Greaser was a
derogatory term
A pejorative or slur is a word or grammatical form expressing a negative or a disrespectful connotation, a low opinion, or a lack of respect toward someone or something. It is also used to express criticism, hostility, or disregard. Sometimes, a ...
for a
Mexican
Mexican may refer to:
Mexico and its culture
*Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America
** People
*** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants
*** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...
in what is now the
U.S. Southwest
The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural region of the United States that generally includes Arizona, New Mexico, and adjacent portions of California, Colorado, N ...
in the 19th century. The
slur likely derived from what was considered one of the lowliest occupations typically held by Mexicans, the greasing of the axles of wagons; they also greased animal hides that were taken to California where Mexicans loaded them onto clipper ships (a greaser). It was in common usage among U.S. troops during the
Mexican–American War
The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...
.
The term was actually incorporated into an early
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
statute, the
Greaser Act The Anti-Vagrancy Act, also known as the Greaser Act, was enacted in 1855 in California, by legalizing the arrest of those perceived as violating its anti-vagrancy statute.
The law is sometimes referred to as the Greaser Act because the law uses th ...
(1855), an expression of a virulent form of
anti-Mexican sentiment
Anti-Mexican sentiment is an attitude toward people of Mexican descent, Mexican culture and/or Mexican Spanish and is most commonly found in the United States.
Its origins in the United States date back to the Mexican and American Wars of ...
among many
Anglo
Anglo is a prefix indicating a relation to, or descent from, the Angles, England, English culture, the English people or the English language, such as in the term '' Anglosphere''. It is often used alone, somewhat loosely, to refer to people ...
Californians.
Greaser persisted in use through the
silent movie
''Silent Movie'' is a 1976 American satirical comedy film co-written, directed by and starring Mel Brooks, released by 20th Century Fox in the summer of 1976. The ensemble cast includes Dom DeLuise, Marty Feldman, Bernadette Peters, and Sid Cae ...
era, as evidenced by movies such as ''Ah Sing and the Greasers'' (1910), ''
The Greaser's Gauntlet
''The Greaser's Gauntlet'' is a 1908 American silent short adventure film directed by D. W. Griffith. It was released by the Biograph Company and copyrighted on August 6, 1908. The film introduced the first extended use of parallel editing in ...
'' (1908),''Tony, the Greaser'' (1911), ''The Greaser and the Weakling'' (1912), ''
The Girl and the Greaser'' (1913), ''The Greaser's Revenge'' (1914), and ''Bronco Billy and the Greaser'' (1914). Subsequently, however, Hollywood began to cut its usage of this particular derogatory term to improve its distribution in Mexican and Latin American markets.
The eugenicist
Madison Grant
Madison Grant (November 19, 1865 – May 30, 1937) was an American lawyer, zoologist, anthropologist, and writer known primarily for his work as a eugenicist and conservationist, and as an advocate of scientific racism. Grant is less noted f ...
made mention of the term with respect to
Mexicans of mixed ancestry in his 1916 work of
scientific racism
Scientific racism, sometimes termed biological racism, is the pseudoscience, pseudoscientific belief that empirical evidence exists to support or justify racism (racial discrimination), racial inferiority, or racial superiority.. "Few tragedies ...
''
The Passing of the Great Race
''The Passing of the Great Race: Or, The Racial Basis of European History'' is a 1916 racist and pseudoscientific book by American lawyer, self-styled anthropologist, and proponent of eugenics, Madison Grant (1865–1937). Grant expounds a theor ...
''.
Other use
* The term is not generally considered derogatory when referring to
greaser culture, as prominently featured in
S.E. Hinton
Susan Eloise Hinton (born July 22, 1948) is an American writer best known for her young-adult novels (YA) set in Oklahoma, especially '' The Outsiders'' (1967), which she wrote during high school. Hinton is credited with introducing the YA gen ...
's ''
The Outsiders''.
* In British English, the term was used in the 1960s–70s to describe the
Rocker subculture
Rockers, leather boys, Ton-up boys,14 February 1961, ''The Daily Express'' (London) and possibly café racers are members of a biker subculture that originated in the United Kingdom during the 1950s. It was mainly centred on British motorcycles ...
.
* "Greaser" can also be used as a shortened form of greaseball, an insult against
Italian people
, flag =
, flag_caption = The national flag of Italy
, population =
, regions = Italy 55,551,000
, region1 = Brazil
, pop1 = 25–33 million
, ref1 =
, region2 ...
and
Greek people
The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, other ...
, in reference to the greased styles often sported in their hair, supposed lack of hygiene, or supposed naturally greasy hair.
References
{{Ethnic slurs
Anti-Italian sentiment
Anti-Mexican sentiment
Class-related slurs
Ethnic and religious slurs
Hispanophobia
Persecution of Greeks in North America
Stereotypes of Hispanic and Latino people