Idaho's Everyday Phrases with Questionable Origins

Idaho is considered by many from other states as behind the times and the Arkansas of the West. All we know in Idaho is potatoes and mullets.

Really though, Idaho is much more than meets the eye. But that doesn’t mean we don’t cling to some of the old thoughts and sayings still. Even without knowing it, some Idahoans have common sayings that have deep-rooted racist origins.

You Might be an Accidental Racist if You Say These 15 Phrases in Idaho

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Many of the phrases below seem innocent if you don’t know the backstory. A few of them only take a moment to realize that we should never have been saying them. If you thought your grandpa was a little racist before, you’re going to think a lot less of him now.

Commonly Used Phrases That Are Historically Racist

You'd have to look long and far to find an example of someone using these as they were originally intended today. As they were first coined to oppress, they've become universally accepted as ordinary, everyday greetings and phrases in this modern day.

Gallery Credit: Kelso

Not all the phrases in that list feel racist or make sense even with an explanation. So, you don’t have to change up your vernacular and omit them from your daily vocab…but it is fun to know random information.

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Others on the list, like ‘Off the Reservation’ and ‘Jew Him Down’ should probably disappear from your common sayings if they are something you still say.

Idaho isn’t the only state that might be dealing with accidental racism. At the beginning of the year, California instituted a new alert for missing Black kids and Black young women called ‘Ebony Alert’. This has left a lot of people questioning the word choice and feeling a bit racist when it is used. This isn’t the first alert designation that doesn’t feel like the best choice, as the alert for missing Indigenous people is called ‘Feather Alert’.