Ann Coulter is in hot water -- again -- for calling Arabs "ragheads," among other things.
Instapundit notes:The lefties seem mostly upset about her use of the term "raghead," which is racist and offensive, but more or less akin to the term "cracker," which doesn't seem to bother a lot of lefties. So pardon me if I'm largely unmoved by their mock outrage on this account.Let's dredge up all the racial insults! Let's insult everybody. If I inadvertently leave you out, then please let me know and I'll be sure to insult you as soon as I can.
Raghead, as an insulting term for "South Asian or Middle Eastern person," is first attested in 1921. It first was noticed in U.S. West Coast college slang, but that doesn't mean it originated there. However it does seem to refer originally to people who wear turbans, which would make it a generic regional insult, crossing ethnic (Turk, Pakistani, Indian, Arab) and religious (Muslim, Sikh) boundaries. Unlike many other derogatory ethnic and racial terms, it never had another purpose but to put down a class of people. But it's a description of their dress, not their appearance, which perhaps makes it less harsh than some other terms.
Cracker is a different case. It still used, sometimes with an element of pride, by the people to whom it is applied (no one in the Middle East, so far as I know, proudly calls himself a "raghead"). The term began as a way to describe what later generations called "poor, white trash." The first record of it is in a letter written in 1766:"I should explain to your Lordship what is meant by crackers; a name they have got from being great boasters; they are a lawless set of rascalls on the frontiers of Virginia, Maryland, the Carolinas and Georgia, who often change their places of abode."The origin, then, is not the cracker you eat, but the obscure verb crack meaning "to boast," which goes back to the 15th century but was more common in Scottish than in English, which makes sense because the original crackers essentially were Scots-Irish immigrants. About the only other place you encounter the verb today is in the phrase not all it's cracked up to be.
So, yes, it is essentially an ethnic term. It was being used especially of Georgians by 1808, and it still retains that geographical focus, though it often is extended to residents of northern Florida, too.
If redskin "American Indian" (attested from 1699) is racist, is redneck "cracker" as well? Redneck is attested from 1830, in referece to "Presbyterians in Fayetteville" (Arkansas), in the delightful travel writings of Ann Royall. According to various theories, their necks are red perhaps from anger, or from pellagra, but most likely from mule farmers' outdoors labor in the sun wearing a shirt and straw hat, with the neck exposed.
A British equivalent of raghead might be wog, attested from
c.1920 for "a lower-class babu shipping clerk," later extended in World War II British armed forces slang to "native of India" (especially as a servant or laborer), and generalized to Pakistanis, Arabs, etc.
Its popular derivation from an acronym for "Westernized Oriental gentleman" is not taken seriously by linguists. More likely, it is a shortened form of golliwog, the name of a kind of grotesque blackface doll that once was popular, coined by English children's book author and illustrator Florence K. Upton (1873-1922). It's not the kind of thing you see much anymore, needless to say, but, like "Little Black Sambo" it reflects to a degree the Anglo-American tendency toward unwillingness to distinguish between the darker races, and to insult the lighter-skinned ones by identifying them with Africans.
Like guinea as a derogatory term for "Italian," which first turns up about 1896. It's from Guinea Negro which meant simply "black person," Guinea being a region in West Africa. It was applied to Italians probably because of their dark complexions relative to northern Europeans, and after 1911 it occasionally was applied to Hispanics and Pacific Islanders as well.
These ethnic slurs have slippery identities, and can be applied to really unrelated ethnic groups simply felt as somehow "other." Gook sprang to life in 1899 as U.S. military slang for "Filipino" during the insurrection there, probably from a native word, or imitative of the babbling sound of their language to American ears. The term goo-goo eyes "soft, seductive eyes" was in vogue c.1900 and it may have contributed to this word somehow, too. But gook was extended over time to "Nicaraguan," "any Pacific Islander" (World War II), "Korean" (1950s), "Vietnamese" and "any Asian" (1960s).
For a similar extended use outside English, consider gringo, a general Spanish contemptuous word for "foreigner," which is perhaps ultimately from griego "Greek." The "Diccionario Castellano" (1787) says gringo was used in Malaga for "anyone who spoke Spanish badly," and in Madrid for "the Irish."
Paul Beale, editor of "Partridge's Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English" [1989] notes that in late 20th century the term wog, "although patronizing, is not always used with rabid xenophobia -- it's often a matter of 'Well, what else can you call them?' "
Indeed, as Beale notes, sometimes the line between a derogatory name and a simple way of refering to a nationality is not so easy to trace. Is Canuck an insult? It's a cross between Canada and Chinook, the name of a native people in the Columbia River region. In the U.S., it's often derogatory, but in Canada it seems never to be -- there's a Vancouver Canucks hockey team in the NHL.
A parallel case would be Yankee, often hurled as an insult abroad but the name of a sports team at home. Of course, don't go applying it to crackers.
The trouble with trying to peg some people for insulting speech is there's a broad gray area in these words. Many terms now felt as derogatory began innocently enough. Polack meaning "Polish immigrant, person of Polish descent" was in use in North America from 1879 with derisive, anti-immigrant overtones, and in that context it is considered offensive. But before that, it was the basic word in English for "Polish person" since Shakespeare's day. Pole makes a poor replacement. And in fact, it is the Polish word for "Polish person."
Another derogatory term in North America for lower-class Eastern European immigrants during the decades when they flooded Ellis Island was Bohunk, probably from a merger of Bohemian and a distortion of Hungarian. By the 1940s, the related honky was being used in the sense of "factory hand," which is how many Central European laborers made their livings. This, in turn, seems to have yielded honky, the black English slang word for "white person."
Wop, derogatory for "Italian," has been in American English since at least 1912, but it apparently comes from southern Italian dialect guappo "dandy, dude, stud," which was a greeting among male Neapolitans. So, it was a case of a word "they" used in reference to one another, picked up and used derisively. The Italian word is said to be from Spanish guapo "bold, dandy," which is from Latin vappa "sour wine," also "worthless fellow," related to vapidus (source of vapid).
The theory that wop means "with out papers" (or, alternately "with out passport") is regarded as groundless by linguists. It seems the first instinct of a 20th century amateur is to look for an acronym origin for words that have been around long before acronyms were commonly used to form words.
Some derogatory names for ethnic groups derives from proper names considered common among them. Mick for "Irishman" (1856) is one example. Dago is another. It first was used around 1823 in reference to Spanish and Portuguese sailors on English or American ships, and it's a form of Spanish Diego "James." By 1900 it had broadened to include non-sailors and shifted to mean chiefly "Italian."
Kike, derogatory slang for "Jew," is attested from 1904. One theory is that it originated among German-American Jews in reference to newcomers from Eastern Europe, whose names ended in -ki or -ky.
Spic, derogatory for "Latino person" (1913) is said to be from the cliche protestation "No spick English." But there was an earlier word spiggoty which is said to have originated in Panama during the canal construction. But since it also was applied from an early date to Italians, some have suggested it is an alteration of spaghetti.
Coon, with the insulting meaning "black person" (1837) probably is not related to raccoon; instead it is said to be from Portuguese barracoos "building constructed to hold slaves for sale."
Limey for "English person" first was used in the 1880s as Australian, New Zealand, and South African slang. U.S. use is attested from 1918. Originally in the States it meant "British sailor," and was short for lime-juicer (1857), a derisive reference to the British Navy's policy (begun 1795) of issuing lime juice on ships to prevent scurvy among sailors. Presumably this was the source of the colonial slang term, too.
In American English it also was extended to "any Englishman," which set up one of my favorite newspaper headlines: "Midway Signs Limey Prof to Dope Yank Talk" ["Chicago Tribune," Oct. 18, 1924]
Chink, the derogatory slang word for "a Chinaman" is first recorded in America around 1901, but chinkie in the same sense was in use in Australia about 20 years earlier. It's either a corruption of Chinaman or a reference to slit eyes.
Frog as a derogatory term for "Frenchman" dates from 1778 (short for frog-eater), but before that it meant "Dutch person," in reference to the marshy land where they lived.
Spook in the derogatory racial sense of "black person" is a bit of a puzzle: ghosts generally are perceived as being pale. Perhaps the notion is of dark skin being difficult to see at night. [Black pilots training at Tuskegee Institute during World War II called themselves the Spookwaffe].
Many insults for "German" go back to the 19th century -- such as Kraut (1841), but got a big boost during World War I. In Canadian military untis, the enemy was Heinie (a pet form of the common German male proper name Heinrich); in British trenches he was Fritz.
Kraut is the German word for "cabbage," which was considered a characteristic national dish. Which makes it, along with frog, a menu-based slur. A French slang word for "cabbage," caboche, may also figure in the contemptuous French word for "a German person," Boche, though the origins of this term are complex and obscure. But an 1887 French slang dictionary lists tête de boche for "German."
Lapp, name for the Finnic people of the Scandanavian arctic regions (their name for themselves was Sabme) is not generally regarded as insulting, but probably it originally was so. It comes from Swedish, and probably is related to Middle High German lappe "simpleton."
UPDATE: Here's an example from Japan:The word for "foreigner" in Japanese is gaijin, written using the characters for "outside" and "person." While it simply refers to foreigners, the word is kind of harsh and can sound derogatory depending on how it's used. For this reason, it's common to hear the word gaikokujin or "outside country person," a better term that sounds much softer to the ear. One thing about foreigners living in Japan: while they usually don't appreciate Japanese calling out to them by saying "Hey, gaijin!" they're more than likely to use the term amongst themselves openly without a second thought.Compare to the use of nigga among American blacks in rap culture.
This open letter to Coulter from real conservatives -
http://www.rightwingnews.com/archives/week_2006_02_12.PHP#005225
-sums up everything I have to say about her -
"Instead of being the old Ann, a brilliant, incisive writer who occasionally says controversial things to get a reaction, you're becoming the new Ann, a controversialist who is so absurd that any brilliant things you happen to say get lost in the shuffle."
For a much longer but less scholarly list see here.
I believe Sgt. Hartman more or less summed it up:
"I am hard but I am fair. There is no racial bigotry here. I do not look down on n*gg*rs, kikes, wops or greasers. Here you are all equally worthless."
Interesting. I've always assumed "gook" was of Korean derivation. In Korean, "guk" relates to nationality or ethnicity: "mi-guk" is "American" and "han-guk" is "Korean".
I always thought cracker was kindof a weak insult (except for when Chris Rock put a saltine on a flag for south dakota... that was hillarious).
Still, can we come up with something more offensive?
MIL, the Korean theory is a commonly held one, because as you point out there is a linguistic similarity, but the historical evidence clearly puts the word into the context of the Philippine Insurrection.
Actually, Michael's Totten's The Beginning of the Universe from his jiurneys in Kurdistan is right on point with this theme. Jaw-dropping story. Go read.
Alchemist (#5),
It's slightly local, but I've always been a big fan of the term mangia-cakes.
Of course you've left out the most contemporary term - hajji. I first heard that term in Kuwait in January 2003. Maybe it goes back earlier, but I'd been in the Army over 12 years at that point and I had never heard it before. EVERYONE I knew associated it with Johhny Quest's buddy from the cartoon. Most folks had no idea that it had anything to do with having made a trip to Mecca. It may have been a term used in ignorance, but it was certainly not a term of hostility. Both friend and foe could be hajji, as could any other non-specific local person. It was the equivalent of "Joe" for a non-specific Soldier.
I always liked that one too, Joe. Been years since I've been called that by my wop cousin, though.
Learn something new every day: I can legitimately answer to the term 'cracker', being about a quarter Scots-Irish by descent. OTOH, I'm rather appalled to learn the etymology of 'gollywog', which I'd only heard used as a silly and endearing term for a child at a certain big-eyed and clumsy stage of life. Yeesh!
Would you care to explain, Joe and Matt? Never heard that one in my life.
And while we're on ME related perjoratives, don't forget 'sandmonkey', which has been appropriated (liberated?) by the most excellent Egyptian blogger.
Tim (#11) Lit. "cake-eater." Italians use it to describe WASPY types, so you're not only a cracker, you're definitely a qualified mangia-cake!
As an added bonus, the term can be shortened to the requisite 1 syllable epithet "cake/cakes," thus establishing its superiority over "cracker" even more firmly.
Let us not forget beaner as a term of abuse of Latin Americans--particularly Mexicans. You can add that to your examplles of "culinary contempt."
Haji (or Hoja/Hoca) is, for Muslims, a term of approbation, given to one who has made the Haj (pilgrimage) to Mecca. It does seem to have got twisted around by some military, however.
And on Golliwog, you jumped the gun. An article in yesterday's The Guardian notes that Robertson's, a purveyor of jams & jellies, is only now announcing plans to do away with its Golliwog logo, after 91 years. Story here.
Cracker could also be derived from the gaelic word "craic" which means fun, good times etc.
In Hong Kong the whites are(were?) known as "gwailo" which apparently means white devil. The "chinks" used get get really upset when the gwailo called themselves gwailo
You've got "redneck" wrong. It has nothing to do with the sun or bare necks, and it goes back to England. It refers to the red collars that the Scots-Irish Presbyterians wore up in the border regions.
In China foreigners are laowan and in Japan gaijin. While these terms aren't insulting, they indicate a strong distinction between the locals and everyone else.
There's a variety of nicknames and slurs in Italian, but it takes a good knowledge of Italian to "appreciate" them. A common one is Mareca, a pejorative for Moroccans and north-africans in general; Albano is the same for Albanians. Though often the insulting bit in Italian comes from the context or the very intonation in pronouncing the word.
i just learned the other day that Hajj is from the same Semitic root as the Hebrew "Chag", which also refers to pilgrimage festivals.
You left out "camel jockey" (obvious origin) and "sand nigger" (another use of African comparison to insult). For African-Americans, "spearchucker" and "junglebunny" would refer to African origin and "woolybooger" refers to the texture of African hair. But where does "jigaboo" come from? Anyone know?
A cajun redneck might be called a "coon*ss"
(From Here)
I think its now more of a compliment to describe someone of low means, but thrifty and handy.
Haoli (pronounced howlie) is the Hawaiian negative term for white people. I'm not sure about the exact origin (I didn't learn nearly enough about the culture during my time there), but I believe it comes from the native Hawaiian language.
Well, there's also gajou, which is a word like gaijin and goyim (funny how these are always g-words...) meaning outsider, but generally means "subhuman we cheat and steal from" in gypsy.
"Berber," I was told by a chap from northwest Africa, is also an Arab insult ("barbarian") for the Ameziri and other tribesmen of the region, much like "Welsh" ("welas") for the Cymri.
And a question... I thought WASP was an insult?
Rand, what's your evidence/source?
No balls for not including nigger, the most taboo word in America. But overall, nice list. Breaking the fear of words is key in dismantling the hatred behind them.
'Kike' by my understanding is explained thusly: When Jewish immigrants came to the US (primarily through Ellis Island) they were told to write their names in a ledger upon arrival. Most of them, not understanding english, couldn't comprehend the request. The immigration officers, assuming them to be illiterate, would try to make them write X's instead. Well, the Jews wouldn't write the X's, since it's a cross, the very symbol many of them were fleeing from. So instead they'd draw a circle. When asked to explain the circle, they'd shout, "Kikele, kikele" which is supposedly the yiddish word for circle. Immigration officials, perhaps thinking it meant Jew, used the term, eventually spreading it and shortening it to 'kike'. Whether this is true or just some story my yiddisheh grandmama told me, I dunno. Also include 'sheenie', an anti-Jewish slogan primarily used by the Irish, and 'yid', whose origin is fairly obvious.
PD Shaw -
Actually, 'conasse' is the feminine (degrading) form of 'idiot' ('connard' if male); someone who faits les connerie (does stupid things) and is also known as a 'con' ('les cons').
A.L. working on his French
My personal favourite, having been on the receiving end for years, is the Quebec "tete-carree" (square-head) for anglos. Many Quebecois do indeed have roundish faces, so it's understandable.
Funny thing is that the most common screw in Canada is the Robertson, which is a square drive and vastly superior to Phillips or slot. So what's it called in Quebec?
"Tourne-vis anglaise," an anglo screw driver because of its square head. I actually rather like that. Probably the closest equivalent in the States is the way Brazil nuts used to be called "nigger toes."
AL: I don't speak French, so I have no idea about the etymology. I found this in the cajun encyclopedia page though:
I would think the French would have lots of different words for whores and idiots. They're very sophisticated that way.
Asterix,
"Nigger" is just etymologically uninteresting, on the one hand, and on the other it's such a show-stopper that it almost needs a post to itself. It's in a class of its own.
The "kike" theory you explain was one suggested by Philip Cowen, first editor of "The American Hebrew." I suppose the first way to test it is to see whether Jews at Ellis Island really did that. Evidently, no one has done so yet.
"Sheenie" supposedly is from the Yiddish form of the German word schön, which means "pretty, beautiful," and supposedly was commonly uttered by Yiddish merchants hawking their wares.
And we're forgetting the one I'd use for Ann Coulter - "tool".
A.L.
Yeah, Marc, but per the request, which ethnic group gets that one?
Your attempt to deny your own political correctness is amusing.
Down here in Texas, the Mexicans call the white boys "Guero".
It's not a really bad name, from what I can tell it's no more offensive than "white guy".
Having lived in China, the term Laowai for foreigners strikes a bad nerve with me. It was unbelieveably annoying to be called Laowai all the damned time.
Oh, for heaven's sakes, if it's really that important to you, here it is:
Nigger (1786), earlier neger (1568, Scotish and northern England dialect), from French nègre, from Spanish negro "black," from Latin nigrum (nominative niger) "black," of unknown origin.
Also applied by English settlers to dark-skinned native peoples in India, Australia, Polynesia. The reclamation of the word as a neutral or positive term in black culture, often with a suggestion of "soul" or "style," is attested first in the American South, later (1968) in the Northern, urban-based Black Power movement.
Nigra (1944) reflects a pronunciation in certain circles of Negro, but as it is meant to suggest nigger it is thus deemed (according to a 1960 slang dictionary) "even more derog. than 'nigger.' "
Sorry, I didn't catch the etymology twist on the post. As far as the Ellis Island thing goes, dunno, but considering when my mom came over in '61 (not in Ellis Island, mind) they marked her as a male and my uncle as female based solely on hair length because they didn't bother asking in French, I can believe pretty much any immigration story. Makes my mother's green card all that more amusing, too. C'est la vie.
I'm sorry to say I'm Belgian (flemish variety). Any insults for me?
i'm also flemish and i wanna know if anyone here knows any derogatory terms against me lol.
i am also in search of a good derogatory word for belgians (besides the funny yet unusable ones offered by the fine men at monty python), and am unable to find any.