Every couple of years it seems that I have to go on a small crusade to
get people to stop using the abbreviation, JAP. To the Japanese, this is
no more welcome than pejorative terms like ******, wop, kike, spic, chink,
etc., etc., etc., are to the groups to which they are (fortunately,
decreasingly) applied by insensitive Americans.

I realize that Jap has the attraction of being a convenient abbreviation,
but bonsai people, especially, should be sensitive to the way it is felt by
the people whose national art form we are adopting and making our own.

For those who don't have the patience to type out the whole word -- all
eight letters -- the proper abbreviation for Japanese maple is J. maple, one
key stroke less than the objectionable version. Is this to difficult to
handle in the name of civility?

Edmund L. Castillo
in northwestern Virginia

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HI
C'mon do not get excited because of that I agree with you but I
shortened as I did not want to make a long subject line and want that
people that might be interested to answer could see at first sight if
they wanted to say something or not ..
There is no one racist connotation and I am not American nor of
english mothertongue so cannot judge the impact of shortening the word
as you do ..
Thanks for understanding
Theo

Edmund L. Castillo wrote:

Every couple of years it seems that I have to go on a small crusade to
get people to stop using the abbreviation, JAP. To the Japanese, this is
no more welcome than pejorative terms like ******, wop, kike, spic, chink,
etc., etc., etc., are to the groups to which they are (fortunately,
decreasingly) applied by insensitive Americans.

I realize that Jap has the attraction of being a convenient abbreviation,
but bonsai people, especially, should be sensitive to the way it is felt by
the people whose national art form we are adopting and making our own.

For those who don't have the patience to type out the whole word -- all
eight letters -- the proper abbreviation for Japanese maple is J. maple, one
key stroke less than the objectionable version. Is this to difficult to
handle in the name of civility?

Edmund L. Castillo
in northwestern Virginia

************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by Lisa Kanis++++
************************************************** ******************************

-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --

+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++