Racism in Soccer

[mujjuman]

I was then informed that "Jap" is a racist slur, and I should use "Jp" to talk about Japan. I claimed that "Jap" does the job better, especially since it was the first time that had mentioned the team and that I meant nothing racist about it. I also mentioned that I intend to keep using the word "Jap" as an abbreviation of the word "Japan". I was labeled a racist and a slight argument broke out and it basically ended when I pretty much told him to go *** himself and I ignored him for the rest of the time because I thought he was being a high and mighty prick.

thats true... i used to use "japs" as an abbreviation for "japanese people" but i too found out that it was a racial slur. i just dont use it anymore. should i use " ja* " when typing that word or something?

another word used widely is the word "nig**" but it is used by black people and non black people who have close black friends (like me) or just some kids copying rap stars. is that word a racial slur? it might be, if you are not a close friend of the black person or if you really do mean it in a bad way. but the older form of that word, "ni**er" (notice the "-er") is def a racial slur, even if used among black people, it is viewed as bad.

for your situation, i think that you should have insisted MORE that you did not know that it was a racial slur and that you do not mean it that way. but if it DOES hurt feelings, i think you should have just not used it anymore. its like me calling some random person "nig**" and they get all mad about it because i dont know them AT ALL but i tell them to "fu** off" because i dont mean it in a bad way.

[I am Reid]

thats true... i used to use "japs" as an abbreviation for "japanese people" but i too found out that it was a racial slur. i just dont use it anymore. should i use " ja* " when typing that word or something?

another word used widely is the word "nig**" but it is used by black people and non black people who have close black friends (like me) or just some kids copying rap stars. is that word a racial slur? it might be, if you are not a close friend of the black person or if you really do mean it in a bad way. but the older form of that word, "ni**er" (notice the "-er") is def a racial slur, even if used among black people, it is viewed as bad.

for your situation, i think that you should have insisted MORE that you did not know that it was a racial slur and that you do not mean it that way. but if it DOES hurt feelings, i think you should have just not used it anymore. its like me calling some random person "nig**" and they get all mad about it because i dont know them AT ALL but i tell them to "fu** off" because i dont mean it in a bad way.

Not only do Jewish people get to be called Jews. They also, like Japanese people are called Japs sometimes, and im not joking about that.

[DreAming in DigITal]

thats true... i used to use "japs" as an abbreviation for "japanese people" but i too found out that it was a racial slur. i just dont use it anymore. should i use " ja* " when typing that word or something?

another word used widely is the word "nig**" but it is used by black people and non black people who have close black friends (like me) or just some kids copying rap stars. is that word a racial slur? it might be, if you are not a close friend of the black person or if you really do mean it in a bad way. but the older form of that word, "ni**er" (notice the "-er") is def a racial slur, even if used among black people, it is viewed as bad.

for your situation, i think that you should have insisted MORE that you did not know that it was a racial slur and that you do not mean it that way. but if it DOES hurt feelings, i think you should have just not used it anymore. its like me calling some random person "nig**" and they get all mad about it because i dont know them AT ALL but i tell them to "fu** off" because i dont mean it in a bad way.

Off Topic:

Should people really be calling each other Nigg*? Its it any better then the full word, if so why? I think they both sound uneducated and foolish. I don't care what color your skin is...

It sounds even worse when its a white guy...he's like "Yo Nigg* what up!"...and everyone around laughs at him for being the stupid white kid.

[TheDogsBed]

I was then informed that "Jap" is a racist slur, and I should use "Jp" to talk about Japan.

Just another example of political correctness taken to such a ludicrous degree that it becomes little more than child-like stupidity. I'm French, routinely get called a "Frog" by many who know me, and it doesn't bother me in the least.

Somewhere along the line, people forgot that individual words are just that. Any word in itself should not, could not, and must not, ever be seen as a slur, unless it has the clear physical context of ill-meaning put with its delivery. (Take some blacks calling each other "<< racial epithet >>" as an example.) Nobody can tell me that when they use the word towards one another it is meant as an offensive slur. On the contrary I'm led to believe. However, if I were to walk up to a black person and say "Christ, you f^$&"$ << racial epithet >>s" then clearly the context has changed and it's obvious to anyone that I mean to give it an offensive delivery. (I could almost bet that someone will even take offence to me using it in the above example, unless it's caught by the bad word filter first.)

It's for this reason that watching people call each other names over the Internet always amuses me. No matter how hard you try, you can't give it the malicious context. You can use UPPERCASE to shout it perhaps, maybe even add the odd f word here and there, but no matter what you do, it will always appear to the other person as just a word. They can't see what you are feeling, they can't hear your tone, etc. etc.

Personally, I say use whatever word you feel comfortable with. I do not believe, for one second, that every Japanese person would find the word Jap offensive, in the same way that I can say not every Frenchman finds the term Frog offensive. (Unless of course you were to walk upto me as a total stranger and maybe add the odd expletive with it.) Even then, I'd still have to examine the real context of it all. I'd be more inclined to think that you were barking mad!

People getting offended by words without taking the context into account is absolute and sheer stupidity, made even worse by the fact that in many cases the government not only supports it, but actively encourages it!

Edited June 20, 2006 by SniperX

[mujjuman]

Not only do Jewish people get to be called Jews. They also, like Japanese people are called Japs sometimes, and im not joking about that.

yeah, i used to call Jewish people "Jews" too, but NOT in a racial way. however, i still dont understand why "Jews" is a derogatory word....

"Jew" is to "Muslim" as "Jewish" is to "Islamic". we dont call Muslims "Islamics", we just call them Muslims. so i dont get why people think Jew is a racial word.

Off Topic:

Should people really be calling each other Nigg*? Its it any better then the full word, if so why? I think they both sound uneducated and foolish. I don't care what color your skin is...

It sounds even worse when its a white guy...he's like "Yo Nigg* what up!"...and everyone around laughs at him for being the stupid white kid.

i agree, i dont even use that word anymore. what people dont understand is that whether or not your putting the -er at the end of the word, its still derogatory, so they simply shouldnt use it.

and yes, i agree with your second statement as well.... its even weirder if a white person says it :no:

i think that "nigg*" is just slang for "ni**er" since many southerners pronounce words that have a suffix of -er as if it is just an -a.... for example, "southerner" would be pronounced as "sudunnas" and "Jennifer" would be pronounced like "Jennifa" ;)

eventually, the word "nigg*" was adopted i guess

[I am Reid]

yeah, i used to call Jewish people "Jews" too, but NOT in a racial way. however, i still dont understand why "Jews" is a derogatory word....

No, what i was saying is that some people call Jewish people Japs.

And yeah, not be able to use Jew is just dumb. Half of my family is Jewish, and I use the word Jew and they dont care.

[Guest]

Working for Peanuts and Bananas huh? I bet they earn more in a week than they do in a year.

[Jelly2003]

thats true... i used to use "japs" as an abbreviation for "japanese people" but i too found out that it was a racial slur. i just dont use it anymore. should i use " ja* " when typing that word or something?

another word used widely is the word "nig**" but it is used by black people and non black people who have close black friends (like me) or just some kids copying rap stars. is that word a racial slur? it might be, if you are not a close friend of the black person or if you really do mean it in a bad way. but the older form of that word, "ni**er" (notice the "-er") is def a racial slur, even if used among black people, it is viewed as bad.

for your situation, i think that you should have insisted MORE that you did not know that it was a racial slur and that you do not mean it that way. but if it DOES hurt feelings, i think you should have just not used it anymore. its like me calling some random person "nig**" and they get all mad about it because i dont know them AT ALL but i tell them to "fu** off" because i dont mean it in a bad way.

Well unless I had good reason to, I'd always watch what I say, but you'd think in a conversation between two non Japanese people it would be acceptable to use Jap (I mean there was no Japanese person involved in the conversation at all).

Just another example of political correctness taken to such a ludicrous degree that it becomes little more than child-like stupidity. I'm French, routinely get called a "Frog" by many who know me, and it doesn't bother me in the least.

HA HA! I remember working in the shopping industry, we were dealing with a French ice breaker ship, and we'd all call it the "frog ship", none of the French people from the ship cared at all. I never said it to a person from the ship, but I saw other more brake (and perhaps geriatric people) doing it.