Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Hyeon Een]

Since I came to Korea I've learned that things which were very un-acceptable in my country were quite acceptable in others. I have one solid example, which I'll show below:

Where I'm from (the south of England) saying "paki" is grossly offensive. It's equivalent to "nigger". It is a really, really offensive term. But in Korea I have heard a lot of Canadians talk about their "paki" friends they went to University with, or lived with, or similar uses of the "P" word. If I had ever told them that I went to school with n*iggers it would have blown their minds as to how offensive I was being. Where I am from they are equal in terms of offensivness, but for the average Canadian 'paki' seems to be just an adjective or noun, whereas the "n" word is still a racial slur.

I haven't heard Americans use this term, but that may not mean it isn't used; it may just mean it isn't used THERE, or I haven't met enough Americans in the last few years.

Do you find the 'P' word offensive? (and if not, why not?) And if you don't, but find the n-bomb offensive why is that?

And are there other words which you find people from other countries use (but they don't) offensive?

I can't give any words as strong as a racial slur as an example, but I've found that N. Americans on the whole are a lot more offended by the C- word and the F- word than those of the British/Irish or Antipodean extraction.

Could anyone give me any more examples of contintental discrepancies or international different standards of offensiveness in the English language?

PS: Here's another: In the US "fanny" means "ass" hence "fanny pack". In Britain "fanny" means.. well.. "vagina" but it's a slightly offensive slang word. Thus the American term "fanny pack" is somewhat akin to "c*nt pack" in British English. And no, we don't call it that, we call it a 'bum bag'.

[uberscheisse]

i've always wondered why it's not offensive to say "uzbeki", "afghani", but it's offensive to say "paki"...

[dtown]

It's not offensive in America because people from Pakistan were never used as slaves, never had to fight for their rights, never had to deal with institutionalized racism as black people did... The 2 aren't even comparable. I had no idea 'Paki' is considered slang in Britain and unless I missed something and Britain committed some kind of terrible act against people from Pakistan I really don't see how 'Paki' could be considered just as bad as the n word. And no, just being racist against people from Pakistan isn't the same as what happened in America.

[globalgirlk]

Isn't "paki" in the UK an offensive term for someone whose from India?

[rocklee]

Actually Paki is considered offensive because people are using it informally. Its like saying "So what does your old man do?"

Whats more, some people are calling other Asians "Pakis" because they think they all look the same.

I swear the stupidity of some people...

[IncognitoHFX]

Paki isn't considered a slur in Canada, no. I know from personal experience.

When I was in Grade 10 I had a scar on the top middle of my forehead. It was an exact circle and looked like the kind of thing some middle eastern/Indian women put on their head (sorry I can't be more specific, I'm not knowledgable about it).

Anyway, my homeroom teacher said I looked like a "Paki" because of it, it caught on, and several other teachers including tonnes of students were calling me "Paki, Paki, Paki" for the better part of a week. No one thought it was offensive, but then again, my High School was 100% white spare a bunch Japanese/Chinese students (yeah, I didn't see my first black person in real life until I was around 14).

[Stormy]

I've never even heard the term 'paki' before.

In Aus the c*** word is used to refer to a mate more often than to insult people in my experience, as in "hey Stevo, ya ugly c***, how ya been?".

Bitch is also used as an 'affectionate' term quite often, but can also be an insult.

I've always been amused by how Americans (yes, I'm talking generalisations here) often don't seem to get that Aussie self-deprecating humour. On a discussion forum I once made a comment along the lines of "yeah, I could have been a model for Jabba the Hut if only I was prettier", a couple of yanks then decided to give me a "pep talk" along the lines of "aww don't be so hard on yourself", "there are other qualities more important than how you look"....etc. At first I thought they were being sarcastic but no, they were being very genuine.

I've also had a couple of yank friends who never knew when I was being serious or not in regards to humour, especially when I made fun of myself or my country. They always tried to 'cheer me up' if I ever said anything about looking like a bushpig or something similar.

They also rarely used the f word & looked askance at me if I used it (which I used to do quite regularly). They only used it in dire circumstances where most Aussies tend to use it as a part of daily expression.

[tomwaits]

If Canadians in ROK are using the term "paki" they are rednecks straight out of Deliverance. Or putting you on---don't know.

The term is as offensive in Canada as it is in the UK.

[IncognitoHFX]

[dirty_scraps83]

"Paki" seems to be gradually gaining an offensive connotation in NZ, probably through the media ie Bend It Like Beckham, when it used to be just shorthand for 'Pakistani'.

We have a myriad of other more offensive terms for people from the Subcontinent.

Not that we stand around talking about Pakistanis very often in NZ, but if they come up in a conversation about cricket the full term usually comes into use. Which goes against every God-given instinct for an Antipodean to shorten a word down to two consonants and a grunt.

[Fishead soup]

Paki is offensive in Canada. Only rednecks use it. When I was in Public school there was a girl who had Iranian heritage and everyone refered to her as a Paki.

I can imagine she's pretty hot now.

In Korea it's Ok to call a special student retarted. This is not PC in Canada. I've also noticed that some expat teachers talk openly about experiences they've had with prostitutes. That just wouldn't happen back home.

[shapeshifter]

[quote="IncognitoHFX"]Paki isn't considered a slur in Canada, no. I know from personal experience.

When I was in Grade 10 I had a scar on the top middle of my forehead. It was an exact circle and looked like the kind of thing some middle eastern/Indian women put on their head (sorry I can't be more specific, I'm not knowledgable about it).

Anyway, my homeroom teacher said I looked like a "Paki" because of it, it caught onquote]



A teacher who did that in a more civilized part of the country would be summarily dismissed, and with good cause.

[thematrixiam]

boo . I thought this was going to be a topic on computers.