Canāt believe I had to have this conversation again today, with someone who should know better. You canāt just un-racist a word because it makes you feel bad man.
Edit to add more context:
Rice burner is a pejorative term originally applied to Japanese motorcycles and which later expanded to include Japanese cars or any East Asian-made vehicles. Variations include rice rocket, referring most often to Japanese superbikes, rice machine, rice grinder or simply ricer.
Riced out is an adjective denigrating a badly customized sports car, āusually with oversized or ill-matched exterior appointmentsā. Rice boy is a US derogatory term for the driver or builder of an import-car hot rod. The terms may disparage cars or car enthusiasts as imposters or wanna-bes, using cheap modifications to imitate the appearance of high performance.
The term is often defined as offensive or racist stereotyping. In some cases, users of the term assert that it is not offensive or racist, or else treat the term as a humorous, mild insult rather than a racial slur.
Iād like you to read this from a guy whoās father is from the Philippines. His mother is American. Then have a good think about it. Actually think about it for a day or so.
Palting: (reenlist forums)
*When you call a car a āricerā, you are saying that it is not a nice car, possibly even an atrocious car. I donāt believe you will ever hear a statement like āLook at that gorgeous ricer!!ā So, in response to the question, is it derogatory, the answer is that the term ricer is most definitely derogatory.
The question then becomes, is it racist? The term āricerā was coined to denote the cars that were made in Japan or Korea that were subsequently modded and are obnoxious to the observer. You can ask 100 people what car brand comes to mind when you say āricerā and 100 of them will come up with an Asian brand. Ask those same 100 people what country or race comes to mind, and 100 will say some Asian country. We can safely say that āricerā would indicate the Asian culture where rice is the staple food. We can define a term racist if the term pertaining to a race or a raceās cultural character is considered derogatory. Therefore, the term ricer is most definitely racist.
If, lets say, one of the African nations built a car, would you call it a ā******ā? The term āricerā most definitely belongs in the same category as ******, slant-eyes, gook and what have you. Shame on anyone who uses the term and who does not realise it is very definitely racist.
My mother is from the USA, my father is from the Philippines. I was born and raised in the Philippines. I am a Filipino. I am not a āhalferā, nor āmestizoā, nor anything other than a Filipino national who chose to reside in the US as an American citizen.*
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Such nitpicking for such an insignificant problem. Shit like this is why the Left fell so hard and now weāre stuck with Drumpf
Not everyone on the internet is American š
Trump and the hard right are not a uniquely American problem, stuff like this is more straw for their imagined leftist extremist strawman. At least you get to feel righteous. * taps sign *
Not everywhere on earth is like America š
Tell that to AfD in Germany, FdI in Italy, FN in France, Neo-Nazis in Australia, Vox in Spain, etcā¦
But keep imagining that finding new no-no words to police will do anything to weaken their messaging š
everyone will feel offended at anything you say.
nice example of a philippino person being offended by it.
if i told my philippino friend abt it heād dismiss these concerns.
different strokes for different folks.
bottom line: playing word police is problematic in itself.
just donāt be a dick and youāre good.
The term is often defined as offensive or racist stereotyping. In some cases, users of the term assert that it is not offensive or racist, or else treat the term as a humorous, mild insult rather than a racial slur.
*Taps the sign.*
a lot of everyday words or even slang can be described as offensive or racist if the listener deems them this way - or because the history of certain words is rooted in racism.
you wanna tell the whole linux community that āricingā is an offensive term?
you wanna tell marxists that quote āitās either socialism or barbarismā that the term ābarbarianā is a racist term used by romans?
you wanna tell polish boomers that they shouldnāt say āa jew hung himselfā to refer to windy weather?
a miniscule amount of people think about the racial or xenophobic implications because certain things are too ingrained in society.
keep the spirit up, you go guys, but these things wonāt go away for the next few generations.
stuff like this just fuels infighting with no real goal. - fighting actual racism and systemic racism. getting hung up on unimportant details will just alienate people whoād be sympathetic to the cause.
we also likely live in different societies so we have different approaches to how racism is perceived. this discourse reeks of being american.
we also likely live in different societies so we have different approaches to how racism is perceived. this discourse reeks of being american.
jfc not everyone on the internet is american.
You canāt just un-racist a word because it makes you feel bad man.
Well then, I hope you never use the word slave, slavery, or any of the derived words, seeing as etymologically theyāre a pejorative for Slavic people. And thatās just the first example that comes to mind.
The term is often defined as offensive or racist stereotyping. In some cases, users of the term assert that it is not offensive or racist, or else treat the term as a humorous, mild insult rather than a racial slur.
*Taps the sign.*
Calling the term āriceā in connection to focusing on aesthetics over preformance racist just seems insane to me. There are objectly racist uses of the word rice to harm Asians. However when 99% of the community never even correlated this useage of the word to anything derogatory twords asians, and even use it positivly when someone genuinely likes JDM or overbuilt cars, the word stops being racist
You cant claim racist undertones to a word when people donāt corelate that word whatsoever to anything derogatory twords Asians. The modern use of the word spoke about a car that looked like a racecar but didnāt have the preformance of one, making it āuglyā, and then branched to become a positive term when talking about putting lots of efforts into the aesthetic of something
The evolution of the word is not a moral failing but a redirection from a derogatory borderline slur to a word that captures the idea of ālooks over preformanceā
The term is often defined as offensive or racist stereotyping. In some cases, users of the term assert that it is not offensive or racist, or else treat the term as a humorous, mild insult rather than a racial slur.
*Taps the sign.*
Reading through your responses it seems you really dont give a fuck about actually having discussion. Your view is right and everyone else is wrong, because of the simple fact āracism badā
Theres no reason to ever redirect a racist phrase into something positive and completely seperated from its racist past, dispite the community at large already doing that. Words cannot change or evolve, and any word with even an inkling of negativity should be banned from ever being spoken (/s). I specifically called out that rice can be used in a racist and as a borderline slur, but that the modern useage of the word is painfully obviously removed from that connotation: considering the massive amount of people under this post also claiming they have never used, or even knew, the word could at all relate to degrading asians.
Oh and since youāve responded often rejecting opinions just because āits a white person claiming its not racistā let me ask you, how many Japanese people (since the old meaning of the word was specifically targeted at the japanese) do you know take genuine offence to the word? Because funnily enough my Japanese friends in the car scene love calling things riced out
There is literally a person in this thread who says theyāre uncomfortable about the usage?
BTW, have you actually asked any of your friends about the term? Because plenty of minorities will just play along with slurs because calling it out is hard and results in *gestures broadly* this sort of response. Just like trans people often wonāt call out when theyāre deadnamed or misgendered. Or autistic people not calling out when the r-slur is used. Itās kind of pretty common.
Well with how often they use the word freely themselves, Iād assume they like the word. But I did ask and yes they like the word, and were very confused why I needed to ask LMAO
Fair enough. Still doesnāt change that thereās someone in this thread whoād prefer it wasnāt used. Dunno what to tell you ĀÆ\_(ć)_/ĀÆ
I mean thats the thing with any word. If someone tells you their uncomfortable with the useage of it ill either stop using that word around them or remove myself from the conversarion. However I donāt think its right to ban a word completely that has evolved into a simple meaning of ālooks over or at the cost of preformanceā
Why would I ask them without any prompting or context? They donāt interact with any communities that use it or know how itās origin. Seems like a leading question with no constructive purpose other than to remind them that they should feel sad/angry about who they are as a person.
Iām sorry, I mustāve been mistaken, was I talking to you lovely?
Ah so no actual response; no discussion to be had on when and where support is necessary and what we can do to meet that need. Very constructive, thank you. Glad to know your position is so hollow and self serving.
I feel like a lot of people here need to stop taking this information so damn personally. You didnāt know, great, that means youāre not racist. Now you do know. So justā¦ Stop? Thatās it. OP wasnāt even a dick about it.
Personally, Iām grateful when I get a heads up that certain terms are racist, so thank you OP!
Thank you! š
I actually extended your PSA over to my Misskey. A great discussion ensued followed by this term and one other being added to the slur list. :P
Hell yeah, nice work! š
My ex was Korean and she used the term rice rocket when I mentioned I wanted a Mitsubishi Lancer because itās a cool fast Japanese car. Asians arenāt a monolith that all think one term or another should be verboten. Assuming all Asians think the term āriceā is a slur is just arrogance.
Thatās our word
Same energy as āthis one black person said I can say the n wordā.
Same energy as āIām trying to get credit for declaring a random adjective to be a no-no word.ā
Nah, not really, but you do you, alright mate? š
Thank you! You too, buddy!
I got called out for saying this once, and went back and looked it up. I had meant it sort of neutrally, and there are a lot of neutral uses of it out there, but there are probably just as many clearly negative/racist uses of it, and practically no positive uses.
Thereās a way of being a racist that is like crypto-racism. It appears neutral, but actually moves the ball forward for racists. And my experiences with many many different kinds of people, is that the people who are best at this are like hardcore Nazis.
I personally am not someone who thinks that advocacy and allyship begins and ends with saying or refusing to say certain words. I think there are a lot of really serious problems with the current liberal establishment posture towards race, where you continue to be heavily and unfairly exploited, and now imprisoned or deported because of skin color, but politically we will make sure people arenāt allowed to say certain words anymore. But also being conscientious of our speech is a part of it, whether we like it or not. Ultimately it isnt some great loss of my freedom if I decide to call a Yamaha motorcycle a āYamahaā instead of a āricerā. I have a large enough vocabulary that I can spare a word or two.
I think there are a lot of really serious problems with the current liberal establishment posture towards race, where you continue to be heavily and unfairly exploited, and now imprisoned or deported because of skin color, but politically we will make sure people arenāt allowed to say certain words anymore.
Youāre absolutely right, you canāt begin and end your advocacy with no longer using certain words. Thatās why Iām out protesting, where I can, for causes like Palestinian recognition, Israeli sanctions and Changing the Date.
Glad to hear! What is Changing the date? Iām also active politically, too few people are though
In Australia, we celebrate a national holiday on the anniversary of Captain Cookās invasion of Australia. Indigenous Australianās therefore donāt feel like they can celebrate, and alongside allies, advocate for changing the date. Protests on that day also advocate for truth-telling as well as other actions discussed in the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
Iām stoked that there is a mass indigenous support movement in your country. In the USA, there are indigenous support groups, but mostly NGOs without mass mobilizations. Ive never heard of indigenous rights brought up in the same sentence as Palestinian liberation, except in the abstract. Which could be a symptom of the whiteness of American leftist movements, but Iām pretty plugged in to whatās going on in my area and nationally
Ive never heard of indigenous rights brought up in the same sentence as Palestinian liberation, except in the abstract.
Not just in the same sentence! At every indigenous rights protest Iāve been too since the war started, Palestinian groups have been guests of honour, as they have a shared struggle against colonialism.
Absolutely wild to me. From my experience, Toyotas are way more reliable than Fords.
what
Some people believe that labelling certain words as dirty because they have prejudicial or offensive connotations in a completely unrelated context is effective activism, passing judgement to feel like theyāre doing something.
One such word is āricingā. It comes from ārice burnerā, which is a pejorative term referring to East Asian cars and motorcycles. The modern usage has nothing to do with cars or ethnicity.
On a related note, the word āqueerā has a similar history.
Iād also like to point out that Queer has been reclaimed by Queer people. Whereas a bunch of, mostly white, Linux users have āreclaimedā it. But, in the context with my friend today, it was the car modification usage ĀÆ\_(ć)_/ĀÆ
Right so that offensive term is fine but this other offensive term is still super bad, actually.
I have absolutely no idea what anything in this post is about but it seems to me like a majority of people who use the term use it because thatās what it was called when they were learning aboutā¦ Whatever it is that itās referring to. Not because theyāre racist.
Gay isnāt a slur, but when you use it to mean something is bad, you are still being homophobicā¦
Iām a queer person, I get to use that term. As well, collectively, queer people have decided that itās a good umbrella term for our community. If someone decided to use it pejoratively, that still wouldnāt be okay.
When referencing cars, it is being used as a pejorative though, so that seems pretty clear cut.
The modern usage has a direct connection to itās historical usage.
Iād like you to read this from a guy whoās father is from the Philippines. His mother is American. Then have a good think about it. Actually think about it for a day or so.
Palting: (reenlist forums)
*When you call a car a āricerā, you are saying that it is not a nice car, possibly even an atrocious car. I donāt believe you will ever hear a statement like āLook at that gorgeous ricer!!ā So, in response to the question, is it derogatory, the answer is that the term ricer is most definitely derogatory.
The question then becomes, is it racist? The term āricerā was coined to denote the cars that were made in Japan or Korea that were subsequently modded and are obnoxious to the observer. You can ask 100 people what car brand comes to mind when you say āricerā and 100 of them will come up with an Asian brand. Ask those same 100 people what country or race comes to mind, and 100 will say some Asian country. We can safely say that āricerā would indicate the Asian culture where rice is the staple food. We can define a term racist if the term pertaining to a race or a raceās cultural character is considered derogatory. Therefore, the term ricer is most definitely racist.
If, lets say, one of the African nations built a car, would you call it a ā******ā? The term āricerā most definitely belongs in the same category as ******, slant-eyes, gook and what have you. Shame on anyone who uses the term and who does not realise it is very definitely racist.
My mother is from the USA, my father is from the Philippines. I was born and raised in the Philippines. I am a Filipino. I am not a āhalferā, nor āmestizoā, nor anything other than a Filipino national who chose to reside in the US as an American citizen.*
Not that I disagree about using āriceā in this context, but I just want to paraphrase something I think a comedian said but I forget the source now. But basically, no, itās not as bad as āthe n-wordā and I know that because you censored āthe n-wordā but didnt censor the word rice.
I still think itās rude and not a particularly good term.
If you look at the source, the person who wrote that is filipino, so the n-word isnāt one he gets to use, would be my explanation for that.
what?
Could have used that reply to clarify
Clarify what though?
Race Inspired Cosmetic Enhancements. Thatās what rice has always meant to me, and as far as I know everyone around me. You can rice an American car and you can rice a German car just as much as you can rice a Japanese car.
I think this kind of linguistic prescriptivism is one of many things wrong with modern anti-racism movements. Itās such a non-issue.
The term is often defined as offensive or racist stereotyping. In some cases, users of the term assert that it is not offensive or racist, or else treat the term as a humorous, mild insult rather than a racial slur.
*Taps the sign.*
That is a backronym that was invented to try and coverup the racist origins of the term. Like Iāve said in other comments, why donāt you start using the n-word to mean the colour black and see how many friends that makes you š
It started out as a pejorative (like a cheap car with cheap mods) but has become a positive term associated with customization and a respect for effort involved regardless of financial resources (sometimes cheaper being more impressive).
So uhā¦ Nah Iām gonna keep saying that. You do you.
You canāt just un-racist a word because it makes you feel bad man.
*Taps the sign.*
If, lets say, one of the African nations built a car, would you call it a ā******ā? The term āricerā most definitely belongs in the same category as ******, slant-eyes, gook and what have you. Shame on anyone who uses the term and who does not realise it is very definitely racist.
You canāt just un-racist a word because it makes you feel bad man.
I think you should look into reclaiming slurs. The once derogatory term now has a positive meaning and thatās imo a good thing. Look at the word āQueerā, most people (especially young people) donāt know it used to be derogatory, and I donāt think people should stop using it.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queer
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ReappropriationWith an obvious albeit obligatory note that if you use a word in a derogatory way thatās obviously not ok, if you use it with the compliment definition itās a bit different.
Some reappropriation can be at varying levels in different countries which is why (I assume) itās seen as worse in other countries.
If you are to respond I would request to hear your rebuttal without copy and pasting the same article please.
The claim that āqueerā is being reclaimed is easily supported. Not so with OPās term. If you have evidence to the contrary Iāll look at it.
Sorry, let me clarify. You canāt just un-racist a word, unless youāre the targeted group, because it makes you feel bad man. I figured that I didnāt need to add that caveat? Iāve talked about the word Queer in other places in the thread.
It was a derogatory insult toward poor gear heads, who else can reclaim it? Only the Asian born subset? Asian people who never touched a motorcycle? It was never about any Asian traits of the riders or the vehicles but strictly that they were imported and the low cost.
Would you be ardently crusading in a hypothetical alternate history where these people had access to cheap Soviet Ladas? Surely cabbage burner would be just as offensive?
While weāre on the subject, here is a non-exhaustive list of European heritage word associations you are no longer allowed to say in any context outside of a recipe:
- Pasta
- Sauerkraut
- Rye
- Potato
- Beet
- Milk
- Mayo
- Butter
- Burger
- Donut
- Cucumber
- Beer
- Vodka
- Baguette
- Pickles/Pickled
- Radish
- Herring
Much like your anecdotal blog post source, I personally find these highly offensive.
The term is often defined as offensive or racist stereotyping. In some cases, users of the term assert that it is not offensive or racist, or else treat the term as a humorous, mild insult rather than a racial slur.
*Taps the sign.*
I can also insert block quotes as an authoritative source - Wikipedia 2025
When it was a common pejorative it was aracial, only determined by a personās association with an object. As commented above, the people who own those objects are embracing the word in a positive framing. Seems fair to me.
Rice is, in reality, a very general word. Itās a staple food for half the world, independently domesticated on 3 separate continents. If anything, it should be associated with being cheap and versatile. Reinforcing the idea that itās uniquely Asian is probably doing more harm than good when not all parts of Asia rely on it as a staple (eg: wheat and barley are far more common in northern China).
If you were someone of Asian heritage posting your personal experience on a forum for car mods I would understand. That would be a useful discussion within the community about what is/is not OK and how they could be more inclusive.
This post is the complete opposite. You are decreeing (as an āallyā) a phrase as racist in an unrelated community that rarely, if ever, sees any usage of it. Judging by the comments, itās far more common for this community to know it in the context of the RICE backronym or a cheap ārice and beansā framing. Who have we helped here? Why donāt we spend our digital ink on a more important topic?
If you were someone of Asian heritage posting your personal experience on a forum for car mods I would understand. That would be a useful discussion within the community about what is/is not OK and how they could be more inclusive.
Did you know that, as an ally, one of the most important things you can do is speak up for minorities on issues that concern them?
ah that kinda makes sense. Can you explain why whoās reclaiming a slur makes a difference? I donāt really understand why you wouldnāt like a positive meaning to a once negative word. It doesnāt really make a lot of sense to me.
Iād reference how ācuntyā (used as a compliment) isnāt exactly only said by women, but people who are generally seen as āin the loopā. How come the word referenced in the post isnāt treated the same way? I genuinely am asking and find this really interesting.
Also idk if it did but sorry if my message came off as rude before, I was kinda stressed about an advising meeting when I wrote it
I donāt really have the spoons to explain it to you. If you arenāt the aggrieved party, itās just not reclamation.
please come back when you have the energy to continue this conversation š
Iāll start calling it a sleeper now.
A sleeper is something else though, sort of the opposite of a ricer. A sleeper Honda Civic would look largely unmodded but be a monster under the hood. A ricer Honda Civic is gonna have a wing and loud, giant exhaust and other very obvious modifications.
Personally I love a heavily modified Japanese car, and in my experience of car culture, āricerā has largely been reclaimed by the people who drive them.
I call them chavved out, which is merely classist and not racist.
Itās not their term to reclaim unfortunately.
Thatās not really how language and culture work. Some words are going to evolve and change whether you think theyāre allowed to or not.
Okay, why donāt you start using the n-word to mean the colour black and see how many friends that gets you sweetie! šš
Okay, why donāt you start using the n-word to mean the colour black and see how many friends that gets you sweetie! šš
Because thatās not really how language and culture work. I donāt get to decide how a word is used any more than you do.
Honestly, thatās a 10/10 idea š
Thank you. Iām Asian and it is honestly a bit maddening when I get white-splained as to why the term isnāt racist towards Asians.
I may be white, but Iām trans and get awful stuff said at/around me too, so I get it. Gotta have solidarity with other minorities and lift each other up! šŖ
Oh, I had only ever heard this term in the context of Linux desktop customization. Like in the context of superfluous over the top additions that look pretty but ultimately do not add anything to a system and may to some extent degrade performance.
I dont know why I never connected it with the car scene or with racist attitudes. Iām ashamed to say I think Iāve used the term myself once or twice. Thanks for sharing an explanation of the history of this evidently very racist term, I imagine there are others like myself who have failed to make that connection.
Idk why its so hard to just say āsetupā. Iām not sure that a use case this particular warrants its own terminology.
Iām ashamed to say I think Iāve used the term myself once or twice.
Itās okay, you didnāt know then, so didnāt use it intentionally to cause harm.
I agree with the overall message here; thereās definitely better words for customisation of a Window Manager/Desktop Environment.
I canāt agree that everyone using that term is racist though. I doubt that everyone who uses it is doing so to discriminate or abuse another race. As proven by this thread, the history of that word isnāt exactly common knowledge in the spaces people are using it.
ābigotā might be a better term to describe people that know the history of the word and actively refuse to change their ways. It feels like throwing āracistā on here where it doesnāt exactly apply sort of dampens the impact of the word. But thatās just me.
The people that now know the meaning, but are trying to argue that it doesnāt matter, are no longer ignorant, and therefore donāt have an excuse.
Another example of this is that I grew up with the term āgypedā meaning to have been taken advantage of when making a deal. When I learnt that it was a racist term that denigrates Romani/Traveller peoples, I stopped using it. If Iād continued too, then that would have made me racist :)
The people that now know the meaning, but are trying to argue that it doesnāt matter, are no longer ignorant, and therefore donāt have an excuse.
I agree, but youāre meme implies that using the term at all makes you racist
The equivalent of this meme would be someone calling you a racist the very first time you ever used the term āgypedā. You yourself stated you didnāt know that term had racist history, so how could you have been racist?
Itās a different situation when someone has knowledge of history and then goes on to use the term. Thatās textbook bigotry and I would agree thatās also racsim, but youāre casting a much wider net with this meme encompassing everyone who uses the term knowledgable or not
You can be part of systemic racism and not know it. It still affects the other person even if you didnāt intend it to.
We live in a society. Itās not a personal failing if you were racist and didnāt know it. But I think it is a responsibility to try and change for the better, just like in all aspects of life.
My friend, it is a meme. The format doesnāt lend well to longform explanation. Why are you choosing to come after me for that, when there are people in this very thread saying that theyāll use it regardless?
Why are you choosing to come after me for that, when there are people in this very thread saying that theyāll use it regardless?
I tried to answer this with my first comment
It feels like throwing āracistā on here where it doesnāt exactly apply sort of dampens the impact of the word. But thatās just me.
I hope Iām not coming off agressive or nothing. Iām not saying what youāre doing is entirely wrong or anything because it benefits everyone to spread knowledge especially for something like this. I really dislike that itās made normal in Linux circles. But this meme is calling everyone that uses a fairly common term racist while you drop good history lessons on individual comments of people that donāt know better. Maybe thereās a more effective way to get your point across?
I hope Iām not coming off agressive or nothing. Iām not saying what youāre doing is entirely wrong or anything because it benefits everyone to spread knowledge especially for something like this. I really dislike that itās made normal in Linux circles. But this meme is calling everyone that uses a fairly common term racist while you drop good history lessons on individual comments of people that donāt know better. Maybe thereās a more effective way to get your point across?
Thatās fair, Iām sorry if I came across standoffish. This is a meme community though, and a simplified meme wasnāt going to be able to convey that full meaning, which is why I brought it up in the comments. Maybe I shoulda dropped it in the text section but I was just frustrated with my friend and wanted to vent a bit of steam. I can go add some stuff to the post.
thereās definitely better words for customisation of a Window Manager/Desktop Environment.
Any recommendations?
Theming
Well thatās just trans/enby phobic /s
this is blatantly incorrect? Rice is an acronym for āRacing inspired cosmetic enhancementsā?
Thatās a backronym that was created to try and coverup its racist origin.
