Flybye

The Far East / Japan forum is finally up

7sweetie

isnt calling a japanese person a jap kind of racisit??? like calling a chinese person a chinc or mexican a spic.

oneflytrini

iTrader: (1)

son be ez

Lunar7

Good question.

However, I would not think so.
It is just an abreviation.
Not a deragotary term.
Perhaps it is a bit non-formal.

I do hear it used a lot with no racial intentions.
Unlike the other terms that were mentioned.
I hope I am not mistaken.

ninetyfourfd3s

I'm half japanese and the term doesn't bother me. But I believe the abreviation originated during WWII when we(the USA) were at war with Japan. With terms that have any sort of racist connotation it's best to play it safe. IMHO

sinfestboy

7sweeties pc sensetive!


you guys should call me fidel

Flybye

That's EXACTLY what I was going to say
It's like saying "Hey you Euro Guys"
It's just an abreviation when its there and usable.

rx7will

iTrader: (6)

I dont feel that "Jap" buy itself is a racist term, but when you say "Jap Guys", that makes it different. Jap is not a term the Japanese use, just like the word "Oriental" is not use by Asians. By the way i hate the word "Oriental". I dont think you have any bad intentions but i guess its easy take it the wrong way.

Toadman

LOL... sorta like a "Cracker", "FOB", "Round-Eye", or "Gaijin". Who cares. Don't sweat the petty things(Or pet the sweaty things). Racism by definition is vehement hatred for another race/culture and one's own racial superiority, supporting actions against them. The triple-K is an example. It's nothing like prejudice or bigotry, which permeates all cultures,so please, please note the difference. Try being an American is any Islamic/Euro nation, or a stranger in any land, and the difference will be obvious. Bigotry is closed-minded stupid ignorance of other cultures/races. Think the Archie Bunker character, for those who remember. Prejudice is "pre-judgement" or an innate and determined preference. A Black/Asian marrying a Black/Asian is just preference, pre-judged or a preference to marry one within their own race and family values. Nothing "racially-superior" about that in any color, unless you want to tell them who to marry. Racism again, is superiority-dictated hatred and blaming societial woes on others who are different and taking violent action against a "supposed threat". Skinners are obviously haters, but don't blame any one peoples for wanting to marry/date/within their own race, fercryinoutloud. Wish the Media could draw the distinction objectively, instead of looking for the "race-angle" in any crime, and sikking the mind police on them. Very similar to "sexual harrassment in the workplace".

djantlive

Jap is racist. If you want to abbreviate, use Jp.

Jap is not a term the Japanese use -- no f'ng sht!

Whether the intention is there or not, please change the thread. It's offensive language. I am surprised so many of you have no clue what you are talking about.

Toadman

OMG the PC Mind Police got to you also, Dave?? Do you really think Japanese care what you call them? Or just what the Media cares and being tagged with a the "R" term?

Call the Japanese Consulate/Embassy and have them ban the term "round-eye/Gaijin" also. Sue the producer of "Pearl Harbor"!! Ludicrous in all ways... They don't care, so why do we? It's a non-issue only the Media wants to stigmatize the USA citizenry with, guilt and all. Americans in the vast majority aren't haters in the least. We all know this to be true despite the racist aberrations they parade in front of everyone on TV to induce guilt. Immigrants see this folly too... they ain't stupid.

suprfast

as we see most people look for the worst in most situations. i personally had a japanese foreign exchange student living with me for almost 4 years. i have called him a jap before, but i used it to abreviate where he was from. nothing more. i still call him names today, such as brother. he was obviously not offended by it as he knew i did not mean it in a bad way. for the people that are offended, ignore this. if you are not japanese or have a real reason to complain then shut up, i know that you have done the same thing yourself in the past, and will in the future. think about every time you fill out an aplication...ETHNICITY: mexican, african, and my favorite option on there WHITE. what the hell is that. what an etnicity. just relax and we will drive our jap cars.
kris

ninetyfourfd3s

I believe your'e right, and to be honest it's all about context. The Japanese(not all) do call outsiders gajin(aka barbarians/foreigner to the rest of you), but I'm not sure if that's for lack of a better word, or just a cultural attitude.

I seriously doubt that any harm was ment by the original comment. But there may be individuals who take offense to it. I hate to generalize but a minority will tend to take offense for a term used against them, but they will use a converse term with impunity.

ex: Japanese who use the term gaijin, but get upset over the useage of jap. Black people who get upset over the n word, but use the term cracker. etc...

It's all about power and control, but I don't think this isn't an issue for the 3rd gen section.

tkd_M119

By viewing the trailer to Pearl Harbor, one would think that back in the 1940s there were no Asian people in Hawaii. Which in case you don't know is FAR from the reality of the time.

Why, until recently have there been so few Asians in empowered roles in TV/Film/Advertising?

I think the "Archie Bunker" characterization is out of date. How about "David Duke?"

Racism has become much more subtle. It's difficult to understand unless you have been repeatedly affected by it. In the 60's my father had a hard time finding a home loan for our first house. Growing up in LA in the 70's I had the term "jap" thrown in my face repeatedly. Being "passed over" or simply not aknowlegded in service situations/retail was no fun either - I've experience this up into the early 90's - in Los Angeles no less!

I've noticed that most people I heard saying "oh your just PC", are white. It's difficult to know what it's like to be made to feel less than human for your race unless you've experience it first hand.

De-humanization of any group of people always starts with labeling. The term "Jap" was used during WWII to de-humanize Japanese Americans and thus help the American public rationalize their mass imprisonment.

To put it more simply, think about how in grade school or middle school you might have picked on some kid because they were skinny, fat, ugly, from the "wrong" neighborhood, mentally retarded etc. (Or maybe you were the victim of such abuse). One couldn't possibly have perpetrated violence upon that individual unless you could see them as different from you and thus on a subconscious level, not human (less worthy than you).

I agree that it's best to "not sweat the petty things" but lets not be in denial of racism. Though people might not say ******, jap, spic, kike, etc. out loud anymore doesn't mean they don't think it.

Get to the place that you don't need to label anyone - see them first and always as human - that would truly be "non-racist"

user 84205

well Im not Japanese, but the Japanese people here wouldnt even understand what you were meaning by saying it. My wife is Japanese and she has never heard it or even cares... I dont think its racist....

If you can a Japanese person a SLANT or something like
that then it would be racist.

Jason

rx7speed811

... i always hear african americans call eachother "*****."

ninetyfourfd3s

It's a term that's more familiar with Japanese-Americans, and Japanese citizens who live in the states.

jspecracer7

YO!!!! Thanks for putting that suggestion in Flybye! I don't car if you are a post *****!!! FINALLY, I can post ***** where post whoring belongs

MILD7

the term "jap" is a racist/derrogatory term... as is gook, *****, spic, ******, honkey, etc. I do realize however that the thread itself was not aimed at demeaning the Japanese culture. For those of you who didn't know... it's cool. But for future threads... I would advise refraining from abbreviating Japanese or Japan, as "jap". For those who couldn't give a ****... you are only exposing your ignorance. I know this politically correct B.S. is played out... but when it comes to race/culture... I believe it is a MUST to refrain from using sensitive terms such as those mentioned above. Just my humble opinion.

jspecracer7

Funny thing about the "racist" use of the word "Jap"...

Being in Okinawa, and talking with the different people I find here(Friends, acquaintances and girlfriends/wife, Young and Old, Male/Female...and some I just don't know) has led me to the conclusion that Japanese do not refer the term "Jap" as a derrogitory comment...AMERICANS do.

MILD7

I'm sure in Japan things are different... but here in the states... where there's a history of Japanese being discriminated against (Internment Camps, etc.) it is offensive. If you went to china... and called a chinese person "*****" they wouldn't find it derogatory either... words such as *****, ******, jap, were used by Americans in America to demean a given race. I guess its hard for people to understand when such terms were used long ago before most of us were born.

When it comes down to it... it's a matter of respect. If some people find the term Jap offensive... then don't use it. It's as simple as that. In no means am I trying to bash Flybye who started this thread... I'm just trying to point out that the term "jap" has been used as a derogatory term towards the Japanese... and probably shouldn't be used to avoid future posts like those above.

Johnny

Being half japanese.... personally it really does not bother me because I know what flybye means...but it's all in context... but...

yes it's slighty racist
no the japanese dont use it
yes I will change the title of the thread.

let try to cut back the use of the "word" jap...it's not a abbevation either... abbrev. for Japan is JPN...ok ppl

JrSe7en

I know a few older Japanese people who grew up during WWII and went through a lot of the anti-Japanese sentiment of that era. They do find the term “Jap” offensive; written and spoken. I know the original poster meant no offense, but if you want to be “PC” about it, the preferred abbreviation is JPN.

jspecracer7

I guess the bottom line is that if you are politically correct, you can't offend anyone. But if you're NOT, they you may offend someone so it's best that you go the easier route...

djantlive

Thank you for making the correction to the post.

I understand it is not the intention to be racist or else I would have screamed and shouted. Context and intent is hard to determine from written text so I just don't want someone who isn't familiar with this forum to call us Rx7 guys bad names.

Yes Toadman, I am PC. Maybe brain washed...

Peace!