Is the word Abo racist? (also about other racist words)

[Ceannairceach]

Its not racist. Just an abbreviation.

Ah, you mean like "spic"?

[Al-Harakut al-Islami]

I'm not sure.

Americans don't get offended by being called Yanks, people from England don't mind being called Brits, and Australians don't care if you call them Aussies.

However, Russians don't like being called Russkies, Germans get offended if you call them Krauts, and it's considered poor taste to call someone from England a Limey.

As a Bavarian-American, I can say that kraut is indeed offensive to my relatives in Europe. However, that's because it was frequently used in anti-German propaganda during the War.

As an American, I don't care much if I'm called a Yank.

However, as a Pakistani/Turk/Arab/Persian, I would be totally offended if someone I didn't know called me a wog.

[Saint Jade IV]

Does it make you feel as bad as I do? I used to sing that song in kindy

I wouldn't worry about it too much. I sang the clean PC version.

Though I would be asking Mr Harris why he worded it how he did:

Let me Abos go loose, Lew
Let me Abos go loose
They're of no further use, Lew
So let me Abos go loose.

Yeah, a little sus.

I want to see the rest of his catalogue. I'm floored tbqh. I will be having strong words with old Rolf if I ever meet him.

[Cromarty]

As a Bavarian-American, I can say that kraut is indeed offensive to my relatives in Europe. However, that's because it was frequently used in anti-German propaganda during the War.

As an American, I don't care much if I'm called a Yank.

However, as a Pakistani/Turk/Arab/Persian, I would be totally offended if someone I didn't know called me a wog.

Especially as they'd be using the word wrongly.

[Saint Jade IV]

I guess im a yank and if abo is in the same context then no i dnt find it racist. Yank has never upset me i guess i never thought of it as a slur. In fact i find it some what odd that it would b thought of as such.

Here's a clue. Read the thread. It's not like Yank, or Brit, or Aussie. It's generally considered offensive, and mostly because of how it is used.

[Carmadin]

1

I had never heard about the issue till now O_o

2

Dont know how its pronounced in this brouhaha,but

Abo

(ahb-OH)

is actually a city in Carmadin

[Schwabenreich]

They can call us all sorts of terms relating to our pigmentation, one that can sometimes be heard heard certain communities of aboriginals is 'white fella' I don't think they're in much of a position to protest the shortening of aboriginal yet not the full word itself. However, in the act of sensitivity, best just to avoid using it. So far I've managed to avoid actually using any language to refer to ethnic identity other then australian with aboriginals. If you want to play it safe and somehow have to draw attention to their race/culture, aboriginal or indigenous australian seems best though oddly I've heard them protest to both (not personally, but on media and the internet), however one of the two should work. I don't understand why abo irks them but I suppose it could be used derogatorily, considering how easy it is to pronounce it would be convenient for people to use it that way. Most encounters with.. uh.. outspoken racists probably involved abo rather then them going to the trouble to draw it out to aboriginal.

[Kalaspia-Shimarata]

I'm Mexican, German-Irish, Spanish and Samoan. I've been called cracker, Beaner, Nazi, Hitler, and Coconut.

It's just not that racist to me. Either that or most people who say "MOFO U RACIST! DONT CALL ME CHINK!" Are just pussies. (<<No flame intended).

I thought coconut was Fijian!

[Neo Arcad]

As a Bavarian-American, I can say that kraut is indeed offensive to my relatives in Europe. However, that's because it was frequently used in anti-German propaganda during the War.

As an American, I don't care much if I'm called a Yank.

However, as a Pakistani/Turk/Arab/Persian, I would be totally offended if someone I didn't know called me a wog.

Yeah, that's exactly like calling me a kraut, a Nazi, or "Hitler"... not only is it ignorant, it's racist.

[Al-Harakut al-Islami]

As an American, I don't care much if I'm called a Yank.

However, as a Pakistani/Turk/Arab/Persian, I would be totally offended if someone I didn't know called me a wog.

Especially as they'd be using the word wrongly.

Would they be? As far as I know, it's a slur against all brown people.

[Saint Jade IV]

They can call us all sorts of terms relating to our pigmentation, one that can sometimes be heard heard certain communities of aboriginals is 'white fella' I don't think they're in much of a position to protest the shortening of aboriginal yet not the full word itself. However, in the act of sensitivity, best just to avoid using it. So far I've managed to avoid actually using any language to refer to ethnic identity other then australian with aboriginals. If you want to play it safe and somehow have to draw attention to their race/culture, aboriginal or indigenous australian seems best though oddly I've heard them protest to both (not personally, but on media and the internet), however one of the two should work. I don't understand why abo irks them but I suppose it could be used derogatorily, considering how easy it is to pronounce it would be convenient for people to use it that way. Most encounters with.. uh.. outspoken racists probably involved abo rather then them going to the trouble to draw it out to aboriginal.

The indigenous people that I know actually don't have a problem with the use of the word blackfella, the equivalent of whitefella. Of course, my experience cannot speak for all. But the reason they don't like Abo is because of how it has been used. Much as I don't really understand what all the fuss about Indian in the US and Canada is about, I respect that the cultural context of the word is obviously volatile enough that I'm missing something.

It irks them because traditionally it is used in a derogatory fashion. I have never, ever heard someone use Abo, in the same way that they use Aussie. It's completely different.

[Kalaspia-Shimarata]

As a Bavarian-American, I can say that kraut is indeed offensive to my relatives in Europe. However, that's because it was frequently used in anti-German propaganda during the War.

As an American, I don't care much if I'm called a Yank.

However, as a Pakistani/Turk/Arab/Persian, I would be totally offended if someone I didn't know called me a wog.

Wog is only sometimes offensive. As an Australian, you can call me Aussie as much as you like, but never, ever call me skip, but as a Greek, you can call me wog, but only depending on the way you use it

[Forster Keys]

As an American, I don't care much if I'm called a Yank.

However, as a Pakistani/Turk/Arab/Persian, I would be totally offended if someone I didn't know called me a wog.

Wog is only sometimes offensive. As an Australian, you can call me Aussie as much as you like, but never, ever call me skip, but as a Greek, you can call me wog, but only depending on the way you use it

Don't worry. I won't. Skip means an Australian who's of Anglo-Celtic origin. Usually synonymous with the term 'Anglo'. I'm probably what you'd call a skip. I understand why it's inaccurate, since all of your grandparents were born in Greece IIRC. But why is it so offensive?

[Osterveim]

no idea, I've never heard it used. It's in Wikipedia's list of racial slurs.

[Kalaspia-Shimarata]

Wog is only sometimes offensive. As an Australian, you can call me Aussie as much as you like, but never, ever call me skip, but as a Greek, you can call me wog, but only depending on the way you use it

Don't worry. I won't. Skip means an Australian who's of Anglo-Celtic origin. Usually synonymous with the term 'Anglo'. I'm probably what you'd call a skip. I understand why it's inaccurate, since all of your grandparents were born in Greece IIRC. But why is it so offensive?

I am aware that my grandparents called all the Aussies skips after skippy the bush kangaroo when they came here as the Aussies called them WOGs. Whether or not I'm skip is irrelivent. Please re-read the context of that post so you can understand the point I'm trying to get across!

[Hydesland]

I don't think it's useful to describe any word in isolation as racist, in most cases. It depends on the context and the intention etc...

[Forster Keys]

Don't worry. I won't. Skip means an Australian who's of Anglo-Celtic origin. Usually synonymous with the term 'Anglo'. I'm probably what you'd call a skip. I understand why it's inaccurate, since all of your grandparents were born in Greece IIRC. But why is it so offensive?

I am aware that my grandparents called all the Aussies skips after skippy the bush kangaroo when they came here as the Aussies called them WOGs. Whether or not I'm skip is irrelivent. Please re-read the context of that post so you can understand the point I'm trying to get across!

It's not really helping. Sorry.

[St Joanne]

I consider it non-racist.
Actually, I consider practically anything verbal non-racist.
Why? It cant be racist if only idiots say it is.
And your an idiot if you say it is, because you have to get out of your way to feel offended from a word.
And to clear anything up before people call me hypocrite, Ive had my share of racial shots at me, and I actually feel superior to the people who say it to me.
Proud Texan.
'pperantly some Northern people are still living in the civil war times, and are thus racist by thinking Im racist. Also think Im stupid and ignorant.
Gotta love irony, eh?

[Conserative Morality]

I consider it non-racist.
Actually, I consider practically anything verbal non-racist.
Why? It cant be racist if only idiots say it is.
And your an idiot if you say it is, because you have to get out of your way to feel offended from a word.
And to clear anything up before people call me hypocrite, Ive had my share of racial shots at me, and I actually feel superior to the people who say it to me.
Proud Texan.
'pperantly some Northern people are still living in the civil war times, and are thus racist by thinking Im racist. Also think Im stupid and ignorant.
Gotta love irony, eh?

Texans are a race now?

[Trixiestan]

Yes, abo is racist.

[Kalaspia-Shimarata]

I am aware that my grandparents called all the Aussies skips after skippy the bush kangaroo when they came here as the Aussies called them WOGs. Whether or not I'm skip is irrelivent. Please re-read the context of that post so you can understand the point I'm trying to get across!

It's not really helping. Sorry.

By the way, skip is offensive but I don't know why, it just is, like nigger

[Al-Harakut al-Islami]

I consider it non-racist.
Actually, I consider practically anything verbal non-racist.
Why? It cant be racist if only idiots say it is.
And your an idiot if you say it is, because you have to get out of your way to feel offended from a word.
And to clear anything up before people call me hypocrite, Ive had my share of racial shots at me, and I actually feel superior to the people who say it to me.
Proud Texan.
'pperantly some Northern people are still living in the civil war times, and are thus racist by thinking Im racist. Also think Im stupid and ignorant.
Gotta love irony, eh?

So...you don't think that the word n!gger is racist?

[Forster Keys]

It's not really helping. Sorry.

By the way, skip is offensive but I don't know why, it just is, like nigger

That's quite rude. I was trying to explain that your comment made little sense to me as politely as possible.

And they're not comparable at all, it's a fairly lightweight slur as far as they go, in line with limey AFAIK. I'm a skip, and not offended by the word.

[Trixiestan]

It's not really helping. Sorry.

By the way, skip is offensive but I don't know why, it just is, like nigger

And Abo isn't?

http://www.creativespirits.info/aborigi ... acism.html

Racism in the arts—a window into the past

In 1957 Rolf Harris, then 27, wrote the song 'Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport' which became a number one hit in Australia. The song was originally made of seven verses and the chorus. The sixth verse went as follows [20]:

Let me Abos go loose, Lou,
Let me Abos go loose.
They're of no further use, Lou,
So let me Abos go loose.
Altogether now!

'Abo' is a derogatory term for Aboriginal people. In the context of the song the above verse becomes even more racist because almost all other verses are about animals which are to be let lose after the drover's death the song is about.

Because of the racist term used the song was banned in Singapore. In some versions 'Abo' got replaced with 'emu' [19].

http://www.encyclo.co.uk/define/ABO

Abo
Abo is derogatory Australian slang for an aboriginal.
Found on http://www.probertencyclopaedia.com/brow

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

Abo/Abbo
(AUS) Australian Aboriginal person. Originally, this was simply an informal term for Aborigine, and was in fact used by Aboriginal people themselves until it started to be considered offensive in 1950s. In remoter areas, Aboriginal people still often refer to themselves (quite neutrally) as Blackfellas (and whites as Whitefellas). Although Abo is still considered quite offensive by many, the pejorative boong is now more commonly used when the intent is to deliberately offend, as that word's status as an insult is unequivocal.[4]

(The source for that latter wiki quote is from "Bruce Moore (editor), The Australian Oxford Dictionary, (2004) p. 3.")

I'd like to point out that yes, Skip is listed as an ethnic slur on that wiki article as well.

[Kalaspia-Shimarata]

By the way, skip is offensive but I don't know why, it just is, like nigger

That's quite rude. I was trying to explain that your comment made little sense to me as politely as possible.

And they're not comparable at all, it's a fairly lightweight slur as far as they go, in line with limey AFAIK. I'm a skip, and not offended by the word.

Well I'm sorry I offended you! I'm really sorry and I did not intend to. And the reason why you are not offended by skip is because us Aussies have a great sence of humor. Take that away and you would be. Btw, I'm sorry I offended you!