Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.
You may have heard this (above) statement growing up. It is a common saying among children (and adults) to help them cope with verbal teasing. Americans have become more aware of the effects of bullying, particularly among children and adolescents, and steps have been taken to educate the public about bullying and how to prevent it. This blog post is dedicated to discussing a specific form of bullying: culturally insensitive/hate language. Various ethnic/cultural slurs are commonly said but most often not recognized as being hateful, so this blog post will provide information about some common ethnic slurs and their origins and meanings in order to educate people to prevent the continued use of these slurs. The three ethnic slurs that will be discussed include bugger, gyped, and jewed.
Bugger is a term that is commonly used among the British, and it is a word you may have heard in British television shows or movies. In fact, you may have used it yourself. The term is used today to refer to someone who is annoying or a bad situation, but that is not what it originally mean. It was used to refer to Bulgarians, and it identified Bulgarians as participating in lewd behavior, specifically sodomy. Therefore the term bugger is not only an ethnic slur but also a slur against sexual orientation. The term came about because the British did not like the Bulgarian immigration to their country, so referring to them in such negative ways was a means of destroying and ostracizing them.
Gyped was and continues to refer to someone or a situation where someone is short changed or receives a bad deal, but the term itself traces its roots back to the Romani, who are commonly referred to as gypsies. Therefore when you hear someone say that they were "gyped" they not only
mean that they were cheated they are reinforcing the notion that the
Romani are thieves. The Romani have and are still seen as bad people and are actively discriminated against throughout Europe and parts of the United States. This discrimination has caused the Romani to be exterminated, excluded from equal education, and left for dead.
Jewed is a term very similar to gyped in that it means that someone was cheated, but this term refers to Jews (those of the Jewish faith). Jews are stereotyped as frugal and cheap, and this stereotype has fueled notions of hate and genocide against the Jewish people. This term has and continues to be widely used today, particularly in the current American political climate.
As demonstrated in this post what may seem like a harmless word or phrase actually carries with it a history of hate and discrimination. The continued use of these terms and phrases leads to and justifies lengthen the oppression against underrepresented groups. It is best to become educated about hate language in all forms and discontinue their use, which is a positive step toward ending hate. You can learn more about ethnic slurs and hate language here and here.
28 comments:
I have heard these slurs used before but I didn't realize how discrimination they were to different cultures.
I had no idea that is where bugger came from, and I feel really good about knowing this- I had no clue it was derogatory. Thank you! I know I have used all of those terms before in my life, and, as a kid, I never really thought about where they came from. As an adult, I have become more aware of others (sort of--I am still not the best at it). So, while I still use certain curse words, I have grown to carry a filter, so as not to personally offend anyone when I am offending someone. If that makes sense.
It makes perfect sense. I still catch myself saying bugger every once in awhile, but I find a good transition is either saying "bloody" (which is not appropriate about children) or "bother". Both are similar and convey the same general meaning without offending anyone. :)
I did not know that jewed and bugger is a cultural slur.Its sad that I am just learning about this but, I am glad that I was informed.I need to make sure I do more research when I say certain words because I would not want to defend anyone from different areas of the world just because of my lack of knowledge.
I agree when it says that Americans are bullies because we are. Sometimes it might not meant to be on purpose but it still comes out as if it was. That's because we're so use to talking to each other in that manor and if another culture here us talking like that then they wouldn't approve.
I feel so bad becuase I've used the word "bugger" my whole life and didn't know what the word meant at all. Now I know what word to not say anymore.
I felt the same as that word entered my regular rotation after I because friends with a Canadian-Brit. To break me of saying it I switched it out for bother, which is very Whinnied the Pooh but way more appropriate. :)
I have grown up using some of these terms, and never given any thought as to the fact that they might hurt someones feelings. I may have to re think my vocabulary, I do not think it is right to make anyone feel bad, or to be bullied
Wow, I had always used the word bugger to people in a playful way but not knowing the meaning behind it never knew it meant that.
Jaeda Lowe
I try so hard not to pay attention to racial slurs. It makes me want to act out, even if it isn't being thrown my way.
That's one way to handle those situations, but another possibly more effective method is to talk to them and ask them why they say those things. It could be a matter of not knowing. You can usually gauge if someone is being a jerk and then I do not recommend engaging them. In cases of ignorance, though, you could do a lot of good for many.
I know I've said at least one of the words listed above and now that i know the actual meaning behind them im going to be careful about using them.
I did not know where these slurs originated. My family has used the word gyped for years.
Logan Taylor
It is interesting to hear the origins of these words. I've known the origin of the word gyped, but I've never heard the origin of the word bugger. I always assumed it meant annoying. I would've never guessed it was a racial slur.
I feel horrible now, I constantly used the “gyped”, and I never knew that it was ethnic slur. Now that I know where the word originated from, I’m going to try my best not say it anymore.
Shila Williams'
I knew what the other two terms meant but "jewed". I used the word jewed befroebut never knew what it actual meant. I agree with "americans being bullies" sometimes it can come off like that because of the way they would treat another person from another country.
-Daisha Benton
I knew of the word "Bugger" but i never knew where the word originated from. I also, totally agree with this post because their are a lot of words in the English Vocabulary that many people do not know are slurs and some people do, so once a certain person use that word they might get offend because that other person know that it is a cruse word.
The only word I ever used from this article is "gyped " and never in a million years would I have thought it came from gypsies, but this article does make me think about the history behind commonly used curse words in America.
I feel kind of bad because I didn't know that jewed and bugger is a cultural slur. You really do learn new things everyday.
Ainya Lomax
Akwila Cooks
I have used slurs before. You never know how hurtful these different terms can be to different cultures and I never realized that. I have used bugger many many times before. I feel bad because I didn't know how these words mean different things in different cultures. I also agree that we really do learn new things every day.
Being Jewish myself I have dealt with my fair share of slurs, but I was unaware of the term "bugger" being used as a slur as I have unknowingly used it in the past. It just goes to show that how certain words are seemingly viewed worse in certain cultures.
Just because a meaning is unknown or forgotten does not mean it's less offensive. Think about other words that have been coopted but are still largely offensive.
Amber Barnes
That honestly upsets me that words have affected people for so long and only know we are trying to combat it.
phinasiaButler
ive heard most of these slurs but i never knew the exact meaning behind them, let alone knowing that they were discriminating against different cultures as well as races. this is something i will take into consideration the next time i hear any of these slurs being tossed around in a joking way.
after reading this blog I feel kind of bad for using the word " Bugger" I would actually call my siblings this now actually finding out the meaning of it makes me want to go and apologizes to them for calling them this. Now I know what this word means I will not use it again . - Mykia Chaney
Im familiar with this but didnt really know it was discrimination to different cultures. America as a whole needs to get it together.
I hear the word gyped all the time. The other two words I've never heard before. it's crazy how we use words and phrases and don't know the actual meaning, we just use it because we heard it from our friends or family members or even from the internet.
-tae'lor pearson
I never heard the words bugger or jewed. but i have heard the word gyped, but i never knew that they were discriminating slurs.
-Kyla Thomas
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