# Japs know when you need heavy lifting done you can count on a Spade! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 25, 2012, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japs-know-when-you-need-heavy-lifting-done-you-can-count-on-a-spade/629313 "2012-07-25T03:04:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japs-know-when-you-need-heavy-lifting-done-you-can-count-on-a-spade/629313/1 "2012-07-25T03:04:17Z")
[They’re ready to go!](http://jalopnik.com/5928209/toyota-names-car-after-reconstruction-era-racial-slur) ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japs-know-when-you-need-heavy-lifting-done-you-can-count-on-a-spade/629313/2 "2012-07-25T03:58:17Z")
I know that spade can be racist but isn’t it usually not racist? ---
**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:** [July 25, 2012, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japs-know-when-you-need-heavy-lifting-done-you-can-count-on-a-spade/629313/3 "2012-07-25T04:12:10Z")
Looks like it’s only going to be sold in the Japanese market, where the name would have no racist connotations. So probably not an issue. The [Mitsubishi Pajero’s](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_Pajero) name means “jerk-off” in Spanish, so it’s known as the Montero in the Americas. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japs-know-when-you-need-heavy-lifting-done-you-can-count-on-a-spade/629313/4 "2012-07-25T04:18:40Z")
Huh… I didn’t know that gardening implements and playing cards (and I mean seriously, the symbol on the vanity plate in the picture is just the playing card spade symbol) were racist. Seriously? I mean, I know spade is a slur, but it’s so uncommonly used, and so divorced from the context anybody would even use the slur in you have to be **trying** to get offended by it. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2012, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japs-know-when-you-need-heavy-lifting-done-you-can-count-on-a-spade/629313/5 "2012-07-25T04:25:23Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > The [Mitsubishi Pajero’s](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_Pajero) name means “jerk-off” in Spanish, so it’s known as the Montero in the Americas. This is my spanish word for the day; muchas gracias, wanker!\* \*i am only teasing please don’t shoot me ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Grestarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grestarian/32/3227_2.png) [@Grestarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grestarian)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japs-know-when-you-need-heavy-lifting-done-you-can-count-on-a-spade/629313/6 "2012-07-26T22:46:39Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > I know that spade can be racist but isn’t it usually not racist? Wasn’t it only racist during a brief period? I only know it from some old movies that purport to be imitating the 1950’s (though they do a poor job at that). Seems like “Jap” was considered a slur more recently and for a longer period. I guess even that stigma has faded since the OP is using it and nobody seems to object. –G! Take all the trauma, drama, comments, The guilt and doubt and shame The “what ifs” and “if onlys” The shackles and the chains The violence and aggression, The pettiness and scorn, The jealousy and hatred, The tempest and discord, AND GIVE IT UP! . --Joe Walsh (solo) . _The Confessor_ ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japs-know-when-you-need-heavy-lifting-done-you-can-count-on-a-spade/629313/7 "2012-07-27T01:11:29Z")
> [@Grestarian](#): > > Wasn’t it only racist during a brief period? I remember it being tossed around as a common racial insult in the 70s. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japs-know-when-you-need-heavy-lifting-done-you-can-count-on-a-spade/629313/8 "2012-07-27T01:23:57Z")
So when I play spades what should I call it? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japs-know-when-you-need-heavy-lifting-done-you-can-count-on-a-spade/629313/9 "2012-07-27T01:43:37Z")
“Spade” faded out as an epithet by the 1970s. In 1974, Mott the Hoople could use it in “All the Way From Memphis” without any objections, and **The Black Bird** in 1975 joked about it. Basically, the racists stopped using it in the 50s or so and the pejorative meaning faded away. It similar in that respect to “Shine.” No one objected when a movie by that name came out, and it even won an Oscar. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japs-know-when-you-need-heavy-lifting-done-you-can-count-on-a-spade/629313/10 "2012-07-27T08:53:35Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > So when I play spades what should I call it? You should always call a spade, a spade. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japs-know-when-you-need-heavy-lifting-done-you-can-count-on-a-spade/629313/11 "2012-07-28T01:32:05Z")
> [@astro](#): > > [They’re ready to go!](http://jalopnik.com/5928209/toyota-names-car-after-reconstruction-era-racial-slur) From the article: > [@](#): > > Toyota Names Car After Reconstruction Era Racial Slur No, that’s just completely wrong. The only way that the headline could be written correctly is Toyota Car Name Was Reconstruction Era Racial Slur. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japs-know-when-you-need-heavy-lifting-done-you-can-count-on-a-spade/629313/12 "2012-07-28T01:38:09Z")
> [@TokyoPlayer](#): > > From the article:No, that’s just completely wrong. The only way that the headline could be written correctly is Toyota Car Name Was Reconstruction Era Racial Slur. Headlines are usually written with an “active” voice (at least IME); so “Toyota car name discovered to be Reconstruction-era racial slur” would be more suitable, I’d suggest. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japs-know-when-you-need-heavy-lifting-done-you-can-count-on-a-spade/629313/13 "2012-07-28T16:46:25Z")
**Martini** , I agree that the form you propose is more common, but it’s a passive (with the “is” ellided). ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japs-know-when-you-need-heavy-lifting-done-you-can-count-on-a-spade/629313/14 "2012-07-28T17:08:18Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > The [Mitsubishi Pajero’s](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_Pajero) name means “jerk-off” in Spanish, so it’s known as the Montero in the Americas. You have to admit, ‘Mitsubishi Masturbator’ has a nice ring to it. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japs-know-when-you-need-heavy-lifting-done-you-can-count-on-a-spade/629313/15 "2012-07-28T17:33:02Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > You have to admit, ‘Mitsubishi Masturbator’ has a nice ring to it. As does [**Studebaker Dictator**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studebaker_Dictator). And it’s real. > [@](#): > > A number of the European monarchies to which Studebaker exported the car were wary of the moniker. I’ll bet. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2012, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japs-know-when-you-need-heavy-lifting-done-you-can-count-on-a-spade/629313/16 "2012-07-28T23:29:51Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > **Martini** , I agree that the form you propose is more common, but it’s a passive (with the “is” ellided). Depends how much space you’ve got on the page when you’re laying it out. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japs-know-when-you-need-heavy-lifting-done-you-can-count-on-a-spade/629313/17 "2012-07-29T00:17:12Z")
I think this would be a far bigger deal if they actually, you know, sold the car here. Toyota sells a lot of cars in their home market with inscrutable names. Alphard? Ractis? Vitz? Come on. At any rate, Jalopnik is a pile of shit. They’re owned by Gawker and just like Gizmodo they care more about being assholes than anything else. I don’t know why anyone would link to any of the trash they write. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japs-know-when-you-need-heavy-lifting-done-you-can-count-on-a-spade/629313/18 "2012-07-29T02:10:29Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > I don’t know why anyone would link to any of the trash they write. Let alone use one clear racial slur when linking to another which may not be understood as such by the people involved who were naming a car for use in their own country. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japs-know-when-you-need-heavy-lifting-done-you-can-count-on-a-spade/629313/19 "2012-07-29T03:48:45Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > You have to admit, ‘Mitsubishi Masturbator’ has a nice ring to it. It sounds like a video 3d "shoot 'em up ", Ultimate Masturbator ! ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2012, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japs-know-when-you-need-heavy-lifting-done-you-can-count-on-a-spade/629313/20 "2012-07-29T03:58:15Z")
> [@AaronX](#): > > You should always call a spade, a spade. Just don’t call it a fucking shovel. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japs-know-when-you-need-heavy-lifting-done-you-can-count-on-a-spade/629313.md?page=2)