# 1) Do you think "guido" is a racial slur? 2) Would you ever use it in earshot of your boss? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 20, 2011, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-do-you-think-guido-is-a-racial-slur-2-would-you-ever-use-it-in-earshot-of-your-boss/606896 "2011-12-20T22:49:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-do-you-think-guido-is-a-racial-slur-2-would-you-ever-use-it-in-earshot-of-your-boss/606896/1 "2011-12-20T22:49:46Z")
Poll to come. I don’t watch that Jersey Shore stuff, and I’ve never said it myself, so I really don’t have an opinion. I’m just curious because of a mild incident that I overheard at work today. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-do-you-think-guido-is-a-racial-slur-2-would-you-ever-use-it-in-earshot-of-your-boss/606896/2 "2011-12-20T22:54:18Z")
It isn’t a racial slur unless you think guidos are their own race. There is a real guido subculture and isn’t even restricted to just one ethnic group. Italian Americans make up a lot of them but not all Italian-Americans are guidos. There are Greek American ones plus lots of others. I would use the term in front of a boss as long as it fit something we were talking about. I don’t even think real guidos are that offended by being called Guidos. It is a lifestyle choice that takes a lot of work to do well so they better like it. Those tans, clothes, muscles, spikey hair, and souped up cars don’t just appear out of nowhere. ---
**Author:** ![industrialfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/fbc32d/32.png) [@industrialfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/industrialfish)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-do-you-think-guido-is-a-racial-slur-2-would-you-ever-use-it-in-earshot-of-your-boss/606896/3 "2011-12-20T23:16:38Z")
Well I know the term Guido has been around LONG before Jersey Shore (never seen it). It’s an anti-disco term (before my time) but it was also used in Detroit Rock City (1999) for the same reasons. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-do-you-think-guido-is-a-racial-slur-2-would-you-ever-use-it-in-earshot-of-your-boss/606896/4 "2011-12-20T23:18:50Z")
Ethnic slur, wouldn’t say it around my boss. Not an extreme one, though. That being said, I think it used to be a much worse slur before Jersey Shore and all of that. My Italian-descent husband went to school in the Chicago burbs with mostly Italian-decent peers, and you bet they meant “guido,” “dago,” and “wop” as slurs. ---
**Author:** ![lew\_cody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e274bd/32.png) [@lew\_cody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lew_cody)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-do-you-think-guido-is-a-racial-slur-2-would-you-ever-use-it-in-earshot-of-your-boss/606896/5 "2011-12-20T23:40:58Z")
I’d never say the word around someone in a position of authority (unless I absolutely had to use it in a quotation). I’m not much inclined to use it at all, since 1) I have no contact with people who self-identify, or would likely be identified by others, as “guidos” and 2) the line between affection and contempt can be extremely difficult to navigate with iffy slang terms like this one. ---
**Author:** ![Electric\_Warrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Electric\_Warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Warrior)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2011, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-do-you-think-guido-is-a-racial-slur-2-would-you-ever-use-it-in-earshot-of-your-boss/606896/6 "2011-12-20T23:54:24Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > That being said, I think it used to be a much worse slur before Jersey Shore and all of that. My Italian-descent husband went to school in the Chicago burbs with mostly Italian-decent peers, and you bet they meant “guido,” “dago,” and “wop” as slurs. I think you got it. I never encountered use of slurs against Italians, a combination of not growing up in an area with a large Italian-American population and being young enough to have grown up in a time period when Italians aren’t considered, well, non-white for lack of a better term. The latter two terms are definitely slurs - slurs I have never heard spoken aloud - but when I’ve run into “guido” it’s been with reference to the subculture. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-do-you-think-guido-is-a-racial-slur-2-would-you-ever-use-it-in-earshot-of-your-boss/606896/7 "2011-12-21T00:22:53Z")
Guido, wop, dago have all been used amongst my Italian friends and me. The one I’ve never dared use is “Guinea.” That one just seems especially hardcore and mean. That being said, “Guido” is a slur, albeit mild, and I would not use it within earshot of my boss. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-do-you-think-guido-is-a-racial-slur-2-would-you-ever-use-it-in-earshot-of-your-boss/606896/8 "2011-12-21T00:30:34Z")
_Guido_ to refer to the overly tanned, spiky haired, muscle bodied Jersey shore people? Not a slur. _Guido_ to refer to a general Italian-American? Ethnic slur. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-do-you-think-guido-is-a-racial-slur-2-would-you-ever-use-it-in-earshot-of-your-boss/606896/9 "2011-12-21T00:58:25Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Guido, wop, dago have all been used amongst my Italian friends and me. The one I’ve never dared use is “Guinea.” That one just seems especially hardcore and mean. Oh, I forgot “guinea”; that one especially bugs my husband. I mistyped above - I meant to say that he mostly went to school with **Irish** -descent kids. Much worse when they’re slinging Italian slurs. ---
**Author:** ![Ashes\_Ashes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@Ashes\_Ashes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashes_Ashes)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-do-you-think-guido-is-a-racial-slur-2-would-you-ever-use-it-in-earshot-of-your-boss/606896/10 "2011-12-21T02:08:54Z")
It’s a slur (I’ve certainly never heard it used affectionately), not as bad as others. I wouldn’t use it around _anyone_ because it’s Just Not Done. It is surprising that so many people on tv use the term, even though it can have a negative connotation. It just now occurred to me many people wouldn’t tolerate the same for other groups. Something to ponder. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-do-you-think-guido-is-a-racial-slur-2-would-you-ever-use-it-in-earshot-of-your-boss/606896/11 "2011-12-21T02:13:50Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Guido, wop, dago have all been used amongst my Italian friends and me. The one I’ve never dared use is “Guinea.” That one just seems especially hardcore and mean. Guinea is more hardcore than wop or dago? Those seem way more offensive, IMO… ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-do-you-think-guido-is-a-racial-slur-2-would-you-ever-use-it-in-earshot-of-your-boss/606896/12 "2011-12-21T02:33:41Z")
Yeah I never heard the term “guinea” in my life. Learn something every day! ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-do-you-think-guido-is-a-racial-slur-2-would-you-ever-use-it-in-earshot-of-your-boss/606896/13 "2011-12-21T02:42:40Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > I don’t even think real guidos are that offended by being called Guidos. It is a lifestyle choice that takes a lot of work to do well so they better like it. Those tans, clothes, muscles, spikey hair, and souped up cars don’t just appear out of nowhere. Aye. The way I hear the word used, it’s no more a slur than hipster or goth. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-do-you-think-guido-is-a-racial-slur-2-would-you-ever-use-it-in-earshot-of-your-boss/606896/14 "2011-12-21T03:03:40Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > Yeah I never heard the term “guinea” in my life. Learn something every day! I never heard it till I saw the Sopranos. But “wop” and “dago” I had heard before. I’d always thought of “dago” as something you’d say to someone Spanish, not Italian, though. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-do-you-think-guido-is-a-racial-slur-2-would-you-ever-use-it-in-earshot-of-your-boss/606896/15 "2011-12-21T03:11:12Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > _Guido_ to refer to the overly tanned, spiky haired, muscle bodied Jersey shore people? Not a slur. > > _Guido_ to refer to a general Italian-American? Ethnic slur. I agree. I wouldn’t hesitate to use most any word in front of most of my bosses. I work in casual environments only, they usually say much more offensive things than I ever do. ---
**Author:** ![shimmery](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@shimmery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shimmery)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-do-you-think-guido-is-a-racial-slur-2-would-you-ever-use-it-in-earshot-of-your-boss/606896/16 "2011-12-21T03:34:54Z")
North Jersey here. It’s a slur of the “we [Italian-Americans, of which I am not one] can say it, they can’t” variety. Yes, it refers to a particular subculture, but a subculture that’s the epitome of negative Italian-American stereotype. Re: “guinea,” I would say it’s a little worse than “guido.” But on the other hand, “guinea tee” is interchangeable slang for “wife beater” (is that also offensive? I’m talking about sleeveless undershirts here. Definitely part of the “guido” uniform.) ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-do-you-think-guido-is-a-racial-slur-2-would-you-ever-use-it-in-earshot-of-your-boss/606896/17 "2011-12-21T05:15:56Z")
To me it falls in the vague “in between” category that you’re better off not saying. It’s obviously derogatory, but possibly not race-related (see “Chav” which we were discussing in another thread.) I seem to remember a similar kerfuffle here regarding the term “rice-burner”. It’s obviously a derogatory term for a specific gooftastic style of tricked-out Japanese cars not limited to Asian people, but I can obviously see how the term would be offensive to Asians. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-do-you-think-guido-is-a-racial-slur-2-would-you-ever-use-it-in-earshot-of-your-boss/606896/18 "2011-12-21T05:49:00Z")
The only nitpick I’d have is that it’s an ethnic slur not a racial slur. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-do-you-think-guido-is-a-racial-slur-2-would-you-ever-use-it-in-earshot-of-your-boss/606896/19 "2011-12-21T05:54:08Z")
It’s also a name. Someone I knew in college was named Guido (he pronounced it Gee-do.) ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-do-you-think-guido-is-a-racial-slur-2-would-you-ever-use-it-in-earshot-of-your-boss/606896/20 "2011-12-21T06:09:30Z")
I’m entirely unfamiliar with the term as used in the manner(s) described in this thread. There is, however, a chain (I think there are 2 locations?) of restaurants (mostly Italian-style food) in Montreal called “[Guido & Angelina](http://www.guidoandangelina.com/main.php?l=e)”, and I have been there with my boss, so… I answered “Platypus” to the poll! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1-do-you-think-guido-is-a-racial-slur-2-would-you-ever-use-it-in-earshot-of-your-boss/606896.md?page=2)