"Say the word Jap near me and i'll knock yer teeth in"

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[–]NastyWetSmear 6 insightful - 3 fun6 insightful - 2 fun7 insightful - 3 fun -  (4 children)

I've never understood the hatred towards shortening your country of origin, race or religion. Jap, Paki, Aussie, Brit, Scot, Fin, Jew. It's just the short version of the primary word: Japanese, Pakistani, Australian, British, Scottish, Finnish, Jewish.

I could understand words that aren't the shortening of that, like Coon, Chink, Yank, Spud, Spic. They might contain part of the root word, but they aren't, so they have a more definitive origin outside simply "Your country, but short" and separate meaning, like: "I don't like Mexicans, so I'm going to call you a Spic instead, which is considered a slur and is clearly being used in that manner."

Maybe it's because, in Australia, we shorten everything without malice.

"G'day, Dick. Ya'right?"
"Good day, Richard. Is everything alright?"

If we're calling you "Jap", it's not because we hate the Japanese so much that we refuse to use the "Anese" section of their name, it's because it's faster to say "Jap" and sounds more friendly, familiar and close. Like calling us "Aussies" rather than spending the extra seconds to say "Tralians".

[–]Countach_3D 2 insightful - 3 fun2 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 3 fun -  (3 children)

Yes, all words are contextually dependent and can be interpreted radically differently in other countries or cultures.

Fanny is another word that's taken entirely differently outside the U.S., for example.

Jap is considered a racial slur in North America due to the deeply negative connotation it acquired during WWII.

Outside the U.S. it is benign. I doubt a Japanese expat in Sydney would have any problem with it.

I don't like the Japanese, so I'm going to call you a Jap, which is clearly being used as a slur

You've hit the nail on the head.

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.

[–]NastyWetSmear 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

I don't like the Japanese, so I'm going to call you a Jap, which is clearly being used as a slur

You've hit the nail on the head.

But I didn't say that, because "Jap" isn't a slur. It's short for Japanese. The example I used was using a word which specifically wasn't a shortening of the country name and was specifically created to be a slur. For example: "Slant" instead of "Jap".

All words are contextual. I don't see an issue with people being able to tell the difference between:

"Paki" - as in: " Fuck'n Paki cunt"
and
"Paki" - as in: "He can probably cook it better than you. He's a Paki."

If people are incapable of understanding that difference, it isn't on the word, it's one the person listening. Any word could be taken and used that way:

"You're such a dog."

Am I saying you're noble and friendly? Am I saying you're scoring a woman outside your normal reach? Am I saying you're cowardly? Am I literally calling you a canine? The word means all those things, it's only the context that gives you a clue:

"Ohh, you sly dog!"
"He'd never betray you. He's as loyal as a dog."
"Just another miserable street dog."
"Oh look, a golden retriever! You're a good dog. Yes you are. Yes you are!"

It's different with words that aren't just shortened words - Those are created with intent. "Chink" isn't short for "Chinese". You aren't using that casually to save you saying the whole word "Chinese". You've chosen specifically to use a word other than "Chinese" with another meaning.

Maybe it's just me. Obviously people in the US, as you pointed out, seem to feel differently. I'm not sure the extra 10 mins of life I'll get back in total over my lifetime by avoiding the "stani" at the end of "Paki" will be worth advocating for it crazy hard.

[–]Countach_3D 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

If you don't believe that words are defined by usage then I don't know what else to tell you.

[–]NastyWetSmear 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I understand that words can change meaning with popular usage, but that doesn't change the original usage, and when the context makes it clear that the way the person uses it isn't the newer meaning, that doesn't instantly push the newer meaning to the front and give anyone the right to constantly react as though the usage was unclear. See my example: Dog.