Is it too much to refrain from saying the word "Jap" because someone said they find it offensive?
You bet. There's no good reason to be offended by the word "Jap" - and I'm not going to run my life by the whims of every irrational person I come across.
It is impossible to keep up with which group of cry-babies is offended by which term, etc. etc.
You think Germans like to hear people using the word Nazi? No, and you would be mistaken if you thought you were going to get people to refrain from using the word "Nazi" in a WWII sim environment. NAZI isn't even an abbreviation of Germany, and still, it would be BS to aska people not to call German planes, military, pilots, etc of WWII Nazis.
It is totally ridiculous for a Japanese person to ask people in a WWII Flight Sim not to refer to Japanese planes, soldiers, etc as "Japs"
It is not offensive. Objectively, it is not offensive, its just an abbreviation.
If you find it offensive, they YOU are the one with a problem, not the person using the word.
It would be one thing If I was walking down the street, saw an oriental that I assumed was Japanese, and said "Hey why did you Japs attack pearl harbor" - there is some offensiveness in the tone and context, and out of manners, I might consider not saying something like that. Then again, if it was a 75years old Japanese man, who served in the military, I would definitely call him a Jap.
Likewise, when you are playing a WWII sim, people are going to talk in context, because that's what its all about.
There is absolutely no good reason to be offended by the word Jap.
I think that what people are offended by is the attitude that they perceive being behind the word - namely that Americans harbor deep-seated resentment for what Japan did in WWII, and you know what..they are right.
The Japanese attacked America, without any justification or provocation, and they lost. Tough toejam man...they are lucky we let them keep their toejamty island. The last thing I'm gonna do is change the English Language because they are ashamed of what they did, or because they are pissed off that they lost.
[This message has been edited by BotaBing (edited 09-11-2000).]