Am i racist?

[steverico]

Normally, when people find out that a term is very offensive in another country, they stop using it out of respect for those who could be offended by it.

I wouldn't refer to Aboriginal Australians as Abos, even if it is 'just another abbreviation' that means nothing in England.

That was the only point I was making.

There’s a dozen or more abusive terms for Aborigines, Abo is probably less offensive than most
http://www.rsdb.org/race/australian_aboriginals

 

[steverico]

Scroll down to British, ours are more funny than offensive, but some other races are really bad
http://www.rsdb.org/races#british

 

[Kalman]

Scroll down to British, ours are more funny than offensive, but some other races are really bad
http://www.rsdb.org/races#british

Slavic slurs for each other are eye-openers and rarely in jest. A Polish slur for Ukrainians is ‘rezun’ (borrowed from Ukrainian ‘різун’) which means ‘butcher’. It references the widespread massacre of ethnic Poles in Western Ukraine during WWII by Ukrainian nationalists. The commanders of those anti-Polish pogroms have statues and streets named after them in Ukraine.

 

[DMD]

Both words are equally offensive here, they're just applied to different races (though the term Paki is generally used as a term of abuse thrown at any Asians, rather than people who are actually Pakistani).

Out of interest, do you call Aborigines Abos?

I've never seen it applied to the Chinese or Russians. Chinese people have objected to the way it is used as a descriptor in the UK.

Asia:

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[Cityzen]

Slavic slurs for each other are eye-openers and rarely in jest. A Polish slur for Ukrainians is ‘rezun’ (borrowed from Ukrainian ‘різун’) which means ‘butcher’. It references the widespread massacre of ethnic Poles in Western Ukraine during WWII by Ukrainian nationalists. The commanders of those anti-Polish pogroms have statues and streets named after them in Ukraine.

A while ago I was talking to a Hungarian at my local car wash. He was a trained physiotherapist and said he would rather be here doing a job like that whilst he tried to find an appropriate job than be stuck in Hungary where he couldn’t get any job. I asked him if he liked it here. He said he loved it apart from one thing, people kept thinking he was Polish. His extremely attractive girl friend who had just walked up with their young child heard him and said “
Polish bastards!” and spat. The look of hatred on her face and the venom in her eyes was something to behold.

 

[originallambrettaman]

I've never seen it applied to the Chinese or Russians. Chinese people have objected to the way it is used as a descriptor in the UK.

Asia:

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I should have said any Southern Asians, though I'm pretty sure everyone knew what I meant.

 

[DMD]

I should have said any Southern Asians, though I'm pretty sure everyone knew what I meant.

Paki isn't an insult in most of the world, it actually means pure, but the argument is, it's not about how it's intended, but how it's received. The same must go for the use of Asian, which Chinese people have commented on, but they don't tend to be the types to get over upset, but perhaps that's no excuse for showing them disrespect, irrespective of how ignorant others may or may not be.

 

[frankbanksneck]

Your original point which I corrected was that it's a term not still used in Australia when it is. The end. If you think we're horribly racist for using it (having just posted, and continue to post, two pretty clearly racist words when you could asterix them without any loss of understanding at what you're referring to) then that's your prerogative.

I believe that those people indigenous to Australia prefer the term 'Native Australians' and not Aboriginals.

 

[originallambrettaman]

Paki isn't an insult in most of the world, it actually means pure, but the argument is, it's not about how it's intended, but how it's received. The same must go for the use of Asian, which Chinese people have commented on, but they don't tend to be the types to get over upset, but perhaps that's no excuse for showing them disrespect, irrespective of how ignorant others may or may not be.

Pak means pure, istan denotes a place.

I completely understand that in most places it's not considered offensive, but it is in the UK, Canada and several European countries and US presidents have apologised for using the term, so you'd think word would have spread by now.

 

[Jim the Tiger]

Paki isn't an insult in most of the world, it actually means pure, but the argument is, it's not about how it's intended, but how it's received. The same must go for the use of Asian, which Chinese people have commented on, but they don't tend to be the types to get over upset, but perhaps that's no excuse for showing them disrespect, irrespective of how ignorant others may or may not be.

In my experience it is not a racist term either, only when shouted by a knuckle head at someone with a brown face because he is thick.

My business partner is Pakistani British, the factory we own together is in Pakistan and of course our whole workforce over there are Pakistani. None of them have or would bat an eyelid if I used the word to describe them because it is a word they would use themselves. If I put the 'F' word in front of it then I am sure that would ramp things up however if you put that word in front of most things it gives an aggressive tone to your sentance and would upset just about anyone you were referring to.

 

[DMD]

Pak means pure, istan denotes a place.

I completely understand that in most places it's not considered offensive, but it is in the UK, Canada and several European countries and US presidents have apologised for using the term, so you'd think word would have spread by now.

My point was more about your inappropriate use of the word Asian, which affects a large number of people, but I can't be arsed with any of this, and it's unlikely anyone will change their views one way or another.

 

[Kalman]

Paki isn't an insult in most of the world, it actually means pure, but the argument is, it's not about how it's intended, but how it's received. The same must go for the use of Asian, which Chinese people have commented on, but they don't tend to be the types to get over upset, but perhaps that's no excuse for showing them disrespect, irrespective of how ignorant others may or may not be.

Paki doesn’t mean anything in Urdu or any other Iranic language. Pâk is an adjective that means ‘pure’, Pâkistân means ‘Land of the Pure’ and Pâkistânî means ‘Person from the Land of the Pure’.

Paki is an English construct that had its origins as a slur and still remains a slur to this day. There’s no reason to use.

 

[DMD]

Paki doesn’t mean anything in Urdu or any other Iranic language. Pâk is an adjective that means ‘pure’, Pâkistân means ‘Land of the Pure’ and Pâkistânî means ‘Person from the Land of the Pure’.

Paki is an English construct that had its origins as a slur and still remains a slur to this day. There’s no reason to use.

You'd best tell the people of Pakistan and much of the rest of the world that, as they seem to disagree.

 

[Kalman]

You'd best tell the people of Pakistan and much of the rest of the world that, as they seem to disagree.

Got any evidence of that?

 

[Cityzen]

Paki doesn’t mean anything in Urdu or any other Iranic language. Pâk is an adjective that means ‘pure’, Pâkistân means ‘Land of the Pure’ and Pâkistânî means ‘Person from the Land of the Pure’.

Paki is an English construct that had its origins as a slur and still remains a slur to this day. There’s no reason to use.

Think they could be had up for misrepresentation with that description.

 

[Charon]

In 2009, Prince Harry was publicly admonished and was made by the military to undergo sensitivity training when he was caught on video (taken years before) calling one of his fellow Army recruits "our little Paki friend."[32]


At least we've identified the member of the Royal Family that is racist - well done Meghan

 

[originallambrettaman]

My point was more about your inappropriate use of the word Asian.

Might just me, but I don't really think of people from the Middle East or Far East as being Asians. Obviously I know they're from the continent of Asia, but if someone says Asians to me, I immediately think of people from the Indian subcontinent.

 

[Kempton]

Scroll down to British, ours are more funny than offensive, but some other races are really bad
http://www.rsdb.org/races#british

I'm really struggling to be offended by anything on this list.

 

[DMD]

Might just me, but I don't really think of people from the Middle East or Far East as being Asians. Obviously I know they're from the continent of Asia, but if someone says Asians to me, I immediately think of people from the Indian subcontinent.

It doesn't matter what you think, as it's the recipient that gets to decide if it is offensive. Your defence there is not much different to the one being offered about the lady that's just resigned, as she meant no harm.

 

[originallambrettaman]

It doesn't matter what you think, as it's the recipient that gets to decide if it is offensive. Your defence there is not much different to the one being offered about the lady that's just resigned, as she meant no harm.

We're talking about whether people are offended about being called Asians?

News to me, that's not what I was discussing.