When did refugee become a dirty word? All of the sudden people seem to have decided that it's racist, because of New Orleans. I'm not sure how the connection was made, or why, but there it is. Now if anyone calls the displaced citizens refugess, then they get offended. The "they" is not actual New Orleans people, but instead the politically correct police. No one else gives a shit, but "they" have taken it upon themselves to tell people what to be offended by. I never in a million years thought I would get chastised for calling a refugee a refugee, but it can happen today.