Is "to shanghai" now politically incorrect?
would the term be considered politically incorrect now?
Depends so heavily on who you're talking to that I doubt any consensus will be reached. I'd guess that this is the kind of issue where maybe 10% of the developed world's English-speaking population cares enough to be deeply and vociferously offended immediately and use your use of the term as an excuse to get in a long, drawn-out argument.
Another 10% would think it's a bit off, but they'd say nothing.
And the other 80% simply would not care.
Would I use the phrase in an official document? No. Partly because it's vernacular. Would I use the phrase in an e-mail to someone I don't know well? Depends on how much I care about whether they might get mad at me. Would I use the phrase in a verbal conversation in person? Certainly, although given how specific the use-case is, I'd still use it infrequently.
At the end of the day it is based on a thing that did happen and that does materially relate to the place being discussed. Like referring to arson as "Detroit Halloween celebrations". Would the people of Detroit like that description? Maybe not. But it's an evidence-based description.
Some things about "Shanghai" most people will nowadays agree on.
- Its use is not common, there are plenty of better synonyms that won't raise a single eye-brow.
- Using a word that means something negative, connected with a country or ethnicity, would be especially undesirable in today's society.