Let's Stop Using the Slang Word For Carabiner

As a climber, who happens to be latino, this whole thread is quite amusing.

please close this thread. it's opposite of constructive and embarassing tbh.

Gerson R wrote: As a climber, who happens to be latino, this whole thread is quite amusing.

please close this thread. it's opposite of constructive and embarassing tbh.

Censorship!

Anonymous wrote: Just so I'm clear, my Mexican daughter says biner when talking about carabiners, is she a racist? 

No, only white people can be racist.

Wow, This is THE MOST IDIOTIC post I have ever seen on MP.  Someone likes baiting people into unneeded and unsubstantiated controversy.  It's a slow day so lets start shit with the great WHITE KNIGHTS of the world... Can you show some of the actual problem in real life?  Someone somewhere that might actually have a story??  If you could show just 1 REAL example, we would be more inclined to think the way you want us to think..  What is most apparent is that some folks have WAY too much time on their hand.

Brian Malone wrote: Wow, This is THE MOST IDIOTIC post I have ever seen on MP.  Someone likes baiting people into unneeded and unsubstantiated controversy.  It's a slow day so lets start shit with the great WHITE KNIGHTS of the world... Can you show some of the actual problem in real life?  Someone somewhere that might actually have a story??  If you could show just 1 REAL example, we would be more inclined to think the way you want us to think..  What is most apparent is that some folks have WAY too much time on their hand.

Didn't someone do exactly that on page 1 of this thread?

There is a reasonable place to be somewhere along the spectrum of <<never say "biner">>------------<<always say "biner">>. I almost always say "biner" but try to be aware of those around me and not use it when people may mistake it for a slur. Maybe it's overly considerate, but it's really not an inconvenience at all.

My climbing partner is Latino and calls it a biner... justification enough for me

Racist unless in your heart of hearts you say the apostrophy first. As in, " Ay bruuh, throw me that rack of 'biners." or, "Should I retire my 'biner if the paint wears off?"  

¿Huelo una vieja enchilada?

Sooooooooooooo smug writing in Spanish....... but we know there's an app for that El brahos 

Don Juan Matus wrote: No, es porque I speak more than una idioma.

But, nice try, es lo queen dicen los que querieren pero no pueden.

Might as well tell me to speak English this is 'Merica after all. See, I too can infer.

Blessings be upon thee, Mr. Bill.

This is fun....

PC stuff like this got Trump elected.

Brian Malone wrote:"Someone likes baiting people ..."

This was great.  A bucket of popcorn does not suffice...

Every time I say "Get me a biner", I half expect one of my Leadmen to bring me a guy to clean up our debris.
But then, all my Leadmen are Hispanic and laborers are your typical White Punk on Dope. That, and none of my partners are in construction either.

Got into a long argument with a friend recently about this. I have come to the conclusion that banning harmless words because they happen to sound like hateful ones will cause much more harm than good. In addition, we would all be better off spending our time and effort fighting terms like "beaner" and the social injustices that give it power than correcting climbers who are talking about carabiners.

If somebody is offended when somebody refers to a "carabiner" as a "'biner," then they are either: unaware of climbing terms, taking things way out of context, or need some serious help for trauma that they received in a racially charged situation. Regardless, it appears to be on them, and not the person saying the innocent term "'biner."

In defense of "'biner":
1. It has a different history/etymology.
2. It is older.
3. In climbing, it is vastly more used, and always has been, than the racial slur.
4. It is a truncation of "carabiner."
5. It has a different context.
6. It was never born out of hate.
7. It is spelled differently.
8. It has other homonyms with the same sound - "beaner" is a common term in baseball for a pitch to the head.

Against "'biner":
1. It happens to sound like a term only used by jerks.

To me, the difference from the "N word" is large, primarily because that term was only ever used or born out of hate. Even if you say it in a different context, its history is totally different than "'biner." If you avoid 'biner, or "dike" for the geology or engineering term, or, hell, "balls" when referring to sports items, then you are giving the offensive terms too much power. If you are doing it to be compassionate, I think you are doing those people a disservice by coddling them over a non-issue.

I initially restrained from responding thinking the OP was just an attempt to get a rise out of people. Then I read the article linked in OP - that turns being socially aware into what the right makes fun as over board PC.
If I am climbing with someone of Hispanic heritage who is negatively impacted - I am receptive to listening - but a whole sale pre-empttve change of a word that sounds like but has completely different meaning, spelling and context because I assume offending  - that strikes me as being patronizing which is offensive.

Adam Keifenheim wrote: 
In defense of "'biner":
2. It is older.

The term biner has been around since the middle half of the last century, the term beaner has been around since the turn of the last century.

Allen Sanderson wrote:

The term biner has been around since the middle half of the last century, the term beaner has been around since the turn of the last century.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/worst-slur-mexican-americans-still-mystery-some-n959616?fbclid=IwAR3vgIUfcPtB0Qy730iKaeps8MEENwYiHPnHtpvPk4tEfbd7wMXjteOKEj8

According to this pertinent article, the history of the racial slur is unclear, but as far back as the end of WWII, so mid 1940's. As far as I can find, "Carabiner" goes back to the 1930's. I cannot judge when it was popularly truncated to "'biner." I was assuming very quickly, but I could be wrong. Regardless, "'biner" goes way back and has just as much history as the racial slur.

Living in Socal for about 48 years of my life and a lot of trips south of the border I think I'm fully versed on this slur topic:

'biner is not beaner.....and I'm sure 'biner was used long before beaner was used. BITD (70's) it was w#^&back. But no one really uses that or beaner (80's) anymore, now it's just "Mexican". Although, Mexican means beaner but does not mean to include all Mexicans. People that don't park their cars on their front lawns, don't drink tequila/cervaza until wasted and don't indiscriminately shoot guns in the air from their backyard and have learned English (accent ok)  are generally referred to as Hispanics.

BUT Female Hispanics are simply called Latinas..

Understood?

Bonus trivia: people of Spanish heritage look down on Hispanics. They do not consider themselves equals even though they almost speak the same language.

Yes, I'm an old white dude now but I grew up along side them in school, worked along side them, dated them and luckily married a Latina.

Regardless, I prefer to use the proper full name; Carabiner.