JmOz Posted November 25, 2004 Report Share Posted November 25, 2004 Before I start I want to reinstate: THIS IS FOR AN NPC, NOTHING MORE, THIS IS NOT TO BE TAKEN AS AN INSULT TO ANYONE, THIS IS ENTIRELY TO HELP ME PORTRAY A CERTAIN CHARACTER, I am sorry if this offends anyone. One of the characters (not player) in my game is asian (Chinese to be precise). Not to get into to much detail but I am looking for some racist expresions to color a NPC with, here is the hard part:The character is from the 50's and does not know he is insulting, this is alot more to do with ignorance and cultural norms of a by gone day than an actual attempt to degrade a character. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megaplayboy Posted November 25, 2004 Report Share Posted November 25, 2004 Re: Help with Racist Slang Just have him say "you Orientals" a lot, keep mistaking him for Korean or Japanese("Oh, sorry, I have a hard time telling you Orientals apart"), etc. That should be enough to annoy the PC... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadow Jack Posted November 25, 2004 Report Share Posted November 25, 2004 Re: Help with Racist Slang Just have him say "you Orientals" a lot, keep mistaking him for Korean or Japanese("Oh, sorry, I have a hard time telling you Orientals apart"), etc. That should be enough to annoy the PC... I would agree. As soon as you began stereotyping or categorizing people with different ethnic groups, purposely to be slang then you are crossing into racism, imho. You may want to coin a few phrases and some favored insults instead of developing a full racist persona. This would be enough also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JmOz Posted November 25, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 25, 2004 Re: Help with Racist Slang The characters (there are actualy two of them) are definatly racist in the "I know a chinese man, Mr Wong down at the dry cleaners, he does such good work, but you know, all those people are naturals at that kind of work" type of way instead of the "go back to japan you stupid slanty eyed freek" type of way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JmOz Posted November 25, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 25, 2004 Re: Help with Racist Slang I would agree. As soon as you began stereotyping or categorizing people with different ethnic groups, purposely to be slang then you are crossing into racism, imho. You may want to coin a few phrases and some favored insults instead of developing a full racist persona. This would be enough also. I do agree with you, HOWEVER the 50's were racist, put simply. The characters are time displaced, well intentioned, but products of their times, thus they are racists, but would be offended by the acusation because they would never throw rocks through a window or beat someone up for being different (Maybe for dating a white woman, but not for just being asian). It's going to be a fine line, because I actualy have never personaly understood the mentality, so it will be a HUGE stretch for me (and the reason why I want to do it) Playing the "Ugly Racist" would be a lot easier than trying to play the "Nice Racist", the one who just does not get how wrong they are for doing what they are doing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Publius Posted November 25, 2004 Report Share Posted November 25, 2004 Re: Help with Racist Slang I call this "casual racism" and in a way it is even more pernicious than the overt type because it has a way of sneaking into people without them being truly cruel. Of course, you are describing someone who is on the edge of this form of racism, really a kind of crude individual who is thoughtless, but you know there are still a lot of people today that harbor feelings largely unknown to them (consciously I mean) that they manifest from time to time. I went to a speech by Cornel West once and he described that this is true even of Black Americans; he referred to it as "the racist inside" as I recall. Everything from hair-straightening to a madison avenue version of feminine beauty that does not include physical characteristics common to black women. I am White and when I met him in the reception line he called me "brother" and he was not using any slang I believe that he meant it quite literally, and he called my girlfriend (who is Black) "sister" in the precise same tone of voice. Back to your topic, I think the laundry thing is appropriate for this kind of boorish behavior. Maybe they assume he does not speak or understand English and so speak... to... him... slowly... Perhaps they comment him on how wonderfully westernized he is because "his people" often have a problem with dressing "like real Americans". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackalope Posted November 25, 2004 Report Share Posted November 25, 2004 Re: Help with Racist Slang Have him be sensible enough to not call people ethnic slurs to their face, but clueless and insensitive enough to use phrases like "I'm not trying to jew you or anything." or "Yeah, we just nigger-rigged it and it got us where we needed to go." That's a very effective way of conveying racism born of ignorance and bad habits rather than actual malice. Such a character may not even consider Italians to be white, and might casually refer to them as daegos or wops, and might describe Catholics as "papists". Even a culturally sensitive character from the 50's will offend the modern sensibilities. After all, to him African-Americans are still "negros", and the term "colored people" is acceptable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reneshat Posted November 25, 2004 Report Share Posted November 25, 2004 Re: Help with Racist Slang Even a culturally sensitive character from the 50's will offend the modern sensibilities. After all' date=' to him African-Americans are still "negros", and the term "colored people" is acceptable.[/quote'] Speaking of "colored people", last night one of my friends was in a weird mood and turned to me and whispered, "Psss... I'm colored." This was after the remark earlier of "You are going to have to speak up because I'm black." Of course this has nothing to do with anything at all. Maybe you should have the character refer to all white people as honkies.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paigeoliver Posted November 25, 2004 Report Share Posted November 25, 2004 Re: Help with Racist Slang Is the character supposed to be Asian, or are Asian characters supposed to be the ones being referenced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mantis Posted November 25, 2004 Report Share Posted November 25, 2004 Re: Help with Racist Slang I think you need to establish the assumptions made about Orientals in the '50's. Things like they all run laundries, eat nothing but rice, and are short in stature, buck-toothed and short-sighted, for example: "There's nothing for you to eat here, they don't serve rice." "You're taller than I expected." "Who fixed your teeth?" "Can you see okay without your glasses?" Another simple way of showing such subtle racism is simply refer to Orientals as "you/your people", even when passing a compliment, i.e. "Ahhh! You people make great tea!" "Your actions are a credit to your people." The variation of "Your kind" is probably more overtly racist ("We don't serve their kind in here"). Treating the Oriental as a servile beast-of-burden is another - telling him to fetch and carry stuff all the time, or expecting the perfomance of menial tasks without question - "Do my laundry - that's what you people do best, isn't it?" If the Oriental is male, calling him "son" regardless of his relative age is another way of reducing his status in the eyes of the speaker (just add 'Son' to the beginnings of the preceding examples). And of course, there's always "Do you understand the words coming out of my mouth?" spoken slowly and loudly, with accompanying exaggerated hand gestures . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phydaux Posted November 25, 2004 Report Share Posted November 25, 2004 Re: Help with Racist Slang And assuming that all asians are the same. If the character is Chinese, then calling the character "Jap" over and over, even after the point has been made that "I'm NOT Japanese!" over and over. Another fun thing might be, after the character says "I'm NOT Japanese!," to say "You know, sometimes I forget, too. It's like we're brothers or something, isn't it?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lupus Posted November 25, 2004 Report Share Posted November 25, 2004 Re: Help with Racist Slang "So, I went over to this chink..." "Dude, you can't say that." "What? Oh, is he a gook? Well, I went over to this gook." "Dude, seriously!" "Um... what are you telling me, he's a nip?"" "Okay, I give up, you racist shit." "What the hell are you talking about? I'm not racist! They're not like the wops." The scary thing is, I've met people who think like this. For them, the insulting words for other races are the only ones they know. They're used so frequently in the communities they've come from that, to them, the terms have lost all sting. They aren't meant insultingly, and they can't understand how anyone could possibly be offended by them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
proditor Posted November 25, 2004 Report Share Posted November 25, 2004 Re: Help with Racist Slang The "You're a credit to your people" was used to great effect IMHO in one of the JLA Animated episodes when they meet the elseworlds version of the JSA, circa the 50's. I think it was Green Guardsman who said it, but the look and reaction of John Stewart was amazing. He'd revealed to Hawkgirl that the group they were fighting alongside was one of the reasons he wears the ring. His shock that they were racists in the 50's sense was perfect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JmOz Posted November 25, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 25, 2004 Re: Help with Racist Slang "So, I went over to this chink..." "Dude, you can't say that." "What? Oh, is he a gook? Well, I went over to this gook." "Dude, seriously!" "Um... what are you telling me, he's a nip?"" "Okay, I give up, you racist shit." "What the hell are you talking about? I'm not racist! They're not like the wops." The scary thing is, I've met people who think like this. For them, the insulting words for other races are the only ones they know. They're used so frequently in the communities they've come from that, to them, the terms have lost all sting. They aren't meant insultingly, and they can't understand how anyone could possibly be offended by them. The two from the 50's are white teenagers, who have had really sheltered lives, but very patriotic. The Chinese character is the de facto leader of the team of heroes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted November 25, 2004 Report Share Posted November 25, 2004 Re: Help with Racist Slang The two from the 50's are white teenagers, who have had really sheltered lives, but very patriotic. The Chinese character is the de facto leader of the team of heroes. Then they assume the white male is in charge. That's the way the world works, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobGreenwade Posted November 25, 2004 Report Share Posted November 25, 2004 Re: Help with Racist Slang Take a cue from Archie Bunker. Archie had his perceptions and prejudices, but never really hated anyone based on ethnicity (despite his nickname as a "lovable bigot," he really was remarkably open-minded.) If the guy's Chinese-American rather than Chinese, for example, your guys could say "We see no reason to not treat him like a regular American." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JmOz Posted November 25, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 25, 2004 Re: Help with Racist Slang Then they assume the white male is in charge. That's the way the world works' date=' right?[/quote'] That is beutiful: ESPECIALY CONSIDERING: the group just got a new Patriotic Brick who is wet behind the ears new... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JmOz Posted November 25, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 25, 2004 Re: Help with Racist Slang Take a cue from Archie Bunker. Archie had his perceptions and prejudices' date=' but never really hated anyone based on ethnicity (despite his nickname as a "lovable bigot," he really was remarkably open-minded.) If the guy's Chinese-American rather than Chinese, for example, your guys could say "We see no reason to not treat him like a regular American."[/quote'] Nope: Full Fledged Born, Raised, trained to kill, Cursed, Chinese now livign in the states... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeroGM Posted November 25, 2004 Report Share Posted November 25, 2004 Re: Help with Racist Slang Slurs Don't ask me how I have that link, involves a half black/asian girl I knew. If you go to google you get a good number of links. The best (Racial Slurs database) was apprently taken down. All you had to do was enter the race and it'd come up with a list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vondy Posted November 25, 2004 Report Share Posted November 25, 2004 Re: Help with Racist Slang He's Chinese? Have people keep assuming he's Japanese. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just A Guy Name Posted November 25, 2004 Report Share Posted November 25, 2004 Re: Help with Racist Slang He's Chinese? Have people keep assuming he's Japanese.Alluded to earlier.. The operative quote being: "Chinese, Japanese... What's the difference?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mantis Posted November 26, 2004 Report Share Posted November 26, 2004 Re: Help with Racist Slang The "You're a credit to your people" was used to great effect IMHO in one of the JLA Animated episodes when they meet the elseworlds version of the JSA' date=' circa the 50's.[/quote'] That's the source of my suggestion, I admit . And I agree it was effective. One other thing about using characters with 50's social values, is you should (IMHO) balance the negative of their inherent discrimination against foreigners, blacks, and women (as was the norm) with the positive of their otherwise higher moral code, as shown in wholesome 50's and early 60's TV shows like Leave it to Beaver and suchlike - no cussing ("Gee, whiz!" is about as far as they go), outrage if any one else curses, chivalry towards women ("Let me get that door for you, ma'am."), shock offence (and awkward fascination) at seeing scantilly-clad women, copious use of manners, and so on. Give the PCs a dilemma - on one hand, these boys are so damn, sorry, so gosh-darn sweet and polite we can't help but like 'em, but on the other, they treat our chink, sorry, our leader so disrespectfully just because he isn't white, which we find disgraceful. How do we react to these people? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JmOz Posted November 26, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 26, 2004 Re: Help with Racist Slang It shal be interesting, I think the best I cna do is to play up the fish out of water type things, keep having them make bad assumptions, etc... over any overt racism (They ASSUME the white Male is the leader, they ask the female to go get them a drink, etc...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caris Posted November 27, 2004 Report Share Posted November 27, 2004 Re: Help with Racist Slang While watching TV, I just saw something that I think might help you. Watch some episodes of "All in the Family." Archie Bunker may be more blatant/over the top for your character, but a lot of his stuff is appropriate for this kind of character. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted November 27, 2004 Report Share Posted November 27, 2004 Re: Help with Racist Slang The two from the 50's are white teenagers, who have had really sheltered lives, but very patriotic. The Chinese character is the de facto leader of the team of heroes. Somehow I see the kids as getting a lot of giggles out of (over) using the expression "Chinese fire-drill." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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