Dear des9516-ga;
Thank you for allowing me an opportunity to answer your interesting
question. It appears that the origin or the racial slur can be traced
back to the sheer ignorance of those who coined it more than anything
else.
To answer your question I referred to – where else – the RACIAL SLUR
DATABASE:
http://rsdb.org/search?q=guinea
The origin of the derogatory slur “guinea” is intelligently explained
this way:
“Pronounced "gi-nee." Came from "Guinea Negro" and originally referred
to any Black or any person of mixed ancestry. This dates back to the
1740's. By the 1890s it was being applied to Italians--almost
certainly because they tend to have darker skin than
Anglo-Saxons/Germans. By 1911 the term began being applied to
Hispanics, although the reference to Italians is the most common.
Derived from Sicilian immigrants who paid in Italian currency,
Guineas. Used in the film 'True Romance' as separate from WOP’s from
Northern Italy, and in The Godfather by a Northern Italian character
when referring to Southern Italians and Sicilians.”
A similar explanation comes from MACKIDO/POLITICS/WHAT’S IN A NAME?
And seems to confirm what is said in the database above:
http://www.mackido.com/Politics/WhatsInAName.html
“One story is that this came from a large Italian immigration to New
York, around the time the subways were being built, and these Italian
laborers were paid in "Italian money" or "guineas". Whenever they went
into pubs/bars the locals would say, "here comes the guineas", and it
stuck.”
Below you will find that I have carefully defined my search strategy
for you in the event that you need to search for more information. By
following the same type of searches that I did you may be able to
enhance the research I have provided even further. I hope you find
that that my research exceeds your expectations. If you have any
questions about my research please post a clarification request prior
to rating the answer. Otherwise, I welcome your rating and your final
comments and I look forward to working with you again in the near
future. Thank you for bringing your question to us.
Best regards;
Tutuzdad-ga
INFORMATION SOURCES
Defined above
SEARCH STRATEGY
SEARCH ENGINE USED:
Google ://www.google.com
SEARCH TERMS USED:
GUINEA ORIGIN SLUR ITALIAN
GUINEA SLUR DEROGATORY ORIGIN
GUINEA INSULT SLUR ORIGIN |
