Is calling someone “chinaman” racist?

[Anonymous]

Your DH clearly is a Trump supporter.

[Anonymous]

“Chinese man” (if truly Chinese from China) = OK

“Chinaman” = unequivocally racist and ignorant

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've had people ask me if i was an Irishman on St Patrick's Day, I thought it was a racist slur too.

Was the term "Irishman" ever used in a derogatory manner in or history?

YES, are you kidding. Google "No Irish " sign. Read about prejudice against Irish. Geesh.

DP. This.
The person who's wondering if "Irishman" has ever been used in a derogatory manner must be a chinaman.. or a chinawoman.

So, you have no proof that the actual term Irishman was used in a derogatory manner and just make dumb assumptions? Got it.

Yes, the Irish were discriminated against, but the term Irishman was never used in this country in a derogatory manner, unlike Chinamen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are worse things he could have called him. Let's not take things to extremes. It's hard not to notice someone is Asian, especially a tall one.

If he said "Tall Asian dude", that would be fine. But 1. the term Chinaman has racist connotations, and only an idiot doesn't realize this 2. The guy may not have even been Chinese, and to call any Asian person "Chinese" is ignorant at best, and racist at worst. Believe it or not, not all Asians are Chinese.

Except odds are pretty high the person was American, not Asian. My Asian relatives consider me American, not Asian. So does the US government.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are worse things he could have called him. Let's not take things to extremes. It's hard not to notice someone is Asian, especially a tall one.

If he said "Tall Asian dude", that would be fine. But 1. the term Chinaman has racist connotations, and only an idiot doesn't realize this 2. The guy may not have even been Chinese, and to call any Asian person "Chinese" is ignorant at best, and racist at worst. Believe it or not, not all Asians are Chinese.

Except odds are pretty high the person was American, not Asian. My Asian relatives consider me American, not Asian. So does the US government.

Unfortunately, we’ll always be foreign and othered by many in this country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've had people ask me if i was an Irishman on St Patrick's Day, I thought it was a racist slur too.

Was the term "Irishman" ever used in a derogatory manner in or history?

YES, are you kidding. Google "No Irish " sign. Read about prejudice against Irish. Geesh.

DP. This.
The person who's wondering if "Irishman" has ever been used in a derogatory manner must be a chinaman.. or a chinawoman.

So, you have no proof that the actual term Irishman was used in a derogatory manner and just make dumb assumptions? Got it.

Yes, the Irish were discriminated against, but the term Irishman was never used in this country in a derogatory manner, unlike Chinamen.

Agree. Another PP looked this up:

I'm well aware of how Americans didn't want the Irish. The question was has the actual term "Irishman" been used in a derogatory manner? I don't think it has. Now, if you called the Irishman a "Mick", then yes, that is derogatory because that term has been used in such a way historically.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ethnic_slurs_by_ethnicity#Irish

"Chinaman" is listed as a derogatory term. "Irishman" is not.

[Anonymous]

Did this happen in 1920?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are worse things he could have called him. Let's not take things to extremes. It's hard not to notice someone is Asian, especially a tall one.

If he said "Tall Asian dude", that would be fine. But 1. the term Chinaman has racist connotations, and only an idiot doesn't realize this 2. The guy may not have even been Chinese, and to call any Asian person "Chinese" is ignorant at best, and racist at worst. Believe it or not, not all Asians are Chinese.

Except odds are pretty high the person was American, not Asian. My Asian relatives consider me American, not Asian. So does the US government.

PP here... I'm Asian. If the term is used to describe someone you don't know. There's nothing wrong with just saying "Asian". And yes, I consider myself an American, but ethnically, I'm some East Asian. It's like saying "that Caucasian guy".

When the police put out a description of a person, they state "Caucasian" or "Asian" person of interest, not Asian American.

People are getting way too sensitive about this. However "chinamen" is definitely racist because it was always used in a derogatory manner, and OP's DH meant it in a derogatory manner, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are worse things he could have called him. Let's not take things to extremes. It's hard not to notice someone is Asian, especially a tall one.

If he said "Tall Asian dude", that would be fine. But 1. the term Chinaman has racist connotations, and only an idiot doesn't realize this 2. The guy may not have even been Chinese, and to call any Asian person "Chinese" is ignorant at best, and racist at worst. Believe it or not, not all Asians are Chinese.

Except odds are pretty high the person was American, not Asian. My Asian relatives consider me American, not Asian. So does the US government.

PP here... I'm Asian. If the term is used to describe someone you don't know. There's nothing wrong with just saying "Asian". And yes, I consider myself an American, but ethnically, I'm some East Asian. It's like saying "that Caucasian guy".

When the police put out a description of a person, they state "Caucasian" or "Asian" person of interest, not Asian American.

People are getting way too sensitive about this. However "chinamen" is definitely racist because it was always used in a derogatory manner, and OP's DH meant it in a derogatory manner, too.

Think for a second. Saying "People are getting way too sensitive about this" only arms ignorant people from saying ignorant things. It's a cliche to call other people sensitive and stifles helpful, nuanced discussions. Please think twice before being dismissive, yeah, Asian Americans ARE sensitive about always being perceived as Asian and foreign, because that perception from white people is a real thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are worse things he could have called him. Let's not take things to extremes. It's hard not to notice someone is Asian, especially a tall one.

If he said "Tall Asian dude", that would be fine. But 1. the term Chinaman has racist connotations, and only an idiot doesn't realize this 2. The guy may not have even been Chinese, and to call any Asian person "Chinese" is ignorant at best, and racist at worst. Believe it or not, not all Asians are Chinese.

Except odds are pretty high the person was American, not Asian. My Asian relatives consider me American, not Asian. So does the US government.

PP here... I'm Asian. If the term is used to describe someone you don't know. There's nothing wrong with just saying "Asian". And yes, I consider myself an American, but ethnically, I'm some East Asian. It's like saying "that Caucasian guy".

When the police put out a description of a person, they state "Caucasian" or "Asian" person of interest, not Asian American.

People are getting way too sensitive about this. However "chinamen" is definitely racist because it was always used in a derogatory manner, and OP's DH meant it in a derogatory manner, too.

Think for a second. Saying "People are getting way too sensitive about this" only arms ignorant people from saying ignorant things. It's a cliche to call other people sensitive and stifles helpful, nuanced discussions. Please think twice before being dismissive, yeah, Asian Americans ARE sensitive about always being perceived as Asian and foreign, because that perception from white people is a real thing.

Chinaman is ignorant and racist.
Caucasian is a term that comes of false and racist "science" of the 1800s and really should not be used anymore, white is the preferred term.

[Anonymous]

Chinaman is as racist and antiquated as calling an Asian a Jap or gook. Regardless, several apparent issues I see that indicates your DH is not setting a good example:
1.) your DH using that term in front of your kid thus normalizing it;
2.) your DH going low on a kid when he as an adult should be on the higher moral ground; and
3.) your DH teaching that it is OK to make fun of somebody else rather than thinking on the brighter side of thing--one of the roots of divisiveness.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Chinaman is as racist and antiquated as calling an Asian a Jap or gook. Regardless, several apparent issues I see that indicates your DH is not setting a good example:
1.) your DH using that term in front of your kid thus normalizing it;
2.) your DH going low on a kid when he as an adult should be on the higher moral ground; and
3.) your DH teaching that it is OK to make fun of somebody else rather than thinking on the brighter side of thing--one of the roots of divisiveness.

I think we can all agree the husband is a baffoon

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chinaman is as racist and antiquated as calling an Asian a Jap or gook. Regardless, several apparent issues I see that indicates your DH is not setting a good example:
1.) your DH using that term in front of your kid thus normalizing it;
2.) your DH going low on a kid when he as an adult should be on the higher moral ground; and
3.) your DH teaching that it is OK to make fun of somebody else rather than thinking on the brighter side of thing--one of the roots of divisiveness.

I think we can all agree the husband is a baffoon

Buffoon even.

[Anonymous]

Chinaman is racist because it has a history of being used not only derogatorily but also as a bigoted attack based on race.

From the late 1800's until the mid 1960's ethnic Chinese, regardless of birth (e.g. natural-born citizens, naturalized citizens and immigrants) were segregated and limited. There were many parts of the country where Chinese were treated as poorly as the blacks in the South. In the west, many towns had rules that Chinese could only live in certain less desirable areas, could not own property, could not legally vote or even marry. Many businesses restricted if Chinese could patronize their businesses.

While things changed with the passage of several laws in the mid-1960's, attitudes didn't. Chinese and anyone associated with them (e.g. other East Asians) were still discriminated against, albeit less legally. This gave rise to several horrible phrases that still connote inferiority and bigotry:

a Chinaman's chance - in the late 1800s and early 1900s Chinese were not allowed to testify in court, not even in their own defense. Essentially they were prosecuted just on someone else's word, so a Chinaman had no chance of evading punishment and was essentially sentenced from a mere accusation.

a Chinaman on one's back/neck - having a narcotics or drug addiction or problem. This was based on the assumption that all Chinese partook of opium, used opium dens and were opium addicts.

The use of Chinaman as a derogatory and racist slur has a long history of over a century. Unfortunately since it has not been used as such in the last couple of decades, the societal memory fades a little and many don't know the offensive past of the term. But it is just as offensive as the N word.

OP's husband needs to learn a little about the origin of words before he indiscriminantly uses them. While many younger or newer to the US Asians may also not recognize the bigoted history, it is bigoted and racist and is offensive to those who know more about the history of abuses against the earliest Chinese immigrants and citizens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are worse things he could have called him. Let's not take things to extremes. It's hard not to notice someone is Asian, especially a tall one.

If he said "Tall Asian dude", that would be fine. But 1. the term Chinaman has racist connotations, and only an idiot doesn't realize this 2. The guy may not have even been Chinese, and to call any Asian person "Chinese" is ignorant at best, and racist at worst. Believe it or not, not all Asians are Chinese.

Except odds are pretty high the person was American, not Asian. My Asian relatives consider me American, not Asian. So does the US government.

PP here... I'm Asian. If the term is used to describe someone you don't know. There's nothing wrong with just saying "Asian". And yes, I consider myself an American, but ethnically, I'm some East Asian. It's like saying "that Caucasian guy".

When the police put out a description of a person, they state "Caucasian" or "Asian" person of interest, not Asian American.

People are getting way too sensitive about this. However "chinamen" is definitely racist because it was always used in a derogatory manner, and OP's DH meant it in a derogatory manner, too.

Think for a second. Saying "People are getting way too sensitive about this" only arms ignorant people from saying ignorant things. It's a cliche to call other people sensitive and stifles helpful, nuanced discussions. Please think twice before being dismissive, yeah, Asian Americans ARE sensitive about always being perceived as Asian and foreign, because that perception from white people is a real thing.

PP here.. Oh, I am very much aware of the fact that many people in this country don't consider Asian Americans as "real" Americans, however, what I stated about people being overly sensitive about race is true.

If my kid is trying to describe someone to me whom he doesn't know and uses descriptors like "a black kid" or "a white kid", would that be offensive to a black or white person? If not, then why would it be any more offensive for my kid to say "that Asian kid", or would "that yellow kid" be better?

Again, I am Asian American, and using descriptors in and of itself is not wrong or racist. People are getting too sensitive about stuff like this.

"Chinamen" obviously is racist, as is "Negro" or "Honkey" as descriptors.