Is "Gringo" ofensive?

[mymemory]

Ok, everybody in South America call the people of the US "gringos" and there are several reasons for that:

1. The word "gringo" come from the federal war in the US, the color of the troops uniform was "green gold", so the mexicans some how came with the gringo stuff.

2. The people from the US call themselves "Americans" something that you can do only inside the US because when the Japanese say something about the "Americans" they are saying the things about me too because I'm South American as well there are a few Central Americans. So, in place of saying the North Americans (because Mexico and Canada are at the north too) we say "the gringos":D

Now, I never thought about that as a despective term, it is not a polite term but it is just one of those things that happen in life. Usually we call the US "gringolandia" but not very often, I like to say "the north". But just a tip, do never say you are "American" in South or Central America, it sound way too arrogant, you are a North American Citizen or a gringo:rolleyes:

[Durandal7]

It's not really very offensive.

In the USA it is usually used to mean someone who is ignorant of Hispanic culture.

[OutThere]

It has never struck me as offensive in any way. :)

[Kwyjibo]

i'm only partially offended.....but at the same time my friends call me jewish (cheap) and we are pretty obscene with many other slurs........

[question fear]

Originally posted by Kwyjibo
i'm only partially offended.....but at the same time my friends call me jewish (cheap) and we are pretty obscene with many other slurs........


see thats not ok...gringo is borderline, but since it doesnt imply anything specifically stereotypical beyond "ignorant american" and since it is not generally used (at least in the context my memory used and explained it in) for the purposes of singling out a group as having some sort of flaw or insulting characteristic, which in calling someone jewish/cheap is.
this mini-rant does not cover times when people "reclaim" insulting words for newer purposes.
--carly

[OutThere]

Originally posted by question fear
see thats not ok...gringo is borderline, but since it doesnt imply anything specifically stereotypical beyond "ignorant american" and since it is not generally used (at least in the context my memory used and explained it in) for the purposes of singling out a group as having some sort of flaw or insulting characteristic, which in calling someone jewish/cheap is.
this mini-rant does not cover times when people "reclaim" insulting words for newer purposes.
--carly

I'm probably gonna get flamed for this but I already think of americans as "ignorant americans" in the current situations...but then again I'm one of them. ;)

[RobVanDam]

It doesn't bother me. Then again, being a white american male I've conditioned myself not to be bothered by anything such as that because it frankly just doesn't matter to most other people because I'm a white american male.

[Ugg]

Originally posted by RobVanDam
It doesn't bother me. Then again, being a white american male I've conditioned myself not to be bothered by anything such as that because it frankly just doesn't matter to most other people because I'm a white american male.


Huh!?!?!


To me gringo isn't offensive at all, as said before more an indication of an ignorant American. Another slight slur is Norte Americano, with heavy emphasis on the Norte, which indicates that US citizens think they are the only Americans.

It's difficult to come up with a good name for us. United Statesians sounds weird, North Americans isn't very accurate, US Americans is probably easier on the tongue but not the best choice either. It is interesting though that we group all Europeans together as well as Asians and Africans but Americans has come to mean people from the US. If there were a better word, I would use it but I don't think there is....

[kettle]

The world is well and truely screwed when we have to be governed like this. As an individual surely I can call a "fat man" a "Fat b@st4rd" if the man upsets me that much? If I do describe the person in this way, does not translate into ALL fat men are due a similar description. The sooner the world can get its head around this little detail the better.
As an individual, call anyone any thing you like. If you really feel the need to hurt someone, alienation is a good way of intensifing the insult.
Try not to use these methods while representing anyone except for yourself. It's a crazy world, so be prepared for crazy consequences.

[johnnowak]

Originally posted by mymemory
But just a tip, do never say you are "American" in South or Central America, it sound way too arrogant, you are a North American Citizen or a gringo:rolleyes:

Well in my opinion.. that's stupid. Its the United States OF AMERICA. Therefore, "American" logically refers to both the country and the continent, and for someone to see someone from the country "America" saying they are "American" as arrogant is simply short-sighted and idiotic, and totally insensitive to where THEY are from, while claiming they are being insensitive to the people from where YOU are from.

People from AMERICA are AMERICAN. Duh.

[johnnowak]

Originally posted by mymemory
Usually we call the US "gringolandia but not very often

Well that's clearly offensive.

And how you can USUALLY do something NOT very often is totally beyond me.

[Ugg]

Originally posted by johnnowak
Well in my opinion.. that's stupid. Its the United States OF AMERICA. Therefore, "American" logically refers to both the country and the continent, and for someone to see someone from the country "America" saying they are "American" as arrogant is simply short-sighted and idiotic, and totally insensitive to where THEY are from, while claiming they are being insensitive to the people from where YOU are from.

People from AMERICA are AMERICAN. Duh.

In that case shouldn't we say that we are Montanans or New Yorkers from the USA? I would think that the UNITED STATES part is the more important part of the USofA.

People from Mexico, Chile and Cuba are also Americans.

Mymemory seems to be able to hold his own but his native language is not English and it seems sort of uncalled for to trash his use of the language.

[johnnowak]

Yes I realize that, but to think someone from the US arrogant because they called themselves "american" is just ridiculous. That's the point I was making.

People from Mexico are also Americans, but that is not at all the way they are often described here. Since we all live in "The Americas", we refer to them as "Mexicans".. just like we call outselves "Americans" because we live in the United States of America.

Yes we could say were from the US... but they could also they they're from Mexico. But they don't.. they say they are Mexicans, and we say we are Americans. That's how it is commonly used throughout the world (especially by people NOT living in the americas), so for someone FROM the americas using the term "American" to mean someone from America, ESPECIALLY IF THEY LIVE THERE to be considered arrogant is INSANE.

[Ugg]

Originally posted by johnnowak
People from Mexico are also Americans, but that is not at all the way they are often described here. Since we all live in "The Americas", we refer to them as "Mexicans".. just like we call outselves "Americans" because we live in the United States of America.

Yes we could say were from the US... but they could also they they're from Mexico. But they don't.. they say they are Mexicans, and we say we are Americans. That's how it is commonly used throughout the world (especially by people NOT living in the americas), so for someone FROM the americas using the term "American" to mean someone from America, ESPECIALLY IF THEY LIVE THERE to be considered arrogant is INSANE.

Well, someone correct me if I'm wrong, but to a Mexican, Mexico means the capital city first and foremost and the proper name of the country is Estados Unidos de Mexico.

I think that the argument here is less about the actual name of the country and the resulting name of its citizens than it is about the attitude of the people from the US in general. If the US wasn't so arrogant and overbearing in the first place, I doubt that anyone would think twice about the appropriation of American to mean only people from the US of A and not all the people on the North and South American continents.

Whether intentionally or not the BBC and many other foreign news websites list the USA under the heading The Americas. In my mind a much more objective way of viewing the world because there are many Americas and Americans, not just those in the US of A.

[johnnowak]

You're clearly biased against the US, so how can you claim to look at this issue objectively.

I was in new york city yesterday, and some asian women asked me if I was American.. she thought I looked English, and wanted to see if she was right.

My point is, people from the US are commonly referred to as Americans all around the world. Did I say that's how it should be? -- NO!! -- So making the argument that it shouldn't be that way is pointless. I agree with you.

My point is.. it should NOT be considered arrogant for what is commonly referred to as an American to call him or herself an American.

For some reason, mymemory calling American gringolandia is no big deal.. but an American calling himself an American is a big show of arrogance.

Absolute stupidity is the only way to describe that.

[bousozoku]

I find gringo somewhat offensive, but I know that the local hispanics find it much more offensive that I. We had been working with Chiquita of Chile and we were sent an internal memo about a problem with the product. The person, who seemed to have a sixth grade education referred to us as gringos, implying idiots. It didn't bother me so much since I saw his level of education as the problem. I worked with a woman in Philadelphia with similar education from Brooklyn. You don't want to know what came out of her mouth.

As far as Japanese people using Amerika for all North and South Americans, they don't. It's slang for U.S.A, which is normally bei koku. If they want to say South America, they'll say minami amerika, or minami amerika jin for South American.

[Ugg]

Originally posted by johnnowak
You're clearly biased against the US, so how can you claim to look at this issue objectively.

I was in new york city yesterday, and some asian women asked me if I was American.. she thought I looked English, and wanted to see if she was right.

My point is, people from the US are commonly referred to as Americans all around the world. Did I say that's how it should be? -- NO!! -- So making the argument that it shouldn't be that way is pointless. I agree with you.

My point is.. it should NOT be considered arrogant for what is commonly referred to as an American to call him or herself an American.

For some reason, mymemory calling American gringolandia is no big deal.. but an American calling himself an American is a big show of arrogance.

Absolute stupidity is the only way to describe that.

I'm not sure why you consider me biased?

As I stated in an earlier post, there doesn't seem to be anyway to change the status quo. If anyone did I doubt it would be accepted and that really isn't the issue. The issue is that through a quirk or our country being named THE United States of America, we are called Americans. To blame anyone is pointless, really. That's just the way it is. The point here is, that because of American arrogance people use that quirk of history to make fun of us. It isn't highly derogatory, it's like calling a Brit a limey because British sailors ate limes to ward off scurvy.

People don't consider us arrogant solely for our use of the word American they consider us arrogant because we are.

[Dros]

I agree that this has more to do with people from the USA considered arrogant in general. Few people from the US think, "I will call myself American because we are the supreme power in the Americas". And few Chileans and Mexicans think, "I primarily consider myself American but I cannot refer to myself as such because the name was usurped by that country in North America". People from the USA call themselves American because they are the only country with America in the name, and because USAeans or United Statesians is awkward. It does cause confusion when someone is referring to continents, but on the list of things to gripe about, it is trivial, I think.

And gringo... it is derogatory in its current usage, but tinged with nicer emotions as well, so I think just accurately sums up feelings towards the USA.

[johnnowak]

Originally posted by Ugg
I'm not sure why you consider me biased?

"If the US wasn't so arrogant and overbearing in the first place,"

"People don't consider us arrogant solely for our use of the word American they consider us arrogant because we are."

Yeah okay. Clearly objective.

[johnnowak]

Originally posted by Dros
I agree that this has more to do with people from the USA considered arrogant in general. Few people from the US think, "I will call myself American because we are the supreme power in the Americas". And few Chileans and Mexicans think, "I primarily consider myself American but I cannot refer to myself as such because the name was usurped by that country in North America". People from the USA call themselves American because they are the only country with America in the name, and because USAeans or United Statesians is awkward. It does cause confusion when someone is referring to continents, but on the list of things to gripe about, it is trivial, I think.


Thank you. :-)

[Powerbook G5]

I've never been offended by it. Of course, the only person I've ever heard call me or anyone a gringo is my girlfriend's best friend. Of course, she calls me gringo but in the same sentence end up saying how she thinks I am hot or that I am sexy...for a gringo. It really pisses my girlfriend off, but seriously, I just never pay attention to anything her friend says since I swear she's a bit nuts.

[Ugg]

Originally posted by johnnowak
Yeah okay. Clearly objective.


1. Kyoto
2. NAFTA
3. Iraq
4. Oil consumption
5. Well, the list could be continued but I hope you see my point.


We're not all bad, obviously, but the past 20 years we've been pretty darned arrogant. Can you disprove it?

[johnnowak]

What on earth is arrogant about our oil consumption?

All countries have a percentage of people that look down on other countries. Look at England and Ireland.. the middle east.. its all over. To claim Americans are the only ones arrogant towards other countries is silly. ALL countries all like that more or less. No reason to single out America.

[tazo]

as long as frijolero is not offensive, neither is gringo.

-tazo

[Sayhey]

Gringo is clearly offensive. It is a term to describe ignorant and arrogant people from the US who think the rest of the Americas are their "backyard." Regardless if it fits some individuals, it is not the kind of term you would use without knowing someone well or being prepared to fight.

The use of American by US citizens is an example of the aforementioned arrogance in the eyes of the rest of the Americans from the many other countries of our hemisphere. I still use it myself, because there is not another term that is not cumbersome and awkward. I think it is just a good idea to know to whom you are speaking when you use it. Better to be awkward than offensive.

[FriarTuck]

Alexis de Tocqueville wrote "Democracy in America" in the 1830's. He wasn't talking about Mexico, friends. So your crackpot theories about the use of "Americans" as evidence of our arrogance is bigoted bunk.

It's wonderful that we have an international audience at MacRumors. It's even more wonderful that the countries these fine folks come from have all of their own problems sorted out, leaving them with plenty of time to criticize the USA.

Next time your wonderful little socialist utopia is overrun by a dictator you've repeatedly appeased, please call another superpower to help you. We'll be busy.

[evoluzione]

personally i think it depends on how you use the word, it can be light-hearted, i laugh around with some of Mexican and Peruvian friends and they call me that sometimes, but it's certainly not offensive. I guess it can be when used in a derogatory way, just the same as when any culture calls another by a name they have for them. When an Australian calls me a Pom, I don't take offense. What annoys me more is that i can hear the word ni**er on breakfast radio but if i were to say it, that's bad, even if it was not an insult or anything like that.

Also, I could easily take offense to being called British. I'm English, and proud to be English. Britain is composed of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Yes I am also British but to a Scotsman, it's not good, we're all proud to be from where we're from and don'tlike to get pigeon-holed I guess.

Some people are sensitive to it, I'm not.

[Sayhey]

Originally posted by FriarTuck
Alexis de Tocqueville wrote "Democracy in America" in the 1830's. He wasn't talking about Mexico, friends. So your crackpot theories about the use of "Americans" as evidence of our arrogance is bigoted bunk.

It's wonderful that we have an international audience at MacRumors. It's even more wonderful that the countries these fine folks come from have all of their own problems sorted out, leaving them with plenty of time to criticize the USA.

Next time your wonderful little socialist utopia is overrun by a dictator you've repeatedly appeased, please call another superpower to help you. We'll be busy.

The point is that people all over the hemishpere call themselves Americans and find it offensive that we in the US would speak as if others are not American. It matters not a bit what folks from Europe (de Tocqueville included) or other areas of the world call us. IMHO, the term is not such a big deal, but the attitude that the rest of the Americas should understand who the "real" Americans are is indeed a problem.

What the silliness concerning a socialist utopia and appeasment is about relative to this discussion is beyond me.

[johnnowak]

Originally posted by Sayhey

What the silliness concerning a socialist utopia and appeasment is about relative to this discussion is beyond me.

Instead of taking a potshot at him, think for a second. It's quite obvious he thinks America does a lot of good for the world, and doesn't like the fact that its getting knocked down for such anal stuff.

[bobindashadows]

Gringo.... hmm...

Well, let me put it like this way. Honestly, why the **** do you people give a ****? It's a word, and words have power. If someone calls me a stupid, lazy, fat, ignorant American (I am only lazy and sometimes stupid) it's because they obvious either hate America, or hate Americans. That's not my problem, it's their problem. If someone calls me a geek because I'm pasty, white, wear glasses, and laugh at computer jokes, then it's their problem because they can't accept me. If I were black and someone dropped the N-Bomb at me, would I care? No, because they are the one with the problem. They are the person who can't accept blacks. Someone calls a French person a Frog, then why should the French person be mad? Are they too irrational to realize that there is nothing wrong with their culture and that the only person that needs to change, if anyone, is the person using the slur?

So, as a gringo myself, it is not offensive to me.

Added "words have power" and "I am only lazy..." part

[mymemory]

Originally posted by Ugg
It is interesting though that we group all Europeans together as well as Asians and Africans but Americans has come to mean people from the US. If there were a better word, I would use it but I don't think there is....

Yes there is one: Gringo!

I do not see gringo as a "ignorant american" those are new news.

I remember when I was an exchange student we where about 200 of us half lating and hal from the rest of the world and our half of lating where checking every time on the other side to say neither north americans or at list gringos when talking about people from the US.

[johnnowak]

Originally posted by mymemory
Yes there is one: Gringo!

I do not see gringo as a "ignorant american" those are new news.

... If that's how you feel, why did you even ask?

[Dros]

Originally posted by johnnowak
Instead of taking a potshot at him, think for a second. It's quite obvious he thinks America does a lot of good for the world, and doesn't like the fact that its getting knocked down for such anal stuff.

It seems clear to me that he doesn't like the fact that European countries would dare to criticize US foreign policy in Iraq, when they themselves are not perfect. Even worse, they are not appreciative of all the good we have done all over the world... toppling the Taliban and abandoning them, appeasing dictators of our own in South America and Africa and Asia and, oh yeah, Afghanistan and Iraq, then acting hurt when others point that out.
The US feels free to criticize others. We should be happy to hear dissenting opinions.

[Sayhey]

Originally posted by johnnowak
Instead of taking a potshot at him, think for a second. It's quite obvious he thinks America does a lot of good for the world, and doesn't like the fact that its getting knocked down for such anal stuff.

Meaning I shouldn't have called his remarks about socialist utopia being invaded silly? OK, but I still can't figure out what that has to do with the topic at hand. The author of this thread asked an honest question about the use of some words and whether they were offensive. Those are questions that deserve answers without getting your back up over the US role in the world. One can be proud of this country and still understand some of the things we do maybe offensive. A little understanding of the views of other "Americans" might not be such a bad thing.

[Sayhey]

Originally posted by mymemory
Yes there is one: Gringo!

I do not see gringo as a "ignorant american" those are new news.

I remember when I was an exchange student we where about 200 of us half lating and hal from the rest of the world and our half of lating where checking every time on the other side to say neither north americans or at list gringos when talking about people from the US.

You may not have meant the word as offensive, but be prepared to find people here who will find your use of it as very offensive.

Edit: this is my dictionary's definition of the word "gringo": "In Latin America, a foreigner; especially, an American or Englishman. Used contemptuously."

It comes from the meaning of "unknown tongue, gibberish"

[mymemory]

Originally posted by johnnowak
Yes we could say were from the US... but they could also they they're from Mexico. But they don't.. they say they are Mexicans, and we say we are Americans. That's how it is commonly used throughout the world (especially by people NOT living in the americas), so for someone FROM the americas using the term "American" to mean someone from America, ESPECIALLY IF THEY LIVE THERE to be considered arrogant is INSANE.

It is arrogant because you are using a name that is mine too, if I go to Europe and I say "I'm American" they recall the US no "the Americas". So, the term is stilling my identity, capish?

Now, that is a cultural issue in the US that doesn't mean the person is arrogant, it is just a way you learned it.

About the book the man wrote I may assume that by that time the US was the only big nation around, so, his point of view was "ok" let say.

But just imagine a new country called Europe, how the people from Spain, England and the other countries are gonna feel? They gonna feel as that country owns the rest, that is the point. If some one from that country come to France and say "I'm European" how do you think the French person is gonna feel?

About the girl who wrote the gringo stuff, the problem was not that she used it in a offensive manner because if she use instead "those dudes" the effect would be just the same. I call gringo some one very close but not my boss, it is like call him "dude".

I ask all this because I never knew the other side point of view, you know, I call all the black people around here nigre and no one cares but I know I can not do that in the US.

[mymemory]

Originally posted by Sayhey

Edit: this is my dictionary's definition of the word "gringo": "In Latin America, a foreigner; especially, an American or Englishman. Used contemptuously."

It comes from the meaning of "unknown tongue, gibberish"

That definition is wrong, gringo is for the people from the US not American, I'm American too and I do not call my self a gringo or English, English people are from England and that is not in America.

I would have to find the definition by an author other than a gringo:rolleyes:

Here, I have a dictionary.

Gringo: Applied to a forner that doesn't speak Spanish!

This definition is even worse.

Another Dictionary.

Gringo: Yanqui, Inglés.

Well, may be if I check in about 10 other dictionary I may get a rasonable concept or I may start calling these people.

[TEG]

I don't take offence to "Gringo", however I hate the US mentality that they are "America"... Personally, I consider my self either a Yankee (Although I hate the Baseball Team), and a Washingtonian. I think it would be nice if the US would aggree on a name to call ourselves other than "American"

TEG

[bobindashadows]

Originally posted by TEG
I don't take offence to "Gringo", however I hate the US mentality that they are "America"... Personally, I consider my self either a Yankee (Although I hate the Baseball Team), and a Washingtonian. I think it would be nice if the US would aggree on a name to call ourselves other than "American"

TEG
Yeah... but the thing is, we're kind of stuck with "United States of America". I get the whole debate, I think people get a little too uptight, but I'll keep that out. See, the standard is to base the word (Washingtonian, New Yorker, what do you call someone from New Jersey?) from the name of the place. Unfortunately, American has a good ring to it, better than United Stateser or United Statian, which will remind people of "United Station", which doesn't make sense. Hell, I'm not making sense. It's a little too late for me. But did everybody just ignore my post? I thought I made it pretty simple. Unfortunately some people get offended by things that don't pertain to them.

case in point: I was at a math club meeting, which was really stupid and I couldn't stand the people there, and I made a joke about jocks. Everybody laughed, except for one girl. She said she was offended, despite the fact that she does no sports whatsoever.

Sure, the joke was probably kind of insensitive, but that's another point. Why was she offended if it had nothing to do with her? Mind your own business!

[Sayhey]

Originally posted by mymemory
That definition is wrong, gringo is for the people from the US not American, I'm American too and I do not call my self a gringo or English, English people are from England and that is not in America.

I would have to find the definition by an author other than a gringo:rolleyes:

Here, I have a dictionary.

Gringo: Applied to a forner that doesn't speak Spanish!

This definition is even worse.

Another Dictionary.

Gringo: Yanqui, Inglés.

Well, may be if I check in about 10 other dictionary I may get a rasonable concept or I may start calling these people.

I understand my dictionary's use of the term "American" as synonymous with a citizen of the USA is what you are talking about, but its definition of the word "gringo" as a term used contemptuously towards people from the US is accurate. If you use it in the US expect to find many people who will take offense.

[dstorey]

I always thought that Gringo just meant white man that isn't mexican...thats what I've always been told by south americans I know. I guess its just as offensive as Limey, Pomey, Ferrang or whatever, maybe not as much as say N*gga but thats because of the insulting context that is said in.

On the whole America thing..coming from the UK, We say American for people of the USA only, not south americans. They come from the United States of America so they are American, Mexico is mexican, Argentina Argentinian, Canada Canadians etc... just as the blanket term is north american or south american, just as we get called europeans. If i south american was to call them self american here we would think they were a US citizen. I dont think its us citizens being arragant, its just the english language and the name of their country.

[mactastic]

Wow, it's almost like the political discussions moved over here... where the posts count. That would be an unintended side effect we don't want to see.

My $.02... Gringo goes in the same catagory as "that's gay" which was done to death the other day. Some people will be offended, others won't. Just realize that when you say it in unfamiliar company that you may get a sour reaction.

[shadowfax]

i like the word gringo, myself, having grown up mostly in New Mexico... they use it in restaurants to denote the "mildly" spicy stuff for people who can't deal with real, spciy mexican/new mexican food. i see no problem with this. there are some white racial slurs that i think should be offensive, but this one isn't one of them. i mean, if someone tried to use this in a truly derisive way at me, i would laugh at him. it's like a joke. it's a really wimpy slur, from that perspective. i wouldn't even give it the honor/infamy of being called a slur. i can't believe you people are making a big deal of this.

[tazo]

****in a

now I am an adolescent-masculine-caucasian-messianic-jew-nonsmoking-gringo?

;) :rolleyes:

[wdlove]

I remember watching a lot of westerns growing up. The term "gringo' if memory serves me well, it referred to a mexican cowboy!

[shadowfax]

Originally posted by wdlove
I remember watching a lot of westerns growing up. The term "gringo' if memory serves me well, it referred to a mexican cowboy! uhhhh.... no. the mexican cowboys might have used the term, though. gringo is a term for "unmexican" people--namely white people that have no culture.

[wdlove]

Originally posted by shadowfax
uhhhh.... no. the mexican cowboys might have used the term, though. gringo is a term for "unmexican" people--namely white people that have no culture.

Sounds like I'm showing my age again shadowfax! This was back in the 50's! :p

[shadowfax]

Originally posted by wdlove
Sounds like I'm showing my age again shadowfax! This was back in the 50's! :p gringo! :p ;)

[NavyIntel007]

Living in Miami, I think I have a pretty good perspective on this.

Gringo is offensive. I consider it the equivilant to refering to an African-American as the N word. Here it means... redneck, white trash, trailor trash.

Only latino kids throw around that word. I heard it a few times in highschool for arrogant little kids who would make fun of white kids trying to dance Salsa or something.

There's a word for Cuban trailor trash down here... Chonga.

To the american title. I'm sorry we've been labeled it. However not all "Americans" want to be known as americans. If you call a Canadian an American, you're liable to get punched in the face. I imagine initially it probabaly was out of arrogance. But you can't say every person in the US is arrogant because they slip every once in a while and call themselves american. To be able to catagorize 280 million people as arrogant shows arrogance. I am very different than people who live in California or New York. We talk different, wear different clothes, listen to different music styles.. etc. Just like how the French are different then the Quebecoi (sorry if I misspelled) and the Cubans are different than Puerto Ricans. Everyone is different. These labels we put on each other are what damage internationalism. You see a dumb rich family from Montana and you automatically write off 280 Million people because of those 4. It is also the actions of big business and governments that damn us all. How sad that we will write a whole population off, deny an entire culture respect because of one man's decision.

[shadowfax]

Originally posted by NavyIntel007
Living in Miami, I think I have a pretty good perspective on this.

Gringo is offensive. I consider it the equivilant to refering to an African-American as the N word. Here it means... redneck, white trash, trailor trash.

Only latino kids throw around that word. I heard it a few times in highschool for arrogant little kids who would make fun of white kids trying to dance Salsa or something. that's interesting perspective. i don't ever use the word anyway, so i guess i don't have to worry about it, but i'll definitely take that to heart when in FL. in NM, i don't think its context is nearly as crude.

[NavyIntel007]

Originally posted by shadowfax
that's interesting perspective. i don't ever use the word anyway, so i guess i don't have to worry about it, but i'll definitely take that to heart when in FL. in NM, i don't think its context is nearly as crude.

Honestly, I would tell you never to use it. You never know when you'll meet someone that may be offended by it. To me, it sounds very offensive... like it comes off on the same tone as the N word. You also never know when someone ignorant to the phrase yet figures you're talking bad about them is going to take offense.

[shadowfax]

Originally posted by NavyIntel007
Honestly, I would tell you never to use it. You never know when you'll meet someone that may be offended by it. To me, it sounds very offensive... like it comes off on the same tone as the N word. You also never know when someone ignorant to the phrase yet figures you're talking bad about them is going to take offense. you'll have to come here to south texas, where various mexican restaurants list a "gringo menu" where the food is not spicy... maybe it really is bad, and they all laugh that none of the Texans get it...

honestly, i have no use for the word. but it doesn't bother me to hear it. more power to me, i guess.

[wdlove]

Originally posted by NavyIntel007
Honestly, I would tell you never to use it. You never know when you'll meet someone that may be offended by it. To me, it sounds very offensive... like it comes off on the same tone as the N word. You also never know when someone ignorant to the phrase yet figures you're talking bad about them is going to take offense.

I had actually forgotton about the word till it was mentioned in this thread. It's amazing how a word can change over time. I did't mean any disrespect!

[kettle]

mexican: ay! gringo! move tha damn mule!

clint: so, you feel lucky my fat mexican friend?
:eek:

[davy the bunny]

personally, I'm black and I've never been called gringo, but getting to the point, I live in Dallas and since many caucasian people here speak a lot of Spanish (and that damn Spanglish), the Mexicans here won't call you gringo.

All they Mexicans guys I know will call Americans, not just caucasians, "bolillos", which pretty much directly translates to "white bread".

I personally think that if someone uses any word meaning to hurt that it is probably a bad thing. I can't really think of any insulting words that aren't completely ridiculous yet they can still hurt feelings. When the Mexican guys here call you a "bolillo" they are trying to insult you, plain and simple, no matter how ridiculous it is to call you a "white sandwich roll".

[Durandal7]

Just call us yankees or yanks if Gringo or American is going to be politically incorrect. That's a pretty generic and informal term, like Brit Aussie or Kiwi.

[Stelliform]

Originally posted by Durandal7
Just call us yankees or yanks if Gringo or American is going to be politically incorrect. That's a pretty generic and informal term, like Brit Aussie or Kiwi.

Speak for yourself! I am a southerner, dirty Yank. ;) :p

BTW I could care less if someone called me a Gringo. I mean I am a Gringo.....