Is "the small people" un-American?
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When Carl-Henric Svanberg raised such a fuss yesterday by explaining that at BP "we care about the small people", my first reaction was that he should have known better than to bring up the whole size thing, or for that matter the whole caring thing. But my second reaction was to wonder about contemporary American expressions for ordinary people.
The most obvious phrase, I think, is "ordinary people". It's roughly 25 times more common than "small people" in terms of raw frequency (1475 hits vs. 60 hits in the COCA corpus), and a majority of the instances of "small people" are literal references to people's height, or other irrelevant categories: "Small people can bend easier, with less low-back pain"; "I had a little Lilliputian hallucination. I saw very small people, pink people, before a migraine"; "Ellen, as a petite person herself, felt strongly that small people should avoid perkiness at all costs".
Of course, the phrase "small people" can be used in American Englsih to mean "ordinary people". But to a surprising extent, it seems to be used to refer to such people in other countries, often in quotations from people in other countries. The first five COCA hits (in the relevant meaning) are:
Brecht argues in the play that "everybody is responsible, even the small people."
"…so many of his donors are these small people who are sending checks for $50, $100" [from a story about Obama's 2008 campaign]
"… when you have the government and you have the multinational, it's very hard for small people like us to win." [from a story about farmers in rural Ireland]
"Some of us small people were always tired of the war, " says Bompa-Turay. [from a story about Sierra Leone]
"… involving the masses, the workers, the small people, but the movement was led by the middle class sons and daughters." [from a story about Indonesia]
So I checked the New York Times index. Since 1981, the phrase "ordinary people" has occurred in 5,036 articles. In the first 50 that I checked (eliminating references to the movie Ordinary People and other irrelevancies), 33 (or 66%) referred to people in the U.S., or to humanity in general, while the remaining 34% referred to other countries.
In comparison, the phrase "small people" occurred in 219 articles — a 23-to-1 ratio similar to the pattern in COCA. Again, a majority of the hits were not relevant, referring to children or to people of small stature. But the first 50 instances meaning "common or ordinary people" included just 20 cases (40%) that referred to people in the U.S., while 30 referred to people elsewhere in the world.
So there's some regression to the mean, relative to the small sample cited from COCA, but it remains true that 60% of "small people" references were non-American, while only 34% of "ordinary people" references were.
Generalizing from this, it occurred to me that it might be somewhat un-American to use the whole metaphor of size to refer to social prominence. However, a quick check of the phrase "little people" disproves this hypothesis.
The NYT index since 1981 has 1,128 results for "little people". In addition to references to children, short adults, and miniature figurines, this phrase is often used to mean "fairies" or similar imaginary creatures. But of the first 50 hits that mean "ordinary as opposed to prominent people", 40 (80%) refer to Americans.
A sample:
In a movement that has become nationally synonymous with the struggle between little people and corporate power, however, not all of the those seeking to preserve one of the city's oldest neighborhoods are still hopeful of victory.
"I imagine Reagan cares, but let's face it, he has more contact with the big people than the little people."
The film tells the story of the stock market manipulators and financiers as well as the little people affected by the crash.
Tammy Wynette, the country singer, told a crowd of 2,000 people Monday night that the [Wallace] campaign was a battle between the little people and the wealthy.
Walk-ins are a reproach, says this practical, entertaining guide – an ambulatory reminder that banks need the little people just about as much as the little people need banks. And most bankers don't go into their profession to be reminded they need little people.
"All these little people who have their little businesses are the heart of Winter Park."
"He didn't do anything he promised. He really cares about big business, not about little people." [about Reagan]
So would Mr. Svanberg have been OK if he'd said "we care about the little people" rather than "we care about the small people"?
I doubt it. As I said, it seems to me that BP would do well to stay away from the whole caring thing, and focus on the oil-leak thing.
daemian mack said,
June 17, 2010 @ 9:58 am
I assumed he meant 'little guy', as in "Megacorps v. The Little Guy", especially since this issue has been framed as a giant corporation wantonly crushing the livelihood of the common man.
That would be a pretty easy idiom to get wrong in precisely this way… not that trying to re-parse his original statement to make this clear would probably have any benefit.
Alen Mathewson said,
June 17, 2010 @ 10:03 am
With over 25% of of pension funds having an investment in BP, lots of ordinary/small people are very concerned at the way many in the US are whipping this up and harshening the consequences of the leak. If reporting in the US was calmer, then BP could indeed focus on the 'oil-leak thing' and stop having to worry about the 'whole caring' thing.
On this side of the pond, we're looking forward to President Obama finding a suitable 'ass to kick' at Union Carbide now that their environmental disaster enquiry has reported.
D said,
June 17, 2010 @ 10:08 am
As some Swedish commentators have suggested, it might be more than a linguistical mistake. The suggestion is that in American culture, no one wants to be the small/little people, as self-sufficiency and independence are valued extremely highly in American culture. As seen in the earlier post about this subject, it is a tad different in Sweden.
One thing I have noted while following American politics is that politicians always talk about the middle classes, and almost never lower classes or other variants, even when referring to obviously poor people.
[(myl) It was for similar reasons that I wondered whether the whole "income = size" metaphor was somewhat un-American. But I think the little experiment on "little people" calls that idea seriously into question.]
Chris said,
June 17, 2010 @ 10:26 am
This reminds me of a political ad that U.S. Senate candidate Steve Novick ran in Oregon in 2008:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFX1TCK_PS8
The ad highlights the candidate's short stature and ends with a pledge that he will "fight for the little guy". (It also illustrates a creative way to work in the legally-required "I approve this message" verbiage.)
Jen said,
June 17, 2010 @ 10:34 am
I'd also suggest "the little guy" as the appropriate translation. Because less linguistically jarring it might not cause such a kerfuffle. But in a charged environment it might still be a little dangerous for a BP representative to use it–to me it defines a certain degree of opposition between said little guy and an oppressive external force. In this case…BP. Exactly the impression Svanberg is trying to negate.
dw said,
June 17, 2010 @ 10:36 am
"Little people" makes me think of Leona Helmsley's infamous alleged quote: "Only the little people pay taxes".
dw said,
June 17, 2010 @ 10:58 am
@Alec Matthewson:
May I help you? You appear to be lost. This is Language Log. I think you want The Daily Telegraph.
Jonathan Badger said,
June 17, 2010 @ 11:15 am
While "the little people" might be a relatively common phrase in US Eng, at least in my experience, it is generally used in an ironic sense. to imply a Marie-Antoinette style disdain for the masses.
The "little guys", while seemingly the same phrase, is more positive. People like to claim they are are the "little guy" fighting against big business or the government — even if they are millionaire CEOs and not working class.
[(myl) That's more or less what I thought. But quotations and other usage in the New York Times, anyhow, doesn't bear this out. The examples cited in the post above are a characteristic sample, and I don't think that any of them are expressing "ironic … disdain for the masses".
This impression may arise because the (apparently relatively rare) instances of it, like the infamous Leona Helmsley quote, are so psychologically salient. (See "Maid testifies Helmsley denied paying taxes", NYT 7/12/1089) ]
Andrew said,
June 17, 2010 @ 11:34 am
Try "everyday Americans" or "ordinary Americans." Or "working people", "working class people", or "American working families." And of course, more recently the rise of "Main Street" as opposed to "Wall Street" carries the same implication. Those are the usual newsy phrases that mean the same thing, or the ones politicians use when campaigning or talking about who they're "fighting for." It comes to the same thing. But Svanberg's usage was grating, and smells of European aristocracy.
Mike Anderson said,
June 17, 2010 @ 11:42 am
Let's hear it for the Little Guy; we're not all destined to be bigshots.
It's alright to be little bitty
A little hometown or a big old city
Might as well share, might as well smile
Life goes on for a little bitty while.
–Tom T Hall
Joe said,
June 17, 2010 @ 12:05 pm
I'm not a native Swedish speaker and I am more familiar with the other Nordic languages, but I don't think a Swede would use "den lilla människan" in this exact context. I think partly it is the difficulty of using "the small people" as a complement of "care" in an affirmative sense. Who cares for the small people? is fine, as is "they think we don't care about the small people." Saying, "I/we care about the small people" would be a bit much, I would think. Maybe a populist could get away with it in a David and Goliath type scenario, but it would be difficult for a Goliath to pull off. I also think it is difficult to use the phrase with a particular group of people in mind. I did not think the phrase "den lilla människan" in the Språkbanken corpus referred to the people involved in the law suit but to the generic "little guy." In a context where people's livelihoods are going to be destroyed, "the little people" can obviously be taken to them. Together, I think these make the comment sound condenscending, and I think a native speaker would avoit it (I'll cut Svanberg some slack, however, because he is not a native speaker of English).
I think Svanberg could have got away with it had he said, People think Big Oli don't care about the little people, but we care deeply about the men and women whose lives will be adversely affected . . . The first is generic, the second specific. Again, I might be wrong about this, but I would be curious to know if a Swede would ever use
"den lilla människan" in a context where it might actually be understood to actually refer to people.
Mary Kuhner said,
June 17, 2010 @ 12:26 pm
I cannot help wondering whether there is even a single person at BP making a decision whether to work on oil-spill issues or PR issues. I doubt it. The skill sets seem completely skew. So, I don't think that the PR crisis can really be distracting BP from dealing with the oil spill; they have engineers to do engineering, and PR specialists to do PR, and can't interchange them anyway.
Does anyone with more knowledge of large oil companies have concrete data on this?
The legitimate question, I think, is whether intense hostile scrutiny leads to more deniability-based decisionmaking (because deniability is more important) or less (because it's more difficult). As a member of a big organization that was recently found to be engaging in illegal practices, I'd say that deniability-seeking runs rampant in either case, and the firestorm is helpful precisely because it makes the task more difficult and less likely to succeed.
Dan Lufkin said,
June 17, 2010 @ 12:33 pm
As someone who's lived in Sweden and often works in ärans och hjältarnas språk — the language of honor and of heroes — I'm struck by how basic Svanberg's English seems. Plenty of Swedes of his class have almost no accent in English but Svanberg sounds like a fugitive from a Garrison Keillor sketch. I can't think of any Swedish expression he could be channeling.
Well, it could have been Matthew 18:6 [But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.], where the Swedish reads: Vilken som förarger en av dessa små …. (Anyone who offends one of these little ones…). Or maybe not, although I like the millstone idea.
D said,
June 17, 2010 @ 1:01 pm
To Joe: You might have a point there about using "den lilla människan" to refer to a generic non-specific group as opposed to a specified group of victims. Checking some more examples from Språkbanken, I could only find one example where the group is better defined:
Men det finns ju bara ett enda land i hela världen som har använt atomvapen i krig, och det var en demokrati. Då utsatte demokratin den civila befolkningen för det demokratin vill förhindra. Demokratin, som värnar om den lilla människan och hela jordens befolkning, bombade den lilla människan i Japan.
(In the context of democracy and nuclear weapons): Democracy, protecting and the population of the entire Earth, bombed in Japan
However, Svanberg's remarks were not that specific either I think, since they were referring to the BP's supposed caring in general.
D said,
June 17, 2010 @ 1:03 pm
Humm, it appears using the signs removes the enclosed text. This is what was supposed to be shown:
Democracy, protecting [den lilla människan] and the population of the entire Earth, bombed [den lilla människan] in Japan
Nijma said,
June 17, 2010 @ 1:24 pm
Small can also mean small-minded, petty, meanspirited, insignificant.
Mark Twain: “Keep away from those who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you believe that you too can become great.”
In the U.S., the "small/little people" are called "constituents".
Joe said,
June 17, 2010 @ 1:52 pm
@D,
I think if Svanberg had said the exact same thing a year ago, it would just be forgotten as corporate speak. But in the context of this disaster, it's hard not to make a more specific reference (and I don't think he meant to, I think either his language skills failed, or something. I think, however, he would be more aware of the problem if here speaking his native language. By the by, is the "den lilla människan i Japan" really meant figurativey here? It sounds like the author is being a bit playful, but my Swedish isn't good enough to tell.
D.O. said,
June 17, 2010 @ 1:57 pm
Prof. Liberman, you are as always on top of the game using statistical search to establish actual usage. But the bottom line seems questionable. Although "small people" is more often used as direct evidence to the actual physical size and, when used in the metaphorical sense of "ordinary people" (and of course, you can always find a demagogue who will insist that there are no ordinary people, everyone is unique), it is more frequently about foreigners than Americans, it is still within the normal usage and Mr. Svanberg should be left alone on this one (as opposed to "the oil-leak thing").
At the risk of sounding as a socket puppet for the Big Bad Oil Company, I must add that Mr. Svanberg and other big, extraordinary people were summoned to the White House about the "caring thing" not, for example, to the Chu's commission about the "leak thing".
[(myl) Actually, as I understand it, they were summoned to discuss the Money Thing.]
Nick Lamb said,
June 17, 2010 @ 2:22 pm
"focus on the oil-leak thing"
That girl's pregnant, but the baby's not due for a while yet. The best chance of fixing it involves a lot more drilling, which will take as long as it takes. Meanwhile, there are a LOT of managers, politicians, TV pundits and apparently bloggers with time to fill.
And then there's the chance we can't fix it anyway. Check out your nearest underground coal fire, sometimes when an accident happens there's nothing much you can do except evacuate and let nature take its course. At most you might hope to learn how to make future accidents less likely.
exackerly said,
June 17, 2010 @ 2:27 pm
When I heard the kerfuffle about "small people" I couldn't help humming "you got to pick them up just to say hello"…
(myl) Nice. There's even a Gulf Coast connection:
]
D said,
June 17, 2010 @ 2:41 pm
@Joe "By the by, is the "den lilla människan i Japan" really meant figurativey here? It sounds like the author is being a bit playful, but my Swedish isn't good enough to tell."
I didn't even realize it could be interpreted like that when I read it, but I am pretty sure it is meant figuratively, as the literal sense would be considered extremely inappropriate for a Swedish newspaper. The constant repeating of "den lilla människan" is probably just rhetorical.
Dennis Paul Himes said,
June 17, 2010 @ 7:36 pm
After Fred Harris did poorly in the 1976 Democratic New Hampshire primary, he joked, "I guess the little people weren't tall enough to reach the voting levers. Maybe next time we should provide stools."
Tom Beebe said,
June 17, 2010 @ 10:02 pm
What's the difference between "small people" and the "little guys" that our politicians are always standing up for?
[(myl) My impression is that the main incongruity is the idea of BP "standing up for the little guy", under any terminology. (See this blog post for a reaction in the form of song lyrics.) You'd have gotten a basically similar reaction if Goldman Sach's CEO, Lloyd Blankfein, had been stupid enough to make a statement after the Wall Street bail-out about how Goldman is all about caring for the little people. The fact that Svanberg used an unidiomatic expression just sharpened the reaction.]
Stina said,
June 17, 2010 @ 10:52 pm
"Demokratin, som värnar om den lilla människan och hela jordens befolkning, bombade den lilla människan i Japan."
I think that the first "den lilla människan" is meant in a general sense and the second "den lilla människan" is meant in a more literal sense. Not unlike Armstrong's "That's one small step for (a) man; one giant leap for mankind". Of cause he went from literal to general.
(Swedish and language layperson)
Adam said,
June 18, 2010 @ 4:43 am
Like some others here, I agree that "the little guy" or "(the) little guys" is normal AmE. I've never heard "small people" in this sense in any kind of English, though.
George said,
June 18, 2010 @ 6:15 am
I think there is a difference between 'little people' and the 'little guy.' 'The little guy' I think contrasts with 'big shots' and does not overlap with physical stature.
In any event, I agree that BP should stay away from the 'caring thing' and focus on 'responsibility.' 'Caring' is an attitude which is perceived as disingenuous.
Victor Mair said,
June 18, 2010 @ 10:25 am
From a Swedish friend:
Although Carl-Henrik Svanberg has not performed well during the BP oil catastrophe, I do feel a bit sorry for him regarding his remark about "small people," which seems to have created a bit of an uproar. As Svanberg is not a native English speaker, I am pretty sure that he in his mind hastily translated the Swedish expression "den lilla människan" (the small person) into the English "small people." While "small people" can be considered derogatory or insulting in English, "den lilla människan" is on the contrary an intimate, affectionate expression that juxtaposes man, not against his oppressors and exploiters, but against nature and the vast, unfathomable universe.
[(myl) With respect to your Swedish friend, consider what would happen if the chief executive of any other enormous corporation guilty of socially-destructive risk-taking — say Lloyd Blankfein of Goldman Sachs — made a public statement about how much his company sympathizes with the struggle of everyday people "again nature and the vast, unfathomable universe". The YouTube clip would get millions of views; every TV pundit from Jon Stewart to Glenn Beck would pile on; whatever exact expression Blankfein (hypothetically) used would become an instant catch-phrase, the "Don't tase me bro" of the year. In my opinion, Svanberg's main screw-up was content, not word-choice.
The fact that he used an unidiomatic term, I believe, saved him from a much worse public reaction.]
Mr Punch said,
June 19, 2010 @ 3:16 pm
The country music star Alan Jackson had a huge hit a decade ago with a song called "The Little Man," used positively in an economic sense.
muzaffar said,
June 20, 2010 @ 4:40 pm
"small people" are very Russian. :) Every pupil in the russian school had to write an essay about "A problem of a small man in russian classic literature"
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