Wop
Encyclopedia
Wop is a pejorative racial slur for people from Italy
that originated in the United States
but is also used in the UK. There is an urban myth that the term "wop" is an acronym for "without papers" as many of the Italian immigrants did not have identification or visas. This myth fails to explain why the term was applied to Italians only since immigrants from many countries came without papers. In Southern Italy, the term "guappo" is still used, often sarcastically, to describe those young Italian men who try hard to act brave, play cool, court every pretty girl, and those that are arrogant to the point of inciting a fight.
It was brought to the U.S. by early Italian immigrants from the region of Campania, who named those suspected to belonging to the Guapparia "Guappi", in a similar fashion Sicilian people used the term "Mafiosi". Widely used in Chicago where most immigrants from Campania settled, it was confused by non-Italian people to indicate Italians in general, like the word "paesano".
This slur was used by Welsh Assembly Member Alun Cairns
on a live broadcast from Radio Cymru on Friday 13 June 2008, when he referred to the Italian Euro 2008 football team as "greasy wops". As a consequence, he resigned from office.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
that originated in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
but is also used in the UK. There is an urban myth that the term "wop" is an acronym for "without papers" as many of the Italian immigrants did not have identification or visas. This myth fails to explain why the term was applied to Italians only since immigrants from many countries came without papers. In Southern Italy, the term "guappo" is still used, often sarcastically, to describe those young Italian men who try hard to act brave, play cool, court every pretty girl, and those that are arrogant to the point of inciting a fight.
It was brought to the U.S. by early Italian immigrants from the region of Campania, who named those suspected to belonging to the Guapparia "Guappi", in a similar fashion Sicilian people used the term "Mafiosi". Widely used in Chicago where most immigrants from Campania settled, it was confused by non-Italian people to indicate Italians in general, like the word "paesano".
This slur was used by Welsh Assembly Member Alun Cairns
Alun Cairns
Alun Hugh Cairns is a Welsh Conservative Party politician. A member of the National Assembly for Wales for the in the South Wales West region since 1999, he was elected at the 2010 general election as the Member of Parliament for the Vale of Glamorgan.-Background:Brought up in Clydach near...
on a live broadcast from Radio Cymru on Friday 13 June 2008, when he referred to the Italian Euro 2008 football team as "greasy wops". As a consequence, he resigned from office.