aklim,

growing up in los angeles, when the word "jap" was thrown my way (i am korean, btw), those that threw it did not use it in a kind, polite way. so no, its not as innocuous as you might think. moreover, the term jap was used as a derogatory term during ww2 in all anti-japanese propaganda and commonly used by soldiers as well. unfortunately, the term stuck here in america. some still use it in a very derogatory way, while others like yourself, do not find it offensive. maybe you feel that the term has been watered down and/or find no historical negative meaning behind it, but my feeling is that from reading many of your posts, you are not an ignorant person and can be reasoned with to understand that it is not just a shortened word and that you should not use it as you have in the past.

i hope you can understand and digest the above.

now for the posts above where people have said "i wish we could just throw off all this hyphenated-american stuff". sh#t, i would LOVE that. similarly, i wish i could go to an all 100% white town and not be stared at like i dont belong. just my experience folks: when i travel internationally or even here domestically where there is not a good mix of different backgrounds, ethnicities, etc, i still get stared at. yes, its true. i recall about 8 years ago, i had a layover in iowa of all places. i could *feel* the stares. not too far away from me, a young girl whose family that was sitting next to me said in a hushed voice "what is he?" while pointing. jesus H christ: "i'm a person. i'm an american. i eat, sleep and **** just like you, young child", i felt like saying in my head. and on the other end of the spectrum, i've had old white ladies say "You speak english so well!". i mean, WTF. i came here when i was 2 years old, im in my late 30s, all my education/cultural background is 100% USA. but i still get this from time to time.

that's just one man's experience and until you've walked in my shoes, you may never understand where i'm coming from (and vice versa).

so ive come to expect it and accept it for what it is. i used to get peeved about it, but i know that the vast majority of people aren't ignorant, so i try my best to ignore the ignorant.

bob