Why is the term "Jap" offensive?

[Kagerou]

Re: Why is the term "Jap" offensive?

I never had a Thai food that was "too smelly" for me lol.
Also tdh, how did u get that shade smiley face? I wanna use it.
(bleh, off topic-ness)

[tdh]

Re: Why is the term "Jap" offensive?

Also tdh, how did u get that shade smiley face? I wanna use it. (bleh, off topic-ness)

It's an option to click on next to the message field. It's tag is:

[CODE][/CODE]

And yeah, this topic has gone way off track.

[TheGrandMom]

Re: Why is the term "Jap" offensive?

I'm in my mid-20s if that's young enough then I would say nope, racial words that were racial before for most part still are, it's only select few and who you address them to that has the lesser impact. As to keep people for un-intentionally insulting someone by a racial slur there is actually a database created with it.

It has a total count of around 2,368 known racial words. Some of them are quite bad, some of them I'm sure people would laugh if they heard. That is part of the intent on some is to get a third party to laugh to further depen the hurt given to someone who is the focus of the racial slander.

Please reread the interaction between me and --e, my comment was about emotional outbreaks in public by Japanese people.

[little ninja]

Re: Why is the term "Jap" offensive?

doesnt the word racial mean to believe your race to be supreme? thus i fail to see why "JAP" is considered racist. unless used in such a way that a player claims supiriorty over the other. an yes i do understand it ties in with WWII but still. the soldiers of that era used it as an abreviation. atleast that was what my grandfather told me. i guess it refers to a horrific time in their nations history.

but i have also learned that players wish to be referred to with jpn, an not JP or jap. so i use jpn i just feel that this is more proper anyways.

[Arris]

Re: Why is the term "Jap" offensive?

Because the Japanese don't like confrentations eh Arris? (My Japanese teacher (2nd year now of having her) she keeps insisting 24/7 that Japaense People don't like to make mention of things they don't like >.>).

Also, I think it has more to do with the new age of people in Japan, the younger generation, the derogitory word is still there, in the older generation >.>.

I dunno, I'd just say don't use it:

1) It's less letters to type!
2) it may offend some people
3) as someone else said, you could get in trouble down the line for using it

GO go go!

yeah we avoid confrontation at all costs lol. I know The same is true about Koreans too. Dislikes are kept to yourself .

Double Post Edited:

thats stupid they dont get offend about it, were not in ww2 no more, possibly ww3 but not ww2...my friends call me nazi (cuz im german) idc lol

"Jap" is just "[Jap]anese" i dont get offend if someone calls me Amer or Merican, id just say wtf? lol

/sigh I really don't want to comment on this but I guess I will. Yeah we all know what year and date it is, ppl tend to say hey's it's 2005 so why not, which is all understandable. Yes we, the younger generation, are less uptight and in some cases less insensitive to ppls feeling and emotions. But I agree with tdh, I'm not walking on eggshells for anyone, but why is watching certain words we use being called walking on eggshells? .That's like not useing a cussword infront of a child, I don't do it to not offend anyone, plain and simple it's just not right. There's certain words I don't even try to use, why?..well not to avoid confrontation just makes no sense to use them. But I think your alittle stupid to think someone getting offended by a word that once held racial meaning is stupid.

[--e]

Re: Why is the term "Jap" offensive?

There seem to be a lot of people fundamentally confused about how this works.
I'm hearing "Jap is just short for Japanese" as a justification. In actuality that's nothing but a weak rationalization for people who would rather be defensive than evolve.

Nobody here is saying "I think" or "maybe" or "perhaps." We're telling you that Jap IS offensive. This is an important thread because hopefully it will spread the word for all those uninformed people. Those people are using the term not knowing it's offensive. I see that as pretty innocent. All the people that read this thread are, tautologically speaking, informed. If you persist in using the term, you're an asshole. Whether you think it's offensive, or should be offensive, couldn't be less relevent. It IS offensive. Who are you to impose your misguided arbitrary values on others?

When I lived in japan I heard the term "gaijin" a lot. It's a relatively derogatory term meaning "foreigner," but the word is "loaded" and has negative connotations. Where did I hear it? From fellow foreigners. We called ourselves gaijin all the time. I'm a pasty white irish geek with a very attractive and very blonde wife. We were pretty obviously not native. I traveled across the entire country, spent a lot of time elbow to elbow with "common folk," and never once heard anything I could describe as offensive from the native Japanese people. Then I came back to the US...

--e

[Macht]

Re: Why is the term "Jap" offensive?

Well said --e

Hopefully this thread does bring up more awareness for that.

As for someone requestion the command for the smiles like

Just visit this page Smiles FFXIOnline.com

[InuTrunks]

Re: Why is the term "Jap" offensive?

--e,

Thank you, you got the point accross very well. The term "Jap" <b>IS</b> extremly offensive. It's like going up to a african-american and calling him a "Nigger", except without the explosion of a public beating comming down into your face. Then again, I don't want to stray off topic, but I just want to say that using racial slurs/terms is extremly stupid, and makes you look ignorent.

Lastly, (Japense text was here>.>)
Oh wow, the japanese text here dosn't show up very well does it? /sends it pm.

[WishMaster3K]

Re: Why is the term &quot;Jap&quot; offensive?

I find this post very educational, because as an african american who doesnt fit in with the "thugs" nor fits in with the suburbian white friends, I'm often speaking knowledge for both ends of the spectrum

Honestly, I dont even want the word nigger coming out of their lips in any way, shape or form. Not even if you "want" to be "down" and you try saying "Nigga" or "my niggaz", the basic fact is that its unacceptable. So hence, I can sympathize with those that feel we shouldnt even use the term "jap."

There are probably, like in the African American culture, deep seeded roots that outsiders quite frankly cannot touch. And we have to respect that, since we expect respect from others. I say that we shouldnt demand it, we have to hope for the best of people and give it in the first place.

[WishMaster3K]

Re: Why is the term &quot;Jap&quot; offensive?

/em doesnt have a working sarcasm meter ever since breaking it using it on himself.

Not 100% true. We'll turn around and see who the ignorant jack-ass is, and morally degrade you and such, but i havent beaten up or stabbed anyone since I've been here.

[Macht]

Re: Why is the term &quot;Jap&quot; offensive?

Given the discussion of this thread please refrain from adding to by stereotyping to a racial comment. Messages removed involved in this particular event. This discussion is a very volital one, and I ask it be kept civialized. If it goes over board this thread will be closed and warning handed out as needed.

[Kagerou]

Re: Why is the term &quot;Jap&quot; offensive?

Although most of us can tell by Grizzlebeard's first post is that he/she was just curious with no intention of making a offensive thread, most threads like these end up getting either

-off topic (or out of control)
-spawns other racial controversy

so I would just close this thread cause Grizzlebeard's question has already answered.

[Macht]

Re: Why is the term &quot;Jap&quot; offensive?

Correct Kagerou, so far it had been kept fairly civilized were it wasn't offensive or directed to be till the more recent posts getting a little to close to that. I had felt it would be safe to allow for others to add their insight as long as they are keeping to the forums rules.

EDIT:

Given how it was starting go I decided to reconsider the thought and close the thread for preventative measures to reduce the chances of anything really bad happening. Both sides spoke their views to it and is more just repeating now.