The Acronym FOB: Politically Correct?

Personally, I believe that a person has the right to call himself whatever the hell he wants, including FOB, but I would question his self-respect.

This term seems to be thrown around quite a bit these days, especially among the Asian population of Vancouver. I have to say that I have never heard this term used in the US. Even more so, the fact that it is being so commonly used accounts for peoples' ignorance to the history and actual meanings of the word. While superficially, it may be used to just "describe" a person who is fairly new to a certain culture, and so becomes an outcast in terms of social convention.

The reason for it being termed "Fresh Off the Boat" and not off an airplane or train, is that it alludes to the Triangular trade of the late 16th century. During that time, cash crops from the American colonies, such as sugar and molasses, were brought to Europe. European goods, namely from England, were brought to Africa, where they were traded for slaves. Yes, slaves. The slaves were then brought to the American sub-continent, and the cycle would start all over again. Although slavery was finally outlawed in the 19th century, the pain and suffering of these Africans – the cultural ancestors of today's African Americans – were never forgotten. These Africans were often captives of war, and treated as commodities once they were put on boats. The conditions on the boats were horrible, with outbreaks of cholera, malaria, and other diseases inevitable. The slaves were only led onto the deck for an hour of exercise, and the spaces below were cramped. The people essentially had to wallow in their own filth throughout the trans-Atlantic journey that would often take up to 3 months to complete.

I don't know about you, but I feel pretty sick hearing the conditions that these people had to live in. Of course their living standards on the American plantations did not improve much, but that's another story for another time.

So really, to say that someone came “Fresh Off the Boat,” is extremely rude and derogatory. It is condescending, and inherently implies that the person is of a lower level than you are. In our society, we don't rank people, at least not officially. People are seen as equal, and so there is no social hierarchy. To deem someone to the lowly standards of a slave stepping off a slave ship, is therefore a crime; a heinous insult at that.

Bottom-line, I hope that people have sufficient language skills to use other descriptions for new immigrants to a country. Otherwise I wonder how they get the notion that they should be differentiated from the "FOB's," so to speak.