Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[RED-DOG]

I don't really get the whole racism thing anymore.  I grew up thinking that racism was about actions, not words.

Perhaps just something else I'm completely out of touch with.

Eh?

Since when did you "grow up"?

You are still a kid. What are you, 18, 19?

Pfft.

You're right. Getting old is conscription, growing up is optional.

Consider this stolen.

[theprawnidentity]

My days of referencing are behind me.

[RED-DOG]

I don't want to make light of the racism thing. I've been discriminated against all of my life and I applaud all measures to stamp it out.

But when a red top blows a tiny non event out of all proportion just to create a news story where there was none is counter productive to say the least.

[RED-DOG]

My days of referencing are behind me.

I meant I was stealing it from you. I didn't know you stole it from someone else. 

[theprawnidentity]

I'm interested to know what people consider to be racism.  Thoughts on it been about actions and not words?

I don't really get the whole thing about the papers making a big deal on someone saying *insert word here*.  I have never discriminated against anyone my whole life through my actions, so if I were to say a word that somebody found offensive how am I racist?  If I am enjoying one of my favorite tunes from a cohort of the hippety hoppety brigade and happen to recite a lyric that strikes a chord with PC club, do all my previous actions go out the window and am I now a racist?

[tikay]

I'm interested to know what people consider to be racism.  Thoughts on it been about actions and not words?

I don't really get the whole thing about the papers making a big deal on someone saying *insert word here*.  I have never discriminated against anyone my whole life through my actions, so if I were to say a word that somebody found offensive how am I racist?  If I am enjoying one of my favorite tunes from a cohort of the hippety hoppety brigade and happen to recite a lyric that strikes a chord with PC club, do all my previous actions go out the window and am I now a racist?

No, not at all, you just to have to ignore the faceless Twitter brigade who do like to make a noise about these things.

I think we all know what real racism is.

[BigAdz]

^^^^^ agreed again

Never really understood the massive hoo haa about the gollywog thing. Its surely only about those that want to make something of it.

Is it meant to suggest that only Black people make or eat jam? What bs. It was a kids toy that helped to promote a product and I am sure kids of all skin colours played with them as they grew up and never batted an eyelid. Its all about Do-Gooders causing an issue where there never was one, until, of course, they stepped in.

If someone is called a viking, for their strength etc, does that mean they automatically steal, rape and kill people and burn down villages, because that all I have ever heard they did?

[tikay]

^^^^^ agreed again

Never really understood the massive hoo haa about the gollywog thing. Its surely only about those that want to make something of it.
Is it meant to suggest that only Black people make or eat jam? What bs. It was a kids toy that helped to promote a product and I am sure kids of all skin colours played with them as they grew up and never batted an eyelid. Its all about Do-Gooders causing an issue where there never was one, until, of course, they stepped in.

If someone is called a viking, for their strength etc, does that mean they automatically steal, rape and kill people and burn down villages, because that all I have ever heard they did?

Same here. The Daily Mail says far worse every other day in it's headlines.

[AlunB]

^^^^^ agreed again

Never really understood the massive hoo haa about the gollywog thing. Its surely only about those that want to make something of it.
Is it meant to suggest that only Black people make or eat jam? What bs. It was a kids toy that helped to promote a product and I am sure kids of all skin colours played with them as they grew up and never batted an eyelid. Its all about Do-Gooders causing an issue where there never was one, until, of course, they stepped in.

If someone is called a viking, for their strength etc, does that mean they automatically steal, rape and kill people and burn down villages, because that all I have ever heard they did?

Same here. The Daily Mail says far worse every other day in it's headlines.

Not poke a hornet's nest here, but I would politely suggest a lot of you are missing the point.

While the Mirror's story is the worst kind of pointless sensationalism and barely disguised character assassination let's not pretend words don't have enormous power.

Also, and most importantly in my view, it is not up to us to decide what is hurtful or offensive to someone else.

The quite obvious difference between someone on The Wire or an African American rap star using the word and a middle class English white bloke in his 50s using it shouldn't really need to be pointed out. It was NEVER right to use it. Same with the P word. It's just not cool. Ever.

[Redsgirl]

Did you ever imagine the day when Jeremy Clarkson would be "begging you for forgiveness"?

That must have been some bollocking he got from the BBC.

"contrite" & "Clarkson" are words that rarely go hand in hand.

A load of sensationalist, double-standard crap imo.

Listen to almost any current gangsta rap track, watch almost any film and you will hear the the N word used often. Sometimes ad nauseam.

Totally with Tom here.

I had never watched The Wire, passed me by totally, and a mate gave me his box set to watch. After six episodes, although the story was good, i gave up, because all the N word stuff was getting on my nerves. This stuff freely available to watch on demand on Sky still. Seems odd to me. Yes, I know, one is a man using the word in real life, and the other a TV programme, but it surely still encourages use of the word.

I'm no prude, nor racist, but I do find it amazing you have to watch every p and q these days for fear of upsetting some group that in turn is freely allowed to use the word themselves.

The group don't use the word themselves, some of them do.  Most would find it offensive if you used it. Context is everything though.

Clarkson is clearly his own worst enemy at times, but this one definitely looks a bit silly to me.  I saw the video in question and if he used the word, it is way too hard to tell if he does and he is clearly trying to avoid saying it out loud on camera.  

Funny thing that rhyme, sure we used it freely when we were kids without realising what it was about.  Remember starting to recite it to my first daughter and then thought wtf when I realised what was coming.  

Edit. Someone has posted a gollywog.  Facepalm

As kids, we all used to recite that poem, & never gave it a 2nd thought.

It's good that we live in more enlightened days, of course, & I'd rather we went too far than not far enough.

There used to be a very popular TV Show on BBC, "The Black & White Minstrels".


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_and_White_Minstrel_Show

That eventually became widely regarded as racist, too. Maybe it was, I don't know. Never seemed that way to me.

As you say, it's all about context.

I think it's impossible to judge weather something is racist or not if your aren't on the receiving end.
I have on numerous occasions had to explain to people that calling me pikey or gyppo is offensive and more often than not they're surprised, and say things like, 'I didn't mean anything by it, it's just what you are'  
Nine times out of ten, they're telling the truth, I totally get that and (provided they don't continue) it's fine, we are all guilty of casual racism sometimes in one form or another with no malice intended.

Where it gets to be a problem is when derogatory terms are used in the media.
Anything that makes a minority of any kind feel like all us people are having a little snigger at all you people is terrible, but the fact that the bloke on the telly said it makes people think it's OK, so just get over it.

I don't think for a minute that Jeremy Clarkson is racist, but he does make a habit of pushing the boundaries with his language and should realise that a lot of ignorant people out will take his 'jokes' as a green light for thee own predictable behaviour.

Having said all that, I no don't think it's fair that a word can be bandied about by some and not others.
At the time of all this furore, that role model for 21st century youth Chris Brown currently has a top ten single with the chorus 'Got rich took a broke n****'s bitch, of which they actually play on the radio with 70% of the words bleeped out! What's the point?
Plus try explaining to a 9 year old why the words bleeped, 'Because it's very rude to black people'
'But Mam, he is a black person!'  

[AlunB]

Did you ever imagine the day when Jeremy Clarkson would be "begging you for forgiveness"?

That must have been some bollocking he got from the BBC.

"contrite" & "Clarkson" are words that rarely go hand in hand.

A load of sensationalist, double-standard crap imo.

Listen to almost any current gangsta rap track, watch almost any film and you will hear the the N word used often. Sometimes ad nauseam.

Totally with Tom here.

I had never watched The Wire, passed me by totally, and a mate gave me his box set to watch. After six episodes, although the story was good, i gave up, because all the N word stuff was getting on my nerves. This stuff freely available to watch on demand on Sky still. Seems odd to me. Yes, I know, one is a man using the word in real life, and the other a TV programme, but it surely still encourages use of the word.

I'm no prude, nor racist, but I do find it amazing you have to watch every p and q these days for fear of upsetting some group that in turn is freely allowed to use the word themselves.

The group don't use the word themselves, some of them do.  Most would find it offensive if you used it. Context is everything though.

Clarkson is clearly his own worst enemy at times, but this one definitely looks a bit silly to me.  I saw the video in question and if he used the word, it is way too hard to tell if he does and he is clearly trying to avoid saying it out loud on camera.  

Funny thing that rhyme, sure we used it freely when we were kids without realising what it was about.  Remember starting to recite it to my first daughter and then thought wtf when I realised what was coming.  

Edit. Someone has posted a gollywog.  Facepalm

As kids, we all used to recite that poem, & never gave it a 2nd thought.

It's good that we live in more enlightened days, of course, & I'd rather we went too far than not far enough.

There used to be a very popular TV Show on BBC, "The Black & White Minstrels".


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_and_White_Minstrel_Show

That eventually became widely regarded as racist, too. Maybe it was, I don't know. Never seemed that way to me.

As you say, it's all about context.

I think it's impossible to judge weather something is racist or not if your aren't on the receiving end.
I have on numerous occasions had to explain to people that calling me pikey or gyppo is offensive and more often than not they're surprised, and say things like, 'I didn't mean anything by it, it's just what you are'  
Nine times out of ten, they're telling the truth, I totally get that and (provided they don't continue) it's fine, we are all guilty of casual racism sometimes in one form or another with no malice intended.

Where it gets to be a problem is when derogatory terms are used in the media.
Anything that makes a minority of any kind feel like all us people are having a little snugger at all you people is terrible, but the fact that the bloke on the telly said it makes people think it's OK, so just get over it.

I don't think for a minute that Jeremy Clarkson is racist, but he does make a habit of pushing the boundaries with his language and should realise that a lot of ignorant people out will take his 'jokes' as a green light for thee own predictable behaviour.

Having said all that, I no don't think it's fair that a word can be bandied about by some and not others.
At the time of all this furore, that role model for 21st century youth Chris Brown currently has a top ten single with the chorus 'Got rich took a broke n****'s bitch, of which they actually play on the radio with 70% of the words bleeped out! What's the point?
Plus try explaining to a 9 year old why the words bleeped, 'Because it's very rude to black people'
'But Mam, he is a black person!'  

Excellent post.

Agree with the sentiment of the bottom bit, but in practise to a nine year old I would just go with the just because he uses it doesn't mean you can. It's still a naughty word.

[tikay]

Photoshopped, or real?


https://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/world-of-sport/astonishing-pic-fisherman-discovers-live-frog-throat-fish-081643969.html


I was pretty sure that when eating limbed animals (or amphibians?), they were always swallowed head first. Guess he could have rotated once inside, though.

[Redsgirl]

Did you ever imagine the day when Jeremy Clarkson would be "begging you for forgiveness"?

That must have been some bollocking he got from the BBC.

"contrite" & "Clarkson" are words that rarely go hand in hand.

A load of sensationalist, double-standard crap imo.

Listen to almost any current gangsta rap track, watch almost any film and you will hear the the N word used often. Sometimes ad nauseam.

Totally with Tom here.

I had never watched The Wire, passed me by totally, and a mate gave me his box set to watch. After six episodes, although the story was good, i gave up, because all the N word stuff was getting on my nerves. This stuff freely available to watch on demand on Sky still. Seems odd to me. Yes, I know, one is a man using the word in real life, and the other a TV programme, but it surely still encourages use of the word.

I'm no prude, nor racist, but I do find it amazing you have to watch every p and q these days for fear of upsetting some group that in turn is freely allowed to use the word themselves.

The group don't use the word themselves, some of them do.  Most would find it offensive if you used it. Context is everything though.

Clarkson is clearly his own worst enemy at times, but this one definitely looks a bit silly to me.  I saw the video in question and if he used the word, it is way too hard to tell if he does and he is clearly trying to avoid saying it out loud on camera.  

Funny thing that rhyme, sure we used it freely when we were kids without realising what it was about.  Remember starting to recite it to my first daughter and then thought wtf when I realised what was coming.  

Edit. Someone has posted a gollywog.  Facepalm

As kids, we all used to recite that poem, & never gave it a 2nd thought.

It's good that we live in more enlightened days, of course, & I'd rather we went too far than not far enough.

There used to be a very popular TV Show on BBC, "The Black & White Minstrels".


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_and_White_Minstrel_Show

That eventually became widely regarded as racist, too. Maybe it was, I don't know. Never seemed that way to me.

As you say, it's all about context.

I think it's impossible to judge weather something is racist or not if your aren't on the receiving end.
I have on numerous occasions had to explain to people that calling me pikey or gyppo is offensive and more often than not they're surprised, and say things like, 'I didn't mean anything by it, it's just what you are'  
Nine times out of ten, they're telling the truth, I totally get that and (provided they don't continue) it's fine, we are all guilty of casual racism sometimes in one form or another with no malice intended.

Where it gets to be a problem is when derogatory terms are used in the media.
Anything that makes a minority of any kind feel like all us people are having a little snugger at all you people is terrible, but the fact that the bloke on the telly said it makes people think it's OK, so just get over it.

I don't think for a minute that Jeremy Clarkson is racist, but he does make a habit of pushing the boundaries with his language and should realise that a lot of ignorant people out will take his 'jokes' as a green light for thee own predictable behaviour.

Having said all that, I no don't think it's fair that a word can be bandied about by some and not others.
At the time of all this furore, that role model for 21st century youth Chris Brown currently has a top ten single with the chorus 'Got rich took a broke n****'s bitch, of which they actually play on the radio with 70% of the words bleeped out! What's the point?
Plus try explaining to a 9 year old why the words bleeped, 'Because it's very rude to black people'
'But Mam, he is a black person!'  

Excellent post.

Agree with the sentiment of the bottom bit, but in practise to a nine year old I would just go with the just because he uses it doesn't mean you can. It's still a naughty word.

Oh I do Alun, I never condone my girls using any offensive term even jokingly, because kids  obviously learn from their parent's whats acceptable or not, and ignorance breeds ignorance.

[AlunB]

Huge fan of that philosophy.

BTW I have no business telling people how to raise their own children! Hope that didn't come across like that. Was just my opinion  

[Redsgirl]

Huge fan of that philosophy.

BTW I have no business telling people how to raise their own children! Hope that didn't come across like that. Was just my opinion  

Lol, I was just worried you thought I'd okay'd the N word!