belMarduk,
I have heard KANAKA used regularly in Germany by foreigners and Germans to refer to foreigners from Southern European and Arabic countries too - Especially those from 'Gastarbeiter' families who often came from very poor parts of Turkey (for example) and speak very poor German and Turkish, and whose families are generally poorly educated are dubbed 'Kanaka'. I never knew that Kanaka was a Hawaiian word or that it means human being though.
Isn't it funny how the intent behind the use of these informal terms, and the person saying them can make such a difference. In one case a word represents ethnic or group pride, and in the next breathe its derogatory. I was at a party about a year ago talking to this bloke, and he said something which seemed to indicate he was gay - so I said:
'Well, that's becuase you're a fag, right?' in a merry and jocular innocence. The bloke felt attacked and questioned 'in what way' I meant that usage - and then proceeded to explain the type of persecution he had suffered as a result of his homosexuality. I regretted even mentioning his sexual persuasion - the information about which he had so readily offered, considering my drunken inarticulateness. In future, I will be more careful and hopefully less plastered than on that occasion.
