There seems to be a lot of derogatory terms in the forces that are very typical.

Haj, rag head, sand nigger, there are a lot more, but I forget a lot of them. these are the popular ones.

personal I don't use them, but I am around people that use them. I have an understanding of cultures, and am rather well read for someone in the Infantry. using these words makes people sound very ignorant, and it almost sickens me.

People in the army think we should just kill everyone, and the war should be like Vietnam. I dunno, there is also a lot of racism, granted it is a lot in jokes and fucking around, but I know the guys who joke about it believe it. This one Sgt, when we are just hanging out rants about Niggers, spicks, Mississippi wind chimes, chinks, japs, sand niggers.

Its gross, and I would say it is probably almost half of the people have some sort of racist beliefs. I fucking hate people.

What unit are you in?

I said Haj and Hajji just because it rolls off your tounge better than Iraqi or person of arab descent.

I said Haj and Hajji just because it rolls off your tounge better than Iraqi or person of arab descent.

Do you also say 'nigger' rather than African-American?

Do you also say 'nigger' rather than African-American?

Just because someone is black doesn't make them African-American; likewise, just because someone is a nigger doesn't make them black.

And to focus more on point, I'll give an example. I work with two targetting specialists. Both of them are named Gordon. They're in the same division. One of them is black and the other is white. For some inane scaredy-cat politically correct bullshit fucking reason, everyone calls them "big Gordon" and "little Gordon." Some people aren't so idiotic and at least call them "second class type" or "first class type" to correspond with their rank. The problem at my command isn't racism, it's the "must be professional and politcally correct" climate. It doesn't feel like a family which is how it's supposed to be. Regardless, I call them "Gordon", or when people are unable to discern of whom I'm speaking, I call them "white Gordon" and "black Gordon." I see no problem with this whatsoever.

I call them "white Gordon" and "black Gordon." I see no problem with this whatsoever.

Exactly, that is no different or offensive then saying Gordon with brown hair. If we didn't use physical features in identifying people we would never tell anybody apart.

Just because someone is black doesn't make them African-American; likewise, just because someone is a nigger doesn't make them black.

Diversionary semantics.

And piss-poor diversionary semantics at that; an Iraqi or Middle Easterner is not a Hajji simply by virtue of being a Muslim, just as being black doesn't make you African-American.

My point, as you are well aware, is simply that "nigger" trips off the tongue far more easily than African-American. And if it is acceptable to call an Iraqi by the pejorative term "Haj" purely on the basis of ease-of-expression, then why is it unacceptable to call an African-American by the pejorative term "nigger"?

Diversionary semantics.

And piss-poor diversionary semantics at that; an Iraqi or Middle Easterner is not a Hajji simply by virtue of being a Muslim, just as being black doesn't make you African-American.

My point, as you are well aware, is simply that "nigger" trips off the tongue far more easily than African-American. And if it is acceptable to call an Iraqi by the pejorative term "Haj" purely on the basis of ease-of-expression, then why is it unacceptable to call an African-American by the pejorative term "nigger"?

I think its because we're virtually all the people we're fighting over there are Muslims, who conduct a trip to Mecca. Thus they are called El-Hajji, an honor title given to a Muslim who has completed the trip to Mecca.

If you consider look it at that way, technically while its used in a derogatory manner, in other ways we're honoring them as the whole because we assume all middle eastern muslims are good believers and have made the trip.

The wikipedia article that helped me explain this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hajji

Now...with this in mind...I walk into Compton California and go up to someone and say "Greetings my Nigger" -- I'm probably going to be shot since nigger, negro etc. were words we used when we whipped said people.

With Hajji, we may honor the unassuming Muslim, though we'll probably piss em off cause we blew up their country and opened up the rivalaries between groups.

....and plus, its keepin up with tradition that uses derogatory terms for the enemy. Such as hun, jap, kraut, gook, chink, during war to make them seem less human than they really are.

I think its because we're virtually all the people we're fighting over there are Muslims, who conduct a trip to Mecca. Thus they are called El-Hajji, an honor title given to a Muslim who has completed the trip to Mecca.

If you consider look it at that way, technically while its used in a derogatory manner, in other ways we're honoring them as the whole because we assume all middle eastern muslims are good believers and have made the trip.

....and plus, its keepin up with tradition that uses derogatory terms for the enemy. Such as hun, jap, kraut, gook, chink, during war to make them seem less human than they really are.

That's an interesting contradiction.

Now...with this in mind...I walk into Compton California and go up to someone and say "Greetings my Nigger" -- I'm probably going to be shot since nigger, negro etc. were words we used when we whipped said people.

With Hajji, we may honor the unassuming Muslim, though we'll probably piss em off cause we blew up their country and opened up the rivalaries between groups.

You've already referred to the irony here - derogatory terms associated with past injustices are bad, but derogatory terms associated with present injustices are OK. But credit to you for at least having the decency to admit that the main objective of such terminology is to dehumanize and degrade the 'enemy'.

Yea. Once you watch an IED vaporize the vehicle in front of you or you get shot giving candy to a little girl talk of Hajj wont bother you a bit.

You'll understand once you get to know the wonderful creature that is the Iraqi/Afghani.

By the way a lot of them call each other Haji, like someone else mentioned they earn it upon making the hike to mecca.

Ma esalama!

I know I am fine with that, but they seem to use it as a term for anyone not from the US, indians, middle east, anyone with medium skin tones. The term haj is for people who have traveled to mecca, not anyone . It is earned.

Are you going to bitch and moan about people who called the nazis "krauts" or "jerries"?

Every military's people will make up nicknames for their enemies, and they usually won't be nice.

You do know that the title of haj or haji (whatever the correct wording is) gets bestowed after completing the pilgrimage. I think that addressing people as Haj is more similar to calling them "sir" in the fashion that police here in western countries do. Do you really think everyone that police forces interact with are knights?

If the vocabulary of those around you is your biggest problem you're doing pretty well.

By the way a lot of them call each other Haji,


Am I the only one who caught the irony?

Do you really think everyone that police forces interact with are knights?

But the injustices of the past committed by noblemen against peasants makes me so angry when I hear someone called 'Sir'! It's as if we are excusing the behavior of the evil noblemen by trying to emulate them in our everyday speech by saying 'sir'...