Is the term "shanghai" offensive?

[Coventina]

As in "being shanghaied" or "I was shanghaied"?

I don't think it is, because it doesn't have anything to do with the people of Shanghai. If anything, I think it's a slam against the West for kidnapping their own people to be sailors.

But my husband disagrees, and was shocked to hear that I had used the term in front of a co-worker of Asian descent.

Was I being an insensitive boob?
Do I need to apologize?

[DS1]

1. Hell no! n/t

[Dookus]

2. I don't think so

because it's not a reference to the character of people from there. It's not like "welshed", "jewed" or "gypped".

[trof]

3. Never call a Choctaw an Indian giver.

It really pisses them off.
:-)

[mr_hat]

4. Hey! I just google whatchacallit. "Shanghai etymology" n/t

edit: sp.

[Kurovski]

5. It's becoming archaic.

I hardly ever hear it. Maybe that's why?

[democracyindanger]

6. No, because it wasn't the Chinese doing the shanghai-ing

[alcibiades_mystery]

7. How about the phrase "yap-o-nese"

When I was growing up, we always used the phrase "yap-o-nese" (as a verb) to indicate that someone had "surpised you unpleasantly." For example, suppose you're walking down the street with a soda and your friend Matty sneaks up behind you and knocks it out of your hand. We would say:

"Matty totally yap-o-nesed me today."

Well, when I was in college, I used the phrase to a shocked response. It was the last day before summer break, but I was staying up at school for a few more weeks to take a summer course. My housemates had left a mess of dishes in the sink from our party the night before. When I went to clean the dishes, I reached into the full sink, only to be sliced by a broken wine glass that hid underneath some pots. Damn! They yap-o-nesed me! So, later that night I had the GF and a buddy over for dinner, and I'm recounting the story, and I say "Matty yap-o-nesed me with a broken wine glass in the sink!" The GF says "Huh? Matty did what?" Well, you see, he yap-o-nesed me.

"What's that mean?"
"Yap-o-nesed. Y'know, like a surprise attack?"
The GF is horrified. "You mean, like the Japanese?"
"Uh, yeah, I guess so."
"That's horrible," says the GF, "How could you use words like that? That's a slur."

Never even occured to stupid me that it was in fact a slur, but I could suddenly see it. BTW, my buddy was laughing his ass off throughout this exchange, saying "Yap-o-nese" over and over again.

I never used the word in front of the GF again...;-) (The GF is now my wife...)

[yellowdogintexas]

8. don't know about offensive but it's a damn fun card game