racism

[suzuki1]

i would like to know why you can take the first 4 letters of british and call someone a brit take the first 4 letters of scotland and call someone a scot plus several other countries but when it comes to pakistan the rules change and you cant do it ???

[cab]

Now there is a clever thought X

[Octavius]

Why not just use the word pakistani instead.

[Ethel]

Because ignorant people refer to all people of Asian appearance as that word whether they come from Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Sikkim, Nepal, Britain or any other country.

In the UK it has been used as an insult for years.

[dylan1959]

my dad was irish and hated anyone calling him paddie

[Oneeyedvic]

Because it has become an insulting word.

Most women would refer to their reproductive area as a vagina. Why therefore if I called it a c**t would they get upset - it is still describing the same thing.

The answer is that it has become an insulting word.

[jake-the-peg]

The context is also important.

I recall George Bush screwing up in India, about to say "Indians" then you could see the cogs turning and him thinking "no native americans - no er...." then he said "Indies" and then turned the mess into a headlong fall by aplying the same rules for Pakistanis

There was a bit of a fuss but everybody realised it was just Bush screwing up talking.

This case was one of insensitivity but as they say not malicious.

Then compare that to some BNP thug screaming it in someone's face

Three different cases 3 different contexts.

If people tended to come up to you abroad and call you a F'ing Brit enough it would soon turn the term into an abusive one

[brionon]

They are obviously ashamed of their Homeland.

[TWR]

Tabloid making something that happened 3 yrs ago & the public bite, as they have done,

[TCL-MUMPING]

Would you like to be called an Eng, or a F***ing Eng? What about being called an Eng if you were a Scot?

[WaldoMcFroog]

I believe that in the US, 'P@ki' is used as the standard contraction for someone from Pakistan and no one ever thinks twice about it; this is because it doesn't have the loaded connotations that the word has here and it is used exclusively to mean 'a person from Pakistan'.

[Ice.Maiden]

It amazes me how sensitive people've become. My friends and relatives in Australia don't mind being called Aussies one bit, and one particular friend always calls me a limey - but I don't take offence. If an expletive's used in front of an abbreviated word, then yes, it could be said that an insult was being hurled, but otherwise, I think the whole thing's stupid.

[keyplus90]

I am from Pakistan and I would not mind if someone calls me P@ki when he is only referring to me as Pakistani. But most of the times this word is used with added spice and a wrong intention. Even that if you ask me I take positively. I personally believe that our society have become a bit too sensitive about these issues.

I would rather like to know who thinks about me in what sense instead of me not knowing that the person who says good morning to me everyday hates me in his heart only because of the colour of my skin.

[heathfield]

For all my long life I have heard in speech and broadcasts, and seen in print (in the most responsible of publications), the use of the words 'Afghani' to describe persons from Afghanistan, 'Iraqi' for persons from Iraq, 'Turkmeni' for persons from Turkmenistan, etc, etc.
These have never been considered derogatory terms. I utterly fail to understand why people from Pakistan should consider that, in their instance, P@ki is. It also perplexes me as to why our courts should agree with them, and thus, under threat of prosecution, suddenly deny everyone the use of a common word that has been around in English for hundreds of years.
PC at its most ridiculous.

[Quizmonkey]

Are these some of the most ignorant posts ever to appear on Answerbank?

[WoWo]

heathfield - The reason is this, the countries you mention are all named after the people who live there, so take Afghanistan for example, this area is traditionally populated by Afghans, stan means land (or technically place) so Afghanistan means land of the Afghans.

However... Pakistan is a made up name, literally it means land of the pure (in Urdu), the country itself was made up from the Punjab, Afgania, Kashmir, Sindh and Balochistan and some of the capital letters were used to make the name.

Therefore somebody from Afghanistan is and Afgan, but somebody from Pakistan is not a **** in the same sense.

The term is used but it doesn't have the same strong root as the other terms you talk about.

...and as for your point that it has been in use in the English language for hundreds of years, Pakistan was established on 14 August 1947, so more like 62.

[slark]

Quizmonkey
You want to come on at night and read what the trolls from facebook say

[HatlessJack]

The 'P' word is lazy verbal short-hand for 'brown' people. No regard is given as to their actual country of origin, which could be one of many producing 'brown' people.

Humans always need some sort of label to give to others: if they are white but British; the bloke with the big ears, the guy with the limp, carrot-top, wonky-eye; and if they are white but foreign; the frog, the kraut, the wop, the yank...................etc.

Personally, I wince when I'm told about 'the P*** (self-edited) shop' because I don't use that word myself. However, I certainly wouldn't associate with folks who used it as a term of abuse.

[Quizmonkey]

Thanks for the warning, Slark - I'll steer clear!