NationStates

Belive it or not, there is actually a huge debate about this. Is the word "abo" racist? For those of you who don't know, an abo is a slang term for Aborigional, just like Yank is American and EDIT:Brit is British etc. I personally think Abo is just as racist as Pom, Kiwi, Aussie and Yank, which is not racist at all. Hell, the leaders of NATO, the USA put Yankee in their spelling alphabet, despite the fact that it refers to them, so therefore it can't be racist! But on the other hand, it might be racist (please note, I am not trying to offend anyone, I am being completely in context) as Skip or Nigger. EDIT:And other words like POM and WOG are sometimes offensive depending on the way they are used

but personally I don't think so. Anyway, discuss!

EDIT:Since this thread seems to be going that way, although the main focus of this thread is the word abo, you may also include other terms which are or are not racist

EDIT:ALL racist terms used in this thread are not offensive as they are used in context. Do NOT use this thread as an excus to be racist by using these words out of context

Kalaspia-Shimarata wrote:Belive it or not, there is actually a huge debate about this. Is the word "abo" racist? For those of you who don't know, an abo is a slang term for Aborigional

Weird. I would have believed it was an abbreviation of "aboriginal".
Doesn't look racist to me. "Aboriginal" as opposed to "immigrant" or "colonist" or "deportee". Makes sense in Australia, I guess.

Kalaspia-Shimarata wrote:Belive it or not, there is actually a huge debate about this. Is the word "abo" racist? For those of you who don't know, an abo is a slang term for Aborigional, just like Yank is American and Pom is British etc. I personally think Abo is just as racist as Pom, Kiwi, Aussie and Yank, which is not racist at all. Hell, the leaders of NATO, the USA put Yankee in their spelling alphabet, despite the fact that it refers to them, so therefore it can't be racist! But on the other hand, it might be racist (please note, I am not trying to offend anyone, I am being completely in context) as Skip or Nigger, but personally I don't think so. Anyway, discuss!

How do Aborigines themselves feel about it?

Farnhamia wrote:

Kalaspia-Shimarata wrote:Belive it or not, there is actually a huge debate about this. Is the word "abo" racist? For those of you who don't know, an abo is a slang term for Aborigional, just like Yank is American and Pom is British etc. I personally think Abo is just as racist as Pom, Kiwi, Aussie and Yank, which is not racist at all. Hell, the leaders of NATO, the USA put Yankee in their spelling alphabet, despite the fact that it refers to them, so therefore it can't be racist! But on the other hand, it might be racist (please note, I am not trying to offend anyone, I am being completely in context) as Skip or Nigger, but personally I don't think so. Anyway, discuss!

How do Aborigines themselves feel about it?

I don't actually know. If I knew an Aborigional Person I would ask him/her

Kalaspia-Shimarata wrote:

Farnhamia wrote:How do Aborigines themselves feel about it?

I don't actually know. If I knew an Aborigional Person I would ask him/her

take a look at who is claiming that its racist. if a majority of them are aborigines then i would take their word for it. if its all non-aborigines then i would substitute my own judgement based on how i and those around me use the word.

It's racist.

As it was explained to me it's the way the word is used......

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).

Don't really know... (since I'm an American)
I didn't think there were too many of the Aboriginese left...

I'm Australian & i am fine with being called an 'Aussie', and i believe their is no difference between being called an 'Abo' or an 'Aussie'. It is merely an abbreviation.

I'm Australian & i am fine with being called an 'Aussie', and i believe their is no difference between being called an 'Abo' or an 'Aussie'. It is merely an abbreviation.

If you called an Aboriginal an Abo he would kill you (kinda overexagerrating, but they would get upset)
It is just as offensive as Injun for native american's
and Kaffir for black south africans.


BTW, no offense was intended in this post, it was purely in context!

Terms are terms and nothing more, I have been called "Russkie" or "Damn Russian" many times, people just need to get over it, and its part of living in a republican society. Its really only racism when people are killed, hurt, or excluded from employment purely on ethnic grounds.

New Embossia wrote: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).

A Mexican, German-Irish, Spanish and Samoan who no doubt has rarely, if ever set foot outside the US doesn't seem the best person to judge whether it's racist. If Aboriginals say it's racist then that's good enough for me.

So what if it came from an abbreviation of aboriginal? A lot racist terms come from an abbreviation or mispronunciation of a perfectly good word.

I find aboriginal less racist than 'indian' or 'redskin'.

Abo is a racist word. It's perhaps not quite as inflammatory as Nigger (boong, coon or black cunt would be more likely to fall into those categories). But most of the indigenous people I know don't like the word, and get upset when it is used. It is quite a dangerous word to use in certain country towns.

Furthermore, the author and some posting in this thread are being quite disingenuous to suggest that it is simply an abbreviation, like Aussie. The word has been used to denigrate indigenous people, in a way that Aussie has not been used to denigrate Anglo-Saxon Australians.

I found it strange however, that most indigenous people don't seem to mind the word blackfella being used. I know that it's quite a controversial term in some circles, but I've used it myself, and I've found that the indigenous people I mix with seem to mind it a lot less than Abo.

I don't know. Do aboriginals find the word offensive?

Depends on whether it's being used as a racist slur.

Which, in practise, is about 99% of the time.

Tubbsalot wrote:Depends on whether it's being used as a racist slur.

Which, in practise, is about 99% of the time.

Actually, I'll change my response to this.

I almost never hear the word, "Abo" without a word such as "lazy" or "dirty" preceding it, and "cunt" following.

Saint Jade IV wrote:Abo is a racist word. It's perhaps not quite as inflammatory as Nigger (boong, coon or black cunt would be more likely to fall into those categories). But most of the indigenous people I know don't like the word, and get upset when it is used. It is quite a dangerous word to use in certain country towns.

Furthermore, the author and some posting in this thread are being quite disingenuous to suggest that it is simply an abbreviation, like Aussie. The word has been used to denigrate indigenous people, in a way that Aussie has not been used to denigrate Anglo-Saxon Australians.

I found it strange however, that most indigenous people don't seem to mind the word blackfella being used. I know that it's quite a controversial term in some circles, but I've used it myself, and I've found that the indigenous people I mix with seem to mind it a lot less than Abo.

^ Pretty much all of this in my experience.

To all of our American friends the term "spic" is considered racist right? It's an abbreviation.

My only personal experience with the term 'Abo' is from 'Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport', so I'm not really sure I know enough to say one way or the other.

Once racists have made a habit of using a word derogatorily, and the targets can't help but mentally associate it with past insults, and have to worry whenever they hear the word if it means the speaker is "one of THOSE"-- then, it doesn't matter how harmless the origin of the word was. "Paki" in the UK was just an abbreviation of "Pakistani", but it has become completely unacceptable in polite society; "Jap" for "Japanese" became very offensive in the US.

Conserative Morality wrote:My only personal experience with the term 'Abo' is from 'Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport', so I'm not really sure I know enough to say one way or the other.

They say Abo in that?

I don't like it when I am called an Indian, Instead of a Native... But I don't see anything wrong with "Abo", Seems like an abbreviation.

Forster Keys wrote:They say Abo in that?

The "Let me Abos go loose" line.

Tubbsalot wrote:Depends on whether it's being used as a racist slur.

Which, in practise, is about 99% of the time.

I would contest that, I have often seen it used it simply as an abbreviation for the Aboriginal race in general discussion.