Don't worry, Shmavis, they are perfectly fine terms, as are "Jap", "Kraut", Kiwi, etc., as verbal shorthand.
It is the responsibility of people on the receiving end to learn and/or understand (but not decide) the intent of their use--it is not incumbent upon the speaker. He already knows what he means. Furthermore, he cannot be a mindreader and determine beforehand every instance of someone being offended. Finally, people who arbitrarily choose to be offended about it without first determining the speaker's intent need to grow up and stop utilizing the 'victim' mentality. :mad: </font>