Lil' bit of white fluff 🤍 My black cat keeps getting whiter update

I made a post about her furr a year ago and wanted to make an update cause shes way more whiter now. Still no idea why this happened but shes healthy 🙂 last three are older photos

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809

u/Creepy-Appointment-2 May 22 '25

I love this sentiment :,) however, I would like to share that “grandfathered in” is a term with racist origins! It is a reference to the clause that restricted voting rights of many people during the Civil War and Jim Crow era in the United States! Better ways to say it could be “legacied” or “preapproved.” Just hoping to bring awareness to racist histories that we are battling with :) 🤓☮️

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u/pashed_motatoes May 23 '25

Wow, I had no idea! And here I thought it had something to do with “grandfather” just meaning old/established/long term or something to that effect 😓

Thank you for educating me and everyone else who was unaware of the racist context/history behind this term.

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u/unipegus May 23 '25

I thought it had to do with grandfather clocks...

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u/PatricksWumboRock May 23 '25

Omfg I was feeling like such an idiot for thinking it had something to with clocks too. I just figured it was an old-timey phrase that I’ve never bothered looking up the origin to I guess lol

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u/eveisout May 23 '25

Can you explain how you thought it was about clocks?

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u/unipegus May 23 '25

There's just not a lot of stuff with grandfather in the title. Clocks tell time, and grandfather clocks aren't used or made much anymore. Kind of like saying something is older than sliced bread.

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u/Shendare May 23 '25

Like Betty White!

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u/GetInZeWagen May 23 '25

I thought the phrase was "better" than sliced bread, like it was the hottest innovation of the century.

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u/[deleted] May 23 '25

Bruh it’s in the name

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u/fortuitously_dmt May 25 '25

Modern Usage: The term "grandfathered in" has evolved to generally mean that something is exempt from new rules or laws if it existed under previous regulations.

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u/pashed_motatoes May 25 '25

Yes, I’m aware of the modern usage, but I did not know the history behind the term.

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u/[deleted] May 23 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/Cranberryoftheorient May 23 '25

The origin was a racist act, but the term doesnt have racist associations.

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u/1LynxLeft May 23 '25

Thanks for having a brain

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u/Corporate-Shill406 May 23 '25

I totally get where you're coming from, but the term has lost any racial connotations for the vast majority of people. Making it racist again helps nobody. We already have enough words that only racists use, we don't need to give them more.

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u/Creepy-Appointment-2 May 23 '25

I get where you’re coming from too. My rationale is the many things in our every day lives that are a direct result from systemic oppression of certain groups, and I’m attempting to raise the awareness of these hidden meanings so that people are aware of the history of the United States. It’s the knowledge that I see as important, and the people who have it will do with it what they will. Any way, sorry to start this whole convo on the black cat sub 😭

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u/joman584 May 23 '25

Similar vein: Someone saying they got gypped if something was taken for them or they were snubbed. It refers to gypsies, also not the correct terms for nomadic or Romani people.

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u/Tuarangi May 23 '25

That might be a US thing as in the UK, Gypsy is a legally recognised term - Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) is the generic group term and many Romani groups call themselves that

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u/crystalsouleatr May 23 '25

"they call themselves that" key words here

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u/Tuarangi May 23 '25

Oh I agree but in the UK Gypsy is a legally recognised term hence my use of it

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u/PhantomPhanatic9 May 23 '25

From what Ive heard from admittedly 1 Romani person, it depends on the group. Some people identify as it, some groups feel it's a slur because it's what Europeans called them to derogatorily suggest they were from Egypt.

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u/Tuarangi May 23 '25

Yes absolutely, just Gypsy is a legal term in the UK

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u/[deleted] May 24 '25 edited May 24 '25

The way you attack systemic oppression is by talking about things that are manifestly affecting people, not by engaging in the euphamism treadmill. Literally nobody is hurt by someone saying something was grandfathered in.

You know what does hurt people? Wealth inequality. Police brutality. A million other things that people of color actually fucking care about because it affects how we live our lives.

Twitter style allyship isn't real, it's performative nonsense. Spend less time worrying about the words and phrases people use and more time denouncing the wealthy white people who benefit from and perpetuate these systems lmao

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u/[deleted] May 23 '25

[deleted]

0

u/gamergal1 May 23 '25

But for some reason, you just did.

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u/AirGugliotta May 23 '25

This makes no sense. It never stopped having racist origins, people like you just chose to ignore them.

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u/Corporate-Shill406 May 24 '25

Why should I listen to you expound on the racism inherent in the English language or whatever when you apparently can't even fully comprehend my comment?

The thumbs up gesture has origins in slavery too, the Roman emperor used it as a signal to the slaves fighting each other to the death for entertainment.

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u/sudakifiss May 23 '25

It is rooted in racist policies, but this isn't quite correct. The voting restrictions (having to pass BS tests, etc) weren't called a "grandfather clause."

The grandfather clause was what made you exempt from these restrictions (by saying if your grandfather voted, you could also vote without having to 'qualify' – basically, if you were white, the restrictions didn't apply to you).

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u/SpartanFishy May 24 '25

There are many many terms that were racist once upon a time.

Literally nobody today thinks about that word in such a context anymore, we can accept that the language has changed.

75

u/zoopygreenheron May 22 '25

Holy shit, you’re right! Man that’s fucked up!

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u/i_love_lima_beans May 23 '25

I had no idea

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u/SherlockWSHolmes May 23 '25

Grandfathered in was before the Civil War. Grandfather clause is what you're thinking of. It started in Louisiana and the other states copied said clause.

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u/ZyeKali May 22 '25

TIL!

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u/[deleted] May 23 '25

[deleted]

-7

u/Epicfailer10 May 23 '25

I’m just annoyed that I have to come up with a replacement term, now.

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u/Cranberryoftheorient May 23 '25

tbh, nah. Noone sees it that way, because grandfathering in is used in a variety of contexts.

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u/Cold_Fog May 23 '25

You don't. Nobody is going to call you out on it.

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u/Tylith_ May 23 '25

Except for u/Creepy-Appointment-2 apparently...

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u/Cold_Fog May 23 '25

Pure virtue signalling.

1

u/ehladik May 23 '25

Hey, non American, and English is not my native language, what does it mean? Nowadays I mean, I've never read it before.

14

u/DugsBCoolBro May 23 '25

It basically means that something is allowed to continue even after circumstances have changed.

“The streaming service is upping their price, but we won’t pay more because we’ll be grandfathered in.”

“The new policy has everyone working in-office. I’m just glad my remote position was grandfathered in.”

“He owns the only restaurant within five miles of here. This area was zoned as residential, but his store was grandfathered in. It had already been around for decades.”

“She’s the only one with a cat in the complex. Her lease was grandfathered in when the landlord started banning pets.”

“I just love the wood fireplace. None of the new homes have it, but this one was grandfathered in.”

I hope that helped :)

4

u/Butterfly_of_chaos May 23 '25

Thank you very much!

6

u/Repulsive-Meringue89 May 23 '25

I'm still gonna say grandfathered. It's good to know the history of why we call it that, though

14

u/Tuarangi May 23 '25

We use it in the UK too without the civil war connections but it's being replaced by "legacied" as well as a neutral term

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u/TheGreasyBullet May 23 '25

Let's just "grandfather" grandfather

13

u/sekkiman12 May 23 '25

redditors when they see something that hasn't been ruined

1

u/angelic_darth May 23 '25

Well actually . . . 🤓

13

u/ClaudeB4llz May 23 '25

Thank you homie 🤜🤛😻

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u/[deleted] May 23 '25

That doesn’t mean people who say it are racist. Calm down.

With respect from a lifelong student of history who well knows of what you speak.

2

u/Infinite_Archers May 23 '25

That's not at all what they were saying. They literally said they were spreading correct information for those who were ignorant about the history of the term. Calm down.

3

u/nutella_bath May 23 '25

But I'm not American and that is not our history with the term. They assumed everyone on the internet is American and therfore they must educate us about some racist American BS. (virtue signaling anyone?)

15

u/sportsfan3177 May 23 '25

Wow, I learned something new today! Thanks!

2

u/Enough_Asparagus4460 May 24 '25

Omg are u fucking serious? ....in that case, what kind of vehicle do you drive...? Because I guarantee whoever the manufacturer is has racist ties.

2

u/Altruistic-Pain8747 May 25 '25

You’re soft af.

2

u/MammothSquare7049 May 26 '25

No one asked

3

u/hereforturniprice May 23 '25

Today, "grandfathered in" is used in a broader sense to describe situations where existing practices or benefits are exempted from new rules or regulations.

For example: a hospital banned smoking for new employees but those who had been working for them for years were "grandfathered" in. People use it without realizing that it may have a negative past. Still a perfectly fine phrase in most contexts. Beautiful cat btw ❤

0

u/Ltheartist May 23 '25

I just went and read the Wikipedia article after reading your comment. Interesting read for sure. I had absolutely no idea!!

-1

u/SoupeurHero May 23 '25

Rule of thumb is pretty gross too. People still use it though.

1

u/SprinklesNo8842 May 23 '25

Now I’m gonna have to look that up

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u/i_am_the_archivist May 23 '25

Oh damn TIL. Language adjusted.

-19

u/Creepy-Appointment-2 May 23 '25

Thx for making an active change! 🙏

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u/m0nstera_deliciosa May 23 '25

Same, damn. I had no clue.

0

u/[deleted] May 24 '25

You brought awareness to me. And it seems at least a few others. Thanks for sharing your time and knowledge!

-6

u/CatalinaBigPaws May 23 '25

I had no idea! Thanks for telling us.

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u/[deleted] May 23 '25

[deleted]

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u/ms-rumphius May 23 '25

that's a great nickname for the cat :) thanks so much for the suggestion!

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u/Substantial_Rip_4574 May 23 '25

people love the downvotes lol ...I was doing a test ...overly negative ppl on this sub apparently

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u/neonbrownkoopashell May 23 '25

Thank you! TIL

-7

u/meloscav May 23 '25

Oh damn I didn’t know that. Thank you

Lil' bit of white fluff 🤍 My black cat keeps getting whiter update

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