Jump to content

Gook: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Kauffner (talk | contribs)
32,539 edits
rvt unsource nonsense
Line 5: Line 5:


==Origin and development==
==Origin and development==
A slang dictionary published in 1893 defined "gook" as "a low [[prostitution|prostitute]]".<ref name="Farmer">John S. Farmer and W. E. Henley, ''[http://www.archive.org/stream/slangitsanalogue03farmuoft/slangitsanalogue03farmuoft_djvu.txt Slang and its Analogues, Past and Present]'' (1893).</ref> By using the word to refer to Filipinos,<ref name="Pearson">Pearson, Kim, "[http://kpearson.faculty.tcnj.edu/Dictionary/gook.htm Gook]".</ref> the Marines may have been expressing contempt for native women and accusing them of promiscuity.<ref name="Roediger">Roediger, Dave, "[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1132/is_n10_v43/ai_12056599 Gook: the short history of an Americanism]" ''Monthly Review,'' March, 1992.</ref> Early usage may have been influenced by the word "mak mak" or "gugu", also applied to Filipinos by the Marines. "Gugu" originated as a mocking imitation of Filipino speech<ref name="Roediger"/> (cf. [[barbarian]]). "The Marines who occupied Nicaragua in 1912 took to calling the natives gooks, one of their names for Filipinos", according to [[H. L. Mencken]].<ref name="Mencken">Dickson, Paul, ''War Slang,'' (2004), p. 29. Dickson cites Mencken's ''The American Language,'' Supplement 1 (1945).</ref> Marines serving in [[Haiti]] in 1915 to 1920 used the term to refer to Haitians.<ref name="Seligman">Seligman, Herbert J., "[http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Independent_Media/Conquest_Haiti_SNM.html The Conquest of Haiti]", ''The Nation,'' July 10, 1920.</ref>
A slang dictionary published in 1893 defined "gook" as "a low [[prostitution|prostitute]]".<ref name="Farmer">John S. Farmer and W. E. Henley, ''[http://www.archive.org/stream/slangitsanalogue03farmuoft/slangitsanalogue03farmuoft_djvu.txt Slang and its Analogues, Past and Present]'' (1893).</ref> By using the word to refer to Filipinos,<ref name="Pearson">Pearson, Kim, "[http://kpearson.faculty.tcnj.edu/Dictionary/gook.htm Gook]".</ref> the Marines may have been expressing contempt for native women and accusing them of promiscuity.<ref name="Roediger">Roediger, Dave, "[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1132/is_n10_v43/ai_12056599 Gook: the short history of an Americanism]" ''Monthly Review,'' March, 1992.</ref> Early usage may have been influenced by the word "mak mak" or "gugu", also applied to Filipinos by the Marines. "Gugu" originated as a mocking imitation of Filipino speech<ref name="Roediger"/> (cf. [[barbarian]]). "The Marines who occupied Nicaragua in 1912 took to calling the natives gooks, one of their names for Filipinos", according to [[H. L. Mencken]].<ref name="Mencken">Dickson, Paul, ''War Slang,'' (2004), p. 29. Dickson cites Mencken's ''The American Language,'' Supplement 1 (1945).</ref> Marines serving in [[Haiti]] in 1915 to 1920 used the term to refer to Haitians.<ref name="Seligman">Seligman, Herbert J., "[http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Independent_Media/Conquest_Haiti_SNM.html The Conquest of Haiti]", ''The Nation,'' July 10, 1920.</ref> It comes from the Vietnamese ability to crawl through tunnels thanks to their small stature, something American soldiers couldn't do.


In [[Frank Capra]]'s ''Flight'' (1929), the word was used by a U.S. Marine stationed in [[Nicaragua]]. It was later used in the [[Korean War]] movie ''[[The Steel Helmet]]'' (1951)<ref name="KoreanMovie">''[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044072/quotes The Steel Helmet]'', 1951.</ref><ref group=nb>For another pre-Vietnam Korean reference, see ''[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057152/ The Hook]'' (1963).</ref> as well as in numerous movies and books depicting the Vietnam War.<ref group=nb>These movies include ''[[Platoon (movie)|Platoon]]'' (1986), ''[[Full Metal Jacket]]'' (1987), ''[[Hamburger Hill]]'' (1987), ''[[Good Morning, Vietnam|Good Morning Vietnam]]'' (1988), and ''[[Strawberry Fields (1997 film)|Strawberry Fields]]'' (1997). See also the novel ''[[Word of Honor (novel)|Word of Honor]]'' (1985) by [[Nelson DeMille]], p. 590.</ref>
In [[Frank Capra]]'s ''Flight'' (1929), the word was used by a U.S. Marine stationed in [[Nicaragua]]. It was later used in the [[Korean War]] movie ''[[The Steel Helmet]]'' (1951)<ref name="KoreanMovie">''[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044072/quotes The Steel Helmet]'', 1951.</ref><ref group=nb>For another pre-Vietnam Korean reference, see ''[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057152/ The Hook]'' (1963).</ref> as well as in numerous movies and books depicting the Vietnam War.<ref group=nb>These movies include ''[[Platoon (movie)|Platoon]]'' (1986), ''[[Full Metal Jacket]]'' (1987), ''[[Hamburger Hill]]'' (1987), ''[[Good Morning, Vietnam|Good Morning Vietnam]]'' (1988), and ''[[Strawberry Fields (1997 film)|Strawberry Fields]]'' (1997). See also the novel ''[[Word of Honor (novel)|Word of Honor]]'' (1985) by [[Nelson DeMille]], p. 590.</ref>

Revision as of 01:11, 6 April 2012

For the footballer, see Bert Gook.
U.S. Marines destined for the Philippines (1898). The word "gook" may have been coined by U.S. Marines in the early twentieth century.
Look up gook in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Gook /ˈɡʊk/ is a derogatory term for East Asians which came to prominence in reference to enemy soldiers.[1] U.S. Marines serving in the Philippines in the early 20th century used the word to refer to Filipinos.[1] The term continued to be used by American soldiers stationed around the world to refer to non-Americans.[2][3] It acquired its current status as a racial slur at the time of the Vietnam War (1959–1975).[4]

Origin and development

A slang dictionary published in 1893 defined "gook" as "a low prostitute".[5] By using the word to refer to Filipinos,[6] the Marines may have been expressing contempt for native women and accusing them of promiscuity.[7] Early usage may have been influenced by the word "mak mak" or "gugu", also applied to Filipinos by the Marines. "Gugu" originated as a mocking imitation of Filipino speech[7] (cf. barbarian). "The Marines who occupied Nicaragua in 1912 took to calling the natives gooks, one of their names for Filipinos", according to H. L. Mencken.[8] Marines serving in Haiti in 1915 to 1920 used the term to refer to Haitians.[9] It comes from the Vietnamese ability to crawl through tunnels thanks to their small stature, something American soldiers couldn't do.

In Frank Capra's Flight (1929), the word was used by a U.S. Marine stationed in Nicaragua. It was later used in the Korean War movie The Steel Helmet (1951)[10][nb 1] as well as in numerous movies and books depicting the Vietnam War.[nb 2]

A folk etymology suggests that "gook" refers to the Korean word "국" (國) meaning "country."[11] According to one explanation, American soldiers during the Korean War were often confronted by Korean soldiers and civilians and would hear them say, "미국" [miɡuk] meaning "America." (For a derivation, see 美國.) The American soldiers supposedly interpreted this expression as "Me gook?", meaning "am I a gook?" in broken English.[6]

In the U.S., "gook" refers most particularly to Communist soldiers in the context of the Vietnam War. It is generally considered highly offensive. In a highly publicized incident, Senator John McCain used the word to refer to his former captors, then apologized to the Vietnamese community at large.[12] "I hate the gooks. I will hate them as long as I live… I was referring to my prison guards and I will continue to refer to them in language that might offend."[12]

Citations

  • 1893 Slang and its Analogues, GOOK, subs. (American). A low prostitute. For synonyms, see BARRACK HACK and TART.[5]
  • 1920 The Nation, The Haitians in whose service United States marines are presumably restoring peace and order in Haiti are nicknamed "Gooks"...[9]
  • 1923 Le Slang, gook, a tramp: low:[13]
  • 1935 American Speech, Gook, anyone who speaks Spanish, particularly a Filipino.[6] [Note: This incorrectly assumes that Filipinos speak Spanish.]
  • 1945 The American Language, The Marines who occupied Nicaragua in 1912 took to calling the natives gooks, one of their names for Filipinos.[8]
  • 1947 New York Herald Tribune (2 Apr.), The American troops...don’t like the Koreans – whom they prefer to call ‘Gooks’ – and, in the main, they don’t like Korea.[6]
  • 1950 Dimension X - The Potters of Firsk (Radio Show July 28, 1950 from the story by Jack Vance) Used multiple times by the Earthling supervisor to describe the indigenous population of planet Firsk.
  • 1951 The Steel Helmet (movie), Sergeant Zack: You talk more like a dog face than a gook. Short Round: I am no gook. I am Korean![10]
  • 1960 Dictionary of American Slang, gook Generically, a native of the Pacific islands, Africa, Japan, China, Korea or any European country except England; usually a brown-skinned or Oriental non-Christian.[2]
  • 1967 Doobie Doo, A gook in the purest sense is anybody what ain’t American.[3]
  • 1968 The Guardian (23 Feb.), The Gooks [ Vietcong ] hit from bunkers and the Marines had to carry half the company back.[6]
  • 1979 M*A*S*H (TV show), "Go ahead, shut me up so I won't tell anybody how you save your gook friends!"[16]
  • 1981 With the Old Breed (World War II memoir), "There's an old gook woman in there that's been hit in the side real bad."[17]
  • 1987 Full Metal Jacket (movie), "We are here to help the Vietnamese, because inside every gook there is an American trying to get out."[18]
  • 1992 Romper Stomper, Multiple references in a film starring Russell Crowe about a neo-Nazi group in Melbourne, Australia. "I vote we get a 45 automatic and blow the head gook back to Singapore." [19]
  • 2000 John McCain' referred to his Vietnamese wartime experience, “I hate the gooks. I will hate them as long as I live… I was referring to my prison guards and I will continue to refer to them in language that might offend.” [12]
  • 2004 Team America: World Police (movie), "I was so sure the ultimate terrorist was Middle Eastern, but I didn't realize he was a goddamn Gook. I'll never be a racist again."[20]

Notes

  1. ^ For another pre-Vietnam Korean reference, see The Hook (1963).
  2. ^ These movies include Platoon (1986), Full Metal Jacket (1987), Hamburger Hill (1987), Good Morning Vietnam (1988), and Strawberry Fields (1997). See also the novel Word of Honor (1985) by Nelson DeMille, p. 590.

References

  1. ^ a b Dictionary.com gook.
  2. ^ a b "gook Generically, a native of the Pacific islands,Jomak,Africa, Japan, China, Korea or any European country except England; usually a brown-skinned or Oriental non-Christian: 1951 Gook was used during World War 2 at many widely separated stations to refer to natives Word Study May 7/1," (Wentworth, Harold and Stuart Berg Flexner, Dictionary of American Slang, (1960)). Cite error: The named reference "Flexner" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b Karp, Ivan, Doobie Doo 1967, p. 97.
  4. ^ Kaiser, Robert G. (Oct 20, 1969). "Friend or Foe, He's still a GOOK". St. Petersburg Times. pp. 15-A. Retrieved 2009-06-16.
  5. ^ a b John S. Farmer and W. E. Henley, Slang and its Analogues, Past and Present (1893).
  6. ^ a b c d e Pearson, Kim, "Gook".
  7. ^ a b Roediger, Dave, "Gook: the short history of an Americanism" Monthly Review, March, 1992.
  8. ^ a b Dickson, Paul, War Slang, (2004), p. 29. Dickson cites Mencken's The American Language, Supplement 1 (1945).
  9. ^ a b Seligman, Herbert J., "The Conquest of Haiti", The Nation, July 10, 1920.
  10. ^ a b The Steel Helmet, 1951.
  11. ^ Cao, Lan and Himilce Novas. Everything You Need to Know About Asian-American History. New York :Plume, 1996 "Gook, the American racial epithet for all Asian Americans, is actually the Korean word for 'country.'"
    Robert G. Lee, Orientals: Asian Americans in Popular Culture (1999) "A bastardization of the Korean "Hanguk" (Korean), or Miguk (American)"
  12. ^ a b c Ma, Jason, "McCain Apologizes for ‘Gook’ Comment", Asiaweek,, February 24, 2000.
  13. ^ Manchon, J., Le Slang, Lexique de L'anglais Familier Et Vulgaire (1923). Cited in A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English (1984) by Eric Partridge and Paul Beale, p. 489, "gook".
  14. ^ "Soldiers revive "gook" as name for Korea reds", Los Angeles Times, Aug. 6, 1950, p. 6.
  15. ^ All in the Family, "Flashback: Mike Meets Archie". (1971)
  16. ^ M*A*S*H, "Rally 'Round the Flagg, Boys" (1979).
  17. ^ Sledge, Eugene Bondurant, With the Old Breed (1981), p. 287.
  18. ^ Full Metal Jacket, 1987.
  19. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105275/quotes, 1992.
  20. ^ "Memorable quotes for Team America: World Police" (2004).
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gook&oldid=485815731"