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This is one of those words you just avoid using, as an American, because it’s an insult to persons of Italian descent in the United States. That may be due to a

This is one of those words you just avoid using, as an American, because it’s an insult to persons of Italian descent in the United States. That may be due to an association with some of the trivia related in this article?

kwhitefoot 9y ago
So how do you go about buying a guinea pig?
- oblio 9y ago
  > Could I have that cute 2 months old Cavia porcellus, please?
  - Freak_NL 9y ago
    Or just ask for 'that cavy'. The article mentions 'guinea men' to refer to the trading ships that shuttled between Britain, South America and 'Guinea', but I can't help but imagine a hypothetical breed of six feet tall, dapperly clothed, bipedal guinea pig.
    - finin 9y ago
      Like the one that Beatrix Potter imagined?https://imgur.com/a/tjktk https://imgur.com/a/tjktk
- mrweasel 9y ago
  Denmark solved that problem by calling them "Marsvin" - Sea pigs. We then choose to also use that exact same name for harbour porpoise (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harbour_porpoise https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harbour_porpoise)
- krallja 9y ago
  Ask for a cavy.
ethagknight 9y ago
Are you thinking of “guido”?
- jghn 9y ago
  No, that's a separate slur for Italians. "Guinea" is also a slur for Italians: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ethnic_slurs_by_ethnicity https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ethnic_slurs_by_ethnic...
- eighthnate 9y ago
  Guinea is also an offensive derogatory term for italians in the US.
a3n 9y ago
I don't get why this was downvoted. Maybe not enough old people here to remember when this was an actively used slur? https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=guinea&defid=3821515 https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=guinea&defid...
- mikestew 9y ago
  I’m old enough to tell you what I was doing when Kennedy was assassinated, grew up in the former world headquarters of the KKK (Indiana), and this is news to me. I vaguely recall that the term could be derogatory, but forgot who was supposed to be insulted.

kwhitefoot 9y ago

So how do you go about buying a guinea pig?

oblio 9y ago
> Could I have that cute 2 months old Cavia porcellus, please?
- Freak_NL 9y ago
  Or just ask for 'that cavy'. The article mentions 'guinea men' to refer to the trading ships that shuttled between Britain, South America and 'Guinea', but I can't help but imagine a hypothetical breed of six feet tall, dapperly clothed, bipedal guinea pig.
  - finin 9y ago
    Like the one that Beatrix Potter imagined?https://imgur.com/a/tjktk https://imgur.com/a/tjktk
mrweasel 9y ago
Denmark solved that problem by calling them "Marsvin" - Sea pigs. We then choose to also use that exact same name for harbour porpoise (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harbour_porpoise https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harbour_porpoise)
krallja 9y ago
Ask for a cavy.

ethagknight 9y ago

Are you thinking of “guido”?

jghn 9y ago
No, that's a separate slur for Italians. "Guinea" is also a slur for Italians: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ethnic_slurs_by_ethnicity https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ethnic_slurs_by_ethnic...
eighthnate 9y ago
Guinea is also an offensive derogatory term for italians in the US.

a3n 9y ago

I don't get why this was downvoted. Maybe not enough old people here to remember when this was an actively used slur? https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=guinea&defid=3821515 https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=guinea&defid...

mikestew 9y ago
I’m old enough to tell you what I was doing when Kennedy was assassinated, grew up in the former world headquarters of the KKK (Indiana), and this is news to me. I vaguely recall that the term could be derogatory, but forgot who was supposed to be insulted.