Greaser (derogatory)

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Greaser was a derogatory term for a Mexican in what is now the US Southwest in the 19th century. It most likely derived from one of the lowliest occupations typically held by Mexicans in what is now the US Southwest, the greasing of the axles of mule carts. It was a common usage among US troops during the Mexican War.

The term was actually incorporated into an early California statute, the Greaser Act (1855), an expression of a virulent form of anti-Mexican sentiment among many Anglo Californians.

The term persisted in use through the silent film era, as evidenced by films such as Ah Sing and the Greasers (1910), The Greaser’s Gauntlet (1908), Tony the Greaser (1911), The Greaser and the Weakling (1912), The Girl and the Greaser (1913), The Greaser’s Revenge (1914), Bronco Billy and the Greaser (1914), and The Greaser (1915)[link]. Subsequently, however, Hollywood began to cut its usage of this particular derogatory term to improve its distribution in Mexican and Latin American markets.

Greaser (derogatory)

See also