Year 12s: what will be the first way you research your future options? >>

Is it offensive to call somebody a "Paki"??

I know a lot of Pakistani people who would find it offensive being called a "paki", and to be fair to them it is not really different to calling somebody a "******". However paki seems a lot more socially acceptable, should it be? I must say however saying paki is a lot shorter than Pakistani and that is simply the only reason I say it. I have never wanted to cause offense. And if paki is offensive then why isn't "afghani" offensive??

Yes it is.

It's only offensive if they feel offended

Reply 3

AnharM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpfcVj8BHw4

This basically sums it up.

As far as I know, ''Afghani'' isn't offensive because there's not a history of racial conflict where this word was used to offend the people from Afghanistan.

Reply 4

L'Evil Fish

I don't understand why it's offensive :lol:

Reply 5

EllieC130

To be honest, it wouldn't be offensive if ignorant ***** had made it offensive. They started using it as a slur so now that's what it's seen as. Simple.

Reply 6

CrumpledFudge

It's all about the connotations attached to the word. The term "paki" is used by racist people to speak about Pakistani people in a derogatory way. The word is used as a derogatory term, so is offensive.

Reply 7

Clip

Of course it is.

Although ironically, isn't the literal translation fairly positive - like "Blessed" or something?

Reply 8

Jibola240

Every time I hear the word "Paki" it's used with negative connotation. So I guess most people see it as a slur,
Like the n-word.

Reply 9

Fluorish_Blotts

The word Paki is almost always used in an offensive way, unlike "Afghans". It's meant as an insult not only to Pakistani people, but generally to other South Asians as well.

Reply 10

XMaramena

Yes, in the UK is it generally considered offensive. In the middle east where I grew up however it was not offensive, and merely short for pakistani. No different to Kazakh, Afghan, Uzbek etc.

Reply 11

helpmekid

I dont get why its Offensive

If i say Don't instead of Do Not?

and Paki instead of Pakistani - Its simply shorter :s-smilie:

When I call my Pakistani Friends Paki they dont mind. they reply back and again say the shorter version?

Reply 12

P.Kaur

Yes. Seeing as most people who are brown to any degree will grow up being called pakis, despite not being Pakistani or Muslim, it is indeed meant to be offensive.

Reply 13

CrumpledFudge

Original post by JacobAlevels

It's only offensive if they feel offended

I'd say something is offensive if the intention of saying it is to offend. If someone called someone a 'paki' or a n***** with the intention of using the term in a derogatory way to offend, that's offensive, whether a person says they're offended by it or not. If I heard someone calling a person one of those terms, I'd find it offensive, even if it wasn't directed at me & even if the person wasn't offended themselves.