It's ok to call the British Brits, so why is it racist to call the Japaneese j**s? ?

Question

It's ok to call the British Brits, so why is it racist to call the Japaneese j**s? ?

Answer 1

Brit was never used as a racial slur for British people. j*p was used as a racial slur  for Japanese during WWII and can be offensive to Japanese people.

Answer 2

Because we were at war with the Japanese during WWII, that name has a bad connotation to it now, as that was what they were called during that conflict.  Since then, the Japanese people have exonerated themselves, and have been peaceful and friendly ever since.  And they are perfectionists, very good at every thing they make or do.  To call them j**s now would be very insulting to them.  

Answer 3

It's not, and "chinks" should be "chins".

Answer 4

Americans   Yanks?

Answer 5

It's rude and racist, to call people like Brits, j**s etc.

Just call them by their nationality eg. British, Japanese, Americans etc.

By saying that, it shows more respect to that person, who is the citizen(s), people from that country.

We certainly don't wanna be called "Yanks" or "Yankie's"

Answer 6

It depends on how the individual takes the comment, and how the comment is expressed.

Answer 7

It has to do with the intent.

As someone else notes up there, "p**i" is considered rude, referring to people from Pakistan, but people from Afghanistan are properly called "Afghans" or "Afghanis".

Answer 8

Everybody has to have something to be "offended" by - it's the in thing!

Answer 9

brits are ok with being called brits. japanese are not ok with being called j**s. if they dont like it, then it shouldnt be used. just like if i were to call you something you didnt like, but i think it's ok. i'm not you, so i wouldnt know that you dont like it. so the moral of the story is, youre a racist.   ha, just kidding.

Answer 10

It's really just about what the people think of the term.

Some terms people take offense to and others people don't

Maybe if it has been used in a bad way people consider it racist.

But the only important thing is if the people don't like what they are being called we should stop calling them that  

Answer 11

Because during Woorld War II it was a negative conotone to describe the Japanese.  Calling the British Brits is not Negative in any way.  

Answer 12

Good spot!! never thought thank you so much for bringing this out.

I suppose so long as you do not use any name aggressively people of different races/countries should not bother.eg

Brit - British

Taff - welsh

Paddy - Irish

Frog - French

Limey - English

Again with the j**s, so long as you do not use is horribly they should be ok.

Somebody has pointed out that it is normally the "whites" (is that racist?) that gets told off for using these terms yet other peolple can call us everything under the sun without anything being said we are too laid back

Answer 13

Because its ok to make fun of the percieved powerful majority, in modern terms it is the European white man or countrymen of white European origin. If you use anything but disrespectful terms towards non-whites then it is percieved as looking down on that race. Yet if they do it it is fine as it is seen as just the little dog barking at the big dog, so to speak. This is one reason why I find most racial policies a joke at best.

Answer 14

same reason you cant call people from pakistan pakis people from these countrys are ashamed of where there from and so hate to be reminded of where there from  

Answer 15

As far as I can tell, "brits" has no negative connotation attached to it. The "j**s" was used as an insult to the japanese. Even british people call each other brits.

Answer 16

Because the word j**s is almost always used with a racist connotation.

For example- Look at stupid those j**s. vs. The Brits helped used in WWII

Answer 17

I don't know I just assumed it's because the Japanese are typically more "proper" or strict for lack of a  better word.

Answer 18

Because during a war they were were called j**s by the US i beleive so its rude and they don't like it. So if they don't refer to themselves as that don't call them that.

Answer 19

it's not really racist, but rude nonetheless

British are called "Limeys"

Answer 20

Because it's just racist and was used in WW2 to describe the Japanese.

Calling us British, Brits or the Brits is no more harmfull than the Brits calling the Americans, Yanks.

"I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDYRjuzE1...

True Brits

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5SjkoV-b...

. . . .there, told you us Brits are mad. . . .well, bonkers anyway.

Answer 21

Look into George Carlins, "It's a matter of context."

"You are so you." Can be negative, positive, uplifting, degrading... it's just a matter of context =)

Answer 22

Just like its racist to call hispanics spics. I agree, I call the Japanese j**s too. Its not like saying the N word. j**s isnt a real word so its not like were referring them to anything as if we were calling them a *** or something.

Answer 23

well, maybe the british approve of the the nick name brits, but the japanese dont approve of the nickname j**s, so anser that question

Answer 24

Because "brits" has never been used in a derogatory manner, only as shorthand, while "j**s" was used in a derogatory manner by our grandparents in ww2

Answer 25

i dont get it either.

its like its ok to call scottish people scots but you cant call pakistani people pakis? which i am btw, but i dont find it offesnsive unless its used in a derogatry manner .

Answer 26

depends on the context. If you're speaking in an online medium about a collective of objects. j*p could be an appropriate label.

For instance

Prices for Smash Brawl

US - $40

j*p - $55

in a more personal context when you refer to a person that's where it get a bit more gray. As to why it gets gray that's complicated. It's along the same lines as referring to a person as Oriental. Oriental is more appropriate for an item not a person.  

Answer 27

wow, good question, I guess the japaneese think the word j*p is racest, or maybe because we started calling them j**s in World War 2?

Answer 28

it's not racist as a japanese person could be of any race.

The japanese name for Japan is Nipon, so perhaps you should call them Nips instead, maybe they would find that less offensive.

Answer 29

i don't find it racist. teachers can called the jewish jews and theres no problem. ill call a black guy ***** and white guy cracka and as long as they know I'm not racist there's no problem.

Answer 30

There isn't really a difference, as you have recognized, except "political correctness".

Racism is subtle, far more subtle than vernacular shorthand for persons of British, Japanese, Chinese, Canadian First Nations descent and so forth.

Oddly, people can be politically correct and racist at the same time.

Answer 31

It's racist because it was a term used during World War II when the US was fighting with the Japanese and sending them away. The word was used in disgust towards the Japanese, so it is racist. It's just like calling a black person the N-word.