The Greatest Shipbuilding Port in the World


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“NEVER”…funny how it’s called Sunderland then :lol:

This is not true. It was always ours
Get this - pre around 1975 to be generous, the term Mackem hadn’t been invented by the Mags. Folk like you jumped on the bandwagon, over the moon that they had introduced a derogative term to take the piss out of you. Those people then adopted the term Mackem as a source of pride to let outsiders know it meant you were from Sunderland. The real Tynesiders must have been laughing themselves to sleep.
I’ll never accept being called a Mackem because of the way I speak. I’m proud of my dialect and will never change it.Haway the Lads. I’ll be there early on Saturday. FTM
 
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Generally Mackems have always accepted it as their identity. Non Mackems seem to be the ones who have a problem with it. I find it hilarious that some people regard it as a slur invented by Geordies in the 1980s...those people who think that are not in the know.
Wrang, you're starting to sound like a 92 mag.
 
Get this - pre around 1975 to be generous, the term Mackem hadn’t been invented by the Mags. Folk like you jumped on the bandwagon, over the moon that they had introduced a derogative term to take the piss out of you. Those people then adopted the term Mackem as a source of pride to let outsiders know it meant you were from Sunderland. The real Tynesiders must have been laughing themselves to sleep.
I’ll never accept being called a Mackem because of the way I speak. I’m proud of my dialect and will never change it.Haway the Lads. I’ll be there early on Saturday. FTM

I didn’t jump on the bandwagon marra. I was always a Mackem brought up by Mackems. It’s funny that pit yackers think that they know more about this than people from Sunderland.

You don’t need to accept being called a Mackem because you’re not qualified to be a Mackem. While my forefathers were skilled artisans building and sending ships all around the world your unskilled ancestors were hacking away with chisels and marrying their cousins.

Please don’t call yourself a Mackem…we’re a superior breed and I wouldn’t want to detract from thar perception by having a bunch of pit yackers adopting the title.

All that said, you’re more than welcome to support our team in the absence of one of your own.
 
Generally Mackems have always accepted it as their identity. Non Mackems seem to be the ones who have a problem with it. I find it hilarious that some people regard it as a slur invented by Geordies in the 1980s...those people who think that are not in the know.

I was at Sunderland Poly from 1974 to 1977, in and around the town (as it was then) every day, and going to Roker Park throughout. I never once heard anyone describe themselves. or anyone else from Sunderland, as a Mackem. You're trying and failing to be authoritative on something you're actually too young to have lived through
 
Get this - pre around 1975 to be generous, the term Mackem hadn’t been invented by the Mags. Folk like you jumped on the bandwagon, over the moon that they had introduced a derogative term to take the piss out of you. Those people then adopted the term Mackem as a source of pride to let outsiders know it meant you were from Sunderland. The real Tynesiders must have been laughing themselves to sleep.
I’ll never accept being called a Mackem because of the way I speak. I’m proud of my dialect and will never change it.Haway the Lads. I’ll be there early on Saturday. FTM

I always find this a strange logic, regardless of who coined the term (and most start off as a dig of some sort, did you 'pick' your own nickname at school "Hey Lux, what shall thy be known as?"). If the origin is indeed from "Mack'em and Tack'em" then its a bizarre limp-wristed insult especially 50 years ago. So Sunderland "Mak" the ships (you, know the git big engineering effort with dozens of physically demanding trades), and then the Tynesiders "Tak" them and put the decor in, the furnishing, the carpets and curtains. Where is the insult in that?

What it did achieve was to further divide us from the historically far wider term 'Geordie', which the Hall Geordie Nation cemented, but unwittingly give us a clear identity which would have otherwise fell into something along the lines of "North-East but not geordie". It certainly beats "Monkey-hanger" or "Smoggie".
 
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I was at Sunderland Poly from 1974 to 1977, in and around the town (as it was then) every day, and going to Roker Park throughout. I never once heard anyone describe themselves. or anyone else from Sunderland, as a Mackem. You're trying and failing to be authoritative on something you're actually too young to have lived through
I was born before then and to a family who regarded themselves as Mackems who trace themselves back to Monkwearmouth Shore in the early 1800s.

You went to Poly and you were “in and around the town” but you’re an authority on the subject :lol:

You’re ignorant on the subject
I always find this a strange logic, regardless of who coined the term (and most start off as a dig of ome sort, did you 'pick' your own nicknmame as school "Hey Lux, what shall thy be known as?"). If the origin is indeed from "Mack'em and Tack'em" then its a bizarre limp-wristed insult especially 50 years ago. So Sunderland "Mak" the ships (you, know the git big engineering effort with dozens of physically demanding trades), and then the Tynesiders "Tak" them and put the decor in, the furnishing, the carpets and curtains. Where is the insult in that?

There isn’t an insult in it…ignorant Newcastle fans misappropriated it as an insult and that was the new and incorrect narrative. Pit yackers and Tyneside fans don’t like the idea of being branded with the slur and so they have adopted the incorrect narrative.
I always find this a strange logic, regardless of who coined the term (and most start off as a dig of some sort, did you 'pick' your own nickname at school "Hey Lux, what shall thy be known as?"). If the origin is indeed from "Mack'em and Tack'em" then its a bizarre limp-wristed insult especially 50 years ago. So Sunderland "Mak" the ships (you, know the git big engineering effort with dozens of physically demanding trades), and then the Tynesiders "Tak" them and put the decor in, the furnishing, the carpets and curtains. Where is the insult in that?

What it did achieve was to further divide us from the historically far wider term 'Geordie', which the Hall Geordie Nation cemented, but unwittingly give us a clear identity which would have otherwise fell into something along the lines of "North-East but not geordie". It certainly beats "Monkey-hanger" or "Smoggie".
Steve Cram, a geordie, said on Soccer AM that Mackem and Tackem comes from the fact that shipyard workers used to pinch (tack) from the shipyards. It’s a perfect example of how non-Mackems misinterpret something they don’t understand.

That we don’t bang on about being Mackems is the difference between ourselves and Geordies and explains why we go under the radar.
 
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I didn’t jump on the bandwagon marra. I was always a Mackem brought up by Mackems. It’s funny that pit yackers think that they know more about this than people from Sunderland.

You don’t need to accept being called a Mackem because you’re not qualified to be a Mackem. While my forefathers were skilled artisans building and sending ships all around the world your unskilled ancestors were hacking away with chisels and marrying their cousins.

Please don’t call yourself a Mackem…we’re a superior breed and I wouldn’t want to detract from thar perception by having a bunch of pit yackers adopting the title.

All that said, you’re more than welcome to support our team in the absence of one of your own.

Fuck me, 'superior breed' indeed, superior in talking complete shite is all I can discern from you. Have you published the mackem Mein Kampf yet?
 
I suspect that I'm of a similar vintage as Boris Bear. However, I'm not from Sunderland, I'm not really bothered whether folks choose to embrace "mackem" or not. All I know is that my grand dad, Sunderland born and bred and worked in The Forge his whole working life, took the word as an insult. For that reason alone, I tend not to use the word. I suspect that some of the older generations will still see it as an insult. My gran lived a lot longer and saw the word come into common parlance in a way he never did. No doubt through his influence, she also disliked the term. I can't recall hearing any of the Sunderland folks I know of my parents generation (all 70+ now) referring to themselves as Mackems.
 
I suspect that I'm of a similar vintage as Boris Bear. However, I'm not from Sunderland, I'm not really bothered whether folks choose to embrace "mackem" or not. All I know is that my grand dad, Sunderland born and bred and worked in The Forge his whole working life, took the word as an insult. For that reason alone, I tend not to use the word. I suspect that some of the older generations will still see it as an insult. My gran lived a lot longer and saw the word come into common parlance in a way he never did. No doubt through his influence, she also disliked the term. I can't recall hearing any of the Sunderland folks I know of my parents generation (all 70+ now) referring to themselves as Mackems.
My Dad would have been 81 this year and was a Mackem (apprenticed in the shipyards to his brother in law).

It’s clearly a matter of dispute but it wasn’t invented in the 1980s by Newcastle and some people are proud Mackems. Those who aren’t, well that’s fair enough.
 
This might be controversial on here but is just me who doesn't care much about ship building and SAFC, it was 40 years ago now and shut down 10 years+ before I was born. All my generation don't really care about it that much in a similar vain to pit building as we've moved on and tbh it's not something we'd ever want back as it's not exactly glamorous work. We do respect it though but no-more than say Joseph Swan who invented the lightbulb who was from Sunderland but I wouldn't want a large light bulb outside either. The club was never ever linked to it in anyway bar the badge for a period which is liked by a selection of the older support but not so much in the younger generation who will be support in the future - remember that.

When I think of Sunderland I'd think of Penshaw Monument and the Wearmouth Bridge which are both on our badge. Maybe could do something for Nissan but I'd understand that would be controversial but it's the equivalent nowadays.

It's the same with the argument about Mackem on here, it's nothing to do with SAFC. Our nick name is the black cats and has nothing to do with the club and I'll always correct people who try to call me one as I'm not one. I'm a Geordie and it's the same with the scum up the road who decided to try and take that as their name even known it's not - it's magpies.
 
My Dad would have been 81 this year and was a Mackem (apprenticed in the shipyards to his brother in law).

It’s clearly a matter of dispute but it wasn’t invented in the 1980s by Newcastle and some people are proud Mackems. Those who aren’t, well that’s fair enough.
It's not disputed, mags named us mackems and tackems because we say mackem and tackem. They also take the piss with weez keez a theez but wheezers or keezers isn't as catchy as Mackems so Mackems stuck. To claim differently is just ignorant.
This might be controversial on here but is just me who doesn't care much about ship building and SAFC, it was 40 years ago now and shut down 10 years+ before I was born. All my generation don't really care about it that much in a similar vain to pit building as we've moved on and tbh it's not something we'd ever want back as it's not exactly glamorous work. We do respect it though but no-more than say Joseph Swan who invented the lightbulb who was from Sunderland but I wouldn't want a large light bulb outside either. The club was never ever linked to it in anyway bar the badge for a period which is liked by a selection of the older support but not so much in the younger generation who will be support in the future - remember that.

When I think of Sunderland I'd think of Penshaw Monument and the Wearmouth Bridge which are both on our badge. Maybe could do something for Nissan but I'd understand that would be controversial but it's the equivalent nowadays.

It's the same with the argument about Mackem on here, it's nothing to do with SAFC. Our nick name is the black cats and has nothing to do with the club and I'll always correct people who try to call me one as I'm not one. I'm a Geordie and it's the same with the scum up the road who decided to try and take that as their name even known it's not - it's magpies.
And the inhabitants of newcastle are properly known as novocastrians not Geordies.
 
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It’s clearly a matter of dispute but it wasn’t invented in the 1980s by Newcastle and some people are proud Mackems.
My Grandfather didn't get to see much of the eighties before he died. For him to be aware of the word it must have been around in the 70s or earlier. As far as he was concerned, it originated in the Newcastle shipyards as an insult to those in the industry on the Wear. Language changes over time. Plenty of derogatory terms end up being embraced by those they were aimed at. However, that doesn't negate the fact that they started out as insults.
 
I always find this a strange logic, regardless of who coined the term (and most start off as a dig of some sort, did you 'pick' your own nickname at school "Hey Lux, what shall thy be known as?"). If the origin is indeed from "Mack'em and Tack'em" then its a bizarre limp-wristed insult especially 50 years ago. So Sunderland "Mak" the ships (you, know the git big engineering effort with dozens of physically demanding trades), and then the Tynesiders "Tak" them and put the decor in, the furnishing, the carpets and curtains. Where is the insult in that?

What it did achieve was to further divide us from the historically far wider term 'Geordie', which the Hall Geordie Nation cemented, but unwittingly give us a clear identity which would have otherwise fell into something along the lines of "North-East but not geordie". It certainly beats "Monkey-hanger" or "Smoggie".
I’m afraid your understanding of mak (us) and tak ( them) is totally wrong . In the 18th century Sunderland was well known as ‘ Canny auld Sun’land. Where they mak em and tak em , the salt o’ the earth. Describing the folk of Sunderland. Building the ships and taking them all over the world. Not to Tyneside!! We were famous for sea going me. And many ships captains living in Sunderland. Unfortunately, the busy port was the site of the first ever cholera case in uk. ps Tyneside do not say mak or tak and that’s where the derisory word Mackem came from.
 
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