Current Events > Is the term 'clanker' offensive?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I've heard some people decry the term as offensive

Yes, maybe not now, but in the future when AI becomes sentient.

Only if you say it with a hard R

https://youtu.be/94hz-3O6dR0?si=yUfc626OJG-ZhoZ9

I've seen videos where people do these skits where they basically reenact being a racial segregationist era person and deny service or entry to a "clanker". The right does like fictional bigotry as well, so there is something problematic in all of this.

I've seen people likening it to IRL slurs and that people seem too eager to use it?? Idk if I buy it lol, robots deserve all the derision they get tbh.

Southernfatman posted...

I've seen videos where people do these skits where they basically reenact being a racial segregationist era person and deny service or entry to a "clanker".

Star Wars beat them to the punch 48 years ago

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUy1z-mnoIU

@knightoffire55

Is this term offensive? Pretty sure you're the only one on the board who can answer.

wackyteen posted...

Star Wars beat them to the punch 48 years ago

Yeah, but I don't think George Lucas was trying to be funny by using real racism as a backdrop for a joke that's basically "racism is funny". The bar owner wasn't dropping slurs and talking with a southern accent.

I wouldn't say offensive, but I see no comic/satirical value in it.

Enjoy the thrill of talking like a racist without being a racist, I guess.

I have to point out that I always more associated "clanker" with "wanker" than the slur other people are pointing out. That may be because I hear the rhyme more than the reason.

ai123 posted...

I wouldn't say offensive, but I see no comic/satirical value in it.

Enjoy the thrill of talking like a racist without being a racist, I guess.

This.
Same goes for the "Elves/Khajiit/Orcs are an inferior race" jokes

Southernfatman posted...

Yeah, but I don't think George Lucas was trying to be funny by using real racism as a backdrop for a joke. The bar owner wasn't dropping slurs and talking with a southern accent.

Well, it does establish that despite the technological advancements of the galaxy and the demonstrated reliance on droids (for some, at least) to survive on a backwater like Tatooine, that there is still discrimination alive and well in the galaxy. Though in the broader (unestablished at that point of the franchise) context of galactic history, with actual 'clankers' (since we borrowed the term from Star Wars) being a major threat, discrimination against droids does at least have precedence.

BlackScythe0 posted...

@knightoffire55

Is this term offensive? Pretty sure you're the only one on the board who can answer.

Don't tag him please

ai123 posted...

Enjoy the thrill of talking like a racist without being a racist, I guess.

Yeah, the idea of a 'play' slur doesn't sit right with me. I certainly don't think everyone using it is doing so to get their fill of racism (some are surely just riding the meme wave) but it still feels like a crappy thing to pretend to be racist.

ROBBAN posted...

This.
Same goes for the "Elves/Khajiit/Orcs are an inferior race" jokes

See, that's interesting. I don't care for those jokes either, but when it comes to robots, it just feels different. They're too alien to even personify like that imo, to even make that sort of leap.

It doesn't take long for pretend racism to turn into real racism.

*The AI will remember that*

Yes and no. As a fictional term used in fiction, it's intended to be insulting in universe but you can use it without issue talking about the fiction. Compare this to Huckleberry Finn where there are race issues in the story but you sure as hell shouldn't use certain words even in context in 2025.

Using it as a joke where the punchline is you're pretending to be racist is gross. Using it in place of an actual slur and thinking you are clever is really fucking offensive. To use an example that sounds less cutesy, it was really unpleasant when people on the comics board went around talking about how they hate muties as an x men joke. That one really oozes slur.

If there were actually sentient robots it would be even worse but we aren't there yet

wackyteen posted...

Well, it does establish that despite the technological advancements of the galaxy and the demonstrated reliance on droids (for some, at least) to survive on a backwater like Tatooine, that there is still discrimination alive and well in the galaxy. Though in the broader (unestablished at that point of the franchise) context of galactic history, with actual 'clankers' (since we borrowed the term from Star Wars) being a major threat, discrimination against droids does at least have precedence.

Right, there's a reason for it in SW. All of that and to separate the droids from the other characters for story telling purposes.

The people I'm talking about are just using the clanker stuff and putting it over actual racism as a joke because they think racism is funny.

The bar keep only wanted paying customers. Same reason Quark was annoyed when the Jem'Hadar hanged out in his bar.

If it is, then uh oh at that one BanjoKazooie level...

ROBBAN posted...

This.
Same goes for the "Elves/Khajiit/Orcs are an inferior race" jokes

Please
Wood elves are ok.

ProfessorKukui posted...

It doesn't take long for pretend racism to turn into real racism.

And as this doesn't even have anything to do with race it isn't even fake racism. Just weirdos getting really mad that others are making fun of them.

wackyteen posted...

Star Wars beat them to the punch 48 years ago

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUy1z-mnoIU

"We dont serve their kind here"

I'd say it literally being a metaphor for racism is a good reason not to pretend to hate them for "the lulz". Getting people to enjoy fake racism lowers their inhibitions to getting into real racism.

ProfessorKukui posted...

It doesn't take long for pretend racism to turn into real racism.

Isn't that basically what happened with 4chan

AndyReklaw posted...

Yeah, the idea of a 'play' slur doesn't sit right with me. I certainly don't think everyone using it is doing so to get their fill of racism (some are surely just riding the meme wave) but it still feels like a crappy thing to pretend to be racist.

This is where I fall on it.

Mibahlzitch posted...

"We dont serve their kind here"

I'd say it literally being a metaphor for racism is a good reason not to pretend to hate them for "the lulz". Getting people to enjoy fake racism lowers their inhibitions to getting into real racism.

In the decades of ragging between friends with every offensive category of joke unde the sun, no one actually became racist. I think you need to have leanings in the first place.

I have never heard the term "clanker" used toward another person.

It immediately made me think of the latter Clone Wars show (with Ahsoka). The droids were all referred to as "flankers".

Charged151 posted...

I have never heard the term "clanker" used toward another person.

It immediately made me think of the latter Clone Wars show (with Ahsoka). The droids were all referred to as "flankers".

First time I heard it was a person saying it to another person. It was in a vtuber stream. One of the vtuber characters is an "automaton" and another vutber calls her a clanker during a pretend argument. I shortly later started seeing clanker all over the place so I thought the vtuber invented the term

https://youtube.com/shorts/CcNGj6dmVu4?si=kEM4CXuELHIIqDm9

Evening_Dragon posted...

In the decades of ragging between friends with every offensive category of joke unde the sun, no one actually became racist. I think you need to have leanings in the first place.

I certainly didn't use racism to be "funny". Regardless, I feel your statistic of "no one became racist" is one of those "90% of statistics are made up" moments. Having fun using racist insults as a joke is a good sign someone might have those leanings to begin with, and note I said "might', before you object. It's simply more likely someone who is inclined to be racist is quite likely to be someone joking that way.

Mibahlzitch posted...

I certainly didn't use racism to be "funny". Regardless, I feel your statistic of "no one became racist" is one of those "90% of statistics are made up" moments. Having fun using racist insults as a joke is a good sign someone might have those leanings to begin with, and note I said "might', before you object.

Is this "good sign" any less made up?

Zikten posted...

First time I heard it was a person saying it to another person. It was in a vtuber stream. One of the vtuber characters is an "automaton" and another vutber calls her a clanker during a pretend argument. I shortly later started seeing clanker all over the place so I thought the vtuber invented the term

This was honestly the first I ever heard of it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRzYpOTDthw

Evening_Dragon posted...

Is this "good sign" any less made up?

It's a fact that your real feelings can come through in jokes. Humor is often a socially acceptable way to say things that aren't acceptable. I'm not saying people who use offensive jokes are racist; I'm saying racist people like offensive jokes.

A joke needs a point beyond "ha ha I said a fake racist word".

Mibahlzitch posted...

It's a fact that your real feelings can come through in jokes. Humor is often a socially acceptable way to say things that aren't acceptable. I'm not saying people who use offensive jokes are racist; I'm saying racist people like offensive jokes.

Sure, but that doesn't mean there's a "good chance" even if you abandon context entirely

On it's face it isn't particularly offensive because it is targeting nob-sentient beings.

But I've seen people using it to go full segregation era racism cosplay and that at a minimum feels uncomfortable.

Like with Elder Scrolls racism it at least seems to exist within the context of that world. Some of these clanker bits are just doing classic real world anti-black racism but substituting clanker.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]

they're yours now.

sabin017 posted...

*The AI will remember that*

jokes on everyone in this topic, I'm already helping to create Roko's basilisk

A slur is a slur

The most uncomfortable use of it I've seen was on the prequelmemes subreddit where there was a topic making fun of people with AI boyfriends/girlfriends. Everyone was saying how these people have mental disorders and need help while also going over to their subreddit to troll them. I pointed out how fucked up it is to troll people with mental and emotional disorders and got downvoted hard for it. They were using their "joke" as an excuse to cyberbully.

It's a context thing.

The joke can be used to insult or belittle either the bigoted or those who are targeted by bigotry.

The former, fuck yeah, the latter, fuck you.

I have no idea why anyone would be offended by it. AI sucks no one should be defending the feelings of shitty corporations

firedoom666 posted...

I have no idea why anyone would be offended by it. AI sucks no one should be defending the feelings of shitty corporations

You should probably try reading the explanations others have already given then.

I don't think anyone should get comfortable in any type of discrimination.

It would be if machines had feelings. But they don't.

@SocialistGamer thought you would be interested in this topic

It's not that it's "offensive to robots", it's that the kinds of people who get way too into ironic fantasy racism are more often than not unironic real world racists too but know better than to be too obvious about it.