It depends where you live,...In Indonesia..if you call Chinese descent " CINA" is very very offensive...now Indonesia people or media use words like " Tionghua" or" Tiongkok" instead of CHINA... In Indonesia...why CINA ( pronounce like CHEE NAH) sounds offensive because of the word " CI" in certain chinese dialects ( like Hokkien/Tio Chiu)..means Women's private part... but if you call them CHINA ( pronounce like Chai Nah) then we will be fine ( In Indonesia)....
Japan is denoted by JPN, not JAP . Hahaha huangkwokhau, You have also reminded us before, not to refer to Japan as JAP, but to refer to them as JPN. .
To my surprise, this has become an interesting topic. There are several ways of stating nationality: He is from China (he is from England) He is a Chinese person (he is an English person) He is Chinese (he is English) He is a Chinaman (he is an Englishman) He's a chink (he's a limey) Methods (1)-(3) are fundamentally neutral. Only method (1) works for absolutely every country (it can be hard to find an appropriate -ese suffix, or similar). Method (4) only works for a small number of countries, and seems to come from the UK: Englishman, Irishman, Scotsman, Welshman. Also: Dutchman and Frenchman, countries with which England has had a long political history (note the variation: Spaniard, another country of historical importance to the UK). Method (4) is different from (1)-(3) in that it implies a connection between the person's nationality and his personality. If you call me English, then you are simply stating my nationality (well, actually I'm British, but nevermind ). But if you call me an Englishman, then immediately one imagines a smartly dressed, emotionally repressed gentleman, who drinks tea at the Ritz and always carries an umbrella. ...which of course I am, and I do. Because method (4) emphasises stereotypical elements of a person's national culture, it may sometimes be offensive. More frequently, it's light-hearted. Method (5) is colloquial and frequently offensive.
while we're on the subject.... Don't call people from the Netherlands Neanderthals... It's degoratory ( sorry guys...had to be done) I think the best explanation for any (unintentional) racial slurs might be a language barrier... Not everybody here has English as his first language, some hardly had any schooling in it at all. So understandably, they borrow some words here and there to aid them in expressing themselves... Like a Chinaman, a Jap, a Netherlanders (which, by the way, is not offensive...just silly). other instances might have occured because of a lacking in a persons vocabulary...Like calling somebody "stupid" (which is often taken as offensive ) instead lighter words like "silly", "misinformed" etc. Offcourse, I don't condone any (intentional) use of rude words... But be mindfull of us strange-language-speaking-fellows
Well I'll be a Dutch uncle! I can honestly say I've never heard that one before. Are you sure its isn't double Dutch?
Birdwood, over here in malaysia, the word chinaman is quite neutral. i don't think it is offensive or deregatory. It can loosely be defined as "a system, method, idealogy, process, thinking and/or etc that is not in accordance to recognised western standards" I am a Chinese. I often tell my friends that though i got my business management degree from Australia, my company is still a "Chinaman" company at heart and i don't feel bad about it. But....different countries have different norms. So, i guess "Chinaman" must be a very insulting word to use in US. I will make a note when i talk to my US suppliers.
I consider "Chinaman" offensive to Chinese people just as offensive as saying "Negro" for African Americans. And this is not due to personal perspective or anything. It is the history of where those terms origined from. "Chinaman" was used in the 1800's by the Americans and at that time... "Chinaman"'s status was not on level with the Americans. So in conclusion, the term "Chinaman" is degrading. Read the wikipedia article. It's kind of like using the words: fag or fruit for someone who is a homesexual. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinaman#Controversies
but then again, Chinese thrive in Asia, for example, the richest in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and etc are actually Chinese. So when others call you a Chinaman or when you associate something to China, you wont fell insulted. Maybe Chinese in US is not as successful and hence the insult that comes with it....maybe???
pardon my ignorance, i only been to LA, Vegas, Midwest areas and Florida for a few weeks or months. I really do not know that negro is an offensive word. What about "black"? Is it as insulting as Negro?
As you may have seen from my poost to Gollum above, "fruit" can be a term of friendly, slightly upper-crust, mateyism in the UK.
Just my 3 sen rupiahs.. ..i would somewhat concur on the above posts. In another way, it may come down to one's interpretation or intent of the usage. If meant no harm, such as a lack of knowledge or simply used "light-hearted" then it should be explained, cleared up and we should move on. If otherwise, then mods or perhaps a personal PM might be a better way to resolve the misunderstanding. Of course, there are definitely certain words or phrases which SHOULD NOT be used, at all cost. As for the thread, in a way, Birdwood's intention is good in that it's a reminder to us; in another way, i feel as if there's still some lingering effect from that incident....Anyway.. In essence, i believe this applies not only to this forum but to our daily lives. Btw, is hillbilly or redneck an "offensive" or "insulting" word??..hmmm..
Thanks for letting me know the different perspectives in your country regarding the use of the word. Chinese immigrants had encountered many discriminations in the early days in North America and were treated at the bottom of the social ladder. That's why "Chinaman" is a derogatory term, while "Englishman" is not, which is supposed to be "superior" than others. Black denotes a race, black people, black American, short-hand blacks, all these terms are ok, preferably called African American. The N-word is very offensive, which traced back to the slavery era.
Thanks for the summary. It's my intention to unify the BC community and foster a better understanding among all members. If we can put forward discussions about some offensive words beforehand, it's more constructive than in heated exchanges, where things can not be sorted out easily. My apology for dragging the poster into this thread. There was no bad feelings after we cleared up the issue. I did not want to mention the comment, but had no choice except to tell what was exactly used.
Negro or "nigger" is very offensive to someone who is of African American culture. Although it is not used a lot today, because people are more educated now and we are learning to be more "politically correct" now. Do you think being politically correct is being too formal? eh?
I live my life by a code of manners. I would avoid insulting someone as a matter of course. That is good manners, consideration for others or respect. I would not presume to tell someone else what language to use. The advocates of politically correct language are the opposite. They have no respect for me and attempt to dictate what is acceptable for me to say or write. This I truly hate and will resist. So, in my view, political correctness is not about showing respect for others; rather it is about forcing others to adhere to someone else's views.
We shall become ‘lucky bastards’ when we don't feel offended easily . Well Done !!!, Birdwood... In Australia, we say... "We shall become ‘lucky bastards’ when we don't feel offended easily". .
