The Vagueness of a Slur: Some US-Slurs Against Hispanic People Make No Sense

Throughout my life, I’ve been called a "spic" by various groups of people—most often by non-Latino Black Americans. The term has always struck me as curious. While it’s meant to be offensive, I’ve never taken it personally. That said, if someone uses it to disrespect me on my social media platforms, I simply block them without reporting it. Still, the word has always felt a bit puzzling to me.

What I find particularly interesting is how little weight the term carries outside the U.S., especially in Latin America. Many Latinos across the globe don’t understand what it means. It's one of those uniquely American slurs in English—like “beaner” or “wetback”—that doesn’t resonate with much of the Latino world.

Unlike “spic,” though, slurs like “beaner” and “wetback” carry implied meanings. “Beaner” suggests someone (primarily a Mexican) who eats a lot of beans, and “wetback” refers to someone who crossed the Rio Grande—implying they are illegally in the United States regardless of their national origin or Hispanic heritage. These slurs, while offensive, at least have some sort of internal logic or stereotype behind them.

But “spic”? It doesn’t really point to a specific behavior, condition, or cultural trait. It’s vague. It lacks depth or a clear insult. To me, that makes it feel more like an unintelligent slur—an unsophisticated attempt at offense.

From my research, the term "spic" appears to have originated from the way some Spanish-speaking individuals struggled to speak English. Specifically, it may have come from a misheard or mimicked version of the phrase “I don’t speak English,” which was sometimes pronounced as “I no spik English” or something similar. This explanation seems more plausible than others. Yet, there isn't much evidence to support a deeper or more complex definition of what it means.

It's interesting how certain expressions can evolve into slurs, even when their beginnings are relatively trivial or rooted in misunderstanding, and ultimately have no substantial meaning.