is the word chinky racist when refuring to food as in take away?

Answer 1

Yes it is rascist, Chinese people used to be referred to as Chinks.

Answer 2

Since you're asking about a word, I'm going to answer your question indirectly by focusing on the word "racist," instead of "chinky." The meaning of racist has expanded in so many directions that it virtually has no meaning . . . because it means everything.

If you hate people of a race or if you find one race inherently superior to another, you're a racist--these definitions being the oldest, when the word still carried clout. If, to use a fairly recent example, in the beginning you doubted that the white Duke lacrosse players raped the black strippers, you were earnestly called in many quarters a racist.

"Chink" or "chinky" dances around the border of being offensive [these things aren't static], but, it's impossible to tell if the user is a racist or if it is being used in a racist manner without knowing more about the speaker or writer or the circumstances. It's like the difference between the criminal offense of "assault and battery" and the criminal offense of "assault and battery as a hate crime," which allows increased punishment and which is coming into vogue in several counties and cities in the U.S.

For sure, chink currently is not as taboo as ngger, and, likely never will be. In these matters, ngger is a uniquely powerful, versatile and amazingly complex word. As just one of so many examples, you can write "chinky" in Yahoo! Answers with impunity, but have to resort to artifice to convey "ngger."
As another, ngger has spawned a prefix, "the _-word," a sure sign of, shall we say, word superiority.

As far as offending persons, one of the many loopy by-prodcuts of poltical correctness [are there any non-loopy by-products of pc?] is The Offended Person. Originally, there were two: One, the person who genuinely was offended by hearing or seeing the use of a word; and Two, the person who, ridiculously, thought they should be offended a/k/a The Language Police.

Unfortunately, over time, in which pc simply will not die, an equally ridiculous third has appeared, a hybrid: The person who thinks, etc., has been around so long, that he or she really is offended because they thought so long that they should be.

There is one other aspect in all this. Who gets to choose what is offensive or not? Usually, the chattering class. It is difficult to find a more perfect and telling example than this: For many, many decades--indeed, for three or four generations--it was totally appropriate to refer to blacks as "colored people." Then, that fell into disfavor. But, now it is entirely appropriate--indeed, sometimes preferred--to refer to blacks as "people of color."

Not as preposterous, but closer to your question: "Oriental" is out; "Asian" is in.

Bottom line. "Chinky" probably should be avoided, but isn't that big a deal, certainly not like ngger. More to the point, it is a cultural shell game, in which you don't have to participate. And, as far as "racist," look to the heart and the head, not only to the mouth or pen.

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

It's racist because it doesn't refer to food, it refers to people from China. The food is 'chinese', just as curries are 'indian' or 'thai' or whatever. If you were going to a curry house specialising in food from the north of the subcontinent, you wouldn't say you were going for a 'paki'.
Don't use any derogatory term about people, whether it's about their race, their country of origin, their skin colour, their physical features, their gender, their sexuality, their abilities or whatever. Why would you deliberately choose to be rude about someone on the basis of something they can't change?
Order your chinese with a happy heart - just don't say you're going for a 'chinky'!

Answer 4

Not in my opinion. It's more a slang term for the food. But in todays climate of racial tension it may be prudent to use 'chinese' in future. It will get to the point when you can't say anything in fear of offending somebody.

Answer 5

I don't know if it's racist or not.........it sounds like something a simpleton might say,gut instinct tells me it's offensive.Any chinese people on here got an opinion?

Answer 6

Yes.

Answer 7

No I say Indian when going for a cury.

Answer 8

It's marginal at best. Why can't you just say "Chinese"? It's no harder to pronounce, and eliminates the risk of offending others.

Answer 9

yes

Answer 10

Very un-cool