# THIS is how you do racial insensitivity, Australia!

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-how-you-do-racial-insensitivity-australia/554906>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [September 24, 2010, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-how-you-do-racial-insensitivity-australia/554906 "2010-09-24T17:12:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\
**Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-how-you-do-racial-insensitivity-australia/554906/21 "2010-09-26T05:10:06Z")

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> [@Cunctator](#):
>
> > [@elfkin477](#):
> >
> > Speaking of racial insensitivity and Australia, is there **really** a show called “Spicks and Specks”?
> 
> [Spicks and Specks](http://www.abc.net.au/tv/spicksandspecks/). It’s very popular.
> 
> > [@elfkin477](#):
> >
> > That would never air in the US.
> 
> Why not?

[Spic](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spic), pronounced the same as “spick,” is a racist term in the US considered about as derogatory as Jap (which also would never be in a title of a TV show).

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**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\
**Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-how-you-do-racial-insensitivity-australia/554906/22 "2010-09-26T05:48:25Z")

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America probably doesn’t want to stock a popular Australian brand of [cheese](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coon_cheese) either.

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**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\
**Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-how-you-do-racial-insensitivity-australia/554906/23 "2010-09-26T22:45:46Z")

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> [@elfkin477](#):
>
> > [@Cunctator](#):
> >
> > [Spicks and Specks](http://www.abc.net.au/tv/spicksandspecks/). It’s very popular.Why not?
> 
> [Spic](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spic), pronounced the same as “spick,” is a racist term in the US considered about as derogatory as Jap (which also would never be in a title of a TV show).

‘Spic’ carries similar connotations here, but it’s not the word in the title of the show, so there’s no issue.

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