Talk:List of ethnic slurs/Archive 5

Quarantine

Ami

(German speaking countries) term for Americans, sounds almost like "army", usually used in the diminutive

No, it does not sound anything like "army", rather like "ummy", and its use as a diminutive term depends on the intended use. Usually it just means Americans . —Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.163.72.149 (talk) 16:56, 27 January 2008 (UTC) ;Argie : (UK) a native of Argentina, used by the British press during the Falklands War. Coined by Britain's The Sun newspaper in 1982. moved to main article

Bakla

(Philippines) general description for male homosexual person.

Boater, Boader

(Midwest, USA) Term for immigrating Arabs and Arab-Americans. Dates back to at least the 1990s. Most likely comes from immigration status and the idea that Arab immigrants took boats down the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Bloke

(Québec) an anglophone thought to be of British ancestry (including Canadians, Americans, Australians, New Zealanders, etc.) or perceived as identifying culturally to or having been assimilated into the English culture. In some contexts, may refer exclusively to English Québeckers. The word, borrowed from the English of British settlers, is used in Québec French and is derogatory.

Burnt Doodoo-face

(AM) Referring to extremely black people on YouTube.com

Bong

A person of East Indian descent. Commonly used for Bengalis from West Bengal and Bangladesh.

Chav

(U.K.) a subcultural stereotype of a young working class British person dressed in sportswear and ostentatious gold jewellery. Used extensively within the U.K. to vilify an emergent underclass.

Chechaco (cheechako)

Derogatory term used in the Pacific Northwest (especially Alaska and Canada) for newcomers. Originally from Chinook trader dialect, literally "newcomer." Alternately translated as "Outsider," "Southerner," or "person who hasn't survived a (Northern) winter."

Chigger

(US) An East Asian person acting black.

Cochise

(U.S.) a Native American, after Cochise, a Chiricahua Apache warrior chief who resisted white usurpation of Indian land

Cotton picker

a black person

Dago

(U.S.) someone of Italian descent (originally derived from the Spanish name Diego, it was applied to Spanish, Portuguese or Italian sailors)
(UK) a Italian or Spanish person, often greasy dago; any person from a Spanish-speaking country
Somebody from Argentina (increasingly common since Argentine economic crisis of 2001)

Darkie or darky

(U.S. and elsewhere) a derogatory term for a black person; also a racist, iconic caricature with inky-black skin, googly eyes and exaggerated red, pink or white lips; a celebrated example of its use was in a popular song of 1928 entitled "Mississippi Mud," performed by the Paul Whiteman Orchestra and sung by the "Rhythm Boys," whose members included Bing Crosby and Johnny Mercer. See also Blackface.

Darkness

(N. America) An extremely dark skinned black person; gained popularity from its use on 'Chappelle's Show'.

Goombah or Goomba

(US) an Italian American. Occasionally non-offensive.

Goreh

(India) "White man" or non-Indian, used in a derogatory manner.

Honger

Derogatory name for immigrants from Hong Kong. Also a derogatory name for a spoiled teenage brat from Hong Kong.

Indio/India

(Latin America & Philippines) Spanish word for “Indian” used for Mexicans, Central Americans, and South Americans who are of Indigenous Native American ancestry and who make the majority of the population in their country. In the Philippines, it was used by the Spaniards during the Spanish colonial period (late 16th century-19th century) to the indigenous ethnic linguistic groups of the Philippines ( Tagalog, Visayan, Ilocano, etc) who were not called Filipinos in Spanish Colonial times. The name Filipino was originally given to the white Spanish colonists born in the Philippines. Can be offensive to an indigenous Mexican, Central American, or South American person if used in a derogatory manner since they are not real “Indians”.

Jap

A term for Japanese nationals. I am pleased to see that this is not included in the list, since while it was used as derogatory term, it is an abbreviation of the word "Japanese." I would like to see this abbreviation reappropriated. --Timtak (talk) 13:26, 14 January 2008 (UTC)

Jeremy Hardman

a highly offensive Australian term for inbreeding bogans —Preceding unsigned comment added by Monkeywarrior (talk • contribs) 00:26, 16 September 2007 (UTC)

Jew York City

An offensive term for [the Jewish population of] New York City, used because of the large Jewish population in the city.

Jim Crow

(US) a black person; also the name for the segregation laws prevalent in much of the United States until the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s.

Kimchi

(North America) a Korean, from the spicy pickled Korean cabbage, known for its strong odor. (However this doesn't seem to denote Koreans - kimchi is merely a food, and not a derogatory slur against Koreans. This I think this "ethnic slur" should be removed completely, even if from the Quarantine.)

Kinder Surprise

(North America) a dark-skinned person who acts like a white person. (Dark on the outside, white on the inside)

Latke or Latka

(U.S.) an Eastern European immigrant - from the television program "Taxi" (also a potato pancake)

Lawn jockey

(US) African American.

Makak

(Belgium & the Netherlands) a Moroccan; derived from macaque. Also macaca, in reference to North or Subsaharan Africans, originally used by French and Belgian colonialists.

Meeskite or Meeshkite

(North America) an unattractive Jewish woman - a Yiddish term (for example, Barbra Streisand refers to herself as a Brooklyn Meeshkite)

Miney

(Passaic County, New Jersey) A term for Ramapough Indians, since Ramapoughs worked in the iron mines of Ringwood, NJ. It has replaced the more pejorative Jackson Whites.

Niglet (2)

(UK) Similar to the U.S. version but without the combination with piglet, refers to a baby or child "Nigger".

Ninja

(US) A derogatory term for Asian Americans. Derived from the perception that most or all Asian Americans are ninjas or otherwise are skilled in martial arts and/or advanced assasination techniques.

Oreo or Oreo Cookie

(U.S.) someone of black and white descent (or a black person who "acts white"; black on the outside & white on the inside; see Carlton) often used by lower class blacks against professional and educated blacks, and/or inner city blacks against suburban blacks.

Paddy or Patty

a. (UK & U.S.) an Irish person (from the popular Irish name "Patrick"). In 19th-century America, police wagons were called "Paddy Wagons"; it's unclear if this was because most of the police, or most of the arrestees were Irish or "paddies". See also Plastic Paddy.

Paleface

(U.S.) a White person. Literal translation of the word for White people in several Native American languages, and also in several Native language-English pidgins.

Porch monkey

(US) A Black person. Referrs to how they sit on their porches in the ghetto.

Pickaninny

(also picaninny) is a pidgin word form which may be derived from the Portuguese pequeninho ("little") via lingua franca.

Pima

Name given to the Akimel O'odham or Ahkeemult O'odham Native Americans. It means "I don't know" in their language, which was apparently their reply when asked their name in Spanish by an early explorer. Despite its origin, many members of this tribe refer to themselves as such.

Plantain or Platano

(U.S./Latin America) Used towards Dominican immigrants, especially those of black physical features.

Polack or Pollock

(US) A person of Polish descent. This word is derived from the Polish word "Polak" which simply means "a Pole". referenced and put back in the article

Porch monkey

(U.S.) a black person. Recently popularized by the film Clerks II. (See also "Alabama porch monkey".)

Porridge Wog

(N. Ireland, London, UK military) A Scot, from their supposed diet

Prairie nigger

A coastal American Indian (Native American).

Pretendian or Pretindian

(North America) Used primarily to describe a white American of limited (or nonexistent) Native American ancestry that claims to be racially, and culturally American Indian.

Ralphie

derogatory term for African Americans or whites that act like blacks.

Raghead

(U.S.) someone of Middle Eastern descent
(UK) a Sikh, or any South Asian

Note:Raghead above and Ragtop below should go to List of religious slurs when a citation is found.

Ragtop

See Raghead above.
(Canada) a Sikh, a South Asian, or Arab (and mistakenly) sometimes Persians

Red Man

(U.S.) a name used by Native Americans, but is considered racist if used by other races.

Rug Pilot

(U.S.) any person of middle eastern, or indian decent.

Russki

(Cold War era U.S.) A term referring to citizens of the Soviet Union. From the Russian word русский (pr. "rooskee"), meaning Russian (as in the language). Ryssä, finnish word for russians

Sheep Fucker

(Australia) Used in Australia and Asia/Pacific to reffer to people from New Zealand. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 118.68.21.9 (talk) 12:02, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

Skip

(Australia) Used to refer to ethnically Anglo/northern European Australians, often by non-whites. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 131.172.4.44 (talk) 04:57, 7 February 2008 (UTC)

Spear Chucker

A term for a black man. Comes from the african hunting method of spear-chucking.

TPT

(U.S.) Trailer park trash. A term used to describe the poorer population living in trailers.

Trog

(U.S.) extremely derogatory term for persons of Native American descent. Shortened form of troglodyte. More recently, it has also been used as a backronym meaning "Totally Reliant On Government," presumably derived from the prevalence of social assistance programs on American Indian Reservations.

Twinkie

(U.S) an Asian who acts white, e.g. yellow on the outside, white on the inside; a person of Asian and White descent.

Wapanese

(US) Derived in the same way as Wigger, a deragatory term for a white person with an obssessive and/or misguided interest in Japanese culture (i.e; Manga, Anime, etc.) or attempts to emulate Japanese people.

Wetback, wetter, wab

(U.S.) an illegal Mexican immigrant (presumably having swum across the Rio Grande).

White washed

refers to non-white people who act like white people

Whitey

(US, African-American) A term for white people, particularly those seen as instances of The Man.

Yid

(UK./U.S.) Highly offensive term for a Jewish person if said by a non-Jew.

Zebra

(U.S.) an often self-referential or affectionate term applied those with parents of mixed race, specifically black and white. The term was further popularized by the 1992 film Zebrahead

Wop

Untouchable

Sambo

Redskin

Potato eater

Pig

Mutt

Mongrel

Meatball

Jap

Argie

Limey

Frog

Beaner

I've removed all of the unsourced terms, leaving those that linked to another page and some that seemed to indicate a source without a proper reference. Quite a few common terms were unsourced, and these might be a priority for sourcing: -Will Beback 09:44, 2 October 2006 (UTC)

I've added some of these that had existing articles. There are more slurs listed in Category:Ethnic slurs which could also be added here on the strength of those articles. -Will Beback 23:11, 4 October 2006 (UTC)

="Yarpie" Originally Black South African Stevedore now used as derogatory form of address for any South African. Whites seem to find it very distressing.219.79.82.110 06:41, 5 April 2007 (UTC) Tiucsib 13:06, 15 April 2007 (UTC)–Spelling is actually incorrect. the correct spelling is 'Japie' but it has been canibalised to read 'Yarpie'.

Suggested insertion

yarpie or japie

a white, Afrikaans speaking, South African man

japie, or plaasjapie meaning farm-boy. The origins go back to the early 20th century (possibly earlier) when economic circumstances forced rural Afrikaners onto the mines. 'Japie' or 'plaasjapie' was a term of derision implying 'ignorant, uneducated or even stupid, rural Afrikaner'

Source "http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/yarpie"

Discussions, objections, questions, proposals about terms

Discussion Archives
Archive 1

==Saes

   (Wales) An often derogatory word used by the Welsh to refer to the English. Derives from the Welsh word Saeson, i.e. Saxon. (See Sassenach for Scottish derivative)[146]

Sassenach

   (Scotland) - An English person.

For a start Sassenach is Irish for Englishman (and also in the scots dialect). It is not an ethnic slur as such. However to describe anything as english is to automatically consider it contemptible. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.70.44.248 (talk) 18:31, 6 February 2008 (UTC)

Papist, Pharisee, Schvartza

Respectively, a Roman Catholic, follower of Rabbinic Judaism, and derogatory Yiddish term for a black person (the word literally means black, I believe).

Kafir/Kaffir/Kufur/Kufir/Kufr/Kuffar

Although "kaffir" already exists in its South African context, I'm proposing that these alternates and alternate meaning are added to the list.

Coming from the arabic work "kafir" meaning "disbeliever" or "infadel", which in itself is perfectly innocent, it is increasingly becoming used (especially among young British muslims) as a derogatory term for non-muslims.

-- ricmitch 10:58, 24 August 2007 (UTC)

I would like to add that the Arabic origins of kaffir do not mean infidel, but rather a "non-believer in Abraham-ic religions" (As in non Muslims, Christians, and Jews)

-- Nonmember -- —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.34.87.133 (talk) 03:25, 5 September 2007 (UTC)

Chinese Pig

I think it is very offensive to put insultive language into a website where everyone can see. I suggest such intolerance be removed. Or put a tag that says: Insultive/Offensive language ahead. Zywxn 13:04, 25 October 2007 (UTC)

Roundeyes

Not sure what the source presently cited is, but there is actually an interesting story to this one. First of all, a dissenting voice: http://www.sinosplice.com/life/archives/2006/05/27/the-myth-of-round-eye and a primary source, which corroborates the link - it is a joke from the Principia Discordia, even cited in the second line of the Wikipedia article about it! I would have added this directly to the page, but it is protected right now. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.249.92.63 (talk) 10:14, 29 January 2008 (UTC) I suggest that this 'slur' be removed. The actual slur is calling Asians 'slant eyes' and because of this racist assumption, believe that Asians must somehow call white people 'round eyes'. Asian people don't have this slur

Removals

Proposed

In a few days (or less, if the page is no longer in protection) I'm going to start removing some of the more idiotic entries here:

• Terms that almost can't possibly refer to ethnic groups. This includes terms referring to tourists, jocks, cops, or similar.
• In most cases, people from a particular city (if no ethnic implication); I think it's safe to assume that in most cases residents of a city do not comprise an ethnic group
• People from a single US state when there is no clear ethnic implication to the "slur."
• Ching Chong may be offensive, but claiming that is very offensive and on the same footing as nigger demeans blacks and African Americans. Actually, a slur is a slur. Stop trying to "one-up" all the other races. The term may be offensive to some, but most people do not consider it to be offensive. Nigger refers to a person. Ching chong is mocking a language. That is a big difference. Saying it is on equal footing is like saying the Kent State shooting was as bad as the Holocaust. Both were bad, but they just don't compare. It is offensive to African Americans to say such.They need to standardize this stuff. We have the untited negro college fund and the Association for advancement of colored people but you cant say either negro or colored. My cousins were born in Kenya and dont have the benifit of being African-American and they probably deserve it the most. They've actually been there.

I disagree. Language is what we use to express our thoughts, feelings, philosophies and emotions. Mocking a language mocks not just the spoken and written language, but also the culture and heritage, which defines a society and a people. In this case with the term "ching chong," it is mocking such things with regards to the Chinese.

• This one's a bit more provisional: any term that refers to any non-ethnically-linked station in life, whether temporary or permanent. Taken to its fullest extent, this could include any term referring to poor people, rural people, or urban people, since none of those are necessarily linked to ethnicity. After all, the article claims to list ethnic slurs not derogatory slang terms.
• I'm from the US, so I'll mostly give a much wider berth to terms from other countries since I have no way of knowing whether the terms are much more ethnically linked than I realize. But I strongly encourage wise residents of other regions to delete stuff they are sure has no connotations of nationality, race, ethnicity, etc.
• Stuff that was once said in some movie or TV show, but never entered into popular usage.

"The following is a list of ethnic slurs that are, or have been, used as insinuations..." Says nothing about "popular usage." If it was used in a movie or TV show and can be cited it should remain here. Catgofire 04:48, 13 April 2007 (UTC)

• Maybe we should create a list of "items on this page I don't believe". Perhaps on a separate page. Each time you find a term you think has never been in use as an ethnic slur, you could add it to the list, and wait a few months. If nobody pipes in to say "I've heard this term in use," you should delete the entry from the main article.My Alt Account 11:05, 5 September 2006 (UTC)

OK, I took out some stuff. Suggestion for further paring: stuff that was used in a movie/book/TV show, but doesn't seem to have currency outside of fandom. This article is still complete crap, of course. My Alt Account 18:55, 9 September 2006 (UTC)

• Why is Spotted dick on the list? If you check out its article and the two outside links from there you will see that it is the name of a pudding served in the UK. There is no mention of the term being used as a slur for any group of people. Steve Dufour 23:27, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
• Goy - I am not Jewish and I would not be at all offended to be called a "Goy". I understand that it means "of the nations", that is the non-Jewish world. I would consider that to be a statement of fact not a slur. Besides I understand that the nation of Israel has given out awards naming the recipient "Righteous Among the Nations". For instance Mr. Shindler of Shindler's List. If being "of the nations" is mentioned as an honor, how could it also be a slur? Steve Dufour 02:52, 28 September 2006 (UTC)

The main article on 'Goy' has it right, it can be used as a mild 'not one of us' term and I've heard it so used in Hebrew. --Hartley Patterson 22:32, 23 October 2006 (UTC)

• Alice-quoters - Since when is Lewis Carrol fandom considered an ethnicity?

Please delete it then.  :-) Steve Dufour 00:23, 29 September 2006 (UTC)

• Jack Mormon - I think the article has improved a lot in the last couple of weeks. But is it true that "Jack Mormon" can refer to a non-Mormon as well as a person of Mormon birth who is no longer following Mormonism? That doesn't sound right to me. Steve Dufour 13:09, 2 October 2006 (UTC)

Surely Mormons are a religious and not an ethnic group?

• tiddly - I added tiddly which is cockney rhyming slang for a Chinese meal, e.g tiddly-wink, chink. However, the word is also used as a derogatory term for the Chinese people. I have a link [1]

The link indicates that "tiddly wink" refers to Chinese cuisine, not to Chinese people. -Will Beback 19:25, 2 October 2006 (UTC)

• Mongoloid - A slur against people with down's syndrome rather than autism. Not really an ethnic slur anyway. This whole page looks cobbled together and would probably be better in the urban dictionary than here.

Again, way off!! Mongoloids are ethnicities of mongolian descent i.e. pacific asians, american indians, alaskan innuits and so-forth. Negroids are ethnicities that originated , at some point in time, in the central Africa

• Faggot- A derogatory term/slur for a gay man....didn't see this one on here.
• Dyke- A derogatory term/slur for a lesbian woman....didn't see this one on here either.
  • Those aren't ethnicities. See Terminology of homosexuality. -Will Beback · † · 19:26, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
• Cowboy - As an American, this term isn't offensive to me even though I AM aware of the European stereotype. Perhaps there's more to the insult that I'm aware of, but if it simply means a person who is more interested in action than debate, I don't find that offensive at all. Applejuicefool 17:27, 18 January 2007 (UTC)
• Bible thumper - Nothing here is "ethnic". Evangelical, Protestant, Pentecostal, Christian are all religious, not ethnic (hence two distinct attributes in discrimination laws). Why is the in an article on Ethnic Slurs? Who slid this one in? It really doesn't belong. Being Christian isn't an ethnicity by most standards (if any). Amish, Jewish, Muslim are exceptions to the rule since they often refer to people of a specific ethnic type (IIRC Amish are mainly of German decent). In that case it depends partially on the nature of the slur, rather than who it's about. Bottom line: the slurs listed here should be ethnic, not religious, sexist, etc.

IN MY OPINION IT IS HIGHLY QUESTIONABLE TO EQUATE JEWISH FAITH WITH JEWISH ETHNICITY, THE LAST TIME THIS WAS DONE IN THE THIRD REICH. As being christian is not defined by ethnicity neither is being jewish nor being muslim. And to correct another factual error, the Amish are of Swiss decent. I also have proof that Bible Tumpers pee on the Bible too. That comment was highly irrelevant. Nightfire117 23:58, 18 April 2007 (UTC)

???? Jerry lavoie 05:37, 3 February 2007 (UTC)

I could not figure out how my signature got here.... it looks like maybe somebody (perhaps the bot) removed some text and my sig was left. I had nothing to do with the comments above my signature here. Jerry lavoie 05:18, 25 February 2007 (UTC)

• Dot Head - US, mildy offensive reference to women of South Asian or East Indian descent. Derived from the wearing of the Bindi or jewelry on the forehead Msabinoe 16:38, 15 April 2007 (UTC)
• Look at the entry for Congo —Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.244.37.174 (talk) 03:31, 3 September 2007 (UTC)

Swamp Ninja

Heard this the other day. Not on the list. Its probably modern, but it could be a derivative of another term. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.132.84.67 (talk) 12:31, 2 December 2007 (UTC)

Pakeha IS an extremly racist term!

The term 'Pakeha' is regarded as a racist slur, as it implies that New Zealand-born British New Zealanders are foreigners, according to the racist Maori Nationalist lowlifes, such as Pita Sharples, Hone Harawira, and Tariana Turia. - (203.211.75.65 (talk) 07:53, 4 January 2008 (UTC))

Controversy

Hey guys, because of the incredibly controversial nature of this article, I think its really important to only allow the cited additions to remain, I'm going to remove any that dont qualify now, if you wish to revert that, go ahead, but if you do continue this conversation. Also, I'm going to create some archives for this place afterwards, the length of the page is getting out of hand. Ferdia O'Brien ^(T)/_(C) 17:50, 6 January 2008 (UTC)

Yes, this the policy of the page for quite some time: zero tolerance for unreferenced additions, see the top of the page. It is just something sometimes slips thru the watchlist cracks. Welcome to join the cite police. `'Míkka>t 02:06, 17 January 2008 (UTC)

Mexican

I live in Nyc and being called a mexican has the connotation of some one who does work for cheap. x0r! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.23.239.40 (talk) 00:55, 17 January 2008 (UTC)

Arent people who are frugal with their money are called jews? When ever i dont like to spend alot of money on a particular items people call me jew.. Even the cashier.. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.23.239.40 (talk) 01:01, 17 January 2008 (UTC)

Proposed merger with "List of religious slurs"

I'd propose that this list be merged with the List of religious slurs to make a single "List of ethnic and religious slurs". There is too much overlap to have separate lists. Many of the listed terms here are religious slurs in part or whole. Kyke, goy, Haji, and Kafir (just to name a few) and the like are all religious or partly religious in nature. Likewise on the other page Jewish American Princess, Kike, and Hun plainly have ethnic components, and Mackeral Snapper and Papist in the U.S. in the past were usually used primarily towards Irish and Italian immigrants and in the U.K. were usually used with reference to Irish.Mamalujo (talk) 23:29, 10 January 2008 (UTC)

• Oppose. "religious slurs" is a much shorter and a well-defined list. If there are some overlap, no big problem. (you wrote "just to name a few", but I doubt if you find much more). `'Míkka>t 02:03, 17 January 2008 (UTC)
• Oppose oppose ethnicity and religion are different. You can bee a gook christian, a cracker muslim or like me a half whitey, half ching chong athiest, to use the vernacular described in this article. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 219.90.187.85 (talk) 13:28, 15 February 2008 (UTC)