"Pretty Fly" - Just an insult, or what?

[Prinz Eugen]

Just wondering, from a thread on the AMV that mentioned an older song called "Pretty Fly (for a white guy.)" Personally, I never really got into the song because I always considered the title phrase to be a kind of mildly offensive put-down at least, and at most overtly racist.

Consider the structure:

"You're pretty [ADJECTIVE] for a [COLLECTIVE NOUN]"

I can't think of any phrase that doesn't fall between the range of a back-handed complement and a really discriminatory insult.

Example: "You're pretty smart for a lowlander."

What do you infer about how the speaker feels about the geographic class 'lowlander?'
I think it's prejudice; in this example it says, "Because of where you are from, you must be less competent than I should otherwise expect - and I formulate that opinion even before** I get a chance to see you work, or get to know you otherwise."

(** and that's the pre- part of prejudice.)

Anyways, I'm interested in how others react to phrases like that.

[melchizedek]

Meh, it doesn't bother me.  It's not like said song is insulting. 
I think on mad tv or one of those shows they did a mock of http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4oiIXfeLn4

that's funny, but the humor is a bit off to me.  So long as it's not serious.  I'm a little bit annoyed at people that like to constantly draw racial boundaries though.  My friend got beat up fairly bad by some dark skinned individually that he played basketball with.  They provoked him, he got angry and all of them jumped him.

[BigGuy]

that particular song is really just pointing out that some people are pretenders. It's actually pretty funny to me.

[RemSaverem]

I understand where you're coming from, but agree with Beau about this song, which really is mocking wanna-be's. And ya gotta love the Yiddishkeit-beladen, spot-on spoof thereof by, who else? Weird Al Yankovich: Pretty Fly (for a Rabbi). I tried to see if youtube had a Weird Al video for it, but instead found someone had done a match-up of the Offspring's original video and Al's lyrics. It's pretty funny:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHNj6-scD6I&feature=related

BTW, anyone wants to know any of the Yiddish therein, just ask

[jaybug]

Dunno, sounds like a bunch of kvetching to me. And, aren't they all a bunch of putzes and schmucks? oi vay!

[RemSaverem]

 

[Prinz Eugen]

Hey, I count as both Goy and Gai-jin by the respective cultures which use those terms, BUT I still like Gefilte fisch and am VERY PROUD of the folks who stand up and celebrate Hanukkah!

[Hidamari]

I love that song so much.

[EveofAbyss]

Just on the topic of Yiddish and "Goys", I'd suggest looking up Voltaire's "Coin Operated Goi", lol

[soundninja12]

I think it's rather insulting when people say prejudice things like that, but in certain cases it's just so they can quickly pull back a compliment.
I once had a guy say to me:
"You really are pretty smart"
but quickly saved himself by adding:
"For a girl"
That was a while ago, but it was pretty funny.
So I took that as a compliment, but in cases it seems to only be an insult.