Comment by cthalupa | Hacker News Reader

Comment by cthalupa | Hacker News Reader

Parent Full thread

And here is part of the problem - you believe that the word hustle has been appropriated, yet the word has had the same meaning and connotation in these circles for nearly 200 years.

We have recorded usage of it meaning "bustle, work busily, move quickly" dating back to 1821. "to get in a quick, illegal manner"? 1840. "to sell goods aggressively"? 1887. "pushing activity; activity in the interest of success"? 1891.

"The key-note and countersign of life in these cities [of the U.S. West] is the word "hustle." We have caught it in the East. but we use it humorously, just as we once used the Southern word "skedaddle," but out West the word hustle is not only a serious term, it is the most serious in the language." [Julian Ralph, "Our Great West," N.Y., 1893]

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=hustle

If we look at where the word came from, it's taken from a white European language - meaning that it's use for you in Oakland growing up was appropriated from elsewhere. And that's perfectly okay.

This argument is similar to "gay" meaning "happy". Yes, we all know that was the original definition but then it became associated with homosexuality then people started saying "gay" when they're describing something that's "bad".... and I hope we all see the problem here. I'm going to avoid pedantic debates on HN, they're endless. All I wanted to do here is show that culture appropriation is a real thing and can become a problem depending on the context.

They're really not analogous situations, because hustle meant one thing, it was modified to mean largely the same thing but a bit different, and people are also continuing to use it with it's previous meaning... which seems to be the part you take issue with. That is not at all what happened with the term gay.

To spell it out, the point I'm trying to make is that historically oppressed and/or underrepresented groups trying to get a foothold in society, trying to get an identity or trying to celebrate their culture... as soon as they get a foothold, that foothold is taken from them by having its definition changed or diluted into almost nothing.

>>it was modified to mean largely the same thing but a bit different

To you it's a bit different. To me it carried the constant struggle of poor minorities, including my parents, and that difference is huge enough that I don't go just tossing the word around freely. You're definitely not going to see me with coffee mugs & pencils with "hustle" engraved on it. Btw, "The Struggle" is also another term that carries significant weight in poor communities. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=the+struggle ...yes, you can show all the history of the word "struggle" but it now carries a big definition with poor people, especially african americans. At this point, there's nothing more I can say. This kind of thread never ends on HN and eventually someone will come along and say something that requires a whole school semester on history, culture and the different forms of oppression throughout history to respond to.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com