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— From Pinterest.com

— From Pinterest.com

— From HistoryHit

— From Wikipedia

— From Pinterest.com

— From Japanese-Canadians - Weebly

— From Japanese-Canadians - Weebly

• Wikipedia
• Spot a Jap - DailyMail UK
• Japan Talk
• Densho.org
• Huffpost
• History Hit
• Japanese-Canadians - Weebly

This American propaganda poster, created in the months following the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese, is a prominent example of name calling. In this poster, the Japanese are derogatorily depicted as rats while the words Jap Trap is prominently displayed in bold, with quotation marks, near the bottom of the poster. During the Second World War, many Americans used the term “Jap” as a derogatory term to refer to the Japanese, mainly because of the word’s ability to create perfect rhyme with other words and thus, create easy to memorize slogans such as Let’s blast the Jap clean off the map and Jap Trap. By referring to the Japanese as “Jap” in this poster, the propagandist aims to brew anti-Japanese sentiment among its American audience. The rat itself, with its wrinkled, hairless skin, buck teeth, and clawed hands is extremely displeasing to the eye and looks more like a vermin than a human. Coupled with the stereotypical manner the propagandist drew this poster, with its narrow eyes, black hair, circular glasses, and shriveled skin, and the slogan, Jap Trap, it is hard not to associate the Japanese with a negative image after viewing this poster. The propagandist uses this extremely insulting and disgusting portrayal of the Japanese to associate the “Japs” with a negative image of a vermin and brew hatred among the American people. [PropangandaProjectJustin]

This American propaganda poster, created in the months following the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese, is a prominent example of name calling. In this poster, the Japanese are derogatorily depicted as rats while the words Jap Trap is prominently displayed in bold, with quotation marks, near the bottom of the poster. During the Second World War, many Americans used the term “Jap” as a derogatory term to refer to the Japanese, mainly because of the word’s ability to create perfect rhyme with other words and thus, create easy to memorize slogans such as Let’s blast the Jap clean off the map and Jap Trap. By referring to the Japanese as “Jap” in this poster, the propagandist aims to brew anti-Japanese sentiment among its American audience. The rat itself, with its wrinkled, hairless skin, buck teeth, and clawed hands is extremely displeasing to the eye and looks more like a vermin than a human. Coupled with the stereotypical manner the propagandist drew this poster, with its narrow eyes, black hair, circular glasses, and shriveled skin, and the slogan, Jap Trap, it is hard not to associate the Japanese with a negative image after viewing this poster. The propagandist uses this extremely insulting and disgusting portrayal of the Japanese to associate the “Japs” with a negative image of a vermin and brew hatred among the American people. [PropangandaProjectJustin]

In America, the term Jap came into wide use in 1860 to refer to the members of the Japanese embassy to the United States (see "Japs in 19th-century popular usage"). In newspapers, magazine articles, and nonfiction accounts of all kinds it was mostly just a breezy abbreviation, and in its earliest usages referred to specific groups--the embassy, or a particular troupe of Japanese acrobats touring the U.S. Only gradually did "the Japs" become a larger category. [College of Liberal Arts and Sciences]

The term Jap was a neutral demonym in the late 19th century but it got pejorated during the WWII.

In America, the term Jap came into wide use in 1860 to refer to the members of the Japanese embassy to the United States (see "Japs in 19th-century popular usage"). In newspapers, magazine articles, and nonfiction accounts of all kinds it was mostly just a breezy abbreviation, and in its earliest usages referred to specific groups--the embassy, or a particular troupe of Japanese acrobats touring the U.S. Only gradually did "the Japs" become a larger category. [College of Liberal Arts and Sciences]

Dating back to the late 19th century, use of this term was originally neutral. But because the Japanese were the enemy during World War II, the term Jap became derogatory. [Dictionary.com]