Fresh off the boat
Encyclopedia : F : FR : FRE : Fresh off the boat
Fresh off the boat (often abbreviated as F.O.B., FOB or freshie, or fobbie) is a derogatory slang phrase applied to people of foreign nationality, who have arrived in an English-speaking nation as tourists, students, or most commonly, as work permit applicants. The term is commonly applied to Eastern & Southern Pacific Asians as well as Middle Easterners in the United States, Canada and Australia, as well as to Pacific Islanders in Australia and New Zealand. It was originally applied to European immigrants who had just stepped off of a ship. More recently, FOB may stand for "Fresh Off the Boeing".
In modern sociology of ethnicity, this term can be seen as an indicator of the nature of diasporic communities, that is, communities that have left their country of origin and have migrated, usually permanently, to another country. Often, second generation migrants of any culture (especially if they are a minority group) have to "negotiate their identity" with the broader community's identity (which may not itself be clear). For example, many migrants criticise their own traditions, (e.g. "they are all FOBS"), while others become more traditional.
The term implies that the person has not yet assimilated to the common regional culture, language, and behavior. FOBs tend to be identified by their fashion, social preferences, behavior towards others, and perhaps most distinctively, their accents.
South, East, and South-East Asian FOBs
In the context of South and South-Eastern Asians, many generalisations or telling characteristics of a FOB can be determined, especially if they co-habitate within the same regions of a city forming 'FOB ghettos'.FOBs may typically:
- have a poor command of the English language
- speak their native language among Western friends.
- have traditional hairstyles (such as hair parted to one side), or radically coloured and carefully moulded hairstyles.
- have the tendency to form close social cliques that are closed to those of other nationalities.
Pacific Islander FOBs
While newly emigrated Pacific Islanders residing in Australia and New Zealand are often known as FOBs by those of European ethnicity, this term is also applied to their genre of music. Their music can be typically characterised as that of an R&B style with humerous intermissions known as 'skits'.Related words
- Boater - a regional variant with the same exact meaning as FOB.
- Fresh Off the Plane - Immigrants no longer travel on boats, they travel on planes. Therefore, 'FOP' is the new alternative to 'FOB'.
- Banana - Refers to a typical second generation Asian. This is due to the fact that a banana is yellow on the outside and white on the inside. This implies that a second generation Asian may look Asian, while thinking and behaving in Western ways.
- Coconut - Refers to South Asians. A coconut is brown on the outside and white on the inside. Implication is similar to banana listed above.
- Freshie - Commonly used in Britain to describe South Asians.
- Fresh over the Border
- Just off the Farm
- Just off the Jet
- Oreo - Refers to Africans. An oreo is black on the outside and white on the inside. Implication is similar to banana listed above.
- Twinkie - Refers to Asian americans acting like caucasians. Yellow on the outside, white on the inside.
- ABC (American-born Chinese)
- EOF (English Only Filipino)
- ABCD (American-Born Confused Desi)
- Derivative adjective forms of FOB include fobby, fobbish and fobulous, a portmanteau of fob and fabulous.
Pronunciation
There are currently two widely accepted (and sometimes disputed) pronunciations of the word FOB. The emphasis is on the "O" sound:FOB(fŏb) can be pronounced with the same "O" sound as in the word "lob" (he lobbed the ball at me).
FOB(fōb) can also be pronounced with the "O" sound as in the word "cove" (they found a nice cove along the shore).
The general claim is that "only FOBs(fŏb) say FOB(fōb)" and vice a versa.
Offensive use
The term "FOB" has been often used in a quite offensive way. For anyone who has a strong accent, a unique style of dressing, and maybe even a special body odor, many people tend to use this word. For example, consider the following sentence: "Wow, Sinthu does Indian dancing to "stay in touch with her culture", eats dosas on a regular basis, and puts curry on her food at Taco Bell. What a FOB!" "The words "Fobbish", "Fobby", and "fobby by nature" are frequently used to describe both real immigrants and those whos actions are similar to those of the immigrants. Most immigrants do not take the word "FOB" offensively, while feeling uncomfortable with expressions mentioned above. Those who do not qualify as a "FOB" may be either offended or pleased with being called FOBs according to their primary intentions.
Non-offensive use
The term "FOB" is also used in a less offensive way of describing Asian American youths, as well as those in Australia and other countries, that display contemporary East Asian youth cultures. This behavior is part of a new trend of Asian American teens displaying their modern cultural roots (like listening to Asian music and watching Asian movies) rather than conform with mainstream Western culture. Thus the term "Fob" is used in a social context to describe a particular clique or subculture of teens. A few modern day "Fobs" may actually be American-, Australian-, etc, born Asians."Fob" is also used as slang term for these youths to refer to each other. The same can be applied to Iranian American youths, who use the term in the same non-offensive way as Asian American youths.
External links
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.