is it racist

to call japanese people 'japs'

 

It didn't used to be, but it is now. Really, anything that acknowledges race in a way that isn't overly clunky and formal is racist nowadays unless it's to refer to Caucasians. I think the correct term is just "Japanese" in the same way that you would call someone from Korea a Korean, but even then it feels racist to say something like, "I met a few Japanese at a bar yesterday and long story short, they sure knew how to do cocaine out of a stripper's Darth Vader helmet." Really though, I think the idea that words can be racist is ridiculous. Can't we all just be nice to each other regardless of what words we use and call people racists if that's what their actions indicate rather than their language?

Also, Japanese isn't a race. It's a nationality and an ethniticy. The word you're looking for is either "originist" or "ethnist," both of which were stuck firmly inside of my butt until a few moments ago.

 

No, but you shouldn't say it.

 

yeah it is you cauc

 

If you have to stop and think about it, chances are it is.

 

I was genuinely curious ):

Because it's okay to call people from Scotland 'Scots' and people call Amercians 'Yanks' and such

 

Asking genuine questions is okay. It's how we learn.

This is a case of history determining the usage. I hear Americans being called "Yanks" by British soldiers in WW2 movies and Docus. And overall, it's okay because they were our Allies and we've gotten along pretty okay with the Brits since the Revolution. Not terribly certain of Scottish history but I assume they're okay with it since at least one Queen called herself 'Mary of Scots'.

"Japs" has a more unfortunate history tied to it. WW2 era America was...not a nice place to anyone that wasn't a white male. We didn't like the Jewish people that much. And our country was still segregated.

And then Pearl Harbor happened. Any person of Asian descent was rounded up and put into concentration camps. Because 'those dirty Japs' couldn't be trusted. And really, they were kind of treated poorly before Pearl Harbor, working on the railroads in horrendous conditions, like the Irish.

It's kind of like how you don't hear Germans referred to as 'Krauts' these days, apart from WW2 era movies. It became sort of a slur.

Do the terms exist? Yes. Should you use them? Probably not.

 

Agreed. It's like the N word -- ending in either "er" or "ah." It's definitely an insult, but people of any color also use it to refer to someone as their best friend.

 

who would actually be offended by being called an abbreviation of their country of origin

what the ****

 

This.

 

Well, plenty of people are offended by the term "Board of Mental ******ation and Developmental Disabilities" even though it's just what the conditions that the board deals with providing accommodations for are called. It got to the point where last year my county's Board of MRDD changed its name to "Board of Developmental Disabilities." It's not that big a stretch to assume that people would be offended by an accurate description of where they come from.

 

If somebody calls me a yank I'll yank their fuckin' junk off

 

Words have history, and sometimes those histories are brutal. You can't ignore context when it comes to offense.

 

when you have **** like this, it's hard to see how someone wouldn't be offended.

 

Promise?

 

Is there any racist terms for Canadians?

 

You racist.

 

ya syrup sippin moose matin bagged milk drinkin mounties

 

You neglected any mention of hockey, poutine, and/or politeness. I'm sorry, but I'm disappointed.

EDIT

So, I Googled racist terms for Canadians. I think my favourite item on the list was "maple sucker". Or Gord, a common Canadian name. I know three Gords.