Which Ethnic Slurs Do You/Can You Still Use?

[celedhring]

Let me see... "gabacho" (Frenchie) I still use from time to time, funnily in SA it is used to refer to yanks (another one I use).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabacho

Also guiri, a very popular one in Spain - for foreign tourists. In particular white ones.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guiri


"Moro" (literally "moor", but it has become a slur nowadays) I stopped using decades ago. I'm now rehabbing for "paki", over here the word doesn't have the legacy it does in the UK, but it's just a little effort.

[The Larch]

Let me see... "gabacho" (Frenchie) I still use from time to time, funnily in SA it is used to refer to yanks (another one I use).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabacho

Also guiri, a very popular one in Spain - for foreign tourists. In particular white ones.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guiri


"Moro" (literally "moor", but it has become a slur nowadays) I stopped using decades ago. I'm now rehabbing for "paki", over here the word doesn't have the legacy it does in the UK, but it's just a little effort.

What about "gitano"?  Offensive slur or proper identifier?

@Yi, most of the ones you mentioned sound endearingly old-fashioned rather than offensive to me.

[HVC]

Let me see... "gabacho" (Frenchie) I still use from time to time, funnily in SA it is used to refer to yanks (another one I use).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabacho

Also guiri, a very popular one in Spain - for foreign tourists. In particular white ones.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guiri


"Moro" (literally "moor", but it has become a slur nowadays) I stopped using decades ago. I'm now rehabbing for "paki", over here the word doesn't have the legacy it does in the UK, but it's just a little effort.

Moreno is still used in Portuguese for tanned.

[Josquius]

Surely by definition if its acceptable to use its not an ethnic slur?

The closest to acceptable ethnic slurs I'd say are where things aimed vs people are racist whilst in other contexts aren't. Jap for instance; not cool when talking about a person...but Japan's standard 3 letter country code that pops up innocently all over the place.

Then I guess there's stuff where its not cool in one language but fine in another. Negro is the biggy that stands out there.

[crazy canuck]

I think of this group as high confidence ethnicities.

I use Pom and Canuck.  Mick might not work with Irish Irish but in my experience it works fine with Irish Americans.  I use gringo too.  Yank I object to on regional grounds.  Only New Englanders are yankees.

I'm not going to call a Jew a kike, but I will say something about Jewfros.

Don't get a lot of chances to use frog.  Don't know how that would play.

I won't call a German a kraut but I will say sommething like "that kraut soccer team is badass."

The original Crazy Canucks and the Vancouver Canucks would be very surprised to learn that Canuck is a slur.

[celedhring]

Surely by definition if its acceptable to use its not an ethnic slur?

The closest to acceptable ethnic slurs I'd say are where things aimed vs people are racist whilst in other contexts aren't. Jap for instance; not cool when talking about a person...but Japan's standard 3 letter country code that pops up innocently all over the place.

Then I guess there's stuff where its not cool in one language but fine in another. Negro is the biggy that stands out there.

Well, the word in itself isn't racist, but to call somebody "negro" to his face certainly is. Circumstance and intent matter.

[garbon]

Surely by definition if its acceptable to use its not an ethnic slur?

The closest to acceptable ethnic slurs I'd say are where things aimed vs people are racist whilst in other contexts aren't. Jap for instance; not cool when talking about a person...but Japan's standard 3 letter country code that pops up innocently all over the place.

Then I guess there's stuff where its not cool in one language but fine in another. Negro is the biggy that stands out there.

Well, the word in itself isn't racist, but to call somebody "negro" to his face certainly is. Circumstance and intent matter.

I'm not sure in English that it would be all that appropriate to refer to negroes unless talking about a historical moment.

[Zoupa]

Pretty sure cel is talking about Spanish.

[garbon]

Pretty sure cel is talking about Spanish.

I'm sure he is but I doubt Jos is.

[Eddie Teach]

I suppose it's time to cancel the United Slur College Fund.

[Josquius]

Surely by definition if its acceptable to use its not an ethnic slur?

The closest to acceptable ethnic slurs I'd say are where things aimed vs people are racist whilst in other contexts aren't. Jap for instance; not cool when talking about a person...but Japan's standard 3 letter country code that pops up innocently all over the place.

Then I guess there's stuff where its not cool in one language but fine in another. Negro is the biggy that stands out there.

Well, the word in itself isn't racist, but to call somebody "negro" to his face certainly is. Circumstance and intent matter.

Whats the normal word for black people?
I'd understood negro remained the standard.

Pretty sure cel is talking about Spanish.

I'm sure he is but I doubt Jos is.

What am I speaking about then?

[celedhring]

Pretty sure cel is talking about Spanish.

I'm sure he is but I doubt Jos is.

Then I guess there's stuff where its not cool in one language but fine in another. Negro is the biggy that stands out there.

I think he was, given that it's a Spanish word and he was talking about words being a slur in a language and not in others. Just clarifying that certain usages in Spanish are certainly not kosher.

[garbon]

Pretty sure cel is talking about Spanish.

I'm sure he is but I doubt Jos is.

Then I guess there's stuff where its not cool in one language but fine in another. Negro is the biggy that stands out there.

I think he was, given that it's a Spanish word and he was talking about words being a slur in a language and not in others. Just clarifying that certain usages in Spanish are certainly not kosher.

I see. My mistake!

[garbon]

I suppose it's time to cancel the United Slur College Fund.

I'm not sure how that deviates as it's name is from a historical moment.

[celedhring]

Let me see... "gabacho" (Frenchie) I still use from time to time, funnily in SA it is used to refer to yanks (another one I use).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabacho

Also guiri, a very popular one in Spain - for foreign tourists. In particular white ones.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guiri


"Moro" (literally "moor", but it has become a slur nowadays) I stopped using decades ago. I'm now rehabbing for "paki", over here the word doesn't have the legacy it does in the UK, but it's just a little effort.

What about "gitano"?  Offensive slur or proper identifier?

@Yi, most of the ones you mentioned sound endearingly old-fashioned rather than offensive to me.

Proper identifier, surely? Hell, its usage is pretty ubiquitous. I.e. https://www.gitanos.org/