Fun_People Archive
7 Feb
Caution: not to be taken offensively.

Date: Tue,  7 Feb 95 17:45:25 PST
From: Peter Langston <psl>
To: Fun_People
Subject: Caution: not to be taken offensively.

Forwarded-by: bostic@CS.Berkeley.EDU (Keith Bostic)
Forwarded-by: linda@z-code.com Tue Feb  7 12:56:10 1995
Forwarded-by: Rob McNicholas <robm@EECS.Berkeley.EDU>
From: Paul Woodford <72772.2633@compuserve.com>

    I had to share this with you while it's still hot from the press --
yesterday the Social Actions office here at Hickam Air Force Base published
and distributed hundreds of copies of a "Human Relations Disparaging Terms"
pamphlet.  God knows how many man-hours (or wymyn-hours) went into its
production, but it's obviously the product of extensive research.  Social
Actions cites Webster's Third International Dictionary (1986) as the source,
and they thoughtfully offer the following caution on the cover: "Contains
terms which may be used or taken offensively." The list itself is entitled
"Slurs."  Without further ado, I give you the list in its entirety, leaving
out only the definitions (the truly motivated will beat a quick path to the
nearest Webster's).

Americanese				Jim Crow
Asiatic					Jim Fish
Babu (Baboo)				John Chinaman
Bag					Kaffir (Kafir, Caffer, Caffre)
Bat					Kaffir Kitchen
Biddy					Kike
Bimbo					Kraut
Bitch					Libertine
Bitch Goddess				Linthead
Blackcoat				Mammy
Blacky-White				Mass Priest
Boche (Bosche)				Mex
Bogtrotter				Mick (Mike)
Bohunk					Mickey (Micky)
Boogie (Boogy)				Mister Charlie
Brass Ankle				Mocky (Mockie)
Buck					Moke
Buckra (Buccra)				Mongrel
Bugger					Mr. Charlie
Bugre					Muhammadan (Mohammedan)
Cajun (Cajan, Cajin)			Nabob
Campbellite				Nabobess
Canuck					Nig
Carl (Carle)				Nigger
Carline (Carlin)			Nigger Chaser
Chee-Chee				Niggerhead
Chinaman				Nigger Heaven
Chinaman's Chance			Nigger in the Woodpile
Chink					Nigger-Shooter
Cholo					Nigger Toe
Christly				Niggery
Cockney					Nig-Nog
Codger					Nigra
Conventicler				Nip
Coon					Orthodoxism
Coonass					Pak
Coon Shouter				Paki
Coon Song				Papism
Cracker					Papist
Croatan (Croatan Indian)		Papistic
Crow					Papistry
Dago					Pelado
Dago Red				Polack (Polak)
Dam					Pom
Darktown				Pommy
Darky (Darkie, Darkey)			Poor White
Dinge					Popery
Dink					Popish
Eight Ball				Prelatic
Eurasian				Prelatist
Eyetie (Eytie)				Priestianity
Feringhee (Feringhi, Feringi)		Priestism
Foreign Devil				Red Bone
Frau					Red-neck
Fritz					Redskin
Frog					Roman
Frogeater				Romanish
Gachupin				Romanist
Ginney					Rooinek
Ginzo					Roumi
Gook					Russellite
Goy (Goi)				Russki (Russky, Ruski)
Greaseball				Sambo
Greaser					Sassenach
Gringa					Shaveling
Gringo					Sheeny (Sheenie, Sheeney)
Gugu (Goo-Goo)				Shegetz
Guinea					Shiksa (Shikse, Shicksa)
Gyneocracy				Shine
Harp					Siwash
Hebe					Skibby
Heinie					Slant-eye
Holy Roller				Smoke
Honky (Honkie, Honkey)			Spade
House Nigger				Spig
Hun					Spigotty (Spiggoty)
Hunky (Hunkie)				Spik (Spick, Spic)
Hunyak (Hunhock, Honyak, Honyock)	Squarehead
Husky					Squaw
Irvingite				Squaw Man
Jake					Tom, Dick, and Harry
Jap					Turk
Jesuitic				Vice-God
Jesuitize				Whitey
Jesuitry				Whoreson
Jew					Wiseacre
Jew Down				Wog
Jewish Princess				Wop
Jewy					Wowser
Jig (Jigg)				Yellowbelly
Jigaboo					Yid

    By the way, this is not the first "Human Relations Disparaging Terms"
pamphlet Social Actions has published -- last year's Table of Taboo Terms
included slurs inexplicably absent this time around: e.g., Dutch, Dutch
courage, going Dutch, fem, femme, female, four-eyes, and yellow (the
adjective, as opposed to the noun "yellowbelly").
    "Say, didn't they omit a few Disparaging Terms?" you ask.  Yes, even
the most casual slinger of slurs will note some gaps, and I won't bore you
by trying to list them.  But take "raghead," for example -- why isn't it
here?  After careful consideration, I've come to the following conclusion:
becoming an official Disparaging Term is akin to attaining sainthood.  An
offensive term has to have a long history, a pedigree as it were, before
the scholars at Social Actions will put it on The List.  Consider
"conventicler," if you will: a religious heretic who attends conventicles,
or secret meetings.  This word was last uttered in normal conversation
sometime in the 17th Century. "Campbellite," a follower of Alexander
Campbell, founder of the Disciples of Christ, is by contrast one of the
newer slurs on The List, and it is at least a hundred years old.  So you
see, these things take time.  Just as the Vatican beatifies candidates
before granting them sainthood, I imagine that Social Actions maintains a
list of Semi-Slurs, containing words which may someday attain full
Disparaging Termhood.  I fully expect to see "raghead" (not to mention
"camel jockey" and "sand monkey") hit the Big Time by, say, 2015.
    "So what about 'bastard' or 'slut?'" you ask -- Anglo-Saxon words that
have been around since the opposable thumb -- why aren't they on The List?
And if you can't call someone a "whoreson," is it okay to call someone a
"whore?"  Hey, these Social Actions people have college degrees!  I'm
certainly not going to argue with them.  But YOU can!  Call or write and
ask them why YOUR favorite slurs aren't on the list -- their number is
(808) 449-1701, and the address is 15 ABW/SL, Hickam AFB HI 96853.

© 1995 Peter Langston