[quote=afx114][quote=flu]afx114, yes but again the point is if AN or I were your friend, and said “Sup my xxxxx?” would that be ok with you?[/quote]
My friends have already come up with a way around this: “Sup my ninja?” (apologies in advance if I’ve offended any Asians with my remarks).
I personally haven’t heard anyone say ‘Hang the xxxxxx’ but my point was to illustrate the historical significance of the word. Words have history attached to them, and I think that it is easy to forget that history means different things to different people depending on their perspective. Just as history has different meaning for different people, so do words. And I think that it’s intellectually lazy not to consider others perspectives when it comes to both history and language.[/quote]
I’m not trying to pick on you. I’m really trying to understand this complex issue of race relations.
But back to your first point. Why should your friends have to cirmcuvent the word to begin with? Is it really the burden of white people to learn every nook and cranny about every culture and figure out what exactly is PC for one culture and what’s not PC for another culture without being called a racist the first time a white person misspeaks?
( And no, I don’t get offended at the ninja reference. When people “konichiwa” me…I simply suggest the way you can tell us apart:
*more than one syllable last name = japanese.
*single syllable last name = chinese or korean
*…last names with C,H,L(except Lee), X,Y,Z = chinese.
*…last name with A,S,K = korean
*…”Lee” is generic and could be chinese or korean
