[Closed] Casual racists

I've often wondered just why it is that white guys might get a hard time in Africa. It's almost as if they don't trust us for some reason or another.

Racism is just plain stupid.

You never think it will happen until it does, especially as an adult white male (putting the whole gaybashing etc. etc. stuff to one side). In Germany I have been called (not politely) an '[i]inbred island monkey[/i]' which is apparently the racist term for peoples of this isle. It makes you nervous of everyone around you thinking the same thing. Nasty.

Should any white person on the forum want to know how it feels to be on the receiving end of racism

I'm not racist, some of my best friends are ___________*

*fill with totally inappropriate racist term

My kind of game...

I'm not racist, some of my best friends are Ginger

I'm not racist, some of my best friends are short

I'm not racist, some of my best friends are Welsh

I'm not racist, some of my best friends are imaginary...

I'm not racist, some of my best friends are Welsh

OI!

Sticks and stones, eh, what a bunch. Get out and travel the world a bit guys.

OI!

Don't be silly.

Who'd ever have a Welsh friend?

(-:

EDIT:Video fail

deadlydarcy - Member
exclusively
No, just mostly.(racism the preserve of white people)

I do take massive issue with this. I would say that it is the preserve of the human race. It's just far more damaging when it's directed at a minority by the majority, which is the experience of us westerners. I would suggest that you would experience the polar opposite if you went to live somewhere where white people were the minority, and it would be just as inherently wrong.

Lady Gresley - Member
So in amongst all the s**t, I notice this -
McHamish - Member
As the proud owner of a Chinese wife

Hmmmmm...

Interesting that a woman picked up on the 'casual sexism' in my post, it took longer than I expected. What does this say to the people who think that it's not offensive to say 'chink' etc, because they themselves don't think it's racist?

Do you thin because all the men in this thread weren't offended, that Lady Gressley is being unreasonable in being offended?

Being female she is probably more senstive to it than men [ in the same way being not english i am more sensitive to the use of english for british]- thats not a dig btw.
I took it to be a provacative term, you probably did not mean, used to get a reaction so I declined

Edukator i have experienced real racism via traveling and the worst was in Holland [oddly enough at a peace festival ]

I am not sure what point you are trying to make here
Is racism a good or bad thing?
Did you like it when you recieved it?
Sure some is worse than others like getting your arm cut off is worse than getting your finger cut off but none of it is good and both are real

v8, I didn't say that racism was the sole preserve of the white man. I suggest you find someone who has said that so you can direct your feelings about your massive issue with oppression of the white man by other races at that poster.

Oh, and try not to quote so disingenuously. It's not playing fairly is it?

@ McHamish, I just assumed your "owner" comment was heavily sprinkled with ground irony.

It was, but makes an interesting point I think.

No-one here is racist; racism is a crime, and crime is for blacks...

(if you've not understood the point, hold your breath and count to 10,000 before flaming...)

Hang on a minute, DD. I never said anything about a 'massive issue with the oppression of the white man'??? Please don't put words in my mouth.

If I misunderstood your post then I apologise, but my point was that its ignorance, not skin colour, that makes a racist.

Indeed, you just had a massive issue with what you understood I was saying. Touché. 😛

Hmmmm. So... What [i]were[/i] you saying?

In case anyone's interested, my wife says its definitely not nice to be called a chink. To be honest I think she's pretty shocked that some people think its ok.

She also laughed about my 'owner' comment, so there's at least one woman who isn't offended by that.

As the proud owner of a Chinese wife I can categorically deny that Chinese people refer to themselves as chinks, if you know of any that do I would suggest that they're in the minority.

If someone called my wife a chink I suspect I'd have to restrain her to stop her punching them.

My girlfriends Filipino, she finds it offensive.

When we'd been dating for a few months in my third year of uni I didn't restrain myself at a drum n base night, said wannabe skinhead got sparked out (in self defence of course) and then the rest of his mates got sparked out by my brother when they tried to intervene.

Good times.

Apparently I can say I own her only if I pay for all her clothes/handbag/shoes shopping...

grum's nailed it for all the slow ones out there:

Yup, but in Britain white people very rarely experience real racism - apart from the kind of bullshit imagined racism that Daily Mail readers go on about. Like how they 'banned christmas in Birmingham' - that kind of thing.

Racism doesn't have half as much effect if there is no power behind it either - it's nonsense to say 'oh well I don't mind being called a Brit'. Pretty obviously completely different as British people have by and large never endured any serious racism, and Brit has never been used as a term of abuse.

If you can't see the sense and truth in that, you're beyond hope.

Oh, and by the way, hi rudebwoy - it's nice to be in a discussion where we can agree for once(!) 🙂

Don't worry Edukator, I wouldn't really chop his fingers off.

It would make me a bit sad though.

British people have by and large never endured any serious racism

Dunno we've not done well at Eurovision for a while...

Cookee all of your friends are imaginary and even they don't like you. 🙂

It was, but makes an interesting point I think.

I took it as a troll comment, I stand by that.

Anyway I thought it was about calling a meal something not a person, most people seem to be confused and think it's about calling Chinese people.

I am really quite annoyed at not being able to post Father Ted and the "I am Chinese" or "I hear you're a racist now" sketches

When we'd been dating for a few months in my third year of uni I didn't restrain myself at a drum n base night

Good times.

Dance like nobody's watching!

Oh I give up....

Sticks and stones, eh, what a bunch. Get out and travel the world a bit guys.

It entirely depends on where you travel and who you are with. I've got a fair bit of experience of South Africa. I have seen and heard white south africans after a few beers have loosened their tongues using language that harks back to a bad era. In the majority of cases where I've seen white south africans casually dismiss 'blacks' or 'coloureds' (mostly just lazily) the response from the wronged pary seems to be more sad realisation that prejudices endure longer than good intentions.

In other places in the world you might get a knife in the guts.

And yes, a lot of the most racist attitudes I've come across are Indian hindus when talking about ****stani muslims - just because it goes on elsewhere doesn't make it alright, though.

Prejudice and ignorance are two sides of the same coin. They both show an unwillingness to think and if you're really stupid and easily led they can be made to seem admirable qualities.

I took it as a troll comment

That ok, I'm not offended by your misunderstanding.

I am really quite annoyed at not being able to post Father Ted and the "I am Chinese" or "I hear you're a racist now" sketches

Or the Monty Python skit, "I like Chinese". Let alone "Never be rude to an Arab".

😉

classic stw thread this one...

Classic the Chinese on Craggy Island 8)

It's the 1970's racist language such as Chinky and **** that I also will not tolerate.
If youve ever been a school kid on the recieving end you'll understand.
Anyone who thinks its post PC to use such language or in any way sets them out as a free thinker, is a ****t.
In the Black Country (ooh the irony) I have heard white adult males say how they miss the old days, which involved a regular Friday night drink, followed by a spot of '**** Bashing'.
Using this language evokes a time when this behaviour was rife, and it was generally said with utter hatred.
For the 'I'm not a racist but...' crowd, you are just morons. But the next time a 'mate' down the pub starts, make sure you voice your opinion, unless you are also feeble minded, mouth breathing, squirrel eating, sh1t kicker.

pwned this thread

Only read a bit of this, but I don't really go in for the whole classifying certain words as racist. There really has to be context involved before the racist value of a particular word or sentence can be judged.

My work colleague used to call me North Korean or Mongol (I am/was not offended) then I politely requested him to refer to me as Dear Leader then for him to ask me for forgiveness. 😆 Somehow he stopped after a while ... hhhhmmm ... not sure why.

I sense another thread about to be banned.

Rscott - Member
Anyway we came to the conclusion that there are certain words that are unexceptionable, but the main thing that makes it racist is the[b] context [/b]used in. And this is a fine line, that [b]differs from race to race[/b] and area to area.

Rscott - the best post of the thread IMO

I have worked in Japan where the difference in my skin colour and race was a topic of daily comment. Ditto, I was openly referred to with an adjective that bore this out and was discriminated against on this basis. Was it offensive? Personally no I don't think so. I chose to live there, I was different (odd to many outside the main urban centres), it was my responsibility to fit in not vice versa. But I accept that is not an opinion shared by all.*

I have worked in Africa, where it is a relief that the adjectives black, white, coloured etc can, and are, used without fear or prejudice. A little uncomfortable (initially) for those of us schooled in the linguisitic bastardisation that characterises attempts to avoid offence in US and UK.

I have also worked in India where the use of Pak/**** is also widespread - indeed a regular headline on newspapers in the region. As Jkomo notes, **** in the UK context is almost exclusively used in an unpleasant and unacceptable context.

[b]Context, context, context.[/b].....(plus racism exists in all societies - not an excuse, merely an observation)

Context forms the basis of anti-racism legislation in this country which is its strength (appropriateness) and its weakness (difficulty to define or interpret at times) IMO

* edit: that should not be interpreted as meaning that I condone racism/discrimination in any way or that it "has" to be accepted.

Is someone of ****stani and Chinese parentage a Pinky to a racist then ?

Edric 64 - Member
Is someone of ****stani and Chinese parentage a Pinky to a racist then ?

I struggle with long sentences, but a good mate is Chinese, and runs a takeaway in Glasgow. He likes to play with it - he calls it a Chinky just to see the reaction on people's faces. He once offered someone money for their "tasty-looking dog". He puts on a fake "flied lice" accent.

He says it's much more fun than getting angry at the casual racism. It probably makes people think, too.

It probably makes people think, too

It makes me think your mate is a bit of a donut for messing with people.*

*donuts were invented by the Chinese, right?

I have worked in Japan where the difference in my skin colour and race was a topic of daily comment. Ditto, I was openly referred to with an adjective that bore this out and was discriminated against on this basis. Was it offensive? Personally no I don't think so. I chose to live there, I was different (odd to many outside the main urban centres), it was my responsibility to fit in not vice versa. But I accept that is not an opinion shared by all.*

Japan's profound racism is an issue for the rest of the world considering what it has led to in the past.

It makes me think your mates a bit of a donut for messing with people.*