# Is "JAP" (Jewish American Princess/Prince) an Offensive Term? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 10, 2011, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jap-jewish-american-princess-prince-an-offensive-term/584980 "2011-06-10T15:03:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jap-jewish-american-princess-prince-an-offensive-term/584980/21 "2011-06-10T15:54:37Z")
> [@CitizenPained](#): > > There is nothing positive about JAP. There are also girls who self-identify as sluts. Girls who self identify as JAPS do not embody what Jewish culture embraces. > > “Jappy” girls are the antithesis of what a Jewish girl is supposed to be. It’s like men needed a euphemism for a Jewish shikse. The “stereotype” of Jewish American Princess is basically the stereotype of rich East Coast girls who have no brains and only know how to shop. There is no ‘phenomenon’ about it. > > _Where does a man hide his money from his JAP wife? > Under the vacuum cleaner._ > > _Where do you hide a black man’s welfare check? > Under his work boots._ > > No different. Well, sure there is a difference. Your first example incorporates the very term under discussion - which isn’t attributable to _all_ Jewish women. The second one attributes the sterotype to all Black men. Therein lies the difference. If they were comparable, they would go like so: _Where does a man hide his money from his Jewish wife? Under the vacuum cleaner._ _Where do you hide a black man’s welfare check? Under his work boots._ Certainly, the “JAP” label can be highly negative (though it doesn’t have to be). But that’s the point - so is calling someone “spoiled” or “entitled”, and those labels are even more unabiguously negative. Is the very use of the term “entitled” offensive? ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jap-jewish-american-princess-prince-an-offensive-term/584980/22 "2011-06-10T16:01:42Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > Certainly, the “JAP” label can be highly negative (though it doesn’t have to be). I have never heard it as anything but negative. > [@](#): > > But that’s the point - so is calling someone “spoiled” or “entitled”, and those labels are even more unabiguously negative. Is the very use of the term “entitled” offensive? It’s an insult, but without regard to ethnicity or a group attribute. “Entitled” refers to the mindset of a particular person. Thus, it is a slur but not an ethnic slur. If someone is insulted when you call them “entitled”, it’s because you’ve insulted them. Not painted them as emblematic of their race/creed/religion in a negative way. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jap-jewish-american-princess-prince-an-offensive-term/584980/23 "2011-06-10T16:01:52Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Being Jewish myself I’ve never used it and only heard it used as a derogatory insult. It’s also a derogatory charicature that implies it’s a Jewish thing, not just an entitled, spoiled thing. I think each culture/ethnicity comes up with its own range of terms. And it is not always a negative stereotype - or at least, it is one being ‘reclaimed’ by some. Hence books such as this: > **[The Jewish Princess Cookbook: Having Your Cake and Eating It . . .: Tarn,...](https://www.amazon.com/Jewish-Princess-Cookbook-Having-Eating/dp/1590131614)** > > The Jewish Princess Cookbook: Having Your Cake and Eating It . . . \[Tarn, Georgie, Fine, Tracey\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. The Jewish Princess Cookbook: Having Your Cake and Eating It . . . See article surprised by this: [http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/news/jt/national\_news/authors\_aim\_to\_defang\_jap\_shiksa\_labels/9748](http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/news/jt/national_news/authors_aim_to_defang_jap_shiksa_labels/9748) ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jap-jewish-american-princess-prince-an-offensive-term/584980/24 "2011-06-10T16:03:53Z")
Mildly so, so I voted yes. It’s ok to call a woman spoiled, or a diva, or whatever, but why point out the Jewishness? Her religion isn’t the topic, but her spoiled behavior is. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jap-jewish-american-princess-prince-an-offensive-term/584980/25 "2011-06-10T16:05:32Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > I have never heard it as anything but negative. > > It’s an insult, but without regard to ethnicity or a group attribute. “Entitled” refers to the mindset of a particular person. Thus, it is a slur but not an ethnic slur. > > If someone is insulted when you call them “entitled”, it’s because you’ve insulted them. Not painted them as emblematic of their race/creed/religion in a negative way. I think the issue is whether it is “emblematic of” a culture or “located within” a culture. I’ve never actually encountered anyone who claimed that all Jewish women were JAPs. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jap-jewish-american-princess-prince-an-offensive-term/584980/26 "2011-06-10T16:05:53Z")
Of course it’s offensive, it’s supposed to be an insult. Or are you asking whether it is racially insensitive because it has a double meaning? ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jap-jewish-american-princess-prince-an-offensive-term/584980/27 "2011-06-10T16:06:22Z")
The part that’s offensive isn’t the entitled bit. It’s the explicit implication that this trait is linked to Jewishness. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jap-jewish-american-princess-prince-an-offensive-term/584980/28 "2011-06-10T16:09:19Z")
> [@ratatoskK](#): > > Of course it’s offensive, it’s supposed to be an insult. Or are you asking whether it is racially insensitive because it has a double meaning? The issue is whether it is offensive to even use the term. For example, calling someone as asshole is offensive. Calling a Black Man an asshole is offensive to _him_ (though he may in fact deserve it). Calling a Black man a racial epithet is offensive to _everyone_, whether that Black man is an asshole or not. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jap-jewish-american-princess-prince-an-offensive-term/584980/29 "2011-06-10T16:10:44Z")
I don’t think it implies that the princess behavior is linked to Jewishness. I heard the term used often in college (mostly by Jews) and it never implied anything about Jews in general, just about a certain type of person. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jap-jewish-american-princess-prince-an-offensive-term/584980/30 "2011-06-10T16:12:58Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > I’ve never actually encountered anyone who claimed that all Jewish women were JAPs. Me either. “Jewish American princess” means a “woman who is spoiled, useless, and entitled in a unqiuely Jewish way.” Where actually, there is nothing uniquely Jewish about being spoiled, useless and entitled. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jap-jewish-american-princess-prince-an-offensive-term/584980/31 "2011-06-10T16:13:19Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > The part that’s offensive isn’t the entitled bit. It’s the explicit implication that this trait is linked to Jewishness. That’s the question: is using the term an implicit claim that the person is spoiled because they are Jewish, or simply Jewish and spoiled? I’d say the latter, because the term definitely originated within the Jewish community. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jap-jewish-american-princess-prince-an-offensive-term/584980/32 "2011-06-10T16:14:36Z")
> [@ratatoskK](#): > > I don’t think it implies that the princess behavior is linked to Jewishness. I heard the term used often in college (mostly by Jews) and it never implied anything about Jews in general, just about a certain type of person. Exactly my point. ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jap-jewish-american-princess-prince-an-offensive-term/584980/33 "2011-06-10T16:15:43Z")
I’m not Jewish (just giving this info as a frame of reference). I would never use this term, I think it’s definitely offensive. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jap-jewish-american-princess-prince-an-offensive-term/584980/34 "2011-06-10T16:16:41Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > The issue is whether it is offensive to even use the term. > > For example, calling someone as asshole is offensive. Calling a Black Man an asshole is offensive to _him_ (though he may in fact deserve it). Calling a Black man a racial epithet is offensive to _everyone_, whether that Black man is an asshole or not. What if you called him a “Black asshole?” More offensive than just calling him an asshole, because race is (inexplicably, irrelevantly) brought into it. That is the equivalent to JAP. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jap-jewish-american-princess-prince-an-offensive-term/584980/35 "2011-06-10T16:23:37Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > What if you called him a “Black asshole?” More offensive than just calling him an asshole, because race is (inexplicably, irrelevantly) brought into it. That is the equivalent to JAP. It depends on whether it is inexpicable and irrelevant. If I was Black myself and wanted to make clear to the hearer that the asshole I was talking about was also from within my own community, it may well be relevant. Obviously, if I was a White guy complaining about a Black man, it would be more dicey, because it would bring up the possibity I thought he was an asshole because I’m racist and hate Black guys for being Black. But that isn’t the case with the term JAP. It is almost invariably used by Jews, who presumably do not hate Jews for being Jews. Besides which, I think the perjoritave-ness of the term (if that is a word) is being exaggerated. I can’t imagine someone publishing a “Jewish Princess Cookbook” if it was so terribly perjorative. ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jap-jewish-american-princess-prince-an-offensive-term/584980/36 "2011-06-10T16:23:38Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > That’s the question: is using the term an implicit claim that the person is spoiled because they are Jewish, or simply Jewish and spoiled? > > I’d say the latter, because the term definitely originated within the Jewish community. I agree. And it’s one of those double standard words. Those who are Jewish can get away with saying it while those outside the bubble can’t. Most subcultures have these words and they do in part survive because of continued use within those communities. And then there was that [Halle Berry movie.](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118663/) ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jap-jewish-american-princess-prince-an-offensive-term/584980/37 "2011-06-10T16:29:36Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > But that isn’t the case with the term JAP. It is almost invariably used by Jews, who presumably do not hate Jews for being Jews. > . I’m kinda curious how you know who is Jewish by looking at them. I think you mean “some people I personally know to be Jewish use this term.” I would not say “everyone who uses this term is Jewish,” because, among my Jewish friends (and I am Jewish, and live in NYC) is it considered pejoritive and self-hating. Thus when I hear this term it is almost always a racial insult, because Jewish people of my aquaintance avoid it. As for it not being pejoritive… please share with me the positive connotations it has. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jap-jewish-american-princess-prince-an-offensive-term/584980/38 "2011-06-10T16:36:27Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > I’m kinda curious how you know who is Jewish by looking at them. I think you mean “some people I personally know to be Jewish use this term.” I would not say “everyone who uses this term is Jewish,” because, among my Jewish friends (and I am Jewish, and live in NYC) is it considered pejoritive and self-hating. Thus when I hear this term it is almost always a racial insult, because Jewish people of my aquaintance avoid it. > > As for it not being pejoritive… please share with me the positive connotations it has. I don’t think it is particularly controversial that the term originated within the Jewish community. Positive connotations? The whole ‘every woman wants to be a princess, and should be’ thing. It isn’t my thing of course, but some women like the whole ‘princess’ image. To them, it isn’t “spoiled” but “sassy”. Go figure. I cited this upthread: > **[The Jewish Princess Cookbook: Having Your Cake and Eating It . . .: Tarn,...](https://www.amazon.com/Jewish-Princess-Cookbook-Having-Eating/dp/1590131614)** > > The Jewish Princess Cookbook: Having Your Cake and Eating It . . . \[Tarn, Georgie, Fine, Tracey\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. The Jewish Princess Cookbook: Having Your Cake and Eating It . . . I submit that this sort of book and its like (several others are linked) are inexplicable if the term is simply an anti-semitic slur. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jap-jewish-american-princess-prince-an-offensive-term/584980/39 "2011-06-10T16:39:53Z")
It’s never meant as a compliment. I don’t consider it racist, simply offensive on an individual level. IvoryTowerDenizen: > [@](#): > > What does JAP add that simply saying “spoiled” or “Princess” misses? What does Jewish add? Jewish adds that she’s sheltered from the “hard knocks” of the world. Jewish parents have a stereotype of being over-protective. She’s spoiled not merely in that she expects all material good to come her way, but because she can’t imagine that there’s any other way to live. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2011, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jap-jewish-american-princess-prince-an-offensive-term/584980/40 "2011-06-10T16:45:43Z")
[QUOTE=cmkeller] Jewish adds that she’s sheltered from the “hard knocks” of the world. Jewish parents have a stereotype of being over-protective. She’s spoiled not merely in that she expects all material good to come her way, but because she can’t imagine that there’s any other way to live. [/QUOTE] Isn’t that what the “princess” part comes from? (Like “daddy’s little princess”.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jap-jewish-american-princess-prince-an-offensive-term/584980.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jap-jewish-american-princess-prince-an-offensive-term/584980.md?page=3)