# 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:** 2
**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, 6:11am 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/606896/21 "2011-12-21T06:11:44Z")
Oh dear. I come from profoundly agricultural roots and geeky parents. I just looked up ethnic slurs on Wiki. I will now, never say anything again. JK, you can’t keep a blabbermouth like me down. But I will be second guessing everything. Mangia cake? Really Canada? You are the sweetest of people. Wha? ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 3:50pm 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/606896/22 "2011-12-21T15:50:56Z")
> [@Max\_the\_Immortal](#): > > Aye. The way I hear the word used, it’s no more a slur than hipster or goth. Bingo – growing up hanging out in Seaside Heights decades before _Jersey Shore_ hit, pretty much everyone fit into one of three groups: “guidos”, “longhairs”, and “other”. You didn’t have to be Italian to be a guido, but it helped from a “fit the stereotype” perspective. We knew plenty of guidos who weren’t Italian – it was a style of dress and attitude, more than anything. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 3:57pm 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/606896/23 "2011-12-21T15:57:33Z")
I have no problem with the word and would use it. If anyone complained, I would not use it in front of them again. ---
**Author:** ![elninost0rm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ed655f/32.png) [@elninost0rm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elninost0rm)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 4:07pm 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/606896/24 "2011-12-21T16:07:32Z")
What if Guido shot first…? …forget how that goes… ---
**Author:** ![Foxy40](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a9a28c/32.png) [@Foxy40](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foxy40)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 4:43pm 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/606896/25 "2011-12-21T16:43:17Z")
I have no idea what Jersey Shore is but I would never consider Guido a slur. As a second generation Italian, it is used in the same way as Dork or Goth or Nerd. I would certainly use those terms in front of my boss. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 5:33pm 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/606896/26 "2011-12-21T17:33:10Z")
To this Texan, it appears to be an ethnic slur; my boss is even more Texan & probably wouldn’t understand it. I’d avoid it… Down here (near South Louisiana) we know quite a few [coonasses](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coonass). The word’s roots are non-rude & it really has nothing to do with the nether regions of a raccoon. However, if you aren’t one, you probably shouldn’t use the word. ---
**Author:** ![ryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a8b319/32.png) [@ryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ryan)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 5:45pm 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/606896/27 "2011-12-21T17:45:30Z")
It’s not a slur, racial nor ethnic. It is a descriptive term for a particular cultural sub-set of NE, most commonly found in NY & NJ. Often of Italian/Sicilian root stock, but more commonly several generations removed and/or mixed ethnicity. In other words, it describes how some people act, especially where I live. My boss uses the term himself. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 6:33pm 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/606896/28 "2011-12-21T18:33:38Z")
It’s an ethnic slur that I wouldn’t use around my boss or anybody in a professional context. I don’t think I’d say it even if it was understood we were discussing The Jersey Shore. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 7:38pm 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/606896/29 "2011-12-21T19:38:34Z")
> [@shimmery](#): > > 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. This was my impression from the outside. I’ve never heard it not used negatively. If it were just a term for a subculture, it would be used favorably and neutrally. As for me, even if I’m wrong about it being a slur, I wouldn’t use it in front of my boss. It would identify me as someone who watches _Jersey Shore_. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 7:45pm 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/606896/30 "2011-12-21T19:45:28Z")
I don’t think I’ve ever heard the word used in my life by anyone, except in reference to The Jersey Shore, and even then only rarely. I would never use it ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 7:49pm 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/606896/31 "2011-12-21T19:49:43Z")
This confuses me, because in Ukrainian the word for grandfather is pronounced like guido (well, gee-do). So yeah, my family uses the word all the time and coming from a predominantly Eastern European farming community I hear it a lot. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2011, 7:51pm 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/606896/32 "2011-12-21T19:51:09Z")
Definitely a slur. ---
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2011, 4:17am 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/606896/33 "2011-12-22T04:17:49Z")
You may get the excuse, “I don’t mean **all** Italians, just the ones that _X_.” To which you can respond, “I hear the same reasoning from people who use the n-word.” So yes, it’s a slur. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2011, 2:02pm 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/606896/34 "2011-12-22T14:02:39Z")
> [@11811](#): > > You may get the excuse, “I don’t mean **all** Italians, just the ones that _X_.” Except one needn’t be Italian to be a guido. It’s an option, an identity, a social grouping. Just because it’s strongly related to one ethnic background doesn’t make that a prerequisite. In no way is it a racial slur. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2011, 2:55pm 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/606896/35 "2011-12-22T14:55:32Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > 1. Do you think “guido” is a racial slur? 2) Would you ever use it in earshot of your boss? 1. Its a slur. 2) I never express opinions at work, especially in front of Mr Earl. ---
**Author:** ![Hyperelastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Hyperelastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hyperelastic)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2011, 4:37pm 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/606896/36 "2011-12-23T16:37:43Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > 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. This is the same argument as “Not all black people are niggers.” But what do you expect in a world where the world’s most popular video game has enemies called “goombas”? I half expect to find kikes and chinks in the next version. ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2011, 8:38am 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/606896/37 "2011-12-24T08:38:17Z")
We had an officer on our squad that everybody called Guido. He even signed his reports that way. Yes, he was of Italian descent. Seeing’s as how we were in Appalachia we COULD have pulled a “Deliverence” number on him, but we didn’t. I guess he was just grateful for that. My first marriage was to a “guido.” I swear to God, here in our present Fair City, we have a Guido Lane. P.S. Guido was featured on America’s Most Wanted. A stand-off at a house. The guy came out on his porch with the gun hung loosely in his hand. Guido shot it out of his hand, and nobody was hurt. He was damn good. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2011, 9:19am 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/606896/38 "2011-12-24T09:19:11Z")
If my boss and I are having a discussion about weirdly orange weightlifters who like to drink jagbombs and make dumb faces in photos, yeah, guido might make an appearance. If we’re talking about italian-americans, no I wouldn’t even think to use the word. Of course, it wasn’t until this thread that I learned people see it as on par with wop and dago. (Which, by the way, I’ve never heard anyone use in real life so while they’re slurs, if I heard someone use one, I’d just laugh because they sound like nonsense words to me.) ---
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2011, 1:32pm 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/606896/39 "2011-12-24T13:32:40Z")
Well, as a self styled “Demi-wop,” I’ve taken many affectionate jabs at my Italian heritage over the years. I’ve used it casual conversation before, but yeah, to a non-Italian i suppose it’s a slur. Actually, let me clarify that, since I guess I’m a bit confused by the OP. I would only take offense if someone (and specifically someone I didn’t like) called **me** a Guido. The word is not _prima facie_ offensive the same way the black and jewish slurs i can think of are, for example. Was this a pointed remark at your boss? ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2011, 1:41pm 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/606896/40 "2011-12-24T13:41:43Z")
I occasionally work with someone whose last name is Guido. I’d be rather handicapped in conversations with my boss concerning the project Ms. Guido and I both work on if I were unwilling to use ‘Guido’ in earshot of my boss. [Previous 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=1) [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=3)