Racist Phrases New Yorkers Accidentally Say

My eight year-old son and I had a chat about racism and racist language after an incident on the bus involving a racial slur was said last month. It was not understood that the term was a slur to some of the kids, but nonetheless an extremely important topic to addressed.

Racist Phrases New Yorkers Accidentally Say

New York says and is witness to "accidental racism" everyday. The following phrases are commonplace vernacular but their roots are undeniably racist. Over the years, some disparaging language tends to morph into things people can unknowingly repeat and it sounds harmless.

No Can Do

This derived from Chinese immigrants who were trying to learn the English language. Hall & Oates in the '80s had a big hit called "I Can't Go For That" (No Can Do).

Master Bedroom

The negative connotations that revolve around the word "master" in terms of slavery and sexism are reasons why this phrase is not recommended anymore.

Ghetto

A commonly used word to describe a poor neighborhood or crime ridden, this term has roots that are antiemetic.

Sold Down The River

This is another term that is directly related to slave trading. The phrase currently is used to imply betrayal.

Spooky

This term is obviously used a ton around Halloween and describes something scary. The word "spook" was used as an anti-black slur during World War I.

Jew Him Down

I honestly cannot believe this one is still used as it is abhorrently offensive to Jewish people. To shrewdly haggle over prices and such. It has been widely taken as an antisemitic insult since the phrase was coined in medieval times, reinforced by William Shakespeare, and weaponized in Nazi propaganda.

Off The Reservation

The phrase commonly means to be bold, wild, or to really push boundaries. It's origin mocks indigenous people's actions.

When a native person was “off the reservation” without permission, punishment could be very harsh. In the United States, that punishment could even include hanging.

China Virus

Former President Donald Trump coined this disparaging phrase in the early years of COVID-19. Despite other virus' names being aligned with their point of origin, people took it as racist.