You take it, and make it your own...

"The Slants, an Asian-American rock band, has been struggling to register a trademark for its name for several years. Since 2011, the Oregon-based group has been embroiled in a free-speech battle with the government, which refuses to let the band claim the trademark because 'slant' is considered a racial slur.

Per the Associated Press, the band is headed to the Supreme Court on Wednesday to present its case, as the judges weigh in on whether a law prohibiting disparaging trademarks violates their free speech rights. The verdict may also impact the Washington Redskins, who had their trademarks canceled last year after the government found that it was disparaging to Native Americans.

Simon Tam, the founder of the Slants, says that the name was chosen not to offend, but to reclaim the term and engage Asian stereotypes.

The band released a new song called 'From the Heart' about the upcoming case, calling it an 'open letter to the trademark office' about their continued fight for free speech."

Full article here: 

Asian-American Band Takes Fight Over Their ‘Racist’ Name All the Way to Supreme Court

Slant is considered racial slur? You would think it would need at least slanted eyes or something.  Even then it is just pointing out that Asians have slanted eyes which could be used as a stupid racist argument but I don't see common body features of races as racist.  Is it racist to point out that most blacks have huge flat noses that look like dino feet?

What's next?  Soon it will be racist to state that Asian female drivers are the worst drivers.

Wait, 'slant' is a racial slur? I'm Asian and I never knew about this, lol.

Yeah, it's a slur. Of course there's nothing racist about acknowledging a phenotypical aspect, but calling East Asians "slants" is pretty dehumanizing because it reduces them to that one feature of their body. It's like calling blacks "darkies." (Or like calling them "blacks," come to think of it... hmmm!)

A friend once told me a story about the first time his niece saw a black.  She was like mommy that guy has chocolate all over his face.

Another side note...  I never knew Jap was a racial word till freshman year in high school.  I believe I was typing into a search engine during a computer class and the teacher looked all shocked.  I was like what?  He was like don't you know that is a racist term.  Well that is how USA newspapers referred to Japanese back in the day and my grandpa fought in the Pacific.  I just thought it was a shorter word for Japanese but I suppose it was used in the same sense as the word gook in Vietnam war.

A famous rap group when I was a kid were the "Niggers With Attitude" and no question a slur against black people. They were pretty big too if memory serves.

Kids! ¯_(ツ)_/¯

Never heard about people calling asians "slants" before.
But slant is not just a racial slur it's also a common word used in other ways.

You can't trademark that kind of words.

The stupidity...

One could easily say I'm racist or that I talk racist.  I believe every race has it's own advantages and disadvantages.  I'm so white that I will burst into flames if I step out into the Texas sun.

It's not the word itself sometimes that's offensive. It's your intention when you use it.

For example, comparing blacks  "huge flat noses" to a dino feet. I didn't know most dinos were that small.

It's like me seeing your mom and say she has a huge Buddha belly like she swallowed a grenade.

People don't like certain words because they're associated with a dark past.