this post was submitted on 04 Mar 2024
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No idea why anyone would think "wog" is less offensive in Australia, but "paki' does have a different connotation in the UK since it's often the go-to slur used against any person who appears to be of South Asian descent. I don't think it's as commonly or broadly used here.
To be honest, wog is not a term I'm super familiar with. I've almost never heard it IRL. I get the impression that it (and the people it refers to) may be more common in NSW and Vic than it is up here in Qld?
So my understanding is that in Australia it refers to southern Europeans—Italians, Greeks, etc. And that it has been substantially reclaimed, in that people to whom the term applies will often identify with it and use it themselves. It may or may not be offensive for someone else to use the term, depending on context.
In the UK, it apparently refers to black and South Asian people, and has not undergone the same reclamation process, so it is much less likely to be contextually acceptable.
It's common in SA, we have a lot of migrant families and their descendants living here. As I said in the other reply, it is an acceptable word in certain situations but is definitely not widely accepted to direct at strangers. I have seen people take offence to the word across all aspects of life (school, sport, work, etc). Even "reclaimed" slurs can be offensive and damaging, I think it's important to always be mindful of that.