Australian racial epithet

[Zenode]

I use it sometimes, but never as a derogatory term, I just use it as an abbreviation....you just don't say it WHEN talking to an aboriginal.

There are other words used as derogatory terms, but I won't say them here.

 

[BonsaiK]

Okay, so i'm not Australian and have never been. But could someone explain to me the connotation of the word 'abo' i understand it's a derogatory racial epithet for an aborigine.
Here's what i don't get:
In the game dead island they fling the word around in a few places. One quest sticks out where a man wants you to "go kill that abo bastard" and the introduction for the character 'purna' shows that people called he a 'half-abo' in a derogatory manner.
I don't get why people aren't up in arms about this. The world got mad in resident evil for killing 'non whites' or in deus ex because a black person speaks poorly. So on and So on.
Yet this bothers no one.

I'm kind of confused. On a scale of 'offensiveness' where does that term fall in to? It is like the dreaded 'n-word' or more like... i dunno calling someone a 'brit' it's just descriptive and context is everything?

Firstly, I'm Australian. Secondly, I'm heading towards 40. Therefore I feel qualified to give you some historical context on this one.

"Abo" is literally just short for "Aborigine" which is not in itself considered an offensive term, but it is certainly considered a bit of an Australian working-class person's way of referring to an Aboriginal. The fashionable term these days would probably be "Indigenous Australians" or soemthing like that. The word "Abo" can certainly be said in a derogatory way, as in "those fuckin' Abos", and of course the reason why this would be derogatory is that there's the implication in that phrase that just being Aboriginal is a negative thing, regardless of other factors - however that use isn't normal. If it's said in a more neutral kind of way, like "my mate's an abo and he went up north for a while" then there's no derogatory meaning. So it depends how it's said. Aborigines often use the term to describe themselves and each other, in fact they certainly use it a hell of a lot more than non-Aborigines use it in my experience. It's not a word with specific slavery connotations like "******", however it's stronger than "Brit" which doesn't have the class association. The equivalent lower-class slang word in Australia for the British is actually "Pommy" or "Pom" which is about the same strength and once again can be used either in a derogatory way i.e "those Pommy bastards beating us at cricket" or a more neutral or even affectionate way i.e "I love that Pommy bastard". You wouldn't typically call a British guy "Pom" to his face or an Aboriginal guy "Abo" to his face unless you were very close friends and they had a sense of humour, but when describing those people to third parties, neither word is considered offensive by default.

It's worth knowing that "Abo" is used a lot less frequently now compared to what it was in the past - someone wanting to racially slander an Aboriginal would probably pick a stronger word to use, and someone wanting to just refer to aboriginals generally would likely pick another term as well unless they were in a very casual setting, but even then it's hardly used because it's stating the obvious and Australians don't get so obsessed with racial detail, we usually wouldn't use it at all unless we had to describe an Aboriginal to someone else, that'd be one of the few contexts where a word like that is even useful. I perceive the use of it in Dead Island as kind of quaint, like a bit of a cute mis-step in trying to get our dialgoue and speaking manner correct, just like the really bad accents in that game which are more South African than Australian.

 

[evilneko]

Come to think of it, on a slightly related note what is a racial epithet for Aussies in general? Granted, I guess you could use generic white epithets like "honky" (as if anyone used that anymore) or "cracker" but don't they have one of their own? I don't think I've ever heard of one.

 

[Robert Ewing]

Think of it as a Dick Van Dyke cockney situation.

Dick Van Dyke CANNOT speak cockney to save his life, yet everyone in America... I.e The majority of Mary Poppin's audience understood it as cockney. Same thing is here.

Even though any intelligent person can tell that no Australian would ever do or say anything in Dead Island, people can still identify it easily as Australian. I mean, I know for a fact that some American's can't understand a lot of Australian accent depending on the territory. They also can't understand a lot of British accents as well, they only understand southern accents. As soon as you get past our midlands, it just gets so mangled and illegible.

 

[smithy_2045]

Abo is generally used by racist bogans who don't like aborigines, hence, it's considered racist.

 

[Astoria]

Like any word it just depends on how it's said. The majority of people who use are bogans though which is why it's seen as racist.

 

[Fieldy409_v1legacy]

What? I always thought of it as an abbreviation, and not a slur... Guess I had better stop saying it huh.

 

[Still Life]

I've seen people use the term yes but more as a short version instead of deogratory
Just you wouldn't call an aboriginal that if you were talking to a aboriginal

Trying to make sense of the ridiculousness of that statement. It's OK to use a racially derogatory term behind a person's back?

 

[Craorach]

I hear it used a fair bit, in a derogetory tone, but generally in two situations,

1. By aformentioned racist bogans.

2. When yet normal, non racist, individual has been asked for money, smokes or abused in the street by a drunken aboriginal.

 

[rabidmidget]

Well, being Australian, I can say that "Abo" is an offensive term, but different Aboriginals take it differently. It's like the use of the n-word in America.

Now, I haven't played Dead Island, but I actually feel slightly offended at their portrayal of Australians as racist bastards with bogan accents.

The majority of Australians do feel sympathetic towards Indigenous Australians, and have since the 1960's when we gave them the right to become citizens and vote (an overwhelming majority voted 'Yes' to both referendums).

Or the 1970s when we stopped stealing their children.

 

[Thaluikhain]

"Abo" is a touchy term, it can be used as simple shorthand, but racist attitudes have been whitewashed over, not removed. Australian society has developed new and exciting was to discriminate against Aborigines in the last few decades.

Come to think of it, on a slightly related note what is a racial epithet for Aussies in general? Granted, I guess you could use generic white epithets like "honky" (as if anyone used that anymore) or "cracker" but don't they have one of their own? I don't think I've ever heard of one.

Well, given that Australian isn't a race, they can't have one. If you are equating Australian with white anglo-saxons (which is a can o' worms there), the term would be "skip".

Again, describing the dominant racial group, it seriously fails to have any weight behind it, except in the "I don't mind being called a cracker, so I should get to yell the n-word at people" sorta way.

 

[Still Life]

The majority of Australians do feel sympathetic towards Indigenous Australians, and have since the 1960's when we gave them the right to become citizens and vote (an overwhelming majority voted 'Yes' to both referendums).

This is hardly right, thought there is definitely an element of truth there. I won't outright disagree that some Australians in the public were definitely sympathetic to Aboriginal people, but there were other more important factors at play.

The ability to make laws for Aboriginal people was the key factor, as now as citizens under an alien constitution, laws could be made much more vigorously and systematically. That was actually one of the major selling point of the 67 referendum: to 'civilize', 'domesticate' and 'assimilate' Indigenous cultures into the 'white' way of life and eliminate Aboriginal sovereignty/culture. It was step forward in a sense, but not in the monumental way many Australians seem to believe.

Also, the vast majority of Australians don't interact with Indigenous issues. This isn't entirely out of unwillingness, but a big part due to ignorance and politicking in federal parliament. In researching an essay one time, I found statistics that state that less than 10% of non-Aboriginal Australians engage with Indigenous people in any substantive way, so while the 'sympathy' may be there, it is static, idle and virtually null of any positive effect.

I'm not attacking you, but these were a few things that I thought needed a bit of clearing up. I'm an Aboriginal person myself and I'm amazed at the willingness of the younger generations to help Aboriginal people and learn from us, but they don't have many avenues for interaction. Sadly, though, I'm often amazed at the sheer amount of hateful ignorance, racism and vitriol shown towards the First Australians.

Or the 1970s when we stopped stealing their children.

Actually, the government started that up again in 2008 with the NT intervention.

 

[samfergo]

Unrelated note: My twin brother used to date a girl from New Zealand she was a freaky chick. Ergo by meeting this one person i feel it's safe to make a broad (badumtish) assumption about that culture.

If your assumption is that they all have sex with sheep, you'd be one hundred percent correct.

And they aren't good at rugby, either.

Hold which branch of rugby are we talking about? Because in League there in the grand final. And in the Union world cup there destroying every team they face. They must have been using extra fast and strong sheep for training...

 

[CannibalCorpses]

Actually, "Jap" is most definitely a derogatory term.

This is kind of just my opinion here, but I've used the word in front of Japanese people before and they took it what was, a shorter term for Japanese. I'm my eyes though the actual derogatory term for them is nip. Jap I feel can be used without being racial just like abo.

I thought 'yellow monkeys' was the racist term for people from that part of the world. I don't get the whole abbreviated racial insults. Pakistani is fine but paki is disgracefull. Japanese is fine but jap is an insult. WTF?

Racism:
1.a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others.
2.a policy, system of government, etc., based upon or fostering such a doctrine; discrimination.
3.hatred or intolerance of another race or other races.

I don't see anything in the dictionary definition of 'racism' that suggests abbreviated terms are racist

 

[wooty]

I never fully got all of these national nicknames and such. Half dont make sense, pom, yank, hoser, frog. I knew an Australian bloke back in uni and he used to think "pom" was a negative term to describe a brit. The only thing I could say to him was that id rather be called a pom than half the other things ive been called in my life.

 

[Still Life]

I don't see anything in the dictionary definition of 'racism' that suggests abbreviated terms are racist

The way the term has been historically used in contemporary Australian vernacular has categorically given the term racist connotations. Your dictionary doesn't describe the effects of racism on language.

 

[Craorach]

The majority of Australians do feel sympathetic towards Indigenous Australians, and have since the 1960's when we gave them the right to become citizens and vote (an overwhelming majority voted 'Yes' to both referendums).

This is hardly right, thought there is definitely an element of truth there. I won't outright disagree that some Australians in the public were definitely sympathetic to Aboriginal people, but there were other more important factors at play.

The ability to make laws for Aboriginal people was the key factor, as now as citizens under an alien constitution, laws could be made much more vigorously and systematically. That was actually one of the major selling point of the 67 referendum: to 'civilize', 'domesticate' and 'assimilate' Indigenous cultures into the 'white' way of life and eliminate Aboriginal sovereignty/culture. It was step forward in a sense, but not in the monumental way many Australians seem to believe.

Also, the vast majority of Australians don't interact with Indigenous issues. This isn't entirely out of unwillingness, but a big part due to ignorance and politicking in federal parliament. In researching an essay one time, I found statistics that state that less than 10% of non-Aboriginal Australians engage with Indigenous people in any substantive way, so while the 'sympathy' may be there, it is static, idle and virtually null of any positive effect.

I'm not attacking you, but these were a few things that I thought needed a bit of clearing up. I'm an Aboriginal person myself and I'm amazed at the willingness of the younger generations to help Aboriginal people and learn from us, but they don't have many avenues for interaction. Sadly, though, I'm often amazed at the sheer amount of hateful ignorance, racism and vitriol shown towards the First Australians.

Or the 1970s when we stopped stealing their children.

Actually, the government started that up again in 2008 with the NT intervention.

You seem like a well educated, decent, human being.. as someone who came to this country only seven years ago and has had many, extremely negative, experiences with aboriginal people. I salute you.

However, racism is only racism when it is unfounded. I have a fair measure of distrust towards aboriginal people, which has developed in seven years.. since when I came here and heard bad things said my reaction was "they can't all be like that, don't be so racist."

In seven years, living in a suburb with a fairly large aboriginal population and working in low income "entry level" jobs, I have had a handful of good experiences, and many many more negative experiences. I have watched them trash government housing and leave it abandoned for a year, only for the same family to be allowed back into it. I have been abused, threatened and my wife attacked. I have worked in a position where I took applications for entry level positions and had a total of one aboriginal person apply for a job that every last person on Centrelink should have been applying for, and was sent directly too.

I do know an aboriginal man who works with the local schools, and his stories about the behaviour of the parents.. and why many of their children give up on trying to get out of their situations, when they are told by their parents to pop out more children as soon as possible to live off the state.

I'm sure there are many aboriginal people like you, and my friend, out there in this country.. however, what I see when I walk down the street every day cannot and should not be denied, and should not be forgiven just because of the crimes of the past.

 

[Fieldy409_v1legacy]

The majority of Australians do feel sympathetic towards Indigenous Australians, and have since the 1960's when we gave them the right to become citizens and vote (an overwhelming majority voted 'Yes' to both referendums).

This is hardly right, thought there is definitely an element of truth there. I won't outright disagree that some Australians in the public were definitely sympathetic to Aboriginal people, but there were other more important factors at play.

The ability to make laws for Aboriginal people was the key factor, as now as citizens under an alien constitution, laws could be made much more vigorously and systematically. That was actually one of the major selling point of the 67 referendum: to 'civilize', 'domesticate' and 'assimilate' Indigenous cultures into the 'white' way of life and eliminate Aboriginal sovereignty/culture. It was step forward in a sense, but not in the monumental way many Australians seem to believe.

Also, the vast majority of Australians don't interact with Indigenous issues. This isn't entirely out of unwillingness, but a big part due to ignorance and politicking in federal parliament. In researching an essay one time, I found statistics that state that less than 10% of non-Aboriginal Australians engage with Indigenous people in any substantive way, so while the 'sympathy' may be there, it is static, idle and virtually null of any positive effect.

I'm not attacking you, but these were a few things that I thought needed a bit of clearing up. I'm an Aboriginal person myself and I'm amazed at the willingness of the younger generations to help Aboriginal people and learn from us, but they don't have many avenues for interaction. Sadly, though, I'm often amazed at the sheer amount of hateful ignorance, racism and vitriol shown towards the First Australians.

Or the 1970s when we stopped stealing their children.

Actually, the government started that up again in 2008 with the NT intervention.

You seem like a well educated, decent, human being.. as someone who came to this country only seven years ago and has had many, extremely negative, experiences with aboriginal people. I salute you.

However, racism is only racism when it is unfounded. I have a fair measure of distrust towards aboriginal people, which has developed in seven years.. since when I came here and heard bad things said my reaction was "they can't all be like that, don't be so racist."

In seven years, living in a suburb with a fairly large aboriginal population and working in low income "entry level" jobs, I have had a handful of good experiences, and many many more negative experiences. I have watched them trash government housing and leave it abandoned for a year, only for the same family to be allowed back into it. I have been abused, threatened and my wife attacked. I have worked in a position where I took applications for entry level positions and had a total of one aboriginal person apply for a job that every last person on Centrelink should have been applying for, and was sent directly too.

I do know an aboriginal man who works with the local schools, and his stories about the behaviour of the parents.. and why many of their children give up on trying to get out of their situations, when they are told by their parents to pop out more children as soon as possible to live off the state.

I'm sure there are many aboriginal people like you, and my friend, out there in this country.. however, what I see when I walk down the street every day cannot and should not be denied, and should not be forgiven just because of the crimes of the past.

Personally I dont think the problem is that they are aboriginals, its that mindset of poverty and that they pass it on to their children. You see the same things, and the same abhorrent behaviour in white people. But we call those people bogans and never think to compare them. Its poverty and a culture of failure thats been cultivated thats the problem.

 

[shadowice558]

In my experience, and trust me, I've had alot. It's just context really.

I know plenty of people who use it as short, completely un-aware that it could have a negative meaning.

And i also see it used as an insult, yet only towards the people who, simply put. Deserve to be insulted. Not because of their race mind you, but because they are just general bastards.

The same way that, if you had just been robbed by a black guy, you'd probably be saying something along the lines of "FUCKING N--- TOOK MY WALLET!". Basically, the only time it's ever really an insult, is when the word "Asshole" doesn't feel accurate enough.

 

[Deadyawn]

You want to know why there wasn't an uproar against this videogame for being racist? because here in australia we're not a bunch of uptight whingers.
Seriously though, abo is probably equivilent to ****** in many ways although I have honestly never heard anyone refer to anyone else that way. They're not particularly nice things to call someone but it's a game. People don't get upset when either of those words are used in a movie or a book or anything. As far as I'm concerned it's a non-issue.