Poll: Racism, abbreviation, & Life.

[catalyst8]

There are some things in life (or should that be 'Life'?) I just don't get:

Why is the term 'Paki' considered racist? If someone calls me a Brit or an Aussie an Aussie should I feel obliged to take issue with them? If so will I have to punch myself for referring to Brits & Aussies as such? There's an argument that 'Paki' has insulting connotations but I've certainly heard both Brit & Aussie used derogatorily, so does that make them racist? Perhaps they can all be used as legitimate abbreviations or as slurs depending on their context & the intention of the speaker (I've heard numerous Pakistani friends refer to others both as Pakis & 'Stanis).

Like Cave Johnson, I demand to see Life's manager!

 

[Daystar Clarion]

That's always confused me for some reason.


'Paki' to me, sounds very much like a racial slur, while 'Brit' and 'Aussie' don't.

Language is weird sometimes.

I think it's because 'Paki' is used to refer to asian people, whether or not they actually come from Pakistan.

It basically generalises an entire race.

 

[Tanis]

It's kind of like 'curse words' - words aren't 'bad', it's what a society associates the words to that makes them so.

Video Related:

 

[MammothBlade]

All of them are correct, even "Paki". Calling someone a "Pakistani" is something of a tautology as Pakistan means "Land of Pakis (or is it Pak?). However, it's considered the more polite term nowadays as Paki has acquired negative connotations, unlike Kazakh or Afghan.

 

[Rawne1980]

Paki is generally used as a slur word.

Some people use it in the same way as "Brit", "Aussie" or "Yank".

Then again I have seen some Americans get offended at the whole "Yank" things. I don't know if it's a British thing or what have you but it's a general term for American over here.

I just couldn't bring myself to be offended if someone yelled out "Oi you fucking Brit" .... why yes, yes I am. And well done you for noticing ... here have a lollipop.

Although political correctness is going insane in this country.

I give it about 10 more years and it will be an offence to maintain eye contact with anyone from a different race. You will be arrested for "glaring with racist intent".

 

[GoaThief]

There are some things in life (or should that be 'Life'?) I just don't get:

Why is the term 'Paki' considered racist?

Simply because the term is generally used as a racist slur for anyone of an Asian descent, particularly those from south Asia. They could be Indian, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, etc.

It'd be like calling a Frenchman, "Dirty fucking stinking Brit". It's not meant as a compliment and was popularised by far-right groups in the UK over the past few decades.

Exceptions would be if you were sure the person was Pakistani and would not be offended, only really seems to have risen to the fore in recent years though.

 

[Helmholtz Watson]

Paki is generally used as a slur word.

Some people use it in the same way as "Brit", "Aussie" or "Yank".

Then again I have seen some Americans get offended at the whole "Yank" things. I don't know if it's a British thing or what have you but it's a general term for American over here.

I just couldn't bring myself to be offended if someone yelled out "Oi you fucking Brit" .... why yes, yes I am. And well done you for noticing ... here have a lollipop.

Although political correctness is going insane in this country.

I give it about 10 more years and it will be an offence to maintain eye contact with anyone from a different race. You will be arrested for "glaring with racist intent".

Yep I hate it when UK or Australians call us Yanks. It is offensive over here and you sound like some confederate loving southerner when you use the term.

 

[Rakun Man]

For the longest time, I didn't know that 'Jap' (for Japanese) was a slur. Pre-WW2 'Jap' was simply an abbrieviation for Japanese, but during the war it was used derogatorily (that a word?) and it became an ethnic slur - at least in America.

So, I agree, it doesn't make much sense that an initially harmless abbrievations can become ethnic slurs, but they can carry a lot of racist stigma, so it doesn't hurt to be a little politically correct sometimes.

I think "Aussie", "Brit", and "Yank" doesn't mean much much to us because we are culturally much more similiar to each other than Pakistan, my theory is that the bigger the culture gap, the larger the tendency for racism to become much more deragatory.

 

[Helmholtz Watson]

There are some things in life (or should that be 'Life'?) I just don't get:

Why is the term 'Paki' considered racist?

Simply because the term is generally used as a racist slur for anyone of an Asian descent, particularly those from south Asia. They could be Indian, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, etc.

It'd be like calling a Frenchman, "Dirty fucking stinking Brit". It's not meant as a compliment and was popularised by far-right groups in the UK over the past few decades.

Exceptions would be if you were sure the person was Pakistani and would not be offended, only really seems to have risen to the fore in recent years though.

how does Paki become equivalent to "Dirty fucking stinking Brit"? Its just an abbreviation for Pakistan.

 

[GoaThief]

how does Paki become equivalent to "Dirty fucking stinking Brit"? Its just an abbreviation for Pakistan.

The person being insulted is French (not a Brit) and the intent is to insult/offend via applying negative connotations to the word.

Why are you insulted by being called yank, you are one - right?

 

[Helmholtz Watson]

how does Paki become equivalent to "Dirty fucking stinking Brit"? Its just an abbreviation for Pakistan.

The person being insulted is French (not a Brit) and the intent is to insult/offend via applying negative connotations to the word.

Why are you insulted by being called yank, you are one - right?

Its just an abbreviation though, why be offended by that?

As for the term Yank, whenever I see Europeans use the word, they might as well be saying asshole/prick/moron/ect. Also like I said, it has an association with the American civil war, where the confederates called people from the North "Yanks", and there are still people who live below the Mason Dixie line that call Northerners "Yanks" in a pejorative way.

 

[GoaThief]

Its just an abbreviation though, why be offended by that?

I've just explained it to you.

I know you're of far-right persuasion so I'm guessing you're being deliberately obtuse.

As for the term Yank, whenever I see Europeans use the word, they might as well be saying asshole/prick/moron/ect.

Yet you can't see why when white people use the term paki for anyone of south Asian descent, they think the same? Unsurprising.

I'll give you another clue; the people usually being called pakis are British citizens.

it has an association with the American civil war

Amongst other things [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yankee]

Yank is just an abbreviation of Yankee, how can it be considered offensive?! Y U SO OFFENDED?!!!!! /sarcasm

 

[catalyst8]

Why is the term 'Paki' considered racist?

Simply because the term is generally used as a racist slur for anyone of an Asian descent, particularly those from south Asia. They could be Indian, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, etc.

As I said originally

I've heard numerous Pakistani friends refer to others both as Pakis & 'Stanis

It'd be like calling a Frenchman, "Dirty fucking stinking Brit".

No, It would be like calling a Frank a Brit. There's no 'dirty, fucking, stinking'. As pointed out previously, Pakistan literally means 'Land of the Pakis' (lit. 'Land of the Pure').

It's not meant as a compliment and was popularised by far-right groups in the UK over the past few decades.

It's used as a noun, so no, not as a compliment in the same way that 'Aussie' is an identifying name.

Exceptions would be if you were sure the person was Pakistani and would not be offended, only really seems to have risen to the fore in recent years though.

So exactly the same as not calling an Aussie a Kiwi, a Brit a Frank, a Nord a Slav, an Argentine a Brazilian, etc. etc.

The essence of your argument seems to be that because a small group has used a word as a pejorative then it's forever forbidden. I take it you've never been to a Mulsim country, because if you had you'd presumably argue that 'European' & 'American' were racist terms too.

EDIT: I've been informed that in context Pakistan literally translates as 'Land of the Fair People'. Paki literally translates as fair person, Pakis as fair people.

 

[Helmholtz Watson]

Its just an abbreviation though, why be offended by that?

I've just explained it to you.

I know you're of far-right persuasion so I'm guessing you're being deliberately obtuse.

I'm not trying to be a smartass, I legeitablly don't understand why people get offended by it. As for my political leanings, I'm moderate(US perspective), not right-wing.

Yet you can't see why when white people use the term paki for anyone of south Asian descent, they think the same? Unsurprising.

-_- ...I've never been to the UK, I don't ever hear people use the term paki, so I'm just trying to understand why people get offended by it. However I have heard Europeans use the term Yank, so I have a vague understand of what they mean when they use it.

I'll give you another clue; the people usually being called pakis are British citizens.

it has an association with the American civil war

Amongst other things [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yankee]

Yank is just an abbreviation of Yankee, how can it be considered offensive?! Y U SO OFFENDED?!!!!! /sarcasm

As I pointed out, the history [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yankee#Damnyankee] of the word has been used by confederates and people below the Mason Dixie line as well as other parts of the world in a derogatory sense [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yankee#In_other_parts_of_the_world], while Paki (to my limited knowledge) wasn't a word that India-Hidus came up with the insult Pakistani-Muslims.

Why not shorten the word America? Why even use that outdated term?

 

[TehCookie]

Paki is generally used as a slur word.

Some people use it in the same way as "Brit", "Aussie" or "Yank".

Then again I have seen some Americans get offended at the whole "Yank" things. I don't know if it's a British thing or what have you but it's a general term for American over here.

I'd compare it more to limey than brit. The rest are shortened versions of the names while yank is completely different. Neither are inherently offensive, it's how the person says it/interprets it.

 

[GoaThief]

http://bit.ly/IH00fz

This quote summarises quite well, IMHO;

I'm fed up of answering this question. Nobody has ever kicked seven shades of sh!t out of you whilst screaming 'you filthy Brit'.

 

[catalyst8]

http://bit.ly/IH00fz

This quote summarises quite well, IMHO;

I'm fed up of answering this question. Nobody has ever kicked seven shades of sh!t out of you whilst screaming 'you filthy Brit'.

As a false argument from authority that's a logical fallacy. And despite its inherent irrelevance to this discussion you might want to check out some archived statements from the IRA regarding Great Britain, her citizens, & what the IRA wanted to do to us 'Brits'.

I notice you refuse to address the points I made previously so allow me to rephrase my argument. When I said

I take it you've never been to a Mulsim country, because if you had you'd presumably argue that 'European' & 'American' were racist terms too.

I was making the point that in various of the more fundamentalist Islamic countries, the use of a European nation's assignation is sometimes accompanied by death threats. To illustrate this I refer you to the recent apparently state-supported civilian attack on our embassy in Tehran, where issuing racist death threats was the order of the day.

Technically 'American' is contextually the same as 'Paki' since both are abbreviations; because America is a whole continent it should be 'US American'. However the abbreviated form is the norm even though it's used as a slur in some countries. There are numerous Arab pejorative references to 'America' as a nation in the same context which you are arguing makes the use of 'Paki' racist; your line of argument says that the USA's national assignation 'American' must now be considered a racist slur.

Again, using your line of reasoning 'You Brits are gonna pay' [http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2533553/posts] must be racist.

 

[Helmholtz Watson]

snip

There called the Yankees not the Yanks.

haha I didn't say that the North was without blame. Shermon's march comes to mind.