I love "that's mighty white of you," but never have encountered it used unsarcastically IRL.

Robin, without knowing the guy I can't say if he meant the two things separately. Because if I recognise that talking back at the screen is a cultural thing for some people, and therefore don't want to make them stop, so somewhere for those who are doing it as a cultural thing and those who are doing it just because why the fuck not -- I'm down with it. As long as all black people don't have to watch movies there, and white folk aren't barred.

Sometimes I hate going to the movies where no one is reacting, and sometimes I hate going to the movies where everyone is talking back. And those things definitely aren't 100% racially correllated.

I think it depends on the movie and the reaction.

I mean, when the reaction makes sense with what's happening on-screen -- okay. But when it's completely extraneous (Rudy!) no.

Also, people just talking through the movie isn't the same as reacting to it.

And in movie-related news: that King Kong preview thingy? Was that tonight? Was it between 7:59 and 8:02 central? Or an hour later?

Because I attempted to tape it and got nothing.

(Meanwhile, I just caught the fluffy cat eating the gray cat's food. She is completely unrepentent.)

that's mighty white of you

I don't think I understand this. Is it supposed to be an insult on white people or condescending to non-whites.

I think there's a special hell for those who talk in the theatre.

Also, people just talking through the movie isn't the same as reacting to it.

Sure, but I've definitely been in theaters where the reaction to the previous scene spilled over so you couldn't hear the next few lines. Of course, sometimes that has been me laughing too hard to stop....

Is it supposed to be an insult on white people or condescending to non-whites.

It's supposed to be a compliment. On magnanimity.

It's supposed to be a compliment. On magnanimity.

(Boggles.)

Originally, it was a compliment. The usage then turned ironic. In truth, my college friend may have been saying it with irony, but knowing her, and going by (what I remember of) the way she said it (we're talking 20 years ago, probably), I also knew she'd never had it click in her head.

Here's a reference on appearances of the phrase and similar ones: [link] If the page is too wide for your screen, click on the 2nd-to-righthand button, and it should behave.

"That's mighty white of you."

I thought it was a white knight sort of thing, nothing to do with a race at all.

Googling nets me this

THAT’S MIGHTY WHITE OF YOU! began according to Partridge’s ‘Dictionary of Catch phrases’ as a complement meaning that’s very decent, generous, forgiving, obliging, fair, etc. of you, or as one source on the web said “Thank you for being fair.” The phrase was used in the U.S. from the early 20th century and in the U.K. since the 1930s. It is not certain exactly where the phrase originated, but the two possibilities proposed are the southern U.S. and the colonies of the British Empire with, of course, racial connotations suggesting “like a white man, not like a Negro” – the ways of the white man being assumed superior. In modern usage it is often used jocularly and often sarcastically meaning exactly the opposite – that’s really rotten and nasty of you and you’re a no good bum!

Interestingly, in my search, this phrase only showed up in two reliable sources, Partridge and ‘Merriam-Webster Online.’ It did appear on one nondescript site and in the online Urban Dictionary, but since anyone can post anything in the Urban Dictionary, I generally refrain from using it as a source, although it may sometimes give a indication of a meaning. However, M-W Online only gave the positive interpretation under its definition of ‘white’ as follows: “From the former stereotypical association of good character with northern European descent: marked by upright fairness ”

Also this about easy as pie

The phrase "easy as pie" actually has nothing to do with pie. At least not the kind of pie you eat or throw. European-types started using the phrase in Australia around 1920. Turns out that the native Maori people of New Zealand have a word "pai" that means "good." So if you were good at something, they would call you "pai." And if you were so good at something that you made it look easy, that would be "easy as pie."

I always heard "that's mighty white of you" used in a sarcastic sense, like the person was being cheap and stingy as hell.

Still a racist phrase, but I've never heard it used as a compliment.

My Dad's family (and, much to my shame, my Dad sometimes) still uses such delightful euphemisms for black people as "spooks" and my favorite for sheer number of syllables, "jigaboo."

That's when I slink away and try to scrub out that half of my DNA.

I still catch myself saying "gyp,"even though I try really hard not to.

has patted me on the ass and exclaimed in Hungarian how pretty it is

Well, who HASN'T wanted to pat JZ's ass and exclaim (in any language) how pretty it is?!? Face it -- you have a GOOD ass, babycakes.