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Asian Americans and U.S. Law Casebook

Georgetown Law Professor Franz Werro Slammed for Calling Student ‘Mr. Chinaman’ (2022)

Georgetown Law Professor Franz Werro Slammed for Calling Student ‘Mr. Chinaman’

Georgetown Law professor apologizes after criticism for calling a student a racial slur

Yet Another GULC Professor Makes Racist Statement

Notes & Questions:

1. Does context change your reaction to Werro's statement? 

2. Does Werro's apology appear to be genuine?  What result do we want when someone uses an offensive term?  Is an apology and a commitment to education and inclusion enough?  If not, what else is necessary?

3. What of Werro's explanation that he used what he thought was an English translation of a French term that is not derogatory - that "has no pejorative meaning in that language, such as Frenchman or Englishman"?  Aside from obviously offensive terms, such as the "N-word," how should people learn about all offensive terms when learning new languages?

Related reading:

Investigation into US professor sparks debate over Chinese word; The Fight Against Words That Sound Like, but Are Not, Slurs

When to Use Ethnic Slurs: A Guide

Yuli Gurriel's offensive gesture provokes outrage among Asian Americans - Los Angeles Times (latimes.com)