this post was submitted on 29 Oct 2023
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[–] Underwaterbob@lemm.ee 25 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Unless you're Korean. "Ni ga" (니가) literally means "you" in Korean. With the not-so-recent surge in popularity of Kpop globally, I know there's been more than one outraged person accusing Korean rappers of racism for saying "you" in their own language.

[–] Stamets@startrek.website 9 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Russell Peters, a Canadian comedian, actually mentioned something similar in Mandarin years ago in one of his specials. Here he is talking about going to a KFC in Beijing.

Note: Russell is of Indian descent and uses a lot of racial jokes in both the entire special as well as this specific bit.

[–] Raiderkev@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I worked a job where I'd often be driving people speaking Mandarin on conference calls. I had this exact thought while driving them around. I remember hearing this special around that time n laughing my ass off.

[–] intensely_human@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Please tell me you worked for a combined ride share and conference call service called Zoomy Zoom

[–] Raiderkev@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Ha, it was a black car company with a lot of corporate clients. Those people would be on calls all the time.

[–] Underwaterbob@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

That was pretty hilarious despite some jokes that definitely wouldn't fly today. And were iffy then, too.

[–] Stamets@startrek.website 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Oh absolutely. I remember laughing at that when I was a very young teenager but was cringing just a little while rewatching it yesterday. It's not nearly as bad as some other stuff but it's a little yikes. Wondering if thats why I haven't seen Russell Peters in over a decade.

[–] Underwaterbob@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago

I just checked his Wikipedia, and it looks like he's mostly been acting in some dubious looking comedy films with some TV on the side.

[–] assassin_aragorn@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago

Oh man I remember this in college. I was grabbing some stuff at a Walgreens and this Korean lady was on the phone saying that. When I got home I told one of my roommates and he was "No, no, they weren't being really racist, that's a common phrase in Korean!"

Incredibly unfortunate false cognate.

[–] HawlSera@lemm.ee 8 points 1 year ago

It reminds me of a problem with Japanese let's players, how they've been playing more and more Western games lately, who have been playing Grand Theft Auto V.

See in Japanese culture, onomatopoeia is a bigger thing, and it's not uncommon for people to sing an onomatopoeia or for them to be accounted for in the dialogue for media, especially in anime.

So a notice actually had to be given to Japanese Grand Theft Auto fans to stop playfully singing the N Word (as is done at the end of the infamous Franklin Roast)

Many fans mistook it for a playful onomatopoeia and just began singing it on stream in the most innocent way possible.

There are compilations of famous Japanese Vtubers doing this and it is as adorable as it is uncomfortable

[–] ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Or as League of Legends personality “LS” says

Just call people 니가 and they literally cannot punish you