Steps of Faith impossible on Jap servers

[Riepah]

You are completely ignorant of history if you think jap is not a slur.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jap

No, I am not ignorant of history, I just think it's silly to let history dictate what offends you and to what extent.

[SarcasmMisser]

There is nothing else that informs what words mean than it's history, every slur ever means literally nothing without it's history and breaking down how the word is formed is such a dumb way of understanding slurs. I can't believe it is a controversial thing, or are you just hopelessly painting yourself into a corner because you find it too hard to say you were wrong?

[Edellis]

Sounds tragic, mostly because there doesn't seem to be anything you can do about it.

Call it ignorance, but the OP most likely didn't even know "Jap" is used as a slur. It's shortened the same way English is shortened to "Eng", so in the past i naturally just shortened "Japanese" to "Jap". Unfortunately English isn't also a race.

I had to be told it was a slur by...well, people who consume Japanese anime culture alot, and aren't really the best sources of information for true Japanese culture. And so naturally, for the longest, I just disregarded it, since those were the same people who find their own language offensive to use even in presence of Japanese people.

[Riepah]

There is nothing else that informs what words mean than it's history, every slur ever means literally nothing without it's history and breaking down how the word is formed is such a dumb way of understanding slurs. I can't believe it is a controversial thing, or are you just hopelessly painting yourself into a corner because you find it too hard to say you were wrong?

I wasn't wrong. I never said that "Jap" hasn't been used in a derogatory fashion in history. I also know that there are people who use it as an insult. However, I disagree with the notion that that automatically makes it an insult in every context. If someone uses it purely as an abbreviation, without malicious intent, I don't find it offensive. Feel free to take offense all you want, I just don't agree with you that there's a reason to take offense in this case at all.

[Edellis]

"Jap" is a racial slur that which i'm going to assume 90% of people who use it don't even know is derogatory.

[Cynfael]

I wasn't wrong. I never said that "Jap" hasn't been used in a derogatory fashion in history. I also know that there are people who use it as an insult. However, I disagree with the notion that that automatically makes it an insult in every context. If someone uses it purely as an abbreviation, without malicious intent, I don't find it offensive. Feel free to take offense all you want, I just don't agree with you that there's a reason to take offense in this case at all.

This logic, while it sounds reasonable, doesn't really work since language and its use is a matter of mass consensus. If the majority of people who practice a language believe that A means B, then A effectively means B.

A word like "Jap" being inoffensive to some people doesn't mean that it can be used publicly in good taste.

That being said, I don't think that the OP intended to be offensive, but it's worth mentioning.

[Natsuno]

"Jap" for "Japanese" is not really much different from "Euro" for "European". I am the latter and don't take offense at an abbreviated word.

Saying JP is perfectly fine, but saying Jap is so offensive? People should really not try so hard to get offended on the internet.

Careful, or we'll have to bring the N & P words out. Still think the abbreviation is OK?

Although up until ARR beta forums, I was unaware that it was offensive, what with having very little to do with Japanese in my part of the U.K. I took note however, and will never use the abbreviation out of respect for others.

[Natsuno]

Careful, or we'll have to bring the N & P words out. Still think the abbreviation is OK?

Although up until ARR beta forums, I was unaware that it was offensive, what with having very little to do with Japanese in my part of the U.K. I took note however, and will never use the abbreviation out of respect for others.

I had a brain fart on the N word, please ignore, although it could theoretically be an abbreviation. :a (On phone, can't edit last post) P word still stands

[Riepah]

I had a brain fart on the N word, please ignore, although it could theoretically be an abbreviation. :a (On phone, can't edit last post) P word still stands

I've no idea what P word you're referring to. After looking through a list of racial slurs, the only one that could fit is Paki, short for Pakistani? If that's the one you mean, then I don't find that offensive, as I've never heard it used before at all.

I asked a Japanese friend in my FC about this, and he agrees with me - no offense taken if "Jap" is used as an abbreviation.

[LYagami]

Interesting turn this thread has taken...
No, as pointed out i do not use "Jap" as a racial slur. I know a few Japanese people and they don't think anything of the word past an abbreviation, which was its intended use. In Australia Jap is simply short for Japanese, with no racial slur behind it either. Didn't realize that the sensitive ones would come out of the woodwork claiming a slur.
Back on topic, i do not use 'Jap' in the game (simply because i havent found myself needing to use it) so it is irrelevant that they would act like they do because im spouting slurs every duty. I can never get more than "Hello" in before i get the cold shoulder.