# Irish Dopers: Is "Jap" a racial slur in your country? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 20, 2004, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irish-dopers-is-jap-a-racial-slur-in-your-country/241072 "2004-04-20T19:10:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![GaWd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f08c70/32.png) [@GaWd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaWd)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2004, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irish-dopers-is-jap-a-racial-slur-in-your-country/241072/101 "2004-04-23T21:23:07Z")
It is definitely easier to dismiss my opinion as ignorance than to accept the simple fact that you’re being way too sensitive about this issue and that standards of speech and acceptability change depending on geography and culture, word usage, and context. ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2004, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irish-dopers-is-jap-a-racial-slur-in-your-country/241072/102 "2004-04-23T21:35:06Z")
> [@GaWd](#): > > It is definitely easier to dismiss my opinion as ignorance than to accept the simple fact that you’re being way too sensitive about this issue and that standards of speech and acceptability change depending on geography and culture, word usage, and context. Geography? Culture? Dude, we both live in California. You just happen to be more pig-headed than most Californians. I know San Jose is south of the bay, but you guys aren’t _that_ isolated. That’s just wonderful how, after I (seven times now?) repeatedly say that I understand how usage is different in other countries, you STILL are obfuscating the issue by pretending that I refuse to acknowledge that. ---
**Author:** ![GaWd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f08c70/32.png) [@GaWd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaWd)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2004, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irish-dopers-is-jap-a-racial-slur-in-your-country/241072/103 "2004-04-23T22:00:22Z")
I’m sorry, but your repeated(7 times) insistence that verbiage usage differs from country to country is noted. Your lack of acceptance that things can change from San Jose(most areas don’t have a HUGE asian population the further south you go), and say, So. Cal(think Alhambra) or San Francisco could be relatively lax in what would to you seem like the use of a slur. San Jose is thankfully an area of very low racial tension and divisiveness. We tend to be a more multi-cultural “epicenter”. And why do you continually resort to ad-hominems? I understand you think you’ve been right all along. I understand that several people in the US and abroad have told you they disagree. I’m not sure why that triggers you to insult them. Agree to disagree. You can call me ignorant all you want, and I’ll let everyone I know about the stubborn, egotistical, culturally over-sensitive internet poster I had an argument with today. I’m finished banging my head against the wall over this. Sam ---
**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:** [April 23, 2004, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irish-dopers-is-jap-a-racial-slur-in-your-country/241072/104 "2004-04-23T22:18:47Z")
> [@blowero](#): > > Ya know what, Coldfire? I was trying to be reasonable with you, but you’re just being an asshole, so fuck you. I have nothing further to say to you. Frankly, I think you’re a racist piece of shit. So, what you really want is for places around the world to stop using Jap in context as a legitimate word because people not even in the country may be offended? I have friends that use “Jap bike” in a positively admirable tone. Am I supposed to tell them not to use Jap because they are being offensive to some Japanese people in America? Did you miss the bit where **Coldfire’s** _Japanese_ friend called a Japanaes bike a “Jap bike”? Does that not mean that saying that is not offensive to Japanese people in Japan, and so **Coldfire** is not being racist when he says it? ---
**Author:** ![sinjin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@sinjin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sinjin)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2004, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irish-dopers-is-jap-a-racial-slur-in-your-country/241072/105 "2004-04-23T22:56:39Z")
Sooooo they’re selling motorcycles manufactured by Jewish American Princesses in Ireland now. Sorry, just couldn’t resist :smack: ---
**Author:** ![annaplurabelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@annaplurabelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/annaplurabelle)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2004, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irish-dopers-is-jap-a-racial-slur-in-your-country/241072/106 "2004-04-23T23:58:14Z")
> [@blowero](#): > > You are the only one in this thread who is arguing that it’s o.k. to say “Jap bike” in the U.S.; everyone else is talking about other countries (except that Coldfire seems to have joined your cause now). I KNOW it’s not acceptable. I can’t prove it to you, because you have rendered it unprovable. Any evidence you see, you just dismiss as “oversensitive whining”. I can point out how Japanese Americans are offended by it, and how the word is never used in writing or in media, but you’ll just dismiss it all. You can “point out” all you like. Just google “jap bike” and count how many _US-based_ cites you find (note the specific usage related to “bike”; something **blowero** seems intent on ignoring). “Never used in writing or media”??? Try again, please. > [@PictsiePat](#): > > Sooooo they’re selling motorcycles manufactured by Jewish American Princesses in Ireland now. > > Sorry, just couldn’t resist Yeah, I’ve been tempted ever since this thread started. But I warn you - that usage is apparently a slur now too. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2004, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irish-dopers-is-jap-a-racial-slur-in-your-country/241072/107 "2004-04-24T00:37:23Z")
> [@blowero](#): > > Ya know what, Coldfire? I was trying to be reasonable with you, but you’re just being an asshole, so fuck you. I have nothing further to say to you. Frankly, I think you’re a racist piece of shit. Mighty reasonable of you. I’ll be sure to tell my wife I’m a racist, I’m sure she had no idea. Dickweed. Do you still want your thread closed? Ask someone else. I’m done with you. ---
**Author:** ![Heloise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e36b37/32.png) [@Heloise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heloise)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2004, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irish-dopers-is-jap-a-racial-slur-in-your-country/241072/108 "2004-04-24T00:44:27Z")
> [@Coldfire](#): > > Mighty reasonable of you. I’ll be sure to tell my wife I’m a racist, I’m sure she had no idea. > > Dickweed. Do you still want your thread closed? Ask someone else. I’m done with you. Oh, dear. Honey, are you a racist to everyone, or just dickweeds? Is that a race, even? ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2004, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irish-dopers-is-jap-a-racial-slur-in-your-country/241072/109 "2004-04-24T00:46:13Z")
I think it’s more of a subspecies of the douchebags, to be honest. But it’s been a while since my high school Jackasses 101 class, to be honest. ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2004, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irish-dopers-is-jap-a-racial-slur-in-your-country/241072/110 "2004-04-24T06:16:22Z")
Fuck you Coldfire - you’re a prick. I’m outa here. ---
**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:** [April 24, 2004, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irish-dopers-is-jap-a-racial-slur-in-your-country/241072/111 "2004-04-24T06:21:03Z")
> [@Burnt Sugar](#): > > Did you miss the bit where **Coldfire’s** _Japanese_ friend called a Japanaes bike a “Jap bike”? Does that not mean that saying that is not offensive to Japanese people in Japan, and so **Coldfire** is not being racist when he says it? That should be “…to Japanese people in the Netherlands,…” No idea where that slip came from. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2004, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irish-dopers-is-jap-a-racial-slur-in-your-country/241072/112 "2004-04-26T13:28:48Z")
Well it looks like the someone has taken their toys and have gone home. This thread ended nicely didn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2004, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irish-dopers-is-jap-a-racial-slur-in-your-country/241072/113 "2004-04-26T13:55:03Z")
Kinda of late into this thread, but the thought just occurred to me. One can use the term American or Canadian both as an adjective and a noun, but I have a hard time saying about someone from Japan that “he is _a_ Japanese”. Invariablely I’m led to use the phrase “he is Japanese” ionstead. Somehow if I used the term Japaneser it would sound a lot more offensive than Jap. ---
**Author:** ![paulberserker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@paulberserker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paulberserker)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2004, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irish-dopers-is-jap-a-racial-slur-in-your-country/241072/114 "2004-04-26T13:55:18Z")
Things we have learned today: • I can’t read • Coldfires a racist • Blowero’s an arsehole who can’t understand other peoples concise explanations of how language (surprisingly, his own language) is used in other countries. Only one of these statements is true. Can you guess which one? talk about hitting rock bottom and starting digging. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Balduran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cc9497/32.png) [@Balduran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balduran)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2004, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irish-dopers-is-jap-a-racial-slur-in-your-country/241072/115 "2004-04-26T14:09:04Z")
I realised I’ve never called somone a douchebag before. Don’t know why. It rolls off the tongue rather nicely. I’ll be looking for the opportunity to use it now. ---
**Author:** ![Balduran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cc9497/32.png) [@Balduran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balduran)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2004, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irish-dopers-is-jap-a-racial-slur-in-your-country/241072/116 "2004-04-26T14:11:51Z")
Yeah, let’s just replace **somone** with **anybody** before any douchebags come in to correct me. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2004, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irish-dopers-is-jap-a-racial-slur-in-your-country/241072/117 "2004-04-26T14:31:19Z")
> [@yojimbo](#): > > This thread ended nicely didn’t it? Well it wouldn’t have existed in the first place, if it weren’t for a particular Paddy racist who shall remain nameless. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2004, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irish-dopers-is-jap-a-racial-slur-in-your-country/241072/118 "2004-04-26T18:24:22Z")
Betcha I know one Irish guy who’s never going to use the word “Jap” again 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irish-dopers-is-jap-a-racial-slur-in-your-country/241072.md?page=5)