# Gringo offensive? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 12, 2006, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-offensive/339667 "2006-01-12T15:41:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![AFAIKnow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a6a055/32.png) [@AFAIKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AFAIKnow)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-offensive/339667/81 "2006-01-12T22:43:31Z")
> [@Homebrew](#): > > How do you figure I’m a racist? I’m not prejudiced against whites. Hell most of my lovers have been and all of my family are white, as is my pasty, sunburn in 10 minutes, so white I’m almost translucent self. Self-flagellation comes to mind. However, IANAP. ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-offensive/339667/82 "2006-01-12T22:58:04Z")
Perhaps you’ve watched too much Dr. Phil. Or not enough. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-offensive/339667/83 "2006-01-12T23:14:18Z")
I don’t think you’re racist, **Homebrew** , and I do think you make some good points in this thread. But I’m curious, do you think **CBEscapee** was intending to be racist in his pitting of **Clothahump** when he referred to anyone who disagreed with him as a gringo? Do you think that maybe he really doesn’t understand that he’s being racist, similar to, say, a six-year-old raised by a KKK Grand Dragon wouldn’t realize he was being racist when saying that all the niggers should go back to Africa? Or do you think he’s just…never mind. I’m not allowed to suggest it. ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-offensive/339667/84 "2006-01-12T23:15:30Z")
Homebrew, I don’t think anyone’s claiming that gringo is a negative term (in and of itself) comparable to nigger, for example. Given the history, there are plenty of names for non-whites that are much more offensive, because of the associated actions and opression that went along with them. I agree with you that if somoene called me a gringo (Hmm. Am I a gringo? I’m white, but not American.) i’d probably laugh it off - depending on the circumstances. And it would be pretty easy to tell from those circumstances what the person calling me that was going for - a friendly greeting will obviously be noticeably different from a yelled insult, or a dismissive remark. On the other hand, just because gringo is a weaker term does not make it ok - or even acceptable (when used as an insult). Strangling someone is obviously a much more offensive action than just punching one, to use an analogy, and both can be used in non-offensive ways (some people get off on being strangled, and a friendly punch between friends isn’t that rare). However, when they are used in order to harm someone, we do judge them seperately in legal terms - the strangulation would be attempted murder, and the punching merely assault. Just because a crime is lesser, does not mean we should let it off - otherwise, where’s the impetus for people to stop doing it? Gringo can be an offensive term. CB used fighting words along with them, as well as making his general views on Americans known. That would heavily imply he was also using gringo as a negative term - and as such, he was being racist. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-offensive/339667/85 "2006-01-12T23:41:15Z")
> [@Homebrew](#): > > I’m not making excuses for racism. Not only are you making excuses but you’re insulting those who take issue with racism… as long as the racist source is a minority. > [@Homebrew](#): > > I’m just saying that insults are far less onerous than violence, injustice and inequality. Nobody has argued otherwise, so that makes it a nice strawman. People have argued that deliberately racist statements ought not to be tollerated. You then insulted, many times, any white person who has the nerve to think that racism is bad when it’s applied to anybody, themselves included. The argument is not about “violence, injustice, and inequality”, but whether racism is okay when directed at whites. Your response is that isn’t a non issue, because of violence, etc… That means you’re excusing it. > [@Homebrew](#): > > I’m unsympathetic to white people who whine about being insulted. But you’re not excusing those who use racist insults… you’re just unsympathetic and will attack the white people who take issue with racism. Yeepers. It’s all clear now. > [@Homebrew](#): > > Yes, it’s racist for the black thug to call you a cracker. But so what? It does you no real harm. Yes, it’s racist for a white punk to call a black man a nigger. But so what? It does him no real harm. :rolleyes: You want to stop excusing racism against whites while you’re claiming that you’re not excusing racism against whites? > [@Homebrew](#): > > White racism has and continues to have far more negative consequences for society than a little bit of thugs insulting Joe Sixpack. Again this absurd mentality… so what? Do we need to place every single thing on a continium, and if it doesn’t rise to the level of the worst forms of racism, we ignore it? That’s why your triage analogy was bullshit. We can take issue with _all_ forms of racism and all it costs us is a few more words in a sentence. > [@Homebrew](#): > > If you want racism to stop, it isn’t going to happen by whining about honky. Again you attack those who want racism to stop while excusing that racism. Good show. Racism won’t ever stop as long as people aren’t just going to excuse it, but attack those who take issue with it. > [@Homebrew](#): > > until all the other real injustices are solved, then wasting any time on cracker is treating the hang-nail while the shooting victim bleeds to death. “Treating blacks as fungible parts of a group is wrong, as is doing the same for whites. Everybody deserves to be treated as an individual.” Why, lookit that, there you go! You can do _both at the same time_. Who’d a thunk it? We are not, as you are falsely implying, taking resources away from one thing to give them to another. There’s all part of the same problem. Your analogy is pure crap. It’s not like we’re saying that we shouldn’t deal with racism against blacks until people stop using the word “cracker”, we’re saying that racism, at any time, at any place, by any person, is wrong. It is disturbing that you can’t get behind that idea. (Oh, yes, I know, you talk out of both sides of your mouth and say that racism is wrong, but when a white person complains about it they’re a “titty-baby”) Racism by a black man and a white man may not have the same effect, but they’re the exact same issue. And you are excusing one and attacking those who take issue with it rather than being intelletually consistent. > [@Homebrew](#): > > It would be terrific if everyone everywhere were to rise above the racism far too prevalent in society and treated everyone equally. But I can’t make anyone else do so. Really? So all the decades of education about race and tollerance in this country at all levels has had no effect, at all? > [@Homebrew](#): > > I can only control my own actions. And I don’t find whining about name-calling to be productive. Not “whining about name calling”. Calling out racism no matter who is being racist. > [@Homebrew](#): > > No, mostly they are idiots who want to call blacks niggers and don’t like that they get called on it and are jealous that they can be insulted with less outrage coming as a result. You implying that even a single person in this thread fits that description? You’re also making up qualifiers that didn’t exist in your original statement. You said “I’m also not inclined to think highly of titty-babies who cry about being called cracker.” Nothing there about people who want to call blacks niggers. Just about how whites who object to racism are “titty-babies”. Maybe you want to clear this matter up? Who exactly are you refering to? You do realize that many white Dopers are, here and now, saying that if a minority is racist towards them then it’s a bad thing, right? Are you insulting those Dopers, or not? > [@Homebrew](#): > > They just want to be offended by nonsense as they preceive other groups as doing. Again you excuse racism and handwave it away as ‘nonsense’. Maybe they just want people not to be racists and use racist slurs? > [@Homebrew](#): > > And to get back to the OP: Gringo, specifically, is not usually a prejorative and is in no way comparable to redneck, much less spic or nigger, when it _is_ used to insult. Why not? It’s obviously a slur against people of a certain nationality. It’s _intent_ is exactly the same as the word ‘wetback’. Why excuse one but not the other? > [@Homebrew](#): > > It’s on the level of titty-baby and cry-baby, which is precisely why I’ve been using those mildly insulting terms to draw the parallel. No, it isn’t. Those terms are designed to insult an individual for their actions. The way gringo was used in the thread which spawned this was both bigoted and xenophobic. Your comparison is specious. And as pointed out, punching someone isn’t as extreme as throttling the life out of them. Does that mean we should insult the ‘whiners’ who complain about being punched because, after all, as long as people are being strangled then worrying about people being punched is like taking care of a hangnail while someone is dying of a gunshot wound. (ayieee, doom!!!) ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-offensive/339667/86 "2006-01-12T23:43:27Z")
> [@Homebrew](#): > > Like cracker or honky, it was never used by an oppressor towards an oppressed group so it carries no baggage of it’s own. > [@](#): > > The problem is that the words carry the baggage of their history. If you decide to use the terms, then you are intentionally invoking their history. > > Slurs directed towards white people don’t have the historical baggage of these other terms. I get so tired of hearing this twaddle passed off as if it’s some sort of widely held premise for who & what is or isn’t racist, or what is or isn’t to be taken as offensive. Back in the 1960’s blacks were definitely using honky with the intent that it be just as hateful and offensive as nigger. It was a hate word, and a fighting word. It has historical baggage. As a word it just doesn’t carry much weight anymore, but you can still use it to offend & insult & hurt. Or at least try, as you do, and **CBEscapee** does with his gringo cunt this and gringo douchebag that. Like the word poopy-head, we, and your mommy, know you’re trying to be mean and piss us off, even though we find the word charming as it comes out of your cute obstinate sassy little mouth. What you need, is for mommy to send you to your room for a timeout until you learn that how you use words is sometimes more important than how the dictionary defines them. Yes, it’s true teacher told you a male chicken is a cock. That does not mean you can tell mommy “suck my cock.” ---
**Author:** ![CBEscapee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@CBEscapee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBEscapee)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-offensive/339667/87 "2006-01-12T23:52:18Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > . > > CBEscapee does with his gringo cunt this and gringo douchebag that. You resort to lies to make your point. My exact words were “fucking gringo hypocrisy” and “gringo businesses” and that’s when people started claiming I am a racist. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-offensive/339667/88 "2006-01-12T23:54:07Z")
And you think that’s a defense? “fucking wetback lazyness” / “fucking gringo hypocrisy” Six of one, half dozen of another. ---
**Author:** ![AFAIKnow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a6a055/32.png) [@AFAIKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AFAIKnow)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2006, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-offensive/339667/89 "2006-01-12T23:56:42Z")
> [@CBEscapee](#): > > You resort to lies to make your point. My exact words were “fucking gringo hypocrisy” and “gringo businesses” and that’s when people started claiming I am a racist. And after people pointed out to you that it was an insulting term, and deemed it racist by how you were using it, you continued to use it. Ignorance was your excuse at first. What is it now? ---
**Author:** ![CBEscapee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@CBEscapee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBEscapee)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-offensive/339667/90 "2006-01-13T00:00:17Z")
It is apparent on this thread that the word gringo isn’t considered racist by a number of other posters. I also posted dictionary definitions that contradicted the definition some of you PC police are insisting is the true meaning. As far as equating the word gringo to the word wetback I think you’ll also get plenty of disagreement here. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-offensive/339667/91 "2006-01-13T00:04:55Z")
> [@CBEscapee](#): > > It is apparent on this thread that the word gringo isn’t considered racist by a number of other posters. No, it’s apparent that _sans context_ it’s not racist. The way you used it was. > [@CBEscapee](#): > > I also posted dictionary definitions that contradicted the definition some of you PC police are insisting is the true meaning. You’re using a word on an English language message board, so it behoves you to use it in the context that English speakers know it. As was already asked, your previous defense was ignorance, what is it now? > [@CBEscapee](#): > > As far as equating the word gringo to the word wetback I think you’ll also get plenty of disagreement here. The context was exactly the same. Exactly. Your weak protestations notwithstanding. ---
**Author:** ![CBEscapee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@CBEscapee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBEscapee)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-offensive/339667/92 "2006-01-13T00:10:10Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#): > > No, it’s apparent that _sans context_ it’s not racist. The way you used it was. > > You’re using a word on an English language message board, so it behoves you to use it in the context that English speakers know it. As was already asked, your previous defense was ignorance, what is it now? > > The context was exactly the same. Exactly. > > Your weak protestations notwithstanding. Bullshit. Wetback doesn’t mean Mexican. It has a totally different meaning. It’s an endearing term in the US for someone who snuck across the border or even more precisely swam across the border. ---
**Author:** ![homeskillet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/7ba0ec/32.png) [@homeskillet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/homeskillet)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-offensive/339667/93 "2006-01-13T00:11:24Z")
One of my old boyfriends was fresh off the boat from Mexico, barely spoke English and he and his friends would often refer to me as gringo. Which I found to be a bit rude, though they consistently reassured me that they weren’t using it offensively. So for fun, and a bit of spite, I used to call him Spics McGee. Which I found hilarious because he no idea what the word spic meant let alone did he know that it was derogatory! I didn’t mean anything by it and he actually found it amusing when I finally explained it him, fortunately he had a good sense of humor. I do have to agree though that words are only offensive in context. The message is more important than the medium, or at least that’s this kraut’s opinion. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-offensive/339667/94 "2006-01-13T00:13:53Z")
> [@CBEscapee](#): > > Wetback doesn’t mean Mexican. Most certainly does when some racists use it. Besides, that’s a mighty small nail to hang a hat on. “Both phrases are racist and offensive, but the one I use deliberately offends more people!” ---
**Author:** ![CBEscapee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@CBEscapee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBEscapee)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-offensive/339667/95 "2006-01-13T00:20:43Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#): > > Most certainly does when some racists use it. > > Besides, that’s a mighty small nail to hang a hat on. “Both phrases are racist and offensive, but the one I use deliberately offends more people!” I don’t agree. AND let me point out that you resorted to using a negative stereotype of Mexicans – lazyness— to make your point. That really shows how far you’ll go. You still don’t even have a majority of posters agreeing that gringo is a racist term but that doesn’t seem to make any difference to you. ---
**Author:** ![CBEscapee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@CBEscapee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBEscapee)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-offensive/339667/96 "2006-01-13T00:25:18Z")
How about “fucking limey hypocrisy” or “fucking Canuck hypocrisy” ? Would those be considered racist in your opinion? ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-offensive/339667/97 "2006-01-13T00:27:17Z")
> [@CBEscapee](#): > > I don’t agree. And your opinion counts for so very much. > [@CBEscapee](#): > > AND let me point out that you resorted to using a negative stereotype of Mexicans – lazyness— to make your point. That really shows how far you’ll go. No, it shows that you’re painfully stupid. And you’re a liar if you’re going to claim that “hypocritical” isn’t pejorative just like “lazy”. You’re also either dense or wilfully ignorant as I did not use anything, I merely quoted an example of a racist phrase. Mexicans are no more inherently lazy than “gringos” are inherently hypocritical. Bigot. Get the beam out of your own eye before you complain about the mote in someone else’s. > [@CBEscapee](#): > > You still don’t even have a majority of posters agreeing that gringo is a racist term but that doesn’t seem to make any difference to you. I just answered this, are you playing ‘bait the Gringo’ again? Most people have agreed that _in context_ it can be used as a bigoted phrase. Just like you used it. ---
**Author:** ![CBEscapee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@CBEscapee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBEscapee)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-offensive/339667/98 "2006-01-13T00:28:40Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#): > > And your opinion counts for so very much. Just as much as yours does. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-offensive/339667/99 "2006-01-13T00:30:42Z")
> [@CBEscapee](#): > > How about “fucking limey hypocrisy” or “fucking Canuck hypocrisy” ? Would those be considered racist in your opinion? If you’re insulting an entire nationality and claiming that a pejorative adjective is a defining characteristic then you are most certainly being a bigot. “Fucking limey hypocrisy” “Fucking Mexican lazyness” “Fucking Inuit stupidity” “Fucking Canadian dishonesty” Detect a pattern Sherlock? Rocket science, eh? ---
**Author:** ![CBEscapee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@CBEscapee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBEscapee)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2006, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-offensive/339667/100 "2006-01-13T00:31:17Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#): > > You’re also either dense or wilfully ignorant as I did not use anything, I merely quoted an example of a racist phrase. Oh what bullshit! You’re a real phoney. You chose to phrase it that way. You used it. Go fuck yourself you lying piece of shit. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-offensive/339667.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-offensive/339667.md?page=6)