# Gringo offensive?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-offensive/339667>\
**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:** 3\
**Page:** 8

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**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 14, 2006, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-offensive/339667/141 "2006-01-14T01:54:50Z")

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> [@Quint](#):
>
> Anyone intimating that the word is as loaded as “nigger”, “kike”, “wetback”, or even “cracker” or “honky” must be looking for reasons to be offended.

So far, I don’t think anyone’s intimating that. Most if not all people that aren’t CB are saying that-

1. It is not an innately offensive word at the level of “nigger” or other racist terms.
2. It can be, at times, used offensively - still not at the offense level of some other terms, but still offensive.
3. It can be used as just a descriptive term - along the lines of American, for example.  
And here’s the clincher:
4. CB used the term in order to cause offense - in his words, it felt it was a “dismissive” remark.

No, it was not offensive along the lines of some other much harsher terms. However, CB used it to dismiss an ethnic group based purely on them being members of that ethnic group - Thus it seems clear to me he was being racist.

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**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 14, 2006, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-offensive/339667/142 "2006-01-14T01:56:22Z")

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Sorry, CB - “it felt” should be “he felt”.

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**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2006, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gringo-offensive/339667/143 "2006-01-14T10:24:53Z")

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> [@CBEscapee](#):
>
> Tends to be disparaging in Mexico? I’d like to know how you came to that conclusion, Colibri.
> 
> It is used here much in the same way you describe it’s use in Panama. As an adjective as well as a noun. I don’t agree that it tends to be disparaging. Dismissive perhaps.

I have quite a bit of expereince with Mexican nationals- worked for a few years with the _bracero_ community here. I can even speak a bad pidgin Spanish.

I agree with **Colibri.** Now, yes- it can be said with a smile by someone who knows you, then it’s cool. Like _some_ dudes can get away with calling a black man “nigger”. True, I freely admit that “gringo” isn’t nearly as strong as “nigger”, but I’d say it’s a bit milder than “Wetback”, and about the same as “beaner”. I agree with **FinnAgain** and others who says “it’s context”.

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