Jim Perlowski wrote, "I would be curious to know what others who remain silent believe."

Both my first wife and present wife were either part Italian or were related to Italians. There were many times I heard my ex mother in-law use the term "Dagos" and it was not meant as an insult. My present wife, whose grandfather emmigrated from Italy did know what a "guinea tee" was, go figure.

I believe that the insult should be judged by a person from the ethnic origin the word refers to. As an American of Japanese ancestry, I heard my aunt refer to "buddha heads" often, again without insult. Having said that, anyone who uses the word "jap" toward me or my family had better duck.

my 3 cents worth