Fresh off the boat

Last updated

The phrase fresh off the boat(FOB), off the boat(OTB), are sometimes-derogatory terms used to describe immigrants who have arrived from a foreign nation and have yet to assimilate into the host nation's culture, language, and behavior, but still continue with their ethnic ideas and practices. [1] Within Asian American circles in the United States, the phrase is considered politically incorrect and derogatory. It can also be used to describe the stereotypical behavior of new immigrants as, for example, their poor driving skills, [2] that they are educated yet working low-skilled or unskilled jobs, and their use of broken English. The term originates in the early days of immigration, when people mostly migrated to other countries by ship. "Fresh off the Boeing 707" (in reference to the Boeing 707 jet) is sometimes used in the United States as a variation, especially amongst East, South and Southeast Asian immigrants. [3] In the United Kingdom "fresh off the boat" (mostly in regard to Pakistanis and other South Asians, but can include other immigrant groups) are referred to as freshies or simply FOBs. [4]

Contents

In the sociology of ethnicity, this term can be seen as an indicator of a nature of diasporic communities, or communities that have left their country of origin and migrated, usually permanently, to another country. The term has also been adapted by immigrants themselves or others in their community who see the differentiation as a source of pride, where they have retained their culture and have not lost it to assimilation. In fact, instead of taking this harm-intended phrase as an insult, many immigrants and more specifically, East and South Asians (especially their American-born children) may use this term to describe their cultural background habits and fashion sense, for example "fobby clothing", "fobby glasses", "fobby accent", and others[ citation needed ]. Similarly, some in the Arab-American community in Michigan refer to themselves as "Boaters", using it as a term of endearment, while others see it as an insult. [5]

Daryanani Law Group documents the struggles of ethnic communities to understand the English language. From high-schoolers to college students like Rishikesh Balaji, a "fob" mentioned in the article, common societal events like not knowing who OJ Simpson is and confusing it with Homer Simpson are day-to-day struggles that can be difficult and often be a comedic focus in their lives. [6] In some instances, an "ethnic community" may find it difficult to assimilate with their new culture. Although some try to assimilate, they may fail due to the very swift transition to the host continent. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

Jook-sing or zuk-sing (竹升) is a Cantonese term for an overseas Chinese person who was born in the West, or a Chinese person who more readily or strongly identifies with Western culture than traditional Chinese culture.

Gweilo or gwailou is a common Cantonese slang term for Westerners. In the absence of modifiers, it refers to white people and has a history of racially deprecatory and pejorative use. Cantonese speakers frequently use gwailou to refer to Westerners in general use, in a non-derogatory context, although whether this type of usage is offensive is disputed by both Cantonese and Westerners.

The term model minority refers to a minority group, defined by factors such as ethnicity, race, or religion, whose members are perceived to be achieving a higher socioeconomic status in comparison to the overall population average. Consequently, these groups are often regarded as a role model or reference group for comparison to external groups (outgroups). This success is typically assessed through metrics including educational attainment, representation within managerial and professional occupations, household income, and various other socioeconomic indicators such as criminal activity and strong family and marital stability. The prominent association of the model minority concept is with Asian Americans within the United States. Additionally, analogous concepts of classism have been observed in numerous European countries, leading to the stereotyping of specific ethnic groups.

Keling or Kling is an exonym to denote a Tamilian or someone deemed to have originated from South India. Originally a neutral term, since the mid-20th century it has been considered derogatory and an ethnic slur, and it is sometimes euphemistically referred to as the K-word. The term is used in parts of Southeast Asia, particularly the Malay Archipelago where there are a significant Tamil diaspora – specifically Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Brunei – but cognates exist in neighbouring countries as well.

Asian pride is a term that encourages celebration of Asian ethnicity and culture, with various interpretations and origins. In international relations, it can involve advancing Pan-Asianism and critiquing the West. In the United States, it has roots in counter culture, rejecting stereotypes and empowering Asian Americans. The term gained modern use through hip hop culture, promoting a positive stance on being Asian American. The phrase "Got Rice?" emerged as a symbol of cultural identity and pride, often tied to Asian Pride. It humorously references rice as a staple food in Asian cultures. The term was adopted in T-shirt campaigns and seen as a way for Asian Americans to define their identity and counter stereotypes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reappropriation</span> Valuing a formerly pejorative term in esteem

In linguistics, reappropriation, reclamation, or resignification is the cultural process by which a group reclaims words or artifacts that were previously used in a way disparaging of that group. It is a specific form of a semantic change. Linguistic reclamation can have wider implications in the fields of discourse and has been described in terms of personal or sociopolitical empowerment.

<i>FOB</i> (play) 1980 David Henry Hwang play

FOB is a 1980 Obie Award-winning play by American playwright David Henry Hwang. His first play, it depicts the contrasts and conflicts between established Asian Americans and "fresh off the boat" (FOB) newcomer immigrants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Americanization (immigration)</span> Process of an U.S. immigrant becoming a person who shares American culture

Americanization is the process of an immigrant to the United States becoming a person who shares American culture, values, beliefs, and customs by assimilating into the American nation. This process typically involves learning the American English language and adjusting to American culture, values, and customs. It can be considered another form of, or an American subset of Anglicization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stereotypes of South Asians</span> Ethnic stereotypes of South Asian people

Stereotypes of South Asians consist of various generalized beliefs about individuals from South Asia which derive from the region's history and interaction with other cultures and peoples. These stereotypes are often rooted in orientalism, xenophobia and racism and date back to the history of European colonialism and imperialism in South Asia during the 18th and 19th centuries along with the immigration of South Asians to the English-speaking world in the 20th century. According to academics Omar Rahman, David Pollock and John Berry, such stereotypes, which have been primarily propagated through popular culture, have played a major role in hindering the process of acculturation for South Asian immigrants in Western nations.

Plastic Paddy is a slang expression, sometimes used as a derogatory term, to describe unconvincing Irishness or those who "appropriate Irish customs and identity". The phrase has been used as a positive reinforcement and as a pejorative term in various situations, particularly in London but also within Ireland itself. The term has sometimes been applied to people who may misappropriate or misrepresent stereotypical aspects of Irish customs. In this sense, the plastic Paddy may know little of actual Irish culture, but nevertheless assert an Irish identity. In other contexts, the term has been applied to members of the Irish diaspora who have distanced themselves from perceived stereotypes and, in the 1980s, the phrase was used to describe Irish people who had emigrated to England and were seeking assimilation into English culture.

Internalized racism is a form of internalized oppression, defined by sociologist Karen D. Pyke as the "internalization of racial oppression by the racially subordinated." In her study The Psychology of Racism, Robin Nicole Johnson emphasizes that internalized racism involves both "conscious and unconscious acceptance of a racial hierarchy in which a presumed superior race are consistently ranked above other races. These definitions encompass a wide range of instances, including, but not limited to, belief in negative stereotypes, adaptations to cultural standards, and thinking that supports the status quo.

Chinaman is an offensive term referring to a Chinese man or person, or widely a person native to geographical East Asia or of perceived East Asian ethnicity. The term is noted as having pejorative overtones by modern dictionaries. Its derogatory connotations evolved from its use in pejorative contexts regarding Chinese people and other East Asians, as well as its grammatical incorrectness which resembles stereotypical characterizations of Chinese accents in English-speaking associated with discrimination. The usage of the term Chinaman is strongly discouraged by Asian American organizations.

Al-Nawar is an Arabic term for several nomad communities used primarily in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine. The term, regarded as derogatory, is used by Arabs for several diverse ethnic groups. They have historically been called "Gypsies", though as a whole they are not Romani per se. The Dom people are especially known as Nawar. While both they and Romani people originated from the Indian subcontinent, they came from two drastically different ethnicities and cultures.

Wog is a racial slur used to refer, in British English, to black and South Asian people, and, in Australian English, to people from the Mediterranean region. Whilst it is extremely derogatory in British English, in Australian English it may be considered non-offensive depending on how the word is used, due to reclamation and changing connotations.

Second-generation immigrants in the United States are individuals born and raised in the United States who have at least one foreign-born parent. Although the term is an oxymoron which is often used ambiguously, this definition is cited by major research centers including the United States Census Bureau and the Pew Research Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Symbolic ethnicity</span>

In sociology, symbolic ethnicity is a nostalgic allegiance to, love for, and pride in a cultural tradition that can be felt and lived without having to be incorporated to the person's everyday behavior; as such, a symbolic ethnic identity usually is composed of images from mass communications media.

Swedish profanity can be divided into several categories. A substantial number of curse words in Swedish have religious origins. Euphemistic variants of the religious curses are commonly used as well. References to genitalia or bodily functions are common in the Swedish profanity vocabulary. Notably, no word for sexual intercourse is commonly used in invectives, unlike many other languages. However, calques of English fuck using knull (noun), knulla (verb) do occur; this comes across as more offensive than fuck does in English. In general, knull(a), along with genitalia slang words like kuk ('cock') and fitta ('cunt') are the most offensive single words. By contrast, most of the traditional religious profanities are not considered very offensive today; this is in line with Sweden's long-standing secularism.

Hori is an ethnic slur used against people of Māori descent. The term comes from a Māori-language approximation of George, an English name that was very popular during the early years of European colonisation of New Zealand. By means of synecdoche, the term came to be ascribed firstly to any unknown male Māori and then as a negative epithet to all male Māori.

Anti-Vietnamese sentiment involves hostility or hatred that is directed towards Vietnamese people, or the state of Vietnam. This may be due to negative perceptions created by historical tensions, ethnic negative perceptions, wars, or xenophobic sentiments that emerged from the event of refugee Vietnamese. National or regional discrimination can also occur.

References

  1. ↑ Goleman, Daniel (2006). Social intelligence: the new science of human relationships (illustrated ed.). Random House, Inc. p.  305. ISBN   978-0-553-80352-5.
  2. ↑ Sturgeon, Ron; Gahan Wilson (2005). Business jargon (illustrated, abridged ed.). Ron Sturgeon. p.  139. ISBN   978-0-9717031-1-7.
  3. ↑ Gloria Anzaldúa; AnaLouise Keating (2013). this bridge we call home: radical visions for transformation. Routledge. pp. 211–212. ISBN   9781135351526.
  4. ↑ Katharine Charsley; Marta Bolognan (3 March 2016). "Being a freshie is (not) cool: stigma, capital and disgust in British Pakistani stereotypes of new subcontinental migrants". Ethnic and Racial Studies. 40: 43–62. doi: 10.1080/01419870.2016.1145713 . hdl: 1983/8613307c-f20b-4ff9-83d2-ea05b1b3ff7e .
  5. ↑ Harb, Ali (18 July 2014). ""Boater:" A term of endearment or an insult?". The Arab American News.
  6. ↑ "The 5 Most Commonly Misunderstood Immigration Words and Terms". 16 July 2015.
  7. ↑ Reinelt, Janelle G.; Joseph R. Roach (2007). Critical theory and performance (revised, illustrated ed.). University of Michigan Press. p. 161. ISBN   978-0-472-06886-9.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.