Is the term "frog" offensive (in this context)?

[Jeremy]

Please, you can answer in English!

As pointed out by the 24thminute blog, RSL fans had a sign up that said "Henry, frog, cow or cheat?". Should this be considered offensive/racist to francophones, and should we expect more of this coming 2012?

____________________________

Comme rapporté par le blog 24thminute, des fans de Salt Lake, au dernier match contre New York,

ont affiché une bannière qui disait "Henry, frog, cow or cheat?". Est-ce que cela devrait être considéré comme raciste/choquant envers les francophones, et est-ce que nous devrions nous attendre à plus de bannières de la sorte lorsque nous serons en MLS en 2012?

[Mr.Caca]

Ça l'exciterait passablement Réjean Tremblay de La Presse en tout cas. Personnellement, je m'en fous, mais ça ne passerait jamais dans la presse ou dans la classe politique si les gens qui en font partie viennent à l'apprendre. Est-ce que ça serait déplacé de faire des tifos contenant des gens ayant la tête carrée ou traiter des anglais de roastbeef?

[paul-collins]

I think if you called us rosbif we'd say "huh?" I doubt any of us would take serious offence to it.

[Mr.Caca]

I think if you called us rosbif we'd say "huh?" I doubt any of us would take serious offence to it.

Hahahaha! Tant mieux! De toute façon, c'est pas mal ma réaction quand les Anglais font des blagues de Français sur les Québecois.

[Ed]

I think it's offensive. Led to fights in the east end of Ottawa when I was younger.

[foreverthursday]

My wife is French Canadian, so I bought her frog mittens with the toungue hanging out between the thumb and index finger. She loved them, and still wears them whenever it is cold out.

[Cheeta]

I think it's offensive. Led to fights in the east end of Ottawa when I was younger.

Good Lord.

Ed, when you were younger Ottawa was called Bytown for Christ's sake.

[argh1]

No I think if you went to a bar in Moncton, Shediac, Bouctouche, Tracadie, Caraquet, Bathurst, Campbellton, Edmundston............ and started calling people FROGS............
You might not need an ambulance...............you'd be DEAD on Arrival
In the glory days of non political correctness. I remember going to hockey games especially in Fredericton and when Moncton played in Freddy fans would have Kermit the frog hung by a noose in the stands. And Moncton's 2/3rd English speaking
Doesn't happen anymore.
Mind you French speakers in NB call Quebecois Cluck-Clucks because they sound like chickens too (local humour). But then again English speakers in NB call Ontarians Upper or Uppity Canadians too,
It's just one of those Canadian things. We all hate each other and love the land at the same time.
One of the best examples of language in Canada is that the 1st Nations Mi'kmaq people called the people of the St John River and Fundy Coast Maliseet meaning Broken Tongue. Language derision sure ain't nothing new in this country. Just ask the 1st Nations people that proudly call themselves Maliseet now.
Mind you New/Nouveau Brunswick maybe the only the province where a brewery (Moosehead) can have cases of cans of Alpine done up in camouflage and if you find a can in hunter orange you win an ATV. Nothing Red Neck about promoting hunting and drinking I'm sure.

[Ed]

Good Lord.

Ed, when you were younger Ottawa was called Bytown for Christ's sake.

Not quite, but Vanier was called Eastview. LOL.

[navycyr]

Please, you can answer in English!

As pointed out by the 24thminute blog, RSL fans had a sign up that said "Henry, frog, cow or cheat?". Should this be considered offensive/racist to francophones, and should we expect more of this coming 2012?

____________________________

Comme rapporté par le blog 24thminute, des fans de Salt Lake, au dernier match contre New York,

ont affiché une bannière qui disait "Henry, frog, cow or cheat?". Est-ce que cela devrait être considéré comme raciste/choquant envers les francophones, et est-ce que nous devrions nous attendre à plus de bannières de la sorte lorsque nous serons en MLS en 2012?

It is definitely offensive against french speaking people as it is classified by Wikipedia in its list of ethnic slurs : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ethnic_slurs.

Frog
(Canada, UK and US) A French person. Prior to 1800s, referred to the Dutch (as they were stereotyped as being marsh-dwellers). When France became Britain's main enemy, replacing the Dutch, the epithet transferred to them,[71][72] due to the French recipe for eating frogs' legs (see comparable French term Rosbif). Also used in Canada to refer to both the French and French Canadians, and occasionally incorrectly as more broadly to people from Quebec who are not, in fact, necessarily French or French speaking.