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| {{Short description|Colloquial term typically applied to a white Zimbabwean or expatriate Rhodesian}} | |||
| {{confused|War Machine|Rhody (disambiguation)}} | |||
| {{refimprove|date=August 2013}} | |||
| {{italic title}} | |||
| '''''Rhodie''''' is a ] term typically applied to a ] or expatriate ]n. | |||
| ==Origins of the term== | ==Origins of the term== | ||
| The term ''Rhodie'' was first used by British Army and civil service personnel in ] (renamed Zimbabwe in 1980) during the period between the ] of December 1979 and the formal independence of Zimbabwe in April 1980.<ref>{{cite news|last=Hoggart|first=Simon|title=Ironing the lawn in Salisbury, Rhodesia|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/1980/feb/09/zimbabwe.simonhoggart|accessdate=9 August 2013|newspaper=The Guardian|date=9 February 1980|quote=Even the British squaddies look with faint contempt on the Rhodesians (or 'Rhodies' as they sometimes call them; military slang mushrooms overnight).}}</ref> The term was initially applied to all ]. After independence, the term began to be applied increasingly to those whites who were nostalgic for the past.<ref>{{cite news|last=Unendoro|first=Benedict|title=ZIMBABWE: Poor whites hit hard times|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080220214515/http://www.theshebeen.org/governance-democracy/85-zimbabwe-poor-whites-hit-hard-times.html|publisher=The Shebeen|date=16 August 2007|url=http://www.theshebeen.org/governance-democracy/85-zimbabwe-poor-whites-hit-hard-times.html|archivedate=20 February 2008|accessdate=9 August 2013|newspaper=]|quote='Rhodies' – as whites who long for the old pre-Zimbabwe days of white-ruled Rhodesia are known – called such white people '******boeties' and despised them.}}</ref> The nostalgia a ''Rhodie'' feels relates particularly to the ] era (1965 to 1979), in which they fought significant socialist and communist insurgencies, and during which the predominantly white government, headed by the Prime Minister ], declared independence from Britain in an attempt to prevent any commitment to a set timetable regarding black majority rule. The UDI project ended in the ] of the 1970s, fought between the ] and the communist-backed black nationalist insurgents of the ] (ZANLA) and the ] (ZIPRA).<ref name=Longworth>{{cite news|last=Longworth|first=Peter|title=Dark hearts|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2004/sep/11/featuresreviews.guardianreview4|accessdate=9 August 2013|newspaper=The Guardian|date=11 September 2004|quote=For the leftovers of Ian Smith's killing machine who people Fuller's new book, the past is all there is. Yesterday's world had rules of engagement. Remaindered from the Rhodesian war, all they have now is their ghosts inadequately repressed by extreme religion, alcohol, purple pills or a penchant for tearing down bars. Don't believe these guys don't exist. Spot them at the end of a Harare Rhodie bar or even worse stumbling towards you across the terrace of a bush hotel and it's time to grab the bill.}} Review: ''Scribbling the Cat'' by ].</ref> | |||
| The term was first used by British army and civil service personnel in Rhodesia (the pre-independence name for Zimbabwe) during the period immediately before the country's independence.<ref>{{cite news|last=Hoggart|first=Simon|title=Ironing the lawn in Salisbury, Rhodesia|url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/1980/feb/09/zimbabwe.simonhoggart|accessdate=9 August 2013|newspaper=The Guardian|date=9 February 1980|quote=Even the British squaddies look with faint contempt on the Rhodesians (or 'Rhodies' as they sometimes call them; military slang mushrooms overnight).}}</ref> | |||
| The term was initially applied to all ] Rhodesians. After independence, the term began to be applied increasingly to those Rhodesians who were nostalgic for the past. The nostalgia a Rhodie feels relates particularly to the ] era (1965 to 1979) during which time the country's white population, led by the government of ], declared independence from Britain while denying political aspirations to the majority black population. The UDI regime in Rhodesia sought to perpetuate a semi-colonial system in which whites controlled the political system. The UDI project ended in a civil war fought between the white government and black insurgents. | |||
| ==Current usage of the term== | ==Current usage of the term== | ||
| ===Implications of racism and violence=== | ===Implications of racism and violence=== | ||
| Usage of the term ''Rhodie'' changed further in post-independence Zimbabwe. It began to be applied to a white Zimbabwean of |
Usage of the term ''Rhodie'' changed further in post-independence Zimbabwe. It began to be applied to a white Zimbabwean regardless of ethnic descent or country of origin. An image published in '']'' in 1984 showed a poster near Harare reading "Private Party Invitation Only No Drugs No Rhodies No Racists No Troublemakers Allowed on These Premises".<ref>{{cite news|last=Godwin|first=Peter|title=Whose Kith and Kin Now?|url=http://www.maryellenmark.com/text/magazines/london_sunday_times/904G-000-005.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20040805050335/http://www.maryellenmark.com/text/magazines/london_sunday_times/904G-000-005.html|archivedate=5 August 2004|newspaper=The Sunday Times Magazine|date=25 March 1984|accessdate=9 August 2013|quote=When Prince Charles visits Zimbabwe this weekend he will find a nation still divided four years after independence. But now the divisions run deepest within the dwindling white community between young permissive trendies and fervent 'born-again' evangelists, between those who prefer to be African rather than European and those who can't wait for a stamp on their emigration applications.}}</ref> | ||
| A Rhodie is invariably a white person and his/her characteristics are typically assumed to be: | |||
| * a belief in the superiority of whites over blacks | |||
| * a tendency to indulge in alcohol | |||
| * an inclination towards occasional violence.<ref>{{cite news|last=Longworth|first=Peter|title=Dark hearts|url=http://www.theguardian.com/books/2004/sep/11/featuresreviews.guardianreview4|accessdate=9 August 2013|newspaper=The Guardian|date=11 September 2004|quote=For the leftovers of Ian Smith's killing machine who people Fuller's new book, the past is all there is. Yesterday's world had rules of engagement. Remaindered from the Rhodesian war, all they have now is their ghosts inadequately repressed by extreme religion, alcohol, purple pills or a penchant for tearing down bars. Don't believe these guys don't exist. Spot them at the end of a Harare Rhodie bar or even worse stumbling towards you across the terrace of a bush hotel and it's time to grab the bill.}} Review: ''Scribbling the Cat'' by ].</ref> | |||
| ====Rhodie bar==== | ====Rhodie bar==== | ||
| A Rhodie bar is an establishment frequented by ''Rhodies'' and is often decorated with memorabilia of the UDI era and the ].<ref name=Longworth/> | |||
| {{main|Rhodie bar}} | |||
| A Rhodie bar is an establishment frequented by Rhodies and is often decorated with memorabilia of the UDI era and the ]. Such establishments, in pubs, restaurants and hotels, can be found in most Zimbabwean towns and there are several in ]n towns such as ] where concentrations of Rhodesian expatriates live. There is at least one claimed Rhodie bar in England.<ref>{{cite web|title=Welcome to The Crown Hotel|url=http://www.crown-hotel.info/the-crown-hotel.html|accessdate=9 August 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Bar Menu|url=http://www.crown-hotel.info/pages/barmenu.html|publisher=Crown Hotel|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070403024615/http://www.crown-hotel.info/pages/barmenu.html|archivedate=3 April 2007|accessdate=9 August 2013}}</ref> | |||
| ===Implications of lower-class=== | |||
| The term Rhodie can also carry social connotations. During the period after independence, about two thirds of Zimbabwe's white population left the country. Those remaining tended to fall into two distinct categories. Firstly, there were individuals of high social status possessing professional skills and property which would enable them to survive in the new order. Secondly, there were individuals of low social status lacking the skills or qualities needed to emigrate. This last group were the main losers from independence and many of them became Rhodies.<ref>The Shebeen :</ref> | |||
| The term Rhodie is used throughout the English-speaking world. It tends to be used in Commonwealth countries as the equivalent of the American term ''redneck''. It is occasionally applied to a person with no Zimbabwean connections, carrying connotations of a conservative world view and boorish behaviour.{{Citation needed|date=November 2011}} | |||
| ===Use as endearment=== | |||
| Expatriate Rhodesians outside Zimbabwe often describe each other affectionately as Rhodies. These people do not generally exhibit the characteristics indicated above. | |||
| ===Short for Rhodesian Ridgeback=== | |||
| Used among dog owners for the Rhodesian Ridgeback breed. | |||
| ===Use as a nickname=== | |||
| Short for the surname Rhoden, Rhodes, and Rhode. Used as a term of endearment without racial implications. | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| ===Contrary term Zimbo=== | |||
| *] | |||
| The term ''Zimbo'' is nowadays applied to a white Zimbabwean with a more racially equal outlook. A Rhodie will often describe a Zimbo as a ''kaffir boetie'' (meaning brother of a black person) because of the Zimbo view that blacks are equal to whites. The word '']'' is derived from ] where its original meaning was a "heathen", or a non-believer in an ] (where as, an ] is a non-believer in Allah).{{Citation needed|date=July 2012}} It has been used as an extremely derogatory slur to describe sub-Saharan Africans.{{Citation needed|date=November 2011}} | |||
| == References == | == References == | ||
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Latest revision as of 08:45, 5 September 2024
Colloquial term typically applied to a white Zimbabwean or expatriate Rhodesian Not to be confused with War Machine or Rhody (disambiguation). | This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Rhodie" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (August 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Rhodie is a colloquial term typically applied to a white Zimbabwean or expatriate Rhodesian.
Origins of the term
The term Rhodie was first used by British Army and civil service personnel in Rhodesia (renamed Zimbabwe in 1980) during the period between the Lancaster House Agreement of December 1979 and the formal independence of Zimbabwe in April 1980. The term was initially applied to all white Zimbabweans. After independence, the term began to be applied increasingly to those whites who were nostalgic for the past. The nostalgia a Rhodie feels relates particularly to the UDI era (1965 to 1979), in which they fought significant socialist and communist insurgencies, and during which the predominantly white government, headed by the Prime Minister Ian Smith, declared independence from Britain in an attempt to prevent any commitment to a set timetable regarding black majority rule. The UDI project ended in the Bush War of the 1970s, fought between the Rhodesian Security Forces and the communist-backed black nationalist insurgents of the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) and the Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA).
Current usage of the term
Implications of racism and violence
Usage of the term Rhodie changed further in post-independence Zimbabwe. It began to be applied to a white Zimbabwean regardless of ethnic descent or country of origin. An image published in The Sunday Times Magazine in 1984 showed a poster near Harare reading "Private Party Invitation Only No Drugs No Rhodies No Racists No Troublemakers Allowed on These Premises".
Rhodie bar
A Rhodie bar is an establishment frequented by Rhodies and is often decorated with memorabilia of the UDI era and the Rhodesian Bush War.
See also
References
- Hoggart, Simon (9 February 1980). "Ironing the lawn in Salisbury, Rhodesia". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
Even the British squaddies look with faint contempt on the Rhodesians (or 'Rhodies' as they sometimes call them; military slang mushrooms overnight).
- Unendoro, Benedict (16 August 2007). "ZIMBABWE: Poor whites hit hard times". IWPR. The Shebeen. Archived from the original on 20 February 2008. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
'Rhodies' – as whites who long for the old pre-Zimbabwe days of white-ruled Rhodesia are known – called such white people '******boeties' and despised them.
- ^ Longworth, Peter (11 September 2004). "Dark hearts". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
For the leftovers of Ian Smith's killing machine who people Fuller's new book, the past is all there is. Yesterday's world had rules of engagement. Remaindered from the Rhodesian war, all they have now is their ghosts inadequately repressed by extreme religion, alcohol, purple pills or a penchant for tearing down bars. Don't believe these guys don't exist. Spot them at the end of a Harare Rhodie bar or even worse stumbling towards you across the terrace of a bush hotel and it's time to grab the bill.
Review: Scribbling the Cat by Alexandra Fuller. - Godwin, Peter (25 March 1984). "Whose Kith and Kin Now?". The Sunday Times Magazine. Archived from the original on 5 August 2004. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
When Prince Charles visits Zimbabwe this weekend he will find a nation still divided four years after independence. But now the divisions run deepest within the dwindling white community between young permissive trendies and fervent 'born-again' evangelists, between those who prefer to be African rather than European and those who can't wait for a stamp on their emigration applications.
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