Is "Gaijin" a Racist Slur?

[Mike Cash]

I want to clarify something. Political correctness refers to one choosing to use "the N word" in place of "nigger".

Choosing to use the word nigger in reference to someone or a group is in fact racist. For that matter, calling someone or a group: a black man/woman, negro, negroid, spade or any such term would be racist in my book.

I like to be up-to-date on political correctness.

In the future, when I wish to attract the attention of a black person, I will shout "Hey, you enword! C'mere!"

 

[Hachiro]

Maciamo should know better than to make comparisons like that.

He continually adds commentary that he knowingly expects to get a heated response.

Like someone else wrote here before his posts carry a different weight to the casual reader, as his name says Admin under it.

Those casual readers should be aware that the person with "race" problems or misunderstandings is Maciamo.

Lastly I wanted to add this;

The word gaijin is color and race blind, any and all foreigners in Japan are gaijin. To equal it even remotely to the word nigger or any other distinctly racial slur, spic, polack, beaner, wetback, or chink, whatever is just plain wrong.

 

[Glenn]

Could you post that in English too kkkktttt? Because not everyone can understand Japanese Thank you!

He can't, actually. He's said so much before. He can understand written English, but he can't write in English.

The term nigger has always been a racist term.

Not according to wikipedia, however much credence you want to lend it.

In the United States, the word nigger was not originally considered derogatory, but merely denotative of black, as it was in much of the world. In nineteenth-century American literature, there are many uses of the word nigger with no intended negative connotation (see below). The perception of the term nigger as derogatory is no doubt related to the fact that the Negro race itself was widely regarded as inferior, lazy, simian-like in appearance, stupid, and criminally inclined by many whites of the time.

Also I can not understand for the life of me how anyone could even for a moment try to compare the word nigger with gaijin. It boggles the mind.

Who's saying they're the same? I know that I brought it up, but I thought I made it clear that I knew the difference (although I was wrong about it always being derogatory too, if you believe wikipedia).

 

[DoctorP]

(although I was wrong about it always being derogatory too, if you believe wikipedia).

I have stated before that I don't! I tend not to put too much trust into something that can be modified by anyone.

 

[Glenn]

Oh, one more thing I wanted to mention: "negroid" isn't a racist slur; it's a scientific term, just like "mongoloid" and "caucasoid."

And I thought that the politically correct way to refer to black people was "African-American," even though that doesn't make much sense to me.

 

[pipokun]

...
Here in Belgium I have attended a few meetings with Japanese people with my wife (I was the only non-Japanese), and all of them still refer to the locals (Belgians) as gaijin, eventhough most are married to one. Why can't they say "berugi-jin" ? What is it with the Japanese that makes them "nationality-blind" or "culture-blind" even when living years abroad ?

Your story above is a bit generalised, but I bet your wife will get more interesting stories, at least for you, when she gets involved in more Japanese community, esp., expats' wives don't speak French, Flem., or whatever.

 

[DoctorP]

Oh, one more thing I wanted to mention: "negroid" isn't a racist slur; it's a scientific term, just like "mongoloid" and "caucasoid."

Thank you for pointing that out...I actually realized it after I typed it, but was just too lazy to edit the post. Interesting thing is that on the US visa application Japanese are considered mongloids.

And I thought that the politically correct way to refer to black people was "African-American," even though that doesn't make much sense to me.

I was referring to the idea that people are afraid to say nigger, but instead will say "the n word".

 

[Hachiro]

Who's saying they're the same? I know that I brought it up, but I thought I made it clear that I knew the difference

Glenn I was not refering to you or your post. Im sorry that you took it that way.

Hell I know of people when I was living in North Carolina in the US that refered to "white" folks as "niggers" as well. Then again those were some REAL country folk.

However like I wrote and I would hope that people would understand that the word gaijin has nothing to do with race.

 

[DoctorP]

Hell I know of people when I was living in North Carolina in the US that refered to "white" folks as "niggers" as well. Then again those were some REAL country folk.

Don't you mean 'nigga?

 

[Hachiro]

Don't you mean 'nigga?

Yup you 'bout right dere! Aiz fergot how dem der folk all talk, bin quit a while.

 

[gaijinalways]

Hmm, I would tend to agree with CC1 and Hachiro, that 'Nigger' and Gaijin don't exactly serve the same purpose, yet they both serve to label people and separate them from other groups.

Posted by Maciamo...

Here in Belgium I have attended a few meetings with Japanese people with my wife (I was the only non-Japanese), and all of them still refer to the locals (Belgians) as gaijin, eventhough most are married to one. Why can't they say "berugi-jin" ? What is it with the Japanese that makes them "nationality-blind" or "culture-blind" even when living years abroad ?

It does seem odd. My wife who is Japanese thinks it's odd (she herself lived in England for ten years) and wonders why most Japanese have such a strong urge to label all others as non-Japanese. Yet when most of use live overseas, I would hardly think that would be my first thought, Americans and non-Americans, as it would more likely be locals and non-locals.

 

[JimmySeal]

And I thought that the politically correct way to refer to black people was "African-American," even though that doesn't make much sense to me.

It may be the politically correct term, but it's a silly, and often wrong term. See below:
I am a genius, you are not.

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

And I thought that the politically correct way to refer to black people was "African-American," even though that doesn't make much sense to me.

Not every black person on Earth is an American, you know....

 

[Mike Cash]

Not every black person on Earth is an American, you know....

But they must be. I've heard American reporters in Africa refer to the blacks there as "African-Americans". (Seriously, I have).

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

But they must be. I've heard American reporters in Africa refer to the blacks there as "African-Americans". (Seriously, I have).

Talk about manifest destiny!

 

[Mike Cash]

I'll never forget one of the reporters. The story was out of Zimbabwe and dealt with the racial problems between whites and blacks there. The reporter came to a point in the report where he had to make mention of the actions of one side....the black population.

He suddenly stopped in mid-sentence, the tone of his voice making it clear he had just mentally slammed the brakes on a foot-in-mouth moment and narrowly averted the disaster of saying "black". Half a beat later he confidently came out with the PC term "African-American" and continued blithely on to the end of his report.

 

[JimmySeal]

Not every black person on Earth is an American, you know....

And not every black person on Earth is African either, and not every African-American is black (see link).

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

What'S wrong with just saying "black"?

The whole PC movement had/has merit, but there's a point in which it's just ludicrous. (Thanks for the link, JimmySeal.)

 

[Hachiro]

The whole PC movement had/has merit, but there's a point in which it's just ludicrous.

I would emphasize the had more than the has, it has gotten out of hand to the point of being incomphrensible.

People are afraid to call a spade a spade.

 

[Glenn]

Now I feel outright misunderstood.

And I thought that the politically correct way to refer to black people was "African-American," even though that doesn't make much sense to me.

I also made my position clear here (although that was a while ago).

I don't consider "'n' word" as being politically correct; I consider it one way to get around a taboo (somewhat like a euphemism).

 

[gaijinalways]

Then we can start using 'yellow' too?!☝

 

[leonmarino]

Then we can start using 'yellow' too?!☝

Make-up in Japan is widely divided in two kinds: one for white-skinned people and one for yellow-skinned people. The make-up for white-skinned people is reffered to as "white", whereas for the other they use the term "gold", which I find hilarious.
I guess it is ok to say white but not yellow, according to the make-up industry anyway.

 

[osias]

Make-up in Japan is widely divided in two kinds: one for white-skinned people and one for yellow-skinned people. The make-up for white-skinned people is reffered to as "white", whereas for the other they use the term "gold", which I find hilarious.
I guess it is ok to say white but not yellow, according to the make-up industry anyway.

Really?
I thought Europeans (or Americans?) use the word "golden" to refer to their tans. Perhaps, it's a borrowed word.

 

[RockLee]

Not that I know of. I never heard the word "Golden" for tans before.

 

[ricecake]

Make-up in Japan is widely divided in two kinds: one for white-skinned people and one for yellow-skinned people. The make-up for white-skinned people is reffered to as "white", whereas for the other they use the term "gold", which I find hilarious.

I guess it is ok to say white but not yellow, according to the make-up industry anyway.

Hehe .... LOL .... Japanese' self despise of own race is extreme ... hehe ... we do know Japs are very uncomfortable with the word " yellow " whereas they regard whiteness as natural fit for them " Nihonjins " ... hehe ... hehe