Use of slang terms / abbreviations for Nationalities on Email Lists

[Guest guest]

Hi Attilio, Megumi, John, Mike and All,

 

Chinese Medicine is a huge List, with >1000 Members.

It has representatives from many nationalities and religions. Each

Member has his/her national, cultural, political, and military history.

Like it or not, we and our history are interlinked.

 

On international email lists, the use of slang terms or abreviations

for national groups/nationalities is a sensitive issue. It can be

hurtful or divisive. In most cases, the one who uses such a term

does not intend to offend, but one should be aware that offence

may be taken.

 

In PRIVATE correspondence, the use of terms like: " Mick " or

" Paddy " (for Irish); " Tommy " , " Pom " , or " Brit " (for British),

" Redneck " or " Hill-billy " (for mountainy people), etc. may be

inoffensive between friends.

 

For example, I take no offence if a foreign friend, jokingly, calls me

a " bloody Paddy " . However, if someone whom I do not know used

that term, I might take umbrage, or at least ask what motivated the

use of that term.

 

Mike Bowser wrote:

> ... the abbreviation ³Jap² is common for Japan and I do not

> believe it to be used in a derogatory way.

 

Attilio wrote:

> I don't agree, so please don't use that term in this group. Thank

> you

 

I agree with Attilio.

 

If any member of a list requests that his/her nationality be referred

to formally, we should have the courtesy to respect that wish.

Megumi asked for that courtesy, and should receive it.

 

As well as Megumi's two options, (Japan or Japanese); I would

accept the official WWW codes for various countries, such as:

BR (Brazil), IE (Ireland),

FI (Finland),

IE (Ireland),

JP (Japan),

UK (United Kingdom),

etc.

 

Let us put this behind us and get on with constructive discussion,

Best regards,

Phil

 

PS. John, if you have not done so already, you might email

Megumi (off-list) to assure him that you intended no offence. We all

slip up unintentionally sometimes.

 

PPS: Did you hear the one about Paddy the Irishman, Paddy the

Englishman and Paddy the Scotsman and the Guinness-drinking

flies?

 

The three Paddies (workmates) arrived in the pub together after

work and ordered 3 pints of Black. The lads had a mighty thirst on

them, and waited impatiently for their pints to settle.

 

Well-pulled Guinness takes several minutes to draw and settle,

and it is a Mortal Sin to take a slug of it before it has settled

properly, with the creamy head on top and the beautiful black body

glistening below. And it is a Double Mortal Sin for an Irishman to

waste a drop of the Black.

 

Just as the men's trembling hands were reaching for their glasses,

three huge bluebottles buzzed in and settled on the 3 glasses. The

flies began to drink from the head of each pint.

 

The Englishman pushed his glass away in disdain, complaining:

" F**king 'ell, I could not drink my pint after that! "

 

The Scotsman killed the fly and flicked it out the door, muttering:

" That's the last Guinness you'll ever drink, laddie " . He then took a

deep slug of his pint.

 

The Irishman deftly grabbed the fly on his glass and wrung its neck

over his pint, roaring at the top of his voice: " Spit it out, you bloody

bas***d, spit it out! "

 

He downed his pint in one gulp, grabbed the Englishman's glass,

muttering that it was an awful pity that the other two Paddies had

not held their flies for him.

 

He then ordered another round of pints, saying to the barman:

" Ye'd better get one of them fancy fly-zappers for the bar, Mick! "

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

John Garbarini wrote:

> The Jap immune points ...

 

Megumi 'Mega' Hirayama wrote:

> I would like you to use JAPAN or Japanese.

 

John Garbarini replied:

> Oops! I thought I'd abbreviated Jap.

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Best regards,

 

Email: <

 

WORK : Teagasc, c/o 1 Esker Lawns, Lucan, Dublin, Ireland

Mobile: 353-; [in the Republic: 0]

 

HOME : 1 Esker Lawns, Lucan, Dublin, Ireland

Tel : 353-; [in the Republic: 0]

WWW : http://homepage.eircom.net/~progers/searchap.htm

 

Chinese Proverb: " Man who says it can't be done, should not interrupt man doing

it "