Use of the word 'Wog'

Mar 2, 2015
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Can go in reverse too. As mentioned earlier, Paki wasn't offensive when I was growing up in the '80s, it was literally just shorthand for Pakistan. But as the world got 'smaller', people understood how it was used elsewhere and kinda self regulated, which has to be a good thing.
I never really understood why Pakistanis living in England have taken umbrage at the term "Paki". I'm not an idiot. I understand it's a perjorative term. They had to cop being called "f**kin' Pakis" or people saying "Go home, ya Paki bastards" etc etc. But really, this is the equivalent of me being called a "f**kin Aussie". Unless it's used in a derogatory manner, then how can it be offensive? The word on it's own isn't derogatory. It's just a truncation like "Japs", "Iti's", "Argies" or "Aussies".

I'm sure there are Japanese people who would hate being called "Japs", but did anyone mean to be derogatory when they referred to the "Japs" in WW2? It's just a shortened word.
 
Mar 2, 2015
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I think comedians took all the sting out of wog in this country. I don't think it's offensive, though I think The Wog Boy is offensive.
Partly that. But really what took the sting out of "wog" was assimilation. The children of 2nd and 3rd generation Greek, Italian or Croatian immigrants were just regular Aussies. They were no longer seen as "different".

As the 80's wore on, pizza, pasta and cappucinos were no longer exotic. Anglo-Aussies would stand there at the deli, licking their lips as they contemplated buying a tub of Kalamata olives, or Feta chese, or sundried tomatoes... Dudes would fix themselves a pasta carbonara for dinner. People stopped cooking with vegetable oil and they bought olive oil instead.

Many footy fans stopped complaining about boring nil-all draws in the "wogball" and started following Man U, Liverpool, Arsenal or Chelsea in the EPL... They also watched Champions League with Barca, Real, AC Milan, Inter and Juve. The World Cup was televised live from 1986 onwards and for many sports fans, it was bigger than the Olympics.

The less ignorant and insular us Anglo-Aussies became, the more ludicrous it was to turn our noses up at Mediterranean culture, cuisine, customs, etc.

I remember hearing Slug Jordan the old-school football coach SEN radio in the 90's, chortling as he talked about the Argentine soccer star "Dago Marinara" and I thought "What an idiot! Go back to the 1950's where you belong, you old fossil"
 
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May 2, 2007
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Pretty lousy when people on BigFooty pretend to not understand what's bad about "Paki" and "Jap".
There was a poster on here a few years back that insisted 'Abo' was fine to use despite it being explained multiple times as to why it isn't acceptable.
 
Sep 9, 2015
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I remember hearing Slug Jordan the old-school football coach SEN radio in the 90's, chortling as he talked about the Argentine soccer star "Dago Marinara" and I thought "What an idiot! Go back to the 1950's where you belong, you old fossil"

You picked the wrong horse there.

One was an ok bloke, the other was a cheating POS soccer player.
 

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There was a poster on here a few years back that insisted 'Abo' was fine to use despite it being explained multiple times as to why it isn't acceptable.

Bunsen Burner?
 

raskolnikov

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Nah, unless it was their alias. Can't remember who it was though. Locally as a term Abo is actually worse than ape for mine.

May not be the person you were thinking of but Bunsen definitely did.

 
Mar 16, 2007
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Yes, it's offensive, and as a 'wog' I find it offensive.

Think of all the stereotypes that come to mind when you use the word 'wog' and it should be obvious that it is a negative word that reinforces negative stereotypes.

Ethnic people may use the word to refer to themselves, but that's harmless self-deprication.

Susie O'Brien wrote an article defending the use of the word 'wog' and ironically enough it was full of stereotypes about her 'wog' acquaintances and their 'wog' attributes like cooking for large families or having a cousin who's a plumber, etc. The lack of awareness was stunning, and made the opposite point to what she was trying to make.

A few ethnic papers wrote articles in response, explaining why the term is offensive. Without wishing to sound authoritarian, it's not up to a white woman to decide whether certain words are ethnic slurs. Just as men don't decide whether sexist terms like 'sheila' or 'broad' are sexist.
It's amazing that a woman who gets offended at so many things couldn't work that one out.

The whole "But Nick Giannopoulos......" argument gets old real quick as well.
 

Minidisc MD

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Abo is ******* disgusting. how is it not censored? guess little pudgey tummied internet nerds from the suburbs who become moderators dont know real life and mix with actual Indigenous people.
 
Sep 15, 2011
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Nah, unless it was their alias. Can't remember who it was though. Locally as a term Abo is actually worse than ape for mine.
As a nation, we have a long way to go in our treatment of indigenous people. However, one good thing is that I can think of at least three or four terms like that were thrown around regularly in the ‘80s and yet I never hear them anymore. And if someone were to use them, it would be about as jarring as the n-word. Doesn’t stop people being racist in other ways, of course.
 
Sep 9, 2015
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They've still got the Catholic Church. Half of Ireland still says how high every time the Italians ask them to jump.

Gave the western world the mafia.

Some of the most racist sporting clubs in the world.

Won't fight you one on one, have to bring all their cousins.

Hardly victims.
 
Sep 9, 2015
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Abo is ******* disgusting. how is it not censored? guess little pudgey tummied internet nerds from the suburbs who become moderators dont know real life and mix with actual Indigenous people.

Obviously you don't get vertigo given how high your horse is.

The word is so seldomly used I doubt it's ever an issue in being used on the site.
 
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