dude, see how far you get.
Christ on a crutch!
can you make an example?
The term was once socially frowned upon, now it is only frowned upon by a small segment of the population.
