Wog

Wog is a racial slur used to refer, in British English, to Black and South Asian people, and, in Australian English, to people from the Mediterranean region. Whilst extremely derogatory in British English, in Australian English it is offensive but may be considered non-offensive when used among those ethnic groups targeted by the slur and depending on how the word is used, due to reclamation and changing connotations. In the United Kingdom, it has usually been employed against people of black and South Asian origin or descent and maritime Southeast Asia and less typically to those from the Middle East and North Africa. It is generally considered similar to other racially abusive terms such as dago for Italians and Spaniards, spic for Hispanic and Latin American people or wop for Italians. In Australia, wog mostly refers to people from the Mediterranean region. This includes Southern European, Southeast European (Balkans) or MENA ethnicity, descent, and appearance, such as Italians, Greeks, Spaniards, Portuguese, Maltese, Croatian, Macedonian and Lebanese or other Arab Australians. The slur became widely diffused in Australia with an increase in immigration from Southern Europe and the Levant after the Second World War, and the term expanded to include all immigrants from the Mediterranean region and the Middle East. These new arrivals were perceived by the majority population as contrasting with Anglo-Celtic Australians. In contemporary times, the word has lost some of its negative connotations in Australia in certain contexts due to reappropriation by the intended targets of the slur, though this is still considered a point of controversy.