# "Gringo" - Is it offensive? How offensive? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 10, 2019, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268 "2019-02-10T03:57:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Orwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/dfb087/32.png) [@Orwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orwell)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2019, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268/1 "2019-02-10T03:57:47Z")
My wife and I ate at a Mexican restaurant in Georgia today. The restaurant was located in a neighborhood that seemed pretty Latino, based on the business names and other signs. In the restaurant, nearly all of the customers appeared to be Hispanic, and the waitresses all spoke Spanish to each other. We had a great meal, and our waitress was very attentive and helpful, and spoke very good English. While we were eating, we heard a group of waitresses talking in Spanish to each other, and we heard the word “gringo” a few times. Since my wife and I were the only white people in the place, it seems reasonable to assume they might have been referring to us. Or perhaps they were referring to other non-Hispanic people. I don’t care, and I didn’t feel offended. But is the word “gringo” offensive, or intended as derogative? Is it at all similar to white or black Americans using racial slurs such as “wetback” or “beaner”? Or is it a mild perjorative, or not negative in any way? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2019, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268/2 "2019-02-10T04:22:48Z")
Curious to see what people will say. I’ve never thought of it as offensive, but then, I haven’t been around a lot of Latinos. But I have spent a lot of time in a city with a local chain called “[Taco Gringo](https://www.tacogringo.com/).” ---
**Author:** ![Littleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ccd318/32.png) [@Littleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Littleman)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2019, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268/3 "2019-02-10T04:24:31Z")
It’s supposed to be offensive sometimes. Doesn’t really work so… It can be casual, just US, or white or non Spanish speaking. No offense intended Sometimes with a little giggle factor since it’s also meant to be offensive sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2019, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268/4 "2019-02-10T06:00:47Z")
I think it’s all about context. “No, not that customer, the gringo over there” versus “Fuck that stupid gringo.” ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2019, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268/5 "2019-02-10T06:38:37Z")
> [@Littleman](#): > > It’s supposed to be offensive sometimes. Doesn’t really work… I think this is true. Personally, it never bothers me. Lucas/whiteboy ---
**Author:** ![LoneRhino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lonerhino/32/1311_2.png) [@LoneRhino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LoneRhino)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2019, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268/6 "2019-02-10T07:42:19Z")
When I was taking Spanish classes in Mexico, I referred to myself as a gringo and my teacher let me know that it considered very offensive. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2019, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268/7 "2019-02-10T08:48:21Z")
> [@Orwell](#): > > Since my wife and I were the only white people in the place, it seems reasonable to assume they might have been referring to us. Not really. They probably were just gossiping about la fulana de tal’s new boyfriend. As mentioned above, the connotation of the word gringo depends completely on context, and varies from country to country. For example, if it’s used as direct address it can be more disapproving. But often it’s just used as short-hand in a conversation to refer to a third person, indicating that person is not of Latin American origin, but from the States. ---
**Author:** ![Bayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bayaker/32/3454_2.png) [@Bayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2019, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268/8 "2019-02-10T13:00:26Z")
As others have said, they would most likely have been referring to you in a descriptive way, so no need to take offense. Now if your waitress had walked up to you and said “here’s your check, Gringo”, you might want to tip less 🙂 Around these parts, “all the waitresses spoke Spanish to each other” could be true even in a _Chinese_ restaurant. ---
**Author:** ![Orwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/dfb087/32.png) [@Orwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orwell)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2019, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268/9 "2019-02-10T14:03:44Z")
OK, that’s pretty much what I was thinking. I don’t go around looking to be offended, and didn’t worry about it. Just curious after my wife mentioned hearing thm say “gringo” a few times. I actually gave the waitress a good tip, as she was nice, attentive, and helpful with ordering. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2019, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268/10 "2019-02-10T14:07:14Z")
> [@LoneRhino](#): > > When I was taking Spanish classes in Mexico, I referred to myself as a gringo and my teacher let me know that it considered very offensive. Is it still offensive if no one is offended? ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2019, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268/11 "2019-02-10T15:11:35Z")
> [@Orwell](#): > > I actually gave the waitress a good tip, as she was nice, attentive, and helpful with ordering. Which is what’s tips are supposed to be for. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2019, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268/12 "2019-02-10T15:26:18Z")
Interesting. I’m also curious about the status of the word “anglo” to refer to white people. I’m white, and if somebody meant to offend me, I’d like to be aware they had some problem with me, but I wouldn’t take offense. IMHO we white people have way too many unfair advantages to get offended. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2019, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268/13 "2019-02-10T15:43:59Z")
In Canada, “Anglo” isn’t an ethnic or racial term, but a linguistic one, meaning someone whose first language is English. The pair is “Franco”, someone whose first language is French. They are neutral descriptive terms, shortened from “anglophone” and “francophone”. ---
**Author:** ![Orwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/dfb087/32.png) [@Orwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orwell)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2019, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268/14 "2019-02-10T15:54:53Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > Which is what’s tips are supposed to be for. ??? Huh?? ---
**Author:** ![Machinaforce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/aeb1de/32.png) [@Machinaforce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machinaforce)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2019, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268/15 "2019-02-10T15:57:09Z")
It is supposed to be derogatory to people who live in the states (as someone said), but personally I never found it offensive. I mean there are worse words to be called. ---
**Author:** ![betterlifethroughchemistry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/betterlifethroughchemistry/32/3094_2.png) [@betterlifethroughchemistry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betterlifethroughchemistry)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2019, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268/16 "2019-02-10T16:21:43Z")
IMHO, ‘gringo’ is the same as ‘gweilo’ (Cantonese) and ‘laowai’ (Mandarin) in that it’s all in the context of the delivery…I spend 35 years travelling though out China for business, and several years calling on customers in Mexico…this discussion came up several times in each place and always came to that conclusion…I’ve have colleagues refer to me as a gringo and qweilo, always in a good-nature, joking kind of way, but I’ve had ‘gringo’ hissed at me on the streets of Matamoros…I was with a Chinese colleague traveling somewhere outside of Changzhou walking in a train station when a little girl pointed at me and exclaimed, “Laowai! Laowai!”…it was actually kind of funny, she just seemed excited about seeing a foreigner…I don’t know, I wasn’t insulted, maybe there’s just not a lot of laowai in that town… EDT: If I remember correctly, ‘gweilo’ translates into ‘foreign devil’, so maybe that was more derogatory in it’s root meaning, but I never took it that way, and none of my colleagues seemed to think it was a big deal… ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2019, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268/17 "2019-02-10T19:40:28Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Is it still offensive if no one is offended? People try to offend all the time in various ways, only for it to roll off of someone’s back who doesn’t care. The issue here is the misguided notion that a word unto itself holds inherent characteristics, but all language acquires its nature through use. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2019, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268/18 "2019-02-10T21:05:49Z")
I self apply it when I’m trying to get a patient to slow down because my Spanish is limited. That gets no reaction or a chuckle, but I don’t think anyone’s ever acted like I said something awful. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2019, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268/19 "2019-02-10T21:37:28Z")
Very little offends me. One Major exception is Dog Farts. ---
**Author:** ![CelticKnot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/celticknot/32/3392_2.png) [@CelticKnot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CelticKnot)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2019, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268/20 "2019-02-11T01:40:11Z")
In my experience, Caucasians don’t seem to be easily offended by words like Gringo when not part of a blatant insult or threat. When we lived in the Western Pacific, we embraced the label haole. Around the same time, the Fighting Whites intramural team from the University of Northern Colorado were surprised to find their attempt at an insult was loved by those they wanted to hurt. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-is-it-offensive-how-offensive/829268.md?page=2)