I agree with everyone who sez most folks are too sensitive to words, but THAT word has too much baggage, and I'm not willing to be misunderstood. I'm good with being a cowardly coonazz on that one.
I don't know many younger Acadians who give a damn, but lots of older folks do. My Pawpaw said that when he worked on the rigs the term meant someone was lower than a black in social standing. He is 95 now, and if you call him a coonass he will fight you.
Every time I go to a client site they always say "You don't sound like a cajun". I never knew I had the right to be offended at that. I do always want to ask them what a cajun is supposed to sound like though.
About 10 years ago I was in South Florida in a car wit han Italian guy and a Cuban guy. We were headed to Ft lauderdale to confront a Latino guy who owed money to all three of us. (you are thinking drugs but no) We were all pretty pissed off but all of a sudden the Italian guy said "If the cops pulled us over and found a dago, a spic and a coonass together we are all going to jail" We all had a good laugh
my understanding is that its a corrupted version of a french word for whore. somewhere in history french used it in a derogatory way to describe cajuns (WWI?, revolutionary war?). kinda like zydeco is derived from les haricot (title of the "first" zydeco song).
Haha... what happened to that guy? Since the 'Girls got rid of his idol, TO, it seems he has disappeared.
