Talk:Ben Bernie

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Yowsah[edit]

By 1929 things had declined. He became destitute during the Great Depression. A few years later he became a radio personality noted for using the word "yowsah" (also spelled "yowsa" or "yowza"). He is generally credited with originating the term, often used in quick succession.[1] [2] The term was revived by Chic in 1977 with their hit Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah).[3]

I created the paragraph version above, to add the Yowsah material that I think belongs here. But even though this might be almost enough for this aspect of pop culture, I have left out the whole question of white/black. The term is said to be black speech. But it seems Ben was not Black. The article does not address the subject. I can't because I don't know what to say. But if someone can figure it out, it seems to belong in the article, or somewhere on the subject of Yowsah. Also, if someone can figure out something good to say about what the word means and/or how it was used, please add it. 69.87.204.143 22:04, 10 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ben Bernie was not black. "Yowsah" was simply used as an exclamation. I don't know what "question" there is, or why the word must be white or black. It's simply a 1920s yelp that made its way into popular culture. It was used casually by people, and not "revived" by any particular group, including Chic.HarvardOxon 22:30, 10 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Casual discussions of this matter on the Internet, such as [4] frequently mention black/white aspects. That is why there is a question. And it does seem like the usage of the term was fading over the years, so that the use in a popular song title in 1977 may well have given it a significant boost. 69.87.204.146 13:37, 11 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Cigar[edit]

Ben Bernie was noted for always having a cigar in hand and some speculate this hastened his death in 1943.

I suspect it would have hastened his death even more if he had put it in his mouth. Kalimac 17:55, 9 August 2007 (UTC)[reply]