# If you are white and were called a "wypipo", would you be offended? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 7, 2018, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-are-white-and-were-called-a-wypipo-would-you-be-offended/813752 "2018-05-07T14:22:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-are-white-and-were-called-a-wypipo-would-you-be-offended/813752/1 "2018-05-07T14:22:46Z")
Apparently this is a new (to me, at least) attempt at coming up with an anti-white insult and is (maybe) becoming a thing. To me, the term is so ludicrous that I’d be giggling at it, not offended. It sounds like baby-talk: “Does oos tumtum have da rumblies? Isums bad wypepo that made oo sicky-wicky?” (Note, “popo” for “police” has a similar effect on me) I just can’t take it seriously. Not that I take "cracker’ or “honky” seriously either, but it at least implies anger rather than large amounts of lead in the drinking water. If you were walking down the street and one black person said to the other “Look at that wypepo’s pants. They’re totally out of fashion and un-hip.” and the other responded with “How gauche. Only a wypepo would dress in such a manner.” I’d try not to laugh at them. What about you? If you’re white are you offended by the term? If you’re black would you use it? ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-are-white-and-were-called-a-wypipo-would-you-be-offended/813752/2 "2018-05-07T14:31:00Z")
Would this be part of a systemic and long standing discrimination patterns in society or just a one off remark by a fucking assclown? ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-are-white-and-were-called-a-wypipo-would-you-be-offended/813752/3 "2018-05-07T14:32:26Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > To me, the term is so ludicrous that I’d be giggling at it, not offended. It sounds like baby-talk: “Does oos tumtum have da rumblies? Isums bad wypepo that made oo sicky-wicky?” (Note, “popo” for “police” has a similar effect on me) Can you tell us what it means? Because I Googled it and couldn’t find anything to convince me it wasn’t “baby talk”. > [@Fenris](#): > > If you were walking down the street and one black person said to the other “Look at that wypepo’s pants. They’re totally out of fashion and un-hip.” and the other responded with “How gauche. Only a wypepo would dress in such a manner.” I’d try not to laugh at them. > > What about you? If you’re white are you offended by the term? If you’re black would you use it? So “wypepo” would refer to the pants that go with a $1000 Brooks Brothers suit? ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-are-white-and-were-called-a-wypipo-would-you-be-offended/813752/4 "2018-05-07T14:33:46Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Would this be part of a systemic and long standing discrimination patterns in society or just a one off remark by a fucking assclown? To my understanding, it’d be a one-off remark by the occasional fucking assclown. “Nigger” (for example) has historical weight behind it and means something and is a real insult. “Wypepo” is an assclown speaking baby-talk, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-are-white-and-were-called-a-wypipo-would-you-be-offended/813752/5 "2018-05-07T14:34:55Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Can you tell us what it means? Because I Googled it and couldn’t find anything to convince me it wasn’t “baby talk”. “Honky”. Uncool white people. From a thread I read about it: > **['Wypipo' Explained - Democratic Underground Forums](https://www.democraticunderground.com/100210577824)** > [@](#): > > So “wypepo” would refer to the pants that go with a $1000 Brooks Brothers suit? Apparently it would mean “someone who would wear those Joey Buttafuoco pants” thinking that said Buttafuco pants are cool/hip. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-are-white-and-were-called-a-wypipo-would-you-be-offended/813752/6 "2018-05-07T14:40:08Z")
So, “wypepo” = “white people”, as in: White People of Wallmart? Because, a remark like that would have to make you stop and rethinking your life choices, and entire wardrobe. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-are-white-and-were-called-a-wypipo-would-you-be-offended/813752/7 "2018-05-07T14:40:22Z")
Ah–my apologies. The correct spelling is “wypipo” and it brings up a lot more google results than the misspelling. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-are-white-and-were-called-a-wypipo-would-you-be-offended/813752/8 "2018-05-07T14:41:42Z")
1, I thought it was “wypipo.” (for **msmith537** , it means “white people.”) 2, no, it doesn’t make me feel particularly aggrieved. (edit- ninja’d) ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-are-white-and-were-called-a-wypipo-would-you-be-offended/813752/9 "2018-05-07T14:47:33Z")
Isn’t it a plural? Can you call one guy a wypipo? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-are-white-and-were-called-a-wypipo-would-you-be-offended/813752/10 "2018-05-07T14:54:15Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > … > If you were walking down the street and one black person said to the other “Look at that wypepo’s pants. They’re totally out of fashion and un-hip.” and the other responded with “How gauche. Only a wypepo would dress in such a manner.” I’d try not to laugh at them… Are they describing me? I’d react the same as to any other insult about my dress. I don’t think that use of wypipo would bother me very much, but I HAVE been slurred with the word “wypipo”, and it was by another white person and I found it offensive. I believe the white man brought up the issue of adding a black (or maybe it was brown) stripe to the gay pride flag in a Facebook post. He got a lot of responses, all over the spectrum. He replied to someone who didn’t like the idea saying that he noticed only wypipo in his thread opposed the idea. Since 19 of the 20 people who responded to his post were white\*, that seemed like a pretty stupid generalization. And since he obviously intended it as a slur, I found it insulting. I think any word can be insulting if that is its intention. Even “wypipo”. - and the one black woman said something only mildly in favor, like, “that sounds like a nice idea”. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-are-white-and-were-called-a-wypipo-would-you-be-offended/813752/11 "2018-05-07T14:56:04Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > What about you? If you’re white are you offended by the term? No, but then I’m a white guy. I don’t have to feel offended or threatened by words others make up to refer to me because I still have my White Guy status. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-are-white-and-were-called-a-wypipo-would-you-be-offended/813752/12 "2018-05-07T15:01:02Z")
> [@Paintcharge](#): > > Isn’t it a plural? Yeah, I always thought it was plural, and it always seemed to me more or less like using “chicks” to refer to women or “kids” to refer to college students: deliberately somewhat disrespectful in tone but not intrinsically an insult. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-are-white-and-were-called-a-wypipo-would-you-be-offended/813752/13 "2018-05-07T15:05:47Z")
[**“NegusWhoRead”**](http://neguswhoread.com/wypipo-explained/) Found this via Google. To say it is an afro-centric web site would be the understatement of the day, but the segment below was interesting nevertheless. > [@](#): > > ◾White people don’t season their food, but wypipo like theirs organic, free range and gluten free. > ◾Wypipo are deathly worried about radical Islamic terroristm, but won’t acknowledge that the vast majority of terrorism in America comes from white people. > ◾White people can’t dance, but wypipo love to dance and will dance anywhere. > ◾Wypipo are pro-life when it comes to abortion, but cool with the death penalty and police brutality. Those wypipo will tell you that “pro-life” is just a term to describe the anti-abortion movement, that it has nothing to do with issues of police violence and capital punishment. But if you mention the movement that focuses on State violence against black bodies, they will quickly say, “but what about black on black crime?” > ◾Wypipo have the intestinal fortitude to wear shorts and flip flops all year round. When it is absolutely too cold to wear them, yoga pants will suffice. > ◾There are some white people who believe in social justice causes, but wypipo need special names for themselves, like “allies” or “social justice warriors.” > ◾There are white people who treat human beings like human beings and don’t need special recognition for it. Wypipo will point out their safety pins and wear Black Lives Matter t-shirts. > ◾Wypipo believe kneeling during the national anthem is unpatriotic and disrespectful to the men and women who lost their lives defending this country. Yet they are cool with the Confederate flag, which actually represents an act of treason that killed almost as many Americans as all the other wars combined. > ◾White people have all kinds of friends and associates. Wypipo know exactly how many black friends they have and can remember that one time in 1998 they spent an entire day with their Dominican co-worker. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-are-white-and-were-called-a-wypipo-would-you-be-offended/813752/14 "2018-05-07T15:17:29Z")
No, of course not. Only tremendously insecure or racist people get all bent out of shape by silly things like this. I would however, laugh, as I know what it means and I ain’t one. ---
**Author:** ![Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@Tired\_and\_Cranky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tired_and_Cranky)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-are-white-and-were-called-a-wypipo-would-you-be-offended/813752/15 "2018-05-07T15:21:37Z")
I’ll go on record as a white person who doesn’t like the term. It really is racist and I’m the target. It treats all white people as ignorant and oblivious, based solely on their race, without considering those individuals’ viewpoints or experience. I try not to judge people by their race and I would ask others to do the same for me. Some would argue that “wypipo” only refers to unenlightened or racially intolerant white people and so not everyone should be offended by the description. Others would argue that the n-word only refers to ignorant or criminal blacks and not “good” black people or they believe that if Tupac can say it in verse, white people should be able to sing along too and use it with friendly intent. I disagree with both of these views. Furthermore, while I’ve heard of white people trying to use the n-word without insulting black people (though it’s still a landmine even in the friendliest of mixed company), I have never heard anyone use “wypipo” in any way that wasn’t meant to be insulting. If white people have even heard of the term, they certainly haven’t gotten to the point where they can reappropriate it the way black people have retaken the n-word for their own purposes. I understand why people of color might use “wypipo.” There are a lot of insulting terms for minorities. They want one of their own to fight back with. I don’t think it’s the best strategy. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-are-white-and-were-called-a-wypipo-would-you-be-offended/813752/16 "2018-05-07T15:25:13Z")
I has a sad over that kind of thinking because white people seemingly get to do everything and every single time black people try to protest or respond, they’re told “_ **Not like that** _” I’m sure they’d love to tell you the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-are-white-and-were-called-a-wypipo-would-you-be-offended/813752/17 "2018-05-07T15:38:23Z")
As I understand the term, “wypipo” refers to Trump supporters and confederate flag wavers. I would be offended to be lumped in with those people. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-are-white-and-were-called-a-wypipo-would-you-be-offended/813752/18 "2018-05-07T15:41:59Z")
I was born white, male, able bodied, heterosexual and into a middle class family in a rich country. I am playing the video game of life on the “Tutorial for Children” setting. A few racial epithets won’t hurt me the way they do genuinely disadvantaged people. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-are-white-and-were-called-a-wypipo-would-you-be-offended/813752/19 "2018-05-07T16:00:28Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > … What about you? If you’re white are you offended by the term? … My first instinct would probably be to wonder whether the speaker is having a stroke. Assuming they weren’t and it was an attempt at an insult / racial slur, no I don’t think I’d be particularly offended. I’d probably get on with my life and avoid talking to that person in the future. If it was said by someone whose opinion I actually cared about, I’d try to offer a helpful suggestion that they knock it off. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2018, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-are-white-and-were-called-a-wypipo-would-you-be-offended/813752/20 "2018-05-07T16:25:18Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > [**“NegusWhoRead”**](http://neguswhoread.com/wypipo-explained/) > > Found this via Google. To say it is an afro-centric web site would be the understatement of the day, but the segment below was interesting nevertheless. > > > [@](#): > > > > ◾White people don’t season their food, but wypipo like theirs organic, free range and gluten free. > > ◾Wypipo are deathly worried about radical Islamic terroristm, but won’t acknowledge that the vast majority of terrorism in America comes from white people. > > ◾White people can’t dance, but wypipo love to dance and will dance anywhere. > > ◾Wypipo are pro-life when it comes to abortion, but cool with the death penalty and police brutality. Those wypipo will tell you that “pro-life” is just a term to describe the anti-abortion movement, that it has nothing to do with issues of police violence and capital punishment. But if you mention the movement that focuses on State violence against black bodies, they will quickly say, “but what about black on black crime?” > > ◾Wypipo have the intestinal fortitude to wear shorts and flip flops all year round. When it is absolutely too cold to wear them, yoga pants will suffice. > > ◾There are some white people who believe in social justice causes, but wypipo need special names for themselves, like “allies” or “social justice warriors.” > > ◾There are white people who treat human beings like human beings and don’t need special recognition for it. Wypipo will point out their safety pins and wear Black Lives Matter t-shirts. > > ◾Wypipo believe kneeling during the national anthem is unpatriotic and disrespectful to the men and women who lost their lives defending this country. Yet they are cool with the Confederate flag, which actually represents an act of treason that killed almost as many Americans as all the other wars combined. > > ◾White people have all kinds of friends and associates. Wypipo know exactly how many black friends they have and can remember that one time in 1998 they spent an entire day with their Dominican co-worker. This list is weird. It says wypipo are pro-life (a typical conservative view), allies/SJWs (typical liberal views), are in to safety pins & BLM (typical liberal views), and are against kneeling for the anthem and for the Confederate flag (typical conservative views). (we) White people can clearly be annoying in our flaky stances on social issues, but we definitely have clear lines, and we want to stay separated by those clear lines! 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-are-white-and-were-called-a-wypipo-would-you-be-offended/813752.md?page=2)