Earthers?

[Boredom]

Why people from earth were called "earthers" by everybody else?
Wouldn't "earthlings" or "terrans" be more appropriate name calling?
"Earthers" sounds more like it was an ideological conviction instead of just being from there like "earthlings" or "terrans".

 

[ALeafOnTheWind]

It was meant to be derogatory.

 

[Republibot 3.0]

I don't really think "Earther" was intended to be derogatory, it's just a name.. "Earthling" just sounds goofy and 1950s. "Humans" is too broad because there are lots of humans not born on earth. "Terrans" sounds pretentious.

"Earther" ain't great, but it is at least immediately clear. They chose "Marsie" (Which really is a terrible name) because they were afraid if they called people from Mars "Martians" the audience would think they were aliens.

 

[vacantlook]

IThey chose "Marsie" (Which really is a terrible name) because they were afraid if they called people from Mars "Martians" the audience would think they were aliens.

Every instance I remember of the use of "marsie" was one in which it was being used derrogatorily.

 

[KoshFan]

Yeah, and as far as I can recall, every use of both was derogatorily aimed by the other group: only Earthers called people from Mars "Marsies," and only Marsies called people from Earth "Earthers."

 

[Republibot 3.0]

Well ok, then.

 

[Boredom]

Yeah, and as far as I can recall, every use of both was derogatorily aimed by the other group: only Earthers called people from Mars "Marsies," and only Marsies called people from Earth "Earthers."

Actually, Neroon used it too (season 2 "All Alone in the Night"). And yes, it's derogatory.

However, to me it's a gramatical error. Because it'll translate to "people who believe in earth" instead of "people from earth".

 

[Republibot 3.0]

Yeah, and as far as I can recall, every use of both was derogatorily aimed by the other group: only Earthers called people from Mars "Marsies," and only Marsies called people from Earth "Earthers."

Actually, Neroon used it too (season 2 "All Alone in the Night"). And yes, it's derogatory.

However, to me it's a gramatical error. Because it'll translate to "people who believe in earth" instead of "people from earth".

Or perhaps "Those who Earth," whatever that might mean. <G>

 

[Jade Jaguar]

However, to me it's a gramatical error. Because it'll translate to "people who believe in earth" instead of "people from earth".

No, that would be "Earthists," or perhaps "Earthites" or "Earthics."

I've always preferred "Earthoids" myself...

 

[RW7427]

Didn't the Drazi ambassador call someone an Earther? I think it was either Ivanova or Garibaldi in season 2's Geometry of Shadows.

 

[GaribaldisHair]

I always quite liked Futurama's take on it ...

"My fellow Earthicans".

 

[Republibot 3.0]

Didn't the Drazi ambassador call someone an Earther? I think it was either Ivanova or Garibaldi in season 2's Geometry of Shadows.

If he didn't, Londo certainly did. "Earthers! Who can understand them?"

 

[Alioth]

However, to me it's a gramatical error. Because it'll translate to "people who believe in earth" instead of "people from earth".

Well, people from Vermont are called "Vermonters", from Michigan "Michigansers", etc. Not sure if there's a hard and fast rule as to what places get the "er" (as versus "ese", "i", "ian", etc.) suffix, though, just that some suffix or other ends up "sticking" as a reference for people from a given place. And "Earther" somehow seems to sound better than "Earthese", "Earthian", or "Earthi", for some reason.

I never saw it as derogatory, just that some people might have uttered the term with contempt behind it. If you refer to the home planet as "Earth" (English name--most prominent human language of the time) instead of "Terra" (Latin name--dead language), "Earther" seems like the best fitting term for people from there.

 

[Jade Jaguar]

Actually, its "Michiganders," or "Michiganians." My spell checker prefers the former, but some people prefer the latter.

 

[AnlaShokGrey]

Well, I'm late to the thread, but as I recall, yes, "Earther" is meant as a derogatory moniker.

 

[Bab5nutz]

Yeah, and as far as I can recall, every use of both was derogatorily aimed by the other group: only Earthers called people from Mars "Marsies," and only Marsies called people from Earth "Earthers."

Actually, Neroon used it too (season 2 "All Alone in the Night"). And yes, it's derogatory.

However, to me it's a gramatical error. Because it'll translate to "people who believe in earth" instead of "people from earth".

Lennier also uses the word "Earther" in "Points of Departure" when he is talking to Delenn, while she is still in her chrysalis. I noticed this while while watching it last night.

I am making the guess that some of the other races would lump all Humans together - they wouldn't see it in terms of them being born on Earth, Mars or on a ship or whatever. They are all Humans. And no doubt, there are many humans who see Aliens the same way. Ie, in the film "In the Beginning", when Earth Central is asking Londo about Minbari culture, one human makes the mistake of thinking that a third of all Minbari are Warriors. Not quite right - a third of the Minbari population might be Warrior Caste - but that would include, babies, young children, the disabled [that's if the Minbari have disabled], the Elderly - presuming that practising Warriors live long enough to collect their pension. And they would no doubt be some of the Warrior Caste involved in administration and clerical work - unless, of course, the Workers do this kind of stuff, and take the burden off everyone else.

 

[Republibot 3.0]

Yeah, and as far as I can recall, every use of both was derogatorily aimed by the other group: only Earthers called people from Mars "Marsies," and only Marsies called people from Earth "Earthers."

Actually, Neroon used it too (season 2 "All Alone in the Night"). And yes, it's derogatory.

However, to me it's a gramatical error. Because it'll translate to "people who believe in earth" instead of "people from earth".

Lennier also uses the word "Earther" in "Points of Departure" when he is talking to Delenn, while she is still in her chrysalis. I noticed this while while watching it last night.

I am making the guess that some of the other races would lump all Humans together - they wouldn't see it in terms of them being born on Earth, Mars or on a ship or whatever. They are all Humans. And no doubt, there are many humans who see Aliens the same way. Ie, in the film "In the Beginning", when Earth Central is asking Londo about Minbari culture, one human makes the mistake of thinking that a third of all Minbari are Warriors. Not quite right - a third of the Minbari population might be Warrior Caste - but that would include, babies, young children, the disabled [that's if the Minbari have disabled], the Elderly - presuming that practising Warriors live long enough to collect their pension. And they would no doubt be some of the Warrior Caste involved in administration and clerical work - unless, of course, the Workers do this kind of stuff, and take the burden off everyone else.

"Snakeheads" was a common generic human term for aliens in the early episodes ("A snakehead doc fixed me up"). I agree that "Earthers" probably means humans, or 'those descended from earth,' regardless of their individual points of origin.

 

[Alioth]

"Snakeheads" was a common generic human term for aliens in the early episodes ("A snakehead doc fixed me up"). I agree that "Earthers" probably means humans, or 'those descended from earth,' regardless of their individual points of origin.

I always assumed "snakeheads" were Narns.

 

[Jade Jaguar]

The term was used at least for the Drasi, too. They looked far more reptilian than the Narns, at least to me. But, I believed it was a generic term, that could be applied to many races, but probably not the more human looking races, like the Centauri.

 

[Republibot 3.0]

The term was used at least for the Drasi, too. They looked far more reptilian than the Narns, at least to me. But, I believed it was a generic term, that could be applied to many races, but probably not the more human looking races, like the Centauri.

As with all racial (Speci-al?) slurs, it's a bit vague, and can be applied to pretty much anyone you don't like.