# Is it racist for a World War 2 film to refer to Japanese soldiers as "Japs"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 15, 2018, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-for-a-world-war-2-film-to-refer-to-japanese-soldiers-as-japs/822996 "2018-10-15T20:40:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2018, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-for-a-world-war-2-film-to-refer-to-japanese-soldiers-as-japs/822996/41 "2018-10-16T15:07:27Z")
They get around this in _The Man In The High Castle_ TV series by inventing a slur. In the timeline portrayed, the resistance call the Japanese “Pons”. ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2018, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-for-a-world-war-2-film-to-refer-to-japanese-soldiers-as-japs/822996/42 "2018-10-16T15:12:17Z")
The term ‘Jap’ was an important part of US propaganda during WW2. Any correct portrayal of the time would use the word. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2018, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-for-a-world-war-2-film-to-refer-to-japanese-soldiers-as-japs/822996/43 "2018-10-16T15:16:39Z")
The only way to ever get rid of racism is to make everyone forget its existence. The only way, from there, to keep it gone, is to make sure that everyone remembers that it exists. ---
**Author:** ![Fortyfold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7c8e57/32.png) [@Fortyfold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fortyfold)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2018, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-for-a-world-war-2-film-to-refer-to-japanese-soldiers-as-japs/822996/44 "2018-10-16T15:38:48Z")
There’s an Izaak Walton quote, from the introduction of _The Compleat Angler_ that goes ‘There are offences given, and offences not given but taken’. We try to eliminate given offences, but encourage taken offences, so nothing is really being done to change things. ‘Jap’ is just a contraction that ought to be no more offensive than ‘Brit’. ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2018, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-for-a-world-war-2-film-to-refer-to-japanese-soldiers-as-japs/822996/45 "2018-10-16T15:52:12Z")
Jap, at the time, was stronger than Brit. ‘Jap’ represented monkey like creatures with small round heads and buck teeth that bayoneted babies and tortured American prisoners. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2018, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-for-a-world-war-2-film-to-refer-to-japanese-soldiers-as-japs/822996/46 "2018-10-16T16:06:23Z")
Go to a newspaper database and search for the word “Japs” in 1941. I found 109,332 hits. Yes, Japanese was also used even more often but Jap was so commonplace that no one could have imagined that anyone would consider it racist. It was the common word earlier and the common word for decades after the war. 1921: 93,515 matches 1931: 46,195 matches 1951: 54,090 matches 1961: 32,499 matches After that it settles down to 10-20,000 matches through 2001. 2011 is much different. Only 2,834 matches and most of those in stock names. Propaganda during the war worked hard to make “Japs” look offensive. Other than the war years, though, it was used similarly to Brits or Yanks as a headline shortener and not a slur. “Nips” was probably the word used to be offensive. It doesn’t appear often in newspapers in that context, probably because it was offensive. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2018, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-for-a-world-war-2-film-to-refer-to-japanese-soldiers-as-japs/822996/47 "2018-10-16T16:15:13Z")
It’s important to remember the anger after Pearl Harbor. There was genuine fear there might be a West coast invasion. There was a successful invasion of the Philippines. Our Pacific fleet was badly damaged. The US was not prepared to fight a war. Propaganda used harsh words to get broad support for the war. Sacrifices were needed. Many items were rationed and a generation of our young men went to war. Any film depicting that period can’t ignore the attitudes and words commonly used. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2018, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-for-a-world-war-2-film-to-refer-to-japanese-soldiers-as-japs/822996/48 "2018-10-16T16:30:34Z")
America was racist enough in 1942. They didn’t really need any extra help. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2018, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-for-a-world-war-2-film-to-refer-to-japanese-soldiers-as-japs/822996/49 "2018-10-16T16:52:42Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > “Nips” was probably the word used to be offensive. It doesn’t appear often in newspapers in that context, probably because it was offensive. Actually, “Nips” was regarded as less offensive than Japs, at least after the war. In _McHale’s Navy_ (1962-1966), the Japanese were initially referred to as Japs, [but this was changed to Nips as being less offensive.](https://books.google.com.pa/books?id=3I0NBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA39&lpg=PA39&dq=mchales+navy+japs+nips&source=bl&ots=tyTaZPoRhr&sig=mcewFGj4T_cIx1Ab1rKHbMkKmW8&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjn7NmXs4veAhWDy6QKHTdAA08Q6AEwDHoECAEQAQ#v=onepage&q=mchales%20navy%20japs%20nips&f=false) Notably, an episode from 1965 is entitled [“A Nip in Time,”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIg0tg4y4Ws) referring to their POW-cook, Fuji. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2018, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-for-a-world-war-2-film-to-refer-to-japanese-soldiers-as-japs/822996/50 "2018-10-16T17:03:00Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > WWII tended to make a distinction between German and Nazi (or Italian and Fascist) while lumping all Japanese together. The Japanese-American community was treated very differently than the German-American and Italian-American communities… Americans lumped Japanese together because they were terrified over the [Niihau incident](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niihau_incident). What if Japanese Americans elsewhere in Hawaii, or in any area populated with Japanese Americans could be influenced to kill people? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2018, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-for-a-world-war-2-film-to-refer-to-japanese-soldiers-as-japs/822996/51 "2018-10-16T17:10:14Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Actually, “Nips” was regarded as less offensive than Japs, at least after the war. In _McHale’s Navy_ (1962-1966), the Japanese were initially referred to as Japs, [but this was changed to Nips as being less offensive.](https://books.google.com.pa/books?id=3I0NBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA39&lpg=PA39&dq=mchales+navy+japs+nips&source=bl&ots=tyTaZPoRhr&sig=mcewFGj4T_cIx1Ab1rKHbMkKmW8&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjn7NmXs4veAhWDy6QKHTdAA08Q6AEwDHoECAEQAQ#v=onepage&q=mchales%20navy%20japs%20nips&f=false) Notably, an episode from 1965 is entitled [“A Nip in Time,”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIg0tg4y4Ws) referring to their POW-cook, Fuji. Could be. OTOH, A Bugs Bunny wartime cartoon, when all the Axis nation forces were caricatured, was titled _Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips_. Japanese pressure forced its removal from the Cartoon Network in 1991 and from a laserdisc compilation in 1992. Judging levels of offensiveness is next to impossible today (see ATMB) and even more so for times past, so all speculations should be regarded with a grain of salt, including mine. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2018, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-for-a-world-war-2-film-to-refer-to-japanese-soldiers-as-japs/822996/52 "2018-10-16T17:16:44Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Actually, “Nips” was regarded as less offensive than Japs, at least after the war. In _McHale’s Navy_ (1962-1966), the Japanese were initially referred to as Japs, [but this was changed to Nips as being less offensive.](https://books.google.com.pa/books?id=3I0NBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA39&lpg=PA39&dq=mchales+navy+japs+nips&source=bl&ots=tyTaZPoRhr&sig=mcewFGj4T_cIx1Ab1rKHbMkKmW8&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjn7NmXs4veAhWDy6QKHTdAA08Q6AEwDHoECAEQAQ#v=onepage&q=mchales%20navy%20japs%20nips&f=false) Notably, an episode from 1965 is entitled [“A Nip in Time,”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIg0tg4y4Ws) referring to their POW-cook, Fuji. Pat Morita was [performing stand-up](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMrVk4anT6w) as “The Hip Nip” around that time as well. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2018, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-for-a-world-war-2-film-to-refer-to-japanese-soldiers-as-japs/822996/53 "2018-10-16T18:04:55Z")
> [@Crane](#): > > Jap, at the time, was stronger than Brit. ‘Jap’ represented monkey like creatures with small round heads and buck teeth that bayoneted babies and tortured American prisoners. People at the time would have thought about them the same no matter what they called them. Look at it this way: Israelis don’t have an offensive term for Arabs. That doen’t mean that Israelis aren’t racists; it just means that to some people, calling someone an “Arab” is enough of an insult. ---
**Author:** ![filmstar-en](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/50afbb/32.png) [@filmstar-en](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmstar-en)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2018, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-for-a-world-war-2-film-to-refer-to-japanese-soldiers-as-japs/822996/54 "2018-10-16T18:20:21Z")
The Germans were also referred to with various names in wartime. Jerries, Krauts, Huns, Boche and Nazis. I think Boche was used by both the British and French. Given the history of wars between European states, there is no shortage of rude names for those people the other side of the border in neighbouring countries. Japan has been annoying its neighbours for centuries and there is a long list of unpleasant names for the Japanese, especially in China. Japs and Nips are just contractions of Japanese and Nipponese Army. They seem quite tame. I am pretty sure the terms were spiced up with a bit of ripe Anglo-Saxon when the bombs started falling. There must have been some war films made in China and Korea. It looks as if they have quite a list of names used for the Japanese. I wonder how offensive they are and would they be considered racist. > **[Anti-Japanese sentiment | Derogatory terms](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Japanese_sentiment#Derogatory_terms)** > > There are a variety of derogatory terms referring to Japan. Many of these terms are viewed as racist. However, these terms do not necessarily refer to the Japanese race as a whole; they can also refer to specific policies, or specific time periods in history. ---
**Author:** ![Rough\_Draft](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@Rough\_Draft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rough_Draft)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2018, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-for-a-world-war-2-film-to-refer-to-japanese-soldiers-as-japs/822996/55 "2018-10-16T18:33:53Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Americans lumped Japanese together because they were terrified over the [Niihau incident](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niihau_incident). What if Japanese Americans elsewhere in Hawaii, or in any area populated with Japanese Americans could be influenced to kill people? I had never heard of this incident before. Thanks very much for the link. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2018, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-for-a-world-war-2-film-to-refer-to-japanese-soldiers-as-japs/822996/56 "2018-10-16T18:49:36Z")
> [@Rough\_Draft](#): > > I had never heard of this incident before. Thanks very much for the link. You are very welcome. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2018, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-for-a-world-war-2-film-to-refer-to-japanese-soldiers-as-japs/822996/57 "2018-10-16T19:02:21Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Could be. OTOH, A Bugs Bunny wartime cartoon, when all the Axis nation forces were caricatured, was titled _Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips_. Japanese pressure forced its removal from the Cartoon Network in 1991 and from a laserdisc compilation in 1992. It might be included in the “complete” DVD collection. However, I do know that a number of collections (Disney, Popeye (there’s one called “You’re a Sap, Mr. Jap” that uses the Spike Jones song), and possibly WB as well) that show WWII-era cartoons that make caricatures of “generic” Germans and Japanese begin with a disclaimer saying that they decided to keep the caricatures in place because removing them would be akin to saying that the racism never happened. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2018, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-for-a-world-war-2-film-to-refer-to-japanese-soldiers-as-japs/822996/58 "2018-10-16T19:23:19Z")
Sure, there’s no logical reason why a shortening of a nationality’s name (in either language) should necessarily be a racial slur. Racism is seldom logical. There’s also no logical reason why a variant of the word “negro” should be an offensive word for black people. But when the same word gets used often enough by people who don’t respect you, and not used as often by people who do respect you, the word itself becomes offensive. If we did fight a modern war against the British, or found some other reason to strongly dislike them, then it’s possible that “Brit” would become a slur, too. But we mostly like them, so we don’t use it as a slur, so it hasn’t become offensive. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2018, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-for-a-world-war-2-film-to-refer-to-japanese-soldiers-as-japs/822996/59 "2018-10-16T20:24:41Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Sure, there’s no logical reason why a shortening of a nationality’s name (in either language) should necessarily be a racial slur. In WWII it says the lookout two syllables when reporting an aircraft and time is important. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2018, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-for-a-world-war-2-film-to-refer-to-japanese-soldiers-as-japs/822996/60 "2018-10-16T20:42:16Z")
I think you accidentally your sentence, there. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-for-a-world-war-2-film-to-refer-to-japanese-soldiers-as-japs/822996.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-racist-for-a-world-war-2-film-to-refer-to-japanese-soldiers-as-japs/822996.md?page=4)