Which of these terms for foreigners/outsiders is the most hostile/derogatory? (living in, vs)

[Tom Lennox 70]

So a lot of countries and groups have terms to refer to foreigners or outsiders. Here are some of the common ones. Just wondering which one y'all think are the most disrespectful or hostile to the person being described.

[Tom Lennox 70]

All of these terms have been criticized by people outside of the cultures that use them, but out of this I think "kafir" which is the Arabic term for infidel is probably the MOST hostile. When people in Muslim countries and Muslims living in the West refer to non-Muslims it is usually with hostility and even hatred which isn't always true for the other terms there.

Some Westerners do have a problem with the Japanese term gaijin and the Chinese term gweilo particularly gaijin but I don't think these are as bad as kafir. And out of all these cultures and peoples its the Islamic world that is the most exclusionary of outsiders. I don't think gringo is unfriendly at all though some PC people have also criticized it.

[Tom Lennox 70]

Should have added the African term mzungu to the poll too.....

Its funny cause there isn't any terms similar to these used by Americans or Europeans.

[viribusunitis]

I'd have to go for Kafir since it's usually used by people with the most sinister agenda.

Never heard of Goyim, though, so I can't really judge that one.

[Ariete]

I'll vote for mutakuono, "mud face" in referring to a black person in Finnish.

[arctic_gardener]

Kafir, followed closely by goyim, since there are strong, negative "us vs them" mindsets associated with those terms.

[Chava61]

Goyim is a term used by Jews to say one is not Jewish. It simply means one isn't Jewish but it isn't considered to be derogatory.

[415_s2k]

Originally Posted by Chava61

Goyim is a term used by Jews to say one is not Jewish. It simply means one isn't Jewish but it isn't considered to be derogatory.

Definitely. I was a Shabbos Goy for a local family when I was a teenager; they loved me...

Also, gaijin simply means "foreigner" in Japanese and while it's certainly used in a derogatory sense sometimes, is the same as the word "foreigner" in English... you can use it in a benign sense or an overtly hostile sense. If you're a foreigner living in Japan, you have to carry a government issued Gaijin Card.

[intelfan11315]

I'm not sure, the only one of those words I've even heard of is gringo. I really hate that word even though it is not derogatory in most parts of Latin America.

[Davy-040]

Only have experience with the words Gringo and Gaijin but i don't find it offensive.