"Vito" wrote in message
...
"Dave" wrote
The problem is that implicit in the phrase is the assumption that the
speaker regards haggling as an undesirable trait, .....

That's what I've been trying to say to bobsy -- that the *problem* is in
an
*assumption* that prolly isn't true. Thus any injury is done by the
'assumer' to
him/herself. Logic dictates that one should stop injuring oneself.

Bob was involved in the conversation?

You're deluded. The phrase has nothing to do with haggling abilities or
tendencies. The phrase has everything to do with putting down a class of
people.

One problem is that the assumption may not be correct in all cases. ....

Or even in most cases today.

Neither statement merits much comment.. all cases?? No exceptions?
Most cases? Absolutely most cases, as best as can be deterimined by the
limited sample we all have available.

There are all kinds of subtleties here, and great potential for
miscommunication, so it's not a good phrase to use.

I would tend to agree, I just don't think any word or phrase is Earth
shattering
as the PC among us believe. I have no desire to hurt anybody's feelings
but
neither will I let their illogical assumptions unreasonably limit my
choice of
words. I wish I could offer some good Jewish joke to illustrate my point
but
none come to mind.

There are very few subtketies with the phrase, unless you're uneducated.