Ossis and Amis

[SJ1 2,052]

Kobe I am baffled at the moment, very likely the cause of my discombobulation.

 

I try to explain that I am so passionate about all derogatory labels and find them equally demeaning and in turn get called an idiot, a racist, and told to f off. :blink:

[ashhahnmueller 115]

Well then we know two different sets of people, as my family, who still resides in the East, finds the word to be on the same derogatory level.

[SJ1 2,052]

I think it varies per person. Just as some people are not offended by phrases like honkey as was previously mentioned, while others would react very hostile.

 

But I too have found everyone I talked in the former eastern states to deemed the phrase Ossi derogatory.

 

None the less, I am going to head kobes advice before my posts become any more incoherent. ;)

[ExpatUSA 1,412]

 

Does that justify the hate?

Hate is a very strong word and IMHO wrong in this context. I would rather call it an unwillingness to understand each other on occasions, as terms like "Jammer Ossi" or "Besserwessi" show. It has gotten much better over the years though.

[ShaggyMame 363]

 

Well then we know two different sets of people, as my family, who still resides in the East, finds the word to be on the same derogatory level.

 

I guess a history lesson is in order then.

 

'Ossi'≠'N***er'

[Kevin Wunderlich 15]

Ossi is only offensive when used by ignorant morons.

[Ragoro 38]

 

Ossi is only offensive when used by ignorant morons.

I think you're right and that doesn't just go for the word "Ossi" but also for "Wessi", "Fischkopf", "Ami", "Inselaffe" and so on! Sometimes the tone and the context matters, so it's not what you say, but how you say it, and when.

[ganzgeld 940]

Whose a fischkopf?

[john g. 37,776]

Someone from Hamburg! Learnt this last week!

[Ragoro 38]

 

Whose a fischkopf?

Errmm... a "Northerner" who lives close to the coast. :lol:

[ganzgeld 940]

Ohh. Well then. This reminded me of how for a brief period in the US, it became the insult in my third grade classroom to call someone a hamburger...or well, more specifically, a double cheeseburger with lettuce and mayo. They were kind of weird little kids. How do you think a real Hamburger would react to that??

[foreverwright 0]

my in-laws live here in Germany and the very first day I got to Germany we were out in uniform and had some old German lady curse us out but she didn't use Ami (which I don't find offensive) my mother in law wwas quick to return the "welcoming spirit back" lol

[niacin 2]

Outside of the Wessi/Ossi terms, I think that we all have to agree that being from Ireland and being always asked "so, do you come from England or America?"... is the worst insult of all :lol:

[Moondancer 5,723]

No one has mentioned the use of the word "Euros" to describe Europeans. I find that one to be sort of ehhh.

 

As to amis, etc. it is usually how it is used, in what context that makes it derogatory. Most of the time I don't mind it, unless the person is using it in an insulting way. Yanks is also ok by me.

 

For Ossi and Wessi, really have not got huge opinion on it, but as of now, no one has suggested a better word to use. Personally, I think it is time for the media to simply stop saying East and West Germany, just use the word Germany and stop the division.

 

I feel the same way about the use of the words Black and White in the US. If the media would stop using those "descriptive" words, perhaps people would lessen their own use of them. It really shouldn't matter in a news report.

[techgirl 1,827]

Personally I think the poll should include an option for "Both words offend me." I'm not sure if I should be offended by "Ami" although I've gotten mixed interpretations from German friends. "Ami" as short for "American" could be a slur, could be laziness depending on the source. It all depends on the (historical, cultural) associations.

 

On another note, when my mom came to visit me, she made a comment comparing the number of "African Americans" in Nürnberg to my hometown (in Kentucky)... I replied that they're not "African Americans" here since it's not America... So she asks, "Well, what do you call them then?" I had to reply simply "black" as I don't know any more neutral term. Although I do have to inform my students here (German, learning English) that "colored" is NOT acceptable in the US -- although they keep using it in class.

 

Personally, I hate labels. Although I unfortunately am forced to resort to them at times to describe groups of people defined by a common characteristic (whether religion, heritage, skin color, or otherwise). How do you find a "neutral" label that doesn't offend? Take the above-mentioned "colored" for example... Up until about the 1970s the US it was fairly neutral term -- look at the NAACP for example, which still uses it. But it's not politically correct. Similarly, "African American" marginalizes those of dark skin tone who identify with origins other than Africa (Bahamians, for example). And it simply doesn't work here!

 

We don't use terms like "Kraut" or "Wop" or "Dago" -- these derogatory terms from a couple generations back that serve to "Other" people by reducing them to a label. Or "Indian" to refer to "Native American" (Or "First Peoples" if you're in Canada) -- although that can also vary by area.

 

If people are offended by the term "Ami" or "Ossi" -- regardless of whether (as the user) you intended it as an insult -- then it becomes an offensive label. Arguing about which labels are more offensive doesn't serve to further any purpose. Yes, some labels have a much more incendiary history, and as a result are reacted to more violently. But cultural sensitivity should dictate that any of these terms are potentially antagonistic.

 

Of course, then there's the flip side, where we all become so easily offended -- and so overly PC -- that we are forced to refer to "my vertically-challenged friend who identifies as female-gendered and hails from Northeast Germany but whose ancestry is of Asian origin" -- damn!

[Deccie 244]

If I was American, I would probably prefer to be called an "Ami" as opposed to a "septic" :-)

[Amber127 720]

I actually have to watch where I am when I use the word Ossi. Some people get really really offended by the word, and I married an Ossi. My in laws are proud Ossis, and my husband is sort of too but he will also use Ossi as a bad word against some idiots.

 

At my old job in a hotel a few of us got into a discussion. It was right after that resume fiasco where the company wrote 'Ossi' on her lebenslauf. The one girl who was a supervisor said she hated the word and can't stand it. She thought it was horrible. Some of the other girls agreed, but it seemed to be a sensitive subject and you can only imagine the look on their faces when I said the word Ossi. One girl afterward said she was a proud Ossi. I then had to fix the akwardness by reminding them I married an Ossi.

 

There are two sides to this.

 

I have heard Ami used somewhat in a bad way but mostly from the annoying tourist from the cruise ships. They even annoy me. I don't mind being called Ami as long as there aren't any nasty words in front of it.

[westvan 9,706]

What really offends me is the German habit of making up a cutesy (in their minds) nickname for everything.

 

I've only heard Ami and Ossi used in a derogatory way and don't care for either term.

[niacin 2]

 

What really offends me is the German habit of making up cutesy nickname for everything.

 

its their omdern attempt to soften their unwieldy language that often sounds like someone chewing on a glass bottle

[Krieg 15,074]

 

What really offends me is the German habit of making up cutesy nickname for everything.

 

In Berlin:

 

Kurt Schumacher Platz = Kutschi

 

Kottbusser Tor = Kotti