It isn’t derogatory in India from whence it came, but it has become derogatory just about everywhere else. I’ve just asked 3 of my Indian co-workers and they confirm what I said in my first post, it is a common name for a porter or labourer in India and shouldn’t be considered pejorative. In an Indian context.
In South Africa, however, Indians themselves would be insulted because there it has become a word on par with kaffir.
But I wasn’t referring to a South African context even.
And you confirm that the Indian term wasn’t your intent, you refer to the term used for the Chinese indentured workers who were mostly brought in to work on the railways in the 19th century.
However, since you’re suggesting your intent was innocent and brought up the definition from the Miriam-Webster dictionary which doesn’t make mention of the pejorative connotation, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt.
Try looking it up on wikipedia and I also suggest you try asking anyone of Asian descent in the USA whether they mind being called a coolie; and would they consider it on par with the n-word in your country.
It isn’t derogatory in India from whence it came, but it has become derogatory just about everywhere else. I’ve just asked 3 of my Indian co-workers and they confirm what I said in my first post, it is a common name for a porter or labourer in India and shouldn’t be considered pejorative. In an Indian context. In South Africa, however, Indians themselves would be insulted because there it has become a word on par with kaffir. But I wasn’t referring to a South African context even. And you confirm that the Indian term wasn’t your intent, you refer to the term used for the Chinese indentured workers who were mostly brought in to work on the railways in the 19th century. However, since you’re suggesting your intent was innocent and brought up the definition from the Miriam-Webster dictionary which doesn’t make mention of the pejorative connotation, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. Try looking it up on wikipedia and I also suggest you try asking anyone of Asian descent in the USA whether they mind being called a coolie; and would they consider it on par with the n-word in your country.