I don't care if I get called a Yank. In Michigan I remember referring to people as Yooppers (spelled in some random way) and Trolls (those who live under the bridge)

I personally don't think abbreviations of correct words being insults make any sense. Of course, I have been chewed out a few times for calling someone an African American, once because the person wasn't American and was offended, and a few time when I was in SC and they said they rather just be called black.

I think that is the part of the challenge is that in the range below the outright bad ones, there are some that don't mind the 'insults' Hindu used to be a generic term for a large group of people, and they accepted it and now identify with it. (Silly British. ) Then again, there is no pleasing everyone, I got chewed out for referring to a cleaning rag as a rag once, because it was offensive to a girl that was working at the place at that time. (something to do with periods) I told the manager "This is a rag, from the word ragged, as this item clearly is. I find stupidity offensive, go tell the other person to quit offending me." I walked out of that job a few weeks later.