this post was submitted on 29 Feb 2024
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the_dunk_tank

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It's just scientific fact that they love being slaves to corporations unlike us, the proudly independent and individualistic Westerners smuglord

Source: I was on a Discord with a Japanese dude

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[–] take_five_seconds@hexbear.net 55 points 8 months ago (2 children)
[–] GinAndJuche@hexbear.net 36 points 8 months ago (1 children)

When people drop the noun meant to follow the adjective they are almost always telling on themselves about something, in this case racism

[–] RyanGosling@hexbear.net 9 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

What? This is the stupidest shit ever lol. How is this racist? If referring to someone as “an American” or “a Kenyan” or “a French” is not racist, why would saying “a Japanese” be any different? Japanese is literally the noun and adjective depending on how you want to use it just like any other demonym

[–] GinAndJuche@hexbear.net 16 points 8 months ago (2 children)

It’s not inherently rascist, I should have took more care in my phrasing.

What I meant was: people who who drop the person or personhood identifier in favor of national/racial/other sorts of identifiers are often those who engage in broad strokes judgements based on origin.

A key part of English, at least based on my understanding of it, is the clear delineation between person and non-person. Removing that reference to personhood by simply using an adjective of origin is closer to calling them an “it” than otherwise.

That’s just my read on the topic though, I’m welcome to hearing otherwise because this could be an interesting convo.

[–] zed_proclaimer@hexbear.net 25 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (2 children)

it also just depends on the word for some reason, english is very vibes based and inconsistent in its rules and connotations.

A Greek

sounds decently normal

A Kenyan

seems fine

An Egyptian

commonly said

A Chinese

This sounds weird and bad. Couldn't tell you why but it just sounds racist compared to the other ones.

[–] Xavienth@lemmygrad.ml 27 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I think any -ese demonym can't be turned into a noun without sounding off.

[–] GinAndJuche@hexbear.net 12 points 8 months ago

That feels like the correct take

[–] alcoholicorn@hexbear.net 3 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Yeah, turns out the lingual patterns my grampa used to refer to Chinese and Japanese people is not great, in 2024.

edit: To be clear, he used different slurs, he wasn't so racist as to use the same slur for Japanese, Chinese, Koreans, Vietnamese, Laoceans, and island people.

[–] Trudge@lemmygrad.ml 9 points 8 months ago

Seconded. "My black friend" is what racists say instead of "my friend"

[–] arabiclearner@hexbear.net 9 points 8 months ago (1 children)

That guy shouldn't have said that but I see plenty of Japanese people who are fairly fluent in English say things like "As a Japanese" or "I am a Japanese and I..." It appears in quite a few youtube comments and other social media comments from what I've seen. They'll also say it out loud in interviews and stuff.

[–] doublepepperoni@hexbear.net 17 points 8 months ago (1 children)

It's technically correct as a noun for a Japanese person, like "a German" or "an Italian." It just sounds weirdly antiquated and kinda racist in modern day.

[–] Egon@hexbear.net 3 points 8 months ago (1 children)

What's racist about it though? Like isn't just because most people that would say "I met a japanese" are the same people who use the words "a female" when they talk about women? Is there anything actually racist in the phrasing itself, that makes it different from referring to other nationalities?

[–] doublepepperoni@hexbear.net 2 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

Like someone else said, the vibes are just off in a way I can't quite articulate.

"A German" sounds okay but "a Japanese" or "a Chinese" just don't without a "person" or some other word after them

[–] Egon@hexbear.net 4 points 8 months ago

"A German" sounds okay but "a Japanese" or "a Chinese" just don't without a "person" or some other word after them

Oh well that's easy. That's because the chinese are people, while the germans aren't