# Do you find the term 'JAP' to be offensive? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 1, 2003, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-the-term-jap-to-be-offensive/172377 "2003-05-01T13:44:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-the-term-jap-to-be-offensive/172377/21 "2003-05-01T15:48:52Z")
Yo, **unwashed brain** , could you tone it down a notch? Perhaps two? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Sapphire\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sapphire\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapphire_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-the-term-jap-to-be-offensive/172377/22 "2003-05-01T16:15:51Z")
I’ve never heard of the term as the OP put it - I’m only familiar with it in the slur context - short for Japanese. So I can’t really comment on the OP at all, but I do find it to be highly insulting when used in place of Japanese. I mean, it’s only two more syllables, people. Sapphire descended of a Japanese family since 1979 ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-the-term-jap-to-be-offensive/172377/23 "2003-05-01T16:28:29Z")
And [here’s](http://www.geocities.com/ladolcegilda/Jewessjeans.html) the proof, complete with annoying little teddy bears! ---
**Author:** ![Gundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Gundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gundy)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-the-term-jap-to-be-offensive/172377/24 "2003-05-01T16:44:22Z")
My boyfriend, who’s Jewish and a native Texan, just told me about two student towers at the University of Texas (where his sister attended and lived) that everyone called “Tokyo Towers” because they were populated with JAPs. Now, they’re still called Tokyo Towers because they’re populated with mostly Asian people. Ah, the circle of life. ---
**Author:** ![Soup\_du\_jour](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Soup\_du\_jour](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soup_du_jour)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-the-term-jap-to-be-offensive/172377/25 "2003-05-01T22:12:22Z")
I would simply implore those using the term to be _absolutely_ sure that their company knows how they’re intending the term to be used. I’m a Texas boy, and I’m going to a university with a large Jewish contingent. I had _never_ heard the term “Jap” used in any context besides being a racial slur against folks of Japanese descent. Suffice to say, when folks started using the term, I felt absolutely apalled at the kind of rampant racism among otherwise moderately intelligent people. Then, people educated me on how the term has become a regional colloquialism to denote the stereotypical “Long Island Girl” (whatever the heck that’s supposed to mean.) When using this term, you may come across as massively racist, even though you may not be. Just be aware of who you’re with. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-the-term-jap-to-be-offensive/172377/26 "2003-05-01T22:59:44Z")
I’m Jewish, and I always thought of it a description of a very particular subculture, one which I do not belong to. If it’s being used accurately, then it doesn’t offend me. If someone called _me_ a JAP, though, I’d be rather offended unless I were convinced it was meant in jest, because anyone who’s met me would laugh at the thought of me belonging to that subculture. ---
**Author:** ![Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helen_s_Eidolon)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-the-term-jap-to-be-offensive/172377/27 "2003-05-01T23:01:32Z")
I’m Jewish, I use the terms jap and jappy all the time. Truthfully, its origins are completely irrelevant to me at this point. Jappiness is indeed a type of behavior, and it is not limited to any religion or ethnic group at all. And again, it’s offensive because it implies you’re a brainless mass-market materialistic shallow bitch, not because of any anti-semitism in it. At least, that’s how it is to me and my friends. ---
**Author:** ![Peg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b38774/32.png) [@Peg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peg)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2003, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-the-term-jap-to-be-offensive/172377/28 "2003-05-01T23:03:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MsRobyn \* > \*\*Now, “Jap” as a term for “Japanese” is offensive, as is “Nip” (from Nipponese). It’s just about showing respect, not about being PC. \*\* I’m surprised that those cheese Nips have managed to keep their name for so long. ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-the-term-jap-to-be-offensive/172377/29 "2003-05-02T00:21:13Z")
I think it’s similar to “ricer” or “riceboy”, the derogatory term for people that drive lime green Honda Civics with coffee-can mufflers, spoilers, and Type-R stickers. It’s the behavior that is being mocked, not whether the person actually is Jewish or Asian. ---
**Author:** ![Soup\_du\_jour](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Soup\_du\_jour](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soup_du_jour)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-the-term-jap-to-be-offensive/172377/30 "2003-05-02T00:26:00Z")
Just curious. What exactly _is_ “jappy” behavior? ---
**Author:** ![Burnt\_Sugar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee59a6/32.png) [@Burnt\_Sugar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Burnt_Sugar)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-the-term-jap-to-be-offensive/172377/31 "2003-05-02T01:04:33Z")
On Jap as a reference to Japan/Japanese people: I went to school with a lot of Japanese people, and they certainly didn’t have a problem with “Jap”. I think it’s probably up to the person whether they are offended or not, not something for people who aren’t even Japanese to decide (whether a word is offensive to other people or not). ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-the-term-jap-to-be-offensive/172377/32 "2003-05-02T06:34:34Z")
Well, FWIW I’m Japanese and am offended by the term “Jap” to refer to a Japanese person. Mostly because I’ve been taught (as most Japanese have) that it was a racist term commonly used during WWII. I don’t know about “Nip” though, I’ve never heard it used. I don’t know about referring to motorbikes as Jap bikes - it depends on the context, I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![Kayeby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de0a6/32.png) [@Kayeby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kayeby)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-the-term-jap-to-be-offensive/172377/33 "2003-05-02T08:22:56Z")
I’d also like to know what jappy behaviour is - I’m in Aus and I’ve never heard the term used aside from on this board. But I also wanted to add that the word “jappiness” is really cute! ---
**Author:** ![OxyMoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9a140/32.png) [@OxyMoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OxyMoron)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-the-term-jap-to-be-offensive/172377/34 "2003-05-02T13:51:30Z")
Not Jewish m’self, but I grew up in a mostly Jewish circle of friends. Jappiness was essentially brattiness, but older (teenage/college-age) and with more money. Moldy joke: what’s a JAP’s favorite wine? “I wanna go to EUUUUUUrope/FLOOOOOOOrida.” A sociological guess: the term seems to have arisen when a lot of Jews were first moving into wealthier suburbs, and spoiling their children. Curious whether the term originated among Jews or not. ---
**Author:** ![refusal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac91a4/32.png) [@refusal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/refusal)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-the-term-jap-to-be-offensive/172377/35 "2003-05-02T14:10:29Z")
Is Rachel from Friends a JAP (at least initially), and her irritating sister? ---
**Author:** ![chorizo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@chorizo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorizo)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-the-term-jap-to-be-offensive/172377/36 "2003-05-02T17:04:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Marley23 \* > **I meant to add that JAP, at least at this point, has nothing to do with Judaism, it’s just a term for spoiled Long Island girls, who have a culture (if you want to call it that) of their own. Plenty of the girls we called/thought of as JAPS in high school weren’t Jewish. That’s why “bitch” is better. 😉** I lived in Ann Arbor for a while, and a lot of my friends went to the University of Michigan. My friends were all middle-class and lower kids who had to work service jobs to pay their way through school. They all HATED the New York Girls (as they were called) for treating them like lesser life forms, dressing exactly alike (what that “alike” was changed from year-to-year), driving up rents, etc. As you walked in to the downtown/Central Campus area from the cheaper places farther out, the cars would start changing and you would see more and more BMWs, Jeep Grand Cherokees, Ford Excursions, etc. all of them with New York or New Jersey license plates. No mention of any sort of religion ever entered into the hatred of the New York Girls, it was all about hating whiny, stuck-up, patronizing, insecure, spoiled rich kids who treated them like shit as they made their caffe lattes and bagged their books. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-the-term-jap-to-be-offensive/172377/37 "2003-05-02T17:34:33Z")
> [@](#): > > I think it’s probably up to the person whether they are offended or not, not something for people who aren’t even Japanese to decide (whether a word is offensive to other people or not). The first part of that makes sense, but the rest leaves me confused. What did you mean there, Blue Curls? Juanita was actually asking Jewish people if they were offended by use of the word JAP (Jewish American Princess). I don’t think anybody else was saying who should be offended by what. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-the-term-jap-to-be-offensive/172377/38 "2003-05-02T18:08:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by chorizo \* > \*\*I lived in Ann Arbor for a while, and a lot of my friends went to the University of Michigan. My friends were all middle-class and lower kids who had to work service jobs to pay their way through school. > > They all HATED the New York Girls (as they were called) for treating them like lesser life forms, dressing exactly alike (what that “alike” was changed from year-to-year), driving up rents, etc. As you walked in to the downtown/Central Campus area from the cheaper places farther out, the cars would start changing and you would see more and more BMWs, Jeep Grand Cherokees, Ford Excursions, etc. all of them with New York or New Jersey license plates. > > No mention of any sort of religion ever entered into the hatred of the New York Girls, it was all about hating whiny, stuck-up, patronizing, insecure, spoiled rich kids who treated them like shit as they made their caffe lattes and bagged their books. \*\* I think that’s a perfect definition of JAP-attitude. It certainly wasn’t limited to Jewish people, though. That attitude is prevalent through many parts of Long Island, and is why I really dislike it there. ---
**Author:** ![karomon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@karomon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/karomon)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-the-term-jap-to-be-offensive/172377/39 "2003-05-02T18:54:26Z")
One of the high schools I had the privelage to be kicked out of was densely populated with Jewish kids. While there, I made a friend who referred to herself as a JAP. She bought herself a book on typical JAP behavior, and stuck to the guidelines. Girl was pretty proud of herself. To me, it seems as the the “JA” part of it is not so much of consequence as the “P”. I’m sure you all know girls who have some, um, high self-esteem, wear pink everything and have “Princess” or “Brat” emblazoned all over their body? I always felt that JAP was a subsect of this group of individuals, and it merely gave a more specific designation to them. ---
**Author:** ![Cosmopolitan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/94ad74/32.png) [@Cosmopolitan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cosmopolitan)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2003, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-the-term-jap-to-be-offensive/172377/40 "2003-05-02T20:54:47Z")
As a Long Islander, I gotta say; yes, the sub-culture of the JAP is alive and well here - as others have said, it’s not about Jewishness so much as it’s about money. I also gotta say that _not all of us are like that, I swear!_ 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-the-term-jap-to-be-offensive/172377.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-find-the-term-jap-to-be-offensive/172377.md?page=3)