Gook

Gook ( or ) is a racial slur for East Asians and Southeast Asians in English.

Origin

The word's origin is unclear. It is said that American troops in the Philippine–American War (1899 – 1913) started using it, which later became a word for "dark-skinned foreigner, especially a non-European or non-American" in general.Roediger, David. (March 1992). 

Usage

The word began to be used for referring to Koreans in the Korean War (1950 – 1953), despite South Korea's protection by the US-led United Nations Command. Historians said that the use might come from the frequent local use of the Korean word 국 (guk), meaning "country", which was mistaken by American troops for how Koreans called themselves. The word was reportedly so common among American troops that U.S. General Douglas MacArthur banned it to avoid upsetting Asians. However, its use towards Asians continued until the end of the Vietnam War.

Related pages

 Zio
 Kike
 Afrophobia
 Antisemitism
 Gendered racism

References

Category:Slurs
Category:Racism
Category:Discrimination