#Racist phrases

[feminegra]

"Hay que mejorar la raza" - Exploring Mexican Racist Slang

1. Hay que mejorar la raza (aka Let’s pretty up the family tree… with lighter branches) What’s the deal? This one’s like saying you should aim to marry someone super pale – because apparently, that’s “better”? Yikes. It reeks of that old colonial “white is right” attitude. Why it’s messed up: Imagine telling your kids the key to success is ditching their heritage for a whiter shade. Not cool,…

[hazel2468]

I keep seeing people bitching about "uwu when I say 'from the river to the sea' people say I'm calling for geeenocide! They say I'm antisemitic!" and like.

Maybe. instead of clinging to a phrase that a bunch of white leftists have co-opted because they think it sounds nice. And digging your little immature heels in. You should LISTEN when people tell you that yes. The phrase's FUCKING ORIGIN was a call for the eradication of Jews from the area known as Israel and Palestine. That NO, you cannot divorce it from those roots. YES, it IS still used to mean that TO THIS DAMN DAY.

And look. Maybe you DON'T think that Israelis should all be killed and/or exiled from Israel and Palestine. Maybe you DON'T think that the genocide of an entire people is the solution. Maybe you DON'T hate Jews and want all of us dead. And if that's the case? Great!

But how the FUCK are we supposed to tell the difference when you are using the EXACT same phrase as countless people who DO want those things. People who DO hate Jews, who ARE supportive of organizations that want to commit violence, people who SUPPORT what happened on October 7th?

When people tell you "hey, this phrase means something else, it has ALWAYS come from those roots, and using it is NOT OKAY because it is STILL used as a rallying cry for violence against Israelis and Jews worldwide", the way to react? Is NOT to fucking double down and use it.

Because that? DOES make you an antisemite. And if I see you using that phrase? Then I MUST assume that at best, you do not know what it means and have SOMEHOW avoided the countless Jews and non-Jews I have seen talking about it, or at WORST you actively hate me and want me and every single one of my people dead.

And frankly? You are not worth that risk to interact with.

Stop saying it. There are SO many ways to support Palestine, the Palestinian people, and their fight for rights, that do not involve spouting genocidal, antisemitic rhetoric. it is NOT HARD.

But apparently, some of y'all are insistent on being racist.

[communistkenobi]

convincing the graduate chair that it’s fine to give me an extra month to study for my comprehensive exams by giving me the comps list early by explaining that there’s no way in hell im studying with any of the other phd students in my cohort

[reasoningdaily]

11 everyday words and phrases that have racist and offensive backgrounds

Chances are, you’ve used at least one of these in casual conversation without knowing its problematic past. By Dylan Lyons June 10, 2020

It can be a jarring experience to learn a common word or phrase you’ve been using for years is actually kind of racist or sexist or homophobic. The harder you look, the more language you’ll find with problematic roots. While English certainly has its fair share of racist words and phrases, it also has a baffling number of synonyms and alternative ways of saying something. Fortunately, that makes it pretty easy to swap out the word or phrase you’ve been saying for a more innocuous one.

This list comprises a handful of historically racist words and phrases with sinister origins, but we found these to be some of the most commonly used, and in some cases most surprising, examples. For each entry, we’ve included alternative words or phrases you can swap them out with.

11 Common Racist Words And Phrases

1. Gypped/Jipped

Meaning: defrauded, swindled, cheated

Origin: “Gypped” (sometimes spelled “jipped”) comes from the word “Gypsy,” which is a derogatory name for the Romani people (also known as the Roma). The Roma originated in northern India and migrated around the world, particularly in Europe, over the course of the last 1,500 years. They’ve faced a lot of persecution and discrimination throughout history, including baseless accusations of theft and child abduction. A stereotype arose that the Roma were thieves, which led to the use of the term “gypped.”

What to say instead: ripped off, cheated

2. Off The Reservation

Meaning: to deviate from what is expected or customary

Origin: In the 1800s, the federal government forcibly removed Native Americans from their land and sent them to live in designated reservations. The phrase “off the reservation” was used in government correspondence to report on whether Native Americans were complying with orders to stay within their designated living areas. Over time, it came to be used to describe anyone acting outside of what is expected, particularly in political situations.

What to say instead: “went rogue”

3. Sold Down The River

Meaning: betrayed

Origin: As far as racist words and phrases go, this one is pretty obvious when you think about it. It’s a reference to slaves being literally sold down the river (the Mississippi or the Ohio rivers, specifically) from a slave-trading marketplace to another shore, where they would then be transported to a plantation.

What to say instead: betrayed, thrown under the bus

4. Peanut Gallery

Meaning: a group of people who criticize or heckle someone about insignificant things

Origin: In the 19th-century Vaudeville era, the peanut gallery was the cheapest section of seats (with the worst view). Peanuts were sold at these shows, and sometimes people seated in the cheaper seats would throw peanuts at unpopular performers. Often, the peanut gallery was largely occupied by Black theatergoers. If the term isn’t racist, it’s classist at the very least, suggesting those who sat in the cheapest section were ill-informed and gave unwarranted criticism. And Vaudeville itself certainly had some racist elements — it developed from minstrel shows and often featured caricatures of Black people portrayed by white actors in blackface.

What to say instead: hecklers

5. Spirit Animal

Meaning: an animal, person or object you identify strongly with

Origin: Using “spirit animal” to refer to something you love or identify with is a form of cultural appropriation that cheapens its true meaning. Some Native American tribes believe in “spirit animals” or “totems,” which are spirits that guide and protect them on a journey or in their life in general. Now, many people who are not Native American and usually know nothing about this spiritual tradition call various people, animals and objects their “spirit animals,” often as determined by an online quiz or a general interest.

What to say instead: Patronus (from Harry Potter), familiar (from European folklore)

6. Uppity

Meaning: arrogant, self-important

Origin: While technically its origin was pretty neutral — its first known usage was in the collection of Black American folktales (featuring the well-known Br’er Rabbit) Uncle Remus in 1880 — over the years, “uppity” has become a racist term. White Southerners used “uppity” throughout modern history to describe Black people who violated their expectations of deference, or who they viewed as “not knowing their place.” In these situations, “uppity” was usually followed by the n-word. Even recently, conservative critics have referred to President Obama and Michelle Obama as “uppity.”

What to say instead: arrogant, conceited

7. Hip Hip Hooray!

Meaning: a congratulatory cheer

Origin: The history of this term is a bit muddled, but it’s thought to have derived from the anti-Semitic chant “Hep hep!”. This was a rallying cry to attack Jewish people in and around the German Confederacy in 1819, during what came to be known as the “Hep-Hep riots.” At some point, “hep hep” became “hip hip,” and “hooray” was added to the end.

What to say instead: “Hooray!” (only the “hip hip” part is problematic), “Yay!”

8. Eenie Meenie Miney Mo

Meaning: children’s rhyme, often used to make a “random” selection

Origin: While its earliest origins are unclear, this rhyme was well-known in the days of slavery in the United States. You’re probably familiar with the version that goes, “Eenie meenie miney mo / Catch a tiger by the toe,” but in a previous version of the song, the n-word was used instead of “tiger.” It’s thought that this was sung to describe what slave owners would do if they caught a runaway.

What to say instead: Flip a coin. Ask a friend. Just make a decision without singing.

9. Long Time, No See

Meaning: I haven’t seen you in a while

Origin: There are two credible theories about where this phrase originated, and both could very well be true. One is that members of the British and American Navies picked up the phrase in their encounters with Chinese people, speaking pidgin English. The other theory says “long time, no see” came from Native Americans speaking English, as chronicled in some old Western novels. Either way, the phrase can be seen as mimicking non-native English speakers’ attempts to speak English. The same goes for another common racist phrase: “No can do.”

What to say instead: “It’s been a while,” “I haven’t seen you in ages!”

10. Grandfathered In

Meaning: when people or companies are allowed to continue following an existing set of rules, even after new rules are put in place

Origin: Even after the 15th Amendment was passed in 1870, giving Black American men the right to vote, a number of states instituted poll taxes and literacy tests to make voting more difficult for Black people. This was a way around an outright ban on Black voting, which had become illegal. But several states passed a law, known as “the grandfather clause,” saying that if you could vote before the 15th Amendment was passed or were the lineal descendant of a voter, you didn’t have to take the tests or pay the poll tax. In other words, if you were white, you were “grandfathered in” to being allowed to vote.

What to say instead: exempted, excused, legacied in

11. Moron

Meaning: a stupid person

Origin: This word was originally coined by eugenicist and psychologist Henry H. Goddard, who used it to describe people he categorized as having low intelligence and behavioral deviance. Eugenics had to do with creating humans with “desirable” characteristics through breeding and preventing those with “undesirable” traits from reproducing. Goddard made it his mission to ensure “feeble-minded morons” did not immigrate to the United States, sending his staff to assess the “intelligence” of people coming into Ellis Island in the early 20th century. About 40 percent of Hungarian, Italian and Jewish immigrants were classified as “morons” and deported in 1913.

What to say instead: fool, doofus, nitwit

[niqaboy]

these fetish blogs are getting discouraging. i understand you have a right to your kinks and whatever i am not trying to take that away from you, but i have made it clear repeatedly that there is NOTHING sexual or fetishistic about my veiling, my faith, or my online presence. the fact that i cannot openly be a queer niqabi without people sexualizing me against my will is upsetting. and it makes me doubly upset that so many of these people are using islam itself as fetish content. your "mnwo" stuff is disgusting and explicitly sexualizes people who are trying desperately to separate themselves from that, not to mention that its colonialist bullshit.

[chamerionwrites]

Also a lot of people simply have terrible taste. But that is much easier to shrug off as people simply having terrible taste

[ot3]

in my most recent trawl through the ace attorney tag i saw a post that, based on its phrasing, may have been prompted by the ask i answered about my thoughts on aa5 and 6. nothing wrong with that, pretty standard 'why does everyone act like aa5/6 killed mainline but when you go and actually play them they're just fine games'. at the end of the day whether or not you think 5/6 are well written, interesting, or fun is extremely subjective. but it's crazy how whenever anyone is making a post about how Everyone Is Just Being A Hater The Games Aren't That Bad the racism thing never comes up.

since i'm insane enough to comb through the main fandom tag without really having anyone blocked and while filtering almost nothing i have seen a Lot of pro soj stuff, and i can't recall a single instance of anyone actually talking about the racism when they come out with an overall favorable view of the game? i obviously can't know what anyone is thinking but the impression i get is that many of them don't actually view the racism as real/an issue and kinda view pointing it out as a 'gotcha' that people who hate the game use as a cudgel against it. like we just think the game is racist because we hate it and are trying to find reasons to shit on it? it would be refreshing to see even one person go 'heres why i think shitting on aa6's writing is blown out of proportion but i do still agree that its racist'

[handweavers]

most cringe racism scold moment to date was the time i was in an art crit at school and i said something about how i was inspired by classical indian temple architecture and this white person in my class gave me shit saying "you know it really bothers me when people say indian when there are so many indigenous nations each with their own specific cultures" and they just started listing the names of every indigenous nation they knew and i had to interrupt them after their 10th or 12th example to say that "i said indian as in. from india. which is where i am from." second most cringe is whatever the fuck just happened in my inbox

[tiangouaway]

seeing ppl rb-ing those "rb if you're not a bigot/pedophile" posts from a decade ago is so embarrassing and corny... even worse when the op or reblogs act like you're scum if you don't

[magniloquent-raven]

yall mfers need to stop

[sangfielle]

this feels like an offensively bad way to divide these things

[reasoningdaily]

Even the most nonsensical idioms in the English language originated somewhere. Some terms, like silver lining and tomfoolery, have innocuous roots, while other sayings date back to the darkest chapters in U.S. history. While these common phrases are rarely used in their original contexts today, knowing their racist origins casts them in a different light.

1. Tipping Point

This common phrase describes the critical point when a change that had been a possibility becomes inevitable. When it was popularized, according to Merriam-Webster, it was applied to one phenomenon in particular: white flight. In the 1950s, as white people abandoned urban areas for the suburbs in huge numbers, journalists began using the phrase tipping point in relation to the percentage of non-white neighbors it took to trigger this reaction in white city residents. Tipping point wasn’t coined in the 1950s (it first appeared in print in the 19th century), but it did enter everyday speech during the decade thanks to this topic.

2. Long Time, No See

The saying long time, no see can be traced back to the 19th century. In a Boston Sunday Globe article from 1894, the words are applied to a Native American speaker. The broken English phrase was also used to evoke white people’s stereotypical ideas of Native American speech in William F. Drannan’s 1899 book Thirty-One Years on the Plains and in the Mountains, Or, the Last Voice from the Plains An Authentic Record of a Life Time of Hunting, Trapping, Scouting and Indian Fighting in the Far West.

It’s unlikely actual Native Americans were saying long time, no see during this era. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, this type of isolating construction would have been unusual for the indigenous languages of North America. Rather, it originated as a way for white writers to mock Native American speech, and that of non-native English speakers from other places like China. By the 1920s, it had become an ordinary part of the American vernacular.

3. Mumbo Jumbo

Before it was synonymous with jargon or other confusing language, the phrase mumbo jumbo originated with religious ceremonies in West Africa. In the Mandinka language, the word Maamajomboo described a masked dancer who participated in ceremonies. Former Royal African Company clerk Francis Moore transcribed the name as mumbo jumbo in his 1738 book Travels into the Inland Parts of Africa. In the early 1800s, English speakers started to divorce the phrase from its African origins and apply it to anything that confused them.

4. Sold Down the River

Before the phrase sold down the river meant betrayal, it originated as a literal slave-trading practice. Enslaved people from more northerly regions were sold to cotton plantations in the Deep South via the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. For enslaved people, the threat of being “sold down the river” implied separation from family and a guaranteed life of hard labor and brutal conditions. A journal entry from April 1835 mentions a person who, “having been sold to go down the river, attempted first to cut off both of his legs, failing to do that, cut his throat, did not entirely take his life, went a short distance and drowned himself.”

5. No Can Do

Similar to long time, no see, no can do originated as a jab at non-native English speakers. According to the OED, this example was likely directed at Chinese immigrants in the early 20th century. Today, many people who use the phrase as general slang for “I can’t do that” are unaware of its cruel origins.

6. Indian Giver

Merriam-Webster defines an Indian giver as “a person who gives something to another and then takes it back.” One of the first appearances was in Thomas Hutchinson’s History of the Colony of Massachuset’s Bay in the mid 18th century. In a note, it says “An Indian gift is a proverbial expression, signifying a present for which an equivalent return is expected.” In the 19th century, the stereotype was transferred from the gift to the giver, the idea of an “equivalent return” was abandoned, and it became used as an insult. An 1838 N.-Y. Mirror article mentions the “distinct species of crimes and virtues” of schoolchildren, elaborating, “I have seen the finger pointed at the Indian giver. (One who gives a present and demands it back again.)”

Even as this stereotype about Indigenous people faded, the phrase Indian giver has persisted into the 21st century. The word Indian in Indian giver also denotes something false, as it does in the antiquated phrase Indian summer.

7. Cakewalk

In the antebellum South, some enslaved Black Americans spent Sundays dressing up and performing dances in the spirit of mocking the white upper classes. The enslavers didn’t know they were the butt of the joke, and even encouraged these performances and rewarded the best dancers with cake, hence the name.

Possibly because this was viewed as a leisurely weekend activity, the phrase cakewalk became associated with easy tasks. Cakewalks didn’t end with slavery: For decades, they remained (with cake prizes) a part of Black American life—but at the same time, white actors in blackface incorporated the act into minstrel shows, turning what began as a satire of white elites into a racist caricature of Black people.

[baldyeosang]

I know absolutely nothing about the whole suga situation nor do I really care one way or the other as someone who has slowly stopped keeping up to date with bts, but. I am disappointed in army. last time there was a suga controversy they came up with the phrase my little meow meow. I have been patiently waiting for another slam dunk sentence and yet I am here empty handed. Very disappointed

[cctinsleybaxter]

sorry for being #problematic but i almost wish prior was cheating with danvers; out of all the relationships on the show theirs is the most interesting

[chaiaurchaandni]

let him cook