Dambusters

Not at all true. Just because you didn't mean to offend doesn't mean you didn't.

You control your behaviour and speech - and posts - but you don't control how they're perceived by a person, group, or the population at large.

 

Hang on, irrespective of other PC arguments in this thread, are you seriously suggesting that the BBC should have called one of their flagship, big budget TV programmes "10 Little N*****s"?

Really?

 

Disney's original 'Snow Honky' was on last Christmas...

Even the Father-In-Law a dyed-in-the-wool xenophobe and casual racist could see the reasoning behind that title change.

 

The 'n' word did not start out as offensive or even derogatory although, I agree since the early 1900's it has become a term that is both demeaning and offensive when directed at a person or group or race. There are two words I am very uncomfortable with and would neve use One is the C word and the other being the N word.

However, I am equally uncomfortable when people who the words are NOT directed towards are mortally offended when they overhear these words especially if they were not part of any discussion, conversation or argument and complain on behalf of the perceived slighted party, particularly when the word has been uttered in a non threatening way. An example was when Reginald D Hunter used the 'N' word 'ironically' in a stand up routine highlighting racial prejudices in the US, specifically his own ethnic group. Since he is descended from African Slaves I think he has every right to be offended by that word. Except he Isn't.
It seems anyone with a computer in an attic can start off a PC bandwagon and take offence on someone else's behalf. I totally agree with your statement that people CAN take offence but why should anyone take notice of them. If a word or words are used and the target group is not offended what gives someone else e.g. a white Caucasian not part of that group the right to complain and why do they find it offensive? Everyone can have an opinion of what they find offensive. Most comedy is based on insults and ethnic stereotyping. I am sure someone out there would find jokes about Germans , towels , swimming pools and dekchairs offensive and racist. The 70's TV shows like 'love thy neighbour, Risng Damp' and 'til death us do part' would have the BBC switchboard in meltdown from the PC brigade now due to the perception they were racist. However they highlighted the white peoples ignorance and used satire and irony to emphasise the point and , in a way try to educate people in an entertaining way. Whether that worked is highly debatable but they were NOT overtly racist in my opinion although may who have never ever seen them state the opposite. (Rather like the blasphemous Life of Brian which is clearly not depicting or parodying the Life of Christ)

'So what do we do? BAN all jokes about people, countries, nationality , religion and racial characteristics? Being tolerant and rabidly PC are two opposites. ) I am not accusing you of being that BTW)

i would genuinely like to hear why YOU personally find it offensive (unless you are not a male Caucasian and target of malicious abuse). I really am not being confrontational but would just like to know.

 

Re: Addenda:...

two examples I forgot to add.

1 Walking down the street with my Asian friend and he is subjected to threatening and racist abuse from a man across the street. THAT I find offensive and would support my friends actions (short of initiating violence towards the person insulting him)

2 I am with an African colleague in a workplace and a friend of his and colleague walks up and says -not in a loud voice - (how you doing you black B*strd? To which my mate replies "not bad honky.. yerself??" If nether person is offended it is not MY place to take offence nor tell them it is inappropriate. Furthermore, if someone was to inadvertantly overhear that and made a complaint resulting in the two being given warnings I would support those two against the eavesdropper who was not part of the conversation (neither of those situations are hypothetical by the way. Both are educated well paid professionals incidentally who spend a lot of time working worldwide and neither have a racist bone in their bodies)

 

What if you overhear two white colleagues talking about a black colleague and one of them says to the other "I hate that f***ing n****r"

Would you not be offended by that?

 

In your message why are you using the very words you object to. Putting in *** is meaningless.

 

Because it's pretty hard to put forward a hypothetical quote without doing so. I'd have thought that was fairly obvious.

 

I'm just wondering where you lot work, the BNP?

 

Really?? Would you actually say that to our faces?

 

Offended by theword? No! But I would ask them a) Why they hated him and b) Was there really any need to talk about someone like that using those terms? How many more times do I have to explain? ... The word itself does not offend me but the sentiment behind it qould annoy me and I wuld say smething. This, incidentally, whilst a valid scenario is a different one to the two I used in my previous post.

 

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