# Is mackerel snapper hate speech? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [January 17, 2012, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mackerel-snapper-hate-speech/609783 "2012-01-17T11:31:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Batfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Batfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batfish)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mackerel-snapper-hate-speech/609783/1 "2012-01-17T11:31:03Z")
I seem to remember “Jap” taking a beating here. Where’s the line drawn? ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mackerel-snapper-hate-speech/609783/2 "2012-01-17T11:32:10Z")
> [@Batfish](#): > > I seem to remember “Jap” taking a beating here. Where’s the line drawn? Is “Mackeral snapper” code for something else? Because we can do that now. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mackerel-snapper-hate-speech/609783/3 "2012-01-17T11:35:26Z")
So you’re wondering if anyone is to beat your snapper? That sounds serious. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby\_Slippers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/94ad74/32.png) [@Ruby\_Slippers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby_Slippers)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mackerel-snapper-hate-speech/609783/4 "2012-01-17T12:33:15Z")
For those not familiar with the phrase, it refers to Catholics. It dates back to the era of meatless Fridays. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mackerel-snapper-hate-speech/609783/5 "2012-01-17T12:41:08Z")
We draw the line at racial/ethnic/religious slurs when prevalent opinion is that are derogatory, and when used in a derogatory fashion. For example, questions about the history or origin of an objectionable term would be acceptable. We have said that some such slurs are so mild, that it’s more trouble than it’s worth to make an issue of them. I frankly had never heard of “mackerel snapper” before you mentioned it. I think the answer would be that our reaction would depend on the usage; it’s not “hate speech” per se, but it could easily be viewed as unacceptable. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mackerel-snapper-hate-speech/609783/6 "2012-01-17T12:46:44Z")
Gosh, I had NO idea that ‘mackerel snapper’ was a racial slur. That has to be pretty dang obscure. It is as if the phrase ‘bass trout’ was making fun of … uh… Serbians. Yeah, that’s it, Serbians. Some racial slurs make no sense at all. As a white guy, I always thought the word ‘honkie’ was the silliest thing I ever heard. And ‘cracker’? Aw come on y’all. Of course, I have never really understood racial slurs because I only accept the existence of ONE race… the human race. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mackerel-snapper-hate-speech/609783/7 "2012-01-17T12:53:51Z")
I heard of a girl who went out fishing with five guys and came back with a red snapper. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mackerel-snapper-hate-speech/609783/8 "2012-01-17T13:01:18Z")
> [@Gagundathar](#): > > Of course, I have never really understood racial slurs because I only accept the existence of ONE race… the human race. What about your insect overlords? ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mackerel-snapper-hate-speech/609783/9 "2012-01-17T13:08:11Z")
> [@Ruby\_Slippers](#): > > For those not familiar with the phrase, it refers to Catholics. It dates back to the era of meatless Fridays. The only place I’ve seen it used was in the M_A_S\*H books. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mackerel-snapper-hate-speech/609783/10 "2012-01-17T13:08:37Z")
> [@Gagundathar](#): > > Gosh, I had NO idea that ‘mackerel snapper’ was a racial slur. > That has to be pretty dang obscure. > > It is as if the phrase ‘bass trout’ was making fun of … uh… Serbians. Yeah, that’s it, Serbians. > > Some racial slurs make no sense at all. As a white guy, I always thought the word ‘honkie’ was the silliest thing I ever heard. And ‘cracker’? Aw come on y’all. > > Of course, I have never really understood racial slurs because I only accept the existence of ONE race… the human race. Mackerel snapper used to be a common derogatory term, but I haven’t heard anyone use it in years. It’s not analogous to “bass trout”, though – it’s like “bass chomper”. And it’s not a racial slur, it’s a religious slur. ---
**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:** [January 17, 2012, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mackerel-snapper-hate-speech/609783/11 "2012-01-17T14:24:48Z")
I was raised Catholic, and have heard the term before. While derogatory, it’s also somewhat jocular. IMO, it doesn’t approach the level of hate speech. In GQ, I’d probably mod note it as a religious jab/insult. I wouldn’t take more serious action unless it were part of a general pattern of behavior. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mackerel-snapper-hate-speech/609783/12 "2012-01-17T14:35:53Z")
It’s not hate speech but it is a somewhat dated slap at Catholics. It’s not a compliment. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mackerel-snapper-hate-speech/609783/13 "2012-01-17T14:37:40Z")
Does this have anything to do with the origin of “holy mackerel!” ? ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mackerel-snapper-hate-speech/609783/14 "2012-01-17T14:39:00Z")
“Mackerel snapper” is a term I haven’t heard since I was a kid. The kind of people who used it were, in those days, referred to as “Cat baiters.” They were the same people who called Irish people micks and called Italians guineas. I haven’t heard those terms in a while, either. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mackerel-snapper-hate-speech/609783/15 "2012-01-17T15:12:44Z")
> [@Darth\_Panda](#): > > So you’re wondering if anyone is to beat your snapper? > > That sounds serious. I beat my eel on a regular basis-does that count? ---
**Author:** ![Ruby\_Slippers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/94ad74/32.png) [@Ruby\_Slippers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby_Slippers)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mackerel-snapper-hate-speech/609783/16 "2012-01-17T15:39:06Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > I was raised Catholic, and have heard the term before. While derogatory, it’s also somewhat jocular. IMO, it doesn’t approach the level of hate speech. In GQ, I’d probably mod note it as a religious jab/insult. I wouldn’t take more serious action unless it were part of a general pattern of behavior. I grew up in an area of small towns where almost everyone was of German or English descent. There was very little ethnic diversity. The major difference was between Protestant and Catholic. In fact, two of the neighboring small towns had, according to local lore, started out as a single settlement which split along religious lines. While there was a certain amount of clannishness, there was, for the most part, no “hate” between groups. As Colibri notes, the term was used in a somewhat jocular fashion, just as we sometimes described friends as “krauts” or “farmers.” I should point out that this was back in the dark ages of the fifties and sixties. I don’t think I’ve heard anyone use the term “mackerel snapper” in a long, long time. I got almost nostalgic when I saw the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mackerel-snapper-hate-speech/609783/17 "2012-01-17T15:54:47Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > The only place I’ve seen it used was in the M_A_S\*H books. It also appeared in a 1942 book by Clyde Brion Davis called [Follow the Leader]([http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/Clyde](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/Clyde) Brion Davis) . ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mackerel-snapper-hate-speech/609783/18 "2012-01-17T16:20:11Z")
Yeah, I grew up Catholic in the '50s, and “mackerel snapper” was a pretty dated insult even then. But it _was_ an insult, and if someone (either on this Board or in real life) were to use it seriously, I would consider it to be a religious slur. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mackerel-snapper-hate-speech/609783/19 "2012-01-17T17:57:02Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > The only place I’ve seen it used was in the M_A_S\*H books. Yeah, I was going to post this. It was usually directed at Father Mulcahey, the Catholic chaplain. But it was always in jest. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mackerel-snapper-hate-speech/609783/20 "2012-01-17T17:59:29Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > I heard of a girl who went out fishing with five guys and came back with a red snapper. Ba Dum Bom. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-mackerel-snapper-hate-speech/609783.md?page=2)