GomiGirl wrote:I know this thread has taken a different course from the original subject, so I am just going to threadjack some more.
There is a saying in Australia - "Calling a spade a spade" which is not considered offensive AFAIK as it relates to garden equipment (as opposed to a shovel) rather than the racial slur by the same name.
But I do believe that this is not the case in other countries.. can anybody enlighten me?
That's not an Australian saying it's an English-language saying. It's not considered racist in the US but I'd avoid using it on the decent chance that some moron would think I was being racist.
I too have been surprised at how casually Australians I've met in the Japan casually throw around racist remarks compared to the rest of the Anglosphere. I don't think they're necessarily more racist just not as politically correct.