Florida still doesn't get it

From the South Florida Sun-Sentinel:

Several years ago, the Japanese American Citizens League, the nation's oldest and largest Asian-American civil rights organization, researched how many listings using the slur "Jap" they could find in half a dozen states. Florida had the highest number, at more than 2,000.

"My guess is that there's a greater insensitivity to Japanese and Japanese-Americans simply because there have been so few Asians in [Florida] historically," said JACL Executive Director John Tateishi from his office in California. "They're uninformed, and hopefully, once made aware of the derogatory nature, would stop using the word `Jap.' If they continue, then it's a totally different matter."

Still, while Floridians have been told as much through complaints -- and though dictionaries label the term offensive -- some don't think "Jap" is derogatory and refuse to stop using the word.

Posted by David on January 18, 2003 1:29 PM