Irish Dopers: Is "Jap" a racial slur in your country?

The BBQ Pit
21

I’m not sure if Americans suffer from the same need to shorten everything. It seems to be almost compulsory in some parts of the world.

Here people probably wouldn’t refer to a Japanese person as a Jap, but as a significant proportion of the vehicles sold in NZ are second hand from Japan they are always refered to as “Jap imports”. When you buy a car you ask “Is it NZ new or a Jap import?” (it affects the price). This is in no way meant as an offensive term.

Australians are always Aussies. The English are always Poms. Americans are always Yanks. None of these are meant in an offensive way. Hey we call ourselves Kiwis! A nocturnal, flightless, fairly unattractive and endangered bird and we love to be called Kiwis.

Auckland’s harbour bridge (built in the late 50’s) orginaly had only 2 lanes. When traffic demands found the bridge lacking, more lanes were prefabricated in Japan and added to the bridge. They were locally known as the “Nippon Clip Ons”, they still are.
just wanted to say as it is the 21st here and will be there tomorrow that this is credit cardless me’s last night of posting. Be afraid! I will remain addicted though :slight_smile:

22

O.K., but again, it’s not the fact that a nickname is used in and of itself that makes something offensive. So all that you just said is irrelevant. The only thing that’s relevant is whether “Jap” is offensive, and I gather from your second paragraph that in your country, it’s acceptable to use it for inanimate objects. So I’m suspecting that the same is probably true in Ireland, although we still haven’t heard from very many Irish dopers.

“Nippon” is not an offensive word. In fact, it’s the Japanese word for Japan. (Although it’s pronounced Nee-pone or Nee-hone, so rhyming it with “clip on” maybe could be offensive - I don’t know). “Nip”, however, IS an offensive word, at least in the U.S.

23

I’m usually pretty PC but oddly enough, I don’t think twice about calling Manderin oranges “Jap oranges.” Of course they’re only around at Christmas. Stranger still, I notice they’re mostly from China these days!

24

Well as I said in the other thread Jap is used IME when talking about cars or bikes.

The one Japanese person I knew was either called by his name or referred to as the Japanese guy I knew.

Nip on the other hand is offensive.

25

Who was the chat show host. Never heard of this and I’m a tv junkie.

Thanks BTW :slight_smile:

26

Erm, you should know that “Mandarin” has little, nay, to be honest, allmost nothing to do with Japan. Mandarin is a major Chinese dialect. That a tree named after it’s Chinese origin grows in China should not be a suprise to you, even if it also grows in Japan.

27

I would imagine that Irish-English and Kiwi-English are closer then “Yank”-English and Irish-English. That aside, does it matter where the person comes from? I am telling you that the terms “Jap bike” or “Jap car” are not offensive HERE. Possibly it is an offensive term in America. Just be aware it isn’t everywhere else, Ireland or not.

Nippon was used earlier in the thread as an example. In NZ Nippon and Clip on DO rhyme…you know why? Cause this is NZ. We have had our clip ons for 30-ish years. I wasn’t suggesting that Nippon was an offensive term (though I have NEVER heard it mentioned here unless it was about the rhyming clip ons). I was suggesting the overly sensitive might see the rhyming as offensive, Well done for you that you only corrected my accent and didn’t take offense.

28

I’ve lived in Ireland for more than 20 years and what I think you have to remember is that Ireland is not a multicultural society. Not yet, anyway.
Words are used here which are considered racist by people who don’t live here and which could cause serious offence in other places.
Surely that is self evident from the very fact that this thread was started?

In Ireland a sambo is a sandwich, but my Mother is English and she thinks that’s an awful, awful word as it was one of the many words that was used to describe the black immigrants from the Carribean who went to England she when she was a young woman, in the 50s.

So while I can see why others might be horrified to think that Irish people routinely use words which others might think are abhorrent, I can see why *some * of them aren’t considered abhorrent here.

29

Another non-Irish blow-in living in Ireland.

I would have to concur with the fact that’s it’s inoffensive for vehicles but not too great for individuals.

Wouldn’t even have occurred to me that it might be offensive as applied to a vehicle to be quite honest. IMO that’s a bit oversensitive.

There are plenty of Japanese people in this part of the country. Many of them seem to be learning English, or Irish music, or both. Haven’t head any of them referred to as “Japs”. They are referred to by their names or “the Japanese(community)” collectively.

30

I think it was Pat Kenny, but Googling only gives me a couple not-very-reliable sources to confirm. I remember it being in the news when it happened anyway.

and you’re welcome, btw :slight_smile:

31

???

No not possibly. The word “Jap” is offensive in the U.S. no matter what the context. There is no doubt.

Uh, yes - I am aware of that. What part of “I gather from your second paragraph that in your country, it’s acceptable to use it for inanimate objects” didn’t you understand?

Huh? I think you lost me. The word “Nippon” is pronounced nee-pone. The words “clip on” are pronounced klip ahn. They do not rhyme. The derogatory word “Nip” is pronounced nip. So I was saying that if one pronounces Nippon as nip-ahn, it might possibly be offensive to some, because it sounds partially like the derogatory word Nip. I wouldn’t see it that way, but maybe some people would. They don’t rhyme because you’re in New Zealand; they rhyme because you are using a Western pronounciation of a Japanese word. I think we are in agreement, but it’s hard to tell from the jumbled way you present your thoughts.

32

O.K., so in your experience, do Irish people routinely use the word “Jap”?

33

blowero-

I must question the validity of you being the barometer for all that is considered offensive in the U.S. Standards are different EVERYWHERE.

34

Fine - call it a “Jap bike” if that floats your boat. I grew up in the Bay Area, and I know for a fact that people don’t appreciate that crap. It’s the kind of thing that’s gonna get you your ass kicked some day.

35

People don’t generally fuck with a guy my size, but if they’re all about it, so am I. Never had any trouble to date.

Sam

36

I’m not an Irish doper, but a half-Japanese one, and I wanted to weigh in and say while I do understand the cultural nuances of using the word “Jap” as described above, I and my Japanese-American mother would find it offensive to hear it in real life, regardless of whether it’s being used to describe people or inanimate objects. I was also under the impression that “Jap” was one of those universally offensive and derogatory racial epithets. Interesting thread!

37

Now why did I have a feeling that you would respond with some sort of “people don’t fuck with me 'cuz I’m a badass” kind of comment? :rolleyes:

38

How did I know you’d respond the way you did?

I don’t think that’s what I said.

If you’d stop being a prick for one second and just let the fact that we disagree on one single fucking term used to describe machinery(!), you’d see that I said I don’t get much static. In fact, I’m the furthest thing from a badass…I just don’t have trouble with people. Ever. The reason I posit is because of my size.

That is all.

Christ.

39

You know what else(I probably should retreat from this, but sometimes I can’t resist)my cousin, who is Japanese-whose father was interred in WWII-refers to all of his Japanese-produced vehicles as “Jap-vehicles”. So I know it’s not just me.

40

All right, I’m donning the flame proof suit here.

There’s another thing to take into account. I suppose there’s no way of saying this without pissing someone off, but trust me when I tell you the following comments are observations only, and carry no judgment with them.

Here goes: Americans are more PC and more prone to take offense than any other people I know of. This is a sweeping generalisation, I know. As evidenced, opinions vary even in the American camp in this thread. But it seems true nonetheless.

Brought forth here is the fact that the US was directly at war with Japan in WWII, hence the term “Jap” carries more weight there than in Europe or Australia. Or, hell, New Zealand. :wink:

Thing is, many Dutch soldiers (and indeed citizens) died in Japanese camps in Indonesia during WWII. Some 12,000 to be precise. To this day, the camps are referred to as Jappenkampen and the Japanese forces as Jappen. Mind you: the WWII forces. Calling a Japanese person a “Jap” here and now is completely offensive.
Same for the Germans. The Nazis were and are called Moffen (loosely translated: Krauts, Gerrys), but it’s most definitely NOT a term to use for a modern-day German. We differentiate between then and now.

As for the term “Jap bike”, I’ve used the term both in English and Dutch, and personally do not find it offensive. Offensiveness is dependant on intentions, to me. If I say “That Jap bastard cut me off in traffic”, I’m crossing a line. If I say I like the latest line of Jap supersport bikes, I’m merely being descriptive, and any taken offense is on the part of the listener.

As yojimbo demonstrated, we should be careful around these cultural differences, and treat them with respect. It’s an easily avoided term, and therefore it’s not hard for the Europeans and Aussies to adapt. At the same time, a little clarification might help, and offense won’t be taken so easily the next time.

Like I said: this is all said with the best of intentions.