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[–]ClassroomPast6178 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

Paki is almost the exact opposite case - them's definitely "fighting words" in much of the English-speaking world but due to the relatively paltry Pakistani-American population few Americans realize there's anything offensive about it.

Paki was used against anyone Asian (in the non-US definition of Asian, meaning someone from or with ties to the Indian subcontinent) regardless of whether they were from Pakistan, India (which is where my father’s family is originally from, with a bit of Portuguese and Burmese), Bangladesh or just slightly darker complexion such as the Russian Konstatin Kissin, who says that he was frequently called a Paki despite being a Russian/Ukrainian Jew.

My mother who was White English, came in for especially vile abuse when she was out with me and my siblings.

It is much better now, although I’ve had black people call me a paki a couple of times, and my brother had someone shout it at him from a passing van (thankfully he wasn’t with his children at the time).