Things You Probably Wouldn't Do If You Knew What They Meant...

**SteyrAUG** · 03-16-13, 01:20

1. Wedding rings - I know every wedding you go to you have to listen to some stupid vow about how the ring is a perfect circle and thus a symbol for undying love without end or beginning or some nonsense to that effect. The reality is they are a symbol of bondage in the Judeo / Christian tradition. And by bondage I mean slavery not promises of S&M fun and games.

"You are consecrated to me with this ring according to the law of Moses and Israel."

Basically it was almost the symbol of a slave and the wife was bound to remind her of ownership. The modern practice of men wearing wedding rings only goes back to WWII. The practice of diamond engagement rings for women only goes back to the 1930s in popular use.

2. Mortgage - Just translate the word "death pledge" or "death contract." People will claim it means the "contract dies" when it is fulfilled but the actual usage was more like "pay or die" and you pledged your very life to repay the debt.

3. Polish Jokes - Sure they are funny and they have prior origins but they are largely the product of Nazi propaganda to justify actions in Poland and promote Poles as inferior to other Europeans. Ironically the poles seem to have invented the delayed roller lock bolt design that would be captured by the Germans and used in the MG42 and the later HK designs and the Poles were the first to break German enigma codes and share them with the allies.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enigma_machine

The Polish Cipher Bureau first broke Germany's military Enigma ciphers in December 1932. Five weeks before the outbreak of World War II, on 25 July 1939, they presented their Enigma-decryption techniques and equipment to French and British military intelligence in Warsaw.

**No.6** · 03-16-13, 09:19

You sure know how to take the fun out of it....

Not quite sure how my wife is going to take to the idea she's "owned" by me.

Payed off my mortgage a couple of years back, and yes, it nearly killed me!

Down this end of the world, it's not Polish jokes, but Aggie jokes.

Keep up the interesting posts. You never know what you'll learn.

**Armati** · 03-16-13, 10:29

Don't know about the wedding rings. In highly conservative country of Afghanistan men do wear wedding rings and have done so traditionally. I have no idea how far back this tradition goes but Afghans are not really given to fads.

**MountainRaven** · 03-16-13, 12:41

My High School Latin teacher (late of the 75th Ranger Reg't and professor of Latin, Ancient Greek, and the Classics at the local university) taught us that wedding rings were worn by both men and women in ancient Rome. And that the wedding and divorce proceedings basically boiled down to everyone in town showing up at the town square, the mayor saying, "these two are married/divorced", and then everyone went on their merry way.

In any case, I'm not fond of rings on the fingers, for any reason. Too much that can go wrong with them... going down drains, tearing off or breaking fingers, &c.

**Cagemonkey** · 03-16-13, 13:04

Very interesting info. What is it about Europeans wearing their wedding rings on their right hand? Anyone know?

**SteyrAUG** · 03-16-13, 13:45

Originally Posted by Cagemonkey

Very interesting info. What is it about Europeans wearing their wedding rings on their right hand? Anyone know?

Robin Harris answered this one. If you wear the ring on the wrong hand it's because you married the wrong damn woman.

**SteyrAUG** · 03-16-13, 13:47

Originally Posted by No.6

Not quite sure how my wife is going to take to the idea she's "owned" by me.

Just use the information to segway into some S&M play.

**Jellybean** · 03-16-13, 14:56

Originally Posted by SteyrAUG

3. Polish Jokes - Sure they are funny and they have prior origins but they are largely the product of Nazi propaganda to justify actions in Poland and promote Poles as inferior to other Europeans. Ironically the poles seem to have invented the delayed roller lock bolt design that would be captured by the Germans and used in the MG42 and the later HK designs and the Poles were the first to break German enigma codes and share them with the allies.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enigma_machine

The Polish Cipher Bureau first broke Germany's military Enigma ciphers in December 1932. Five weeks before the outbreak of World War II, on 25 July 1939, they presented their Enigma-decryption techniques and equipment to French and British military intelligence in Warsaw.

And damn proud of it.
But I still think polish jokes, blonde jokes, and just about any racial or stereotypical jokes are still hilarious.

Besides, if you've been around Polish people, you'll start to believe some of the jokes...

Rings on fingers- I thought that meant something else.....
Still a rotten idea- I agree with Fjallhrafn. I knew a guy who got his caught in a chain link fence- it wasn't fun for him....

**Honu** · 03-16-13, 15:45

working on sail boats we always took off excess jewelry
seen a few messed up fingers and hands on boats !

had a tourist rip off his finger one time ! bummer he was a surgeon he was trying to kinda swim up out of the water and grab the edge of the boat and it got caught on the railing edge he could not hold his weight so he let go but his ring caught and just bent it back and popped it right off !