Is it racist…

The only thing I get from this is that it must be a geographical thing.

I grew up in pretty mixed area of North Manchester and
Corner Shop and Chinese were used by pretty much everyone.
**** and Chink were still used, but only as terms of abuse and not in that context.

In Tod, pretty much everyone knew the shops and the owners by name.
Pretty much the only place I heard either term was in the Duke Of York, which seemed to be the pub of choice for the meatheads.

It does sound like there’s quite a demand.

Tell you what, let’s set up a restaurant in Hackney called “Coon Chicken Inn” and see how people react, hey?

HEAR ME NOW!

As delicious as chicken is, there are it seems lots of alternatives which do not involve eating the flesh.

He does seem fit for a more elderly gent.

Tom_W1987 – Member

Tell you what, let’s set up a restaurant in Hackney called “Coon Chicken Inn” and see how people react, hey?

Too late brother Tom, see above post for my new lifestyle choice.

Now I’m left with my main vice to conquer:

That’s actually going the opposite way though isn’t it Rich, I mean you’re using their language to describe where you are going

My point was actually that a Polski Sklep is a shop full of polish items, not the same thing as your **** shop at all. In Poland, It’d just be a Sklep 😉 According to the ex they’re often run by other eastern europeans – good business opportunity.

you’re using their language to describe where you are going – instead of a British derived term of *cough*….”endearment”

Ah so it’s okay if we use their language to describe the shop?

So we should call it a
P?kisat?n? Duk?na (or a ????????? ????? ) then?
And that’ll make them feel less like outsiders?

But what if it turns out they speak Pashto not Punjabi? Won’t my presumption be just as insulting? 😉

My American wife reacted much as I would if someone casually used the term ****. Apparently Jap has the same negative racist connotations for the Yanks.

You don’t say.

I was quite surprised actually. I’ve only every used Jap when describing machinery from Japan, purely as an abbreviation of Japanese. Never considered it a racist term and wouldn’t use it to describe someone from Japan. We don’t have quite the same history with the Japanese as the Americans do though.

NSFW, fpmsl @ ” You cant taste rascism

Can we take back “Porch Monkey” yet?

Are you having one of your angry days again Tom_W ?

I was quite surprised actually.

I certainly remember it being used an offensive term when I was a kid, often by ex POWs from WWII especialy.

Wow, racists can be really obtuse when they want to excuse their behaviour.

So we should call it a
P?kisat?n? Duk?na (or a ????????? ????? ) then?

Does it sell mostly ????????? stuff?

Ah so it’s okay if we use their language to describe the shop?

So we should call it a
P?kisat?n? Duk?na (or a ????????? ????? ) then?
And that’ll make them feel less like outsiders?

But what if it turns out they speak Pashto not Punjabi? Won’t my presumption be just as insulting?

As the poster above you pointed out, how many of your “**** shops” actually sell only Pakistani produce?

None of them, or very few. So your argument generally falls down, you’re having to weave too many excuses to defend the point that it is not racist shorthand.

Occams razor…it’s racist. Simples.

Wow, racists can be really obtuse when they want to excuse their behaviour.

Like Ebike haterz?

perchypanther – Member
….. does anyone know a really offensive term that could be applied to Hungarians.

Calling them Budapests just wasn’t cutting the mustard.

The Poorly Hung?

My apologies, I’ve not waded through 8 pages so it might have been done, but I thought this kind of relevant:

http://southendnewsnetwork.com/news/man-threatens-legal-action-over-racist-sign-at-suffolk-hospital/

When I got into inspection work my manager initially showed me three components and asked me which ones were bad.

First one was spot on in every way to the drawing. Not bad.

Second one had a bore too deep, breaking into a cross hole. Bad.

Third one had a c’bore that was off centre to the bore, not too much but out of tolerance.

“Is that one bad sbob?”

“I’m not sure. It loo…”
<SMACK>
“If that component is critical, there is no third option. It is bad”

Wise words that served me well.

Being racist is VERY bad.
If there is a doubt (and the very presence of the OP suggest there is)
then don’t risk it.

Nothing else needs to be said, yet a forum populated by people that think they are more intelligent than most have spread it over eight pages.

This thread is like the intellectual butter in a British Rail sandwich.

Now leave it.
There is nothing more to add.
Otherwise I shall continue to spam the thread with the wisdom of Macka B (provided Tom is still here to help, sorry mate).

Wow, racists can be really obtuse when they want to excuse their behaviour.

This.

Just so easy to find different words, and to reframe the way we think about people. It’s not about neurotic lefty posturing, it’s about being polite and getting on with people.

you’re having to weave too many excuses to defend the point that it is not racist shorthand.

Nah I’m just trying to challenge your illiberal prejudice a little bit.

Occams razor…it’s racist. Simples.

Hanlon’s Razor: it isn’t. Simples.

Incidentally, any issue with “Oriental”?
Apparently it is so offensive that the Yanks Americans made it illegal to use in official documents.

Someone should probably tell the Oriental population round here because it is pretty common to see it used in restaurant names.

aracer – Member

My apologies, I’ve not waded through 8 pages so it might have been done, but I thought this kind of relevant:

http://southendnewsnetwork.com/news/man-threatens-legal-action-over-racist-sign-at-suffolk-hospital/

That’s not relevant it’s **** retarded.

let’s set up a restaurant in Hackney called “Coon Chicken Inn” and see how people react

Random aside, in field archery a night-time shoot is (or at least, was in the 80s when I last shot) known as a “coon shoot.” This generated an amount of outrage in some quarters but the source of the term is raccoon hunting. (The racial usage of ‘coon’ comes from something to with racial slums in Spain or some such, I forget exactly, but it’s nothing to do with raccoons or darkness.)

That’s not relevant it’s **** retarded.

Offensive to the mentally disabled.

All we need to remember is that we all share one common love,

accept that and we can all get along.

Otherwise I shall continue to spam the thread with the wisdom of Macka B

As far as I could gather (and I fully admit I’m not good at Patois, if indeed that’s what it was) the main thrust of Mr B’s lyrical treatise there was that words are all about context and interpretation. Anything can be made to sound rude, even when you’re just singing about the client produce handling preferences of the girl running the vegetable stall at the street market.

One of my clients at the moment is a distraught Mexican domestic cleaner who works for a London company that has just changed its name to ‘Spick and Span Cleaning’

😆

Incidentally, any issue with “Oriental”?
Apparently it is so offensive that the Yanks Americans made it illegal to use in official documents.

Someone should probably tell the Oriental population round here because it is pretty common to see it used in restaurant names.

Well, it’s a very generic term, only meaning From the East. And it’s used here to mean much the same as Asian in.the US. It’s a compromise term.whichbi don’t particularly like, same as Asian, which doesnt really say what it means. Asian is only.applied to a subset of Asians and Oriental to subset of people from the east
A way of covering up.the fact.that you don’t know where people are from but look a bit like these other people who are from out that way. The fact that ‘orientals’ round your way use it reflects perhaps that some people have given up.trying to educate the local population about the differences and instead just accepted the terminology of the locals

It appears that STW is loving the Macka B after all!

Now this is one of my favourite Macka B tracks. Not only because it was my first introduction to his wisdom and music, but in lieu of his later lifestyle choices it is not only a song about the importance of a good diet, but is also a shining example to us all that we can change.

Macka B sure has come a long way since eating saltfish, selling hooky wristwatches and swimming around in oceans of baked beans.

<mod>
Enough now. I’m sure people can Google for more if they want.
</mod>

Cougar, would you have a go at justifying the ‘obvious’ choices of banned words as above?

Ok, as long as we can accept that continuing to post in this thread is a damning embarrassment to the forum.

Did you read the linked article Charlie?

As an Oriental, I am bemused. Apparently Asians are supposed to feel demeaned if someone refers to us as Orientals. But good luck finding a single Asian American who has ever had the word spat at them in anger. Most Asian Americans have had racist epithets hurled at them at one time or another: Chink, slant eye, gook, Nip, zipperhead. But Oriental isn’t in the canon.

And why should it be? Literally, it means of the Orient or of the East, as opposed to of the Occident or of the West. Last I checked, geographic origin is not a slur. If it were, it would be wrong to label people from Mississippi as Southerners…

Incidentally I don’t think I’d have any issue with anyone from Asia referring to me as Western or European, or even Occidental. Bit general as you say, but I accept that I look a bit like these other people who are from out that way so fair enough.

Like Ebike haterz?

& the usual Orange 5 haterz? I get more peeved by the Orange thing than being called a white Honky.

Another crazy thread on STW.

I’m a specky 4 eyed fat short arse. Big whoopy wow. If your’e slagging me off then your’e leaving someone else alone who can’t take it.

You can call me anything, just don’t call me late for dinner. 😆

No, didn’t read it. But lots have terms have different meaning in US and UK. The main issue is that it is a bit of a lazy categorisation.

the usual Orange 5 haterz? I get more peeved by the Orange thing than being called a white Honky.

Another crazy thread on STW.

You can call me anything, just don’t call me late for dinner.

Typical ignorant, racist apologist with his head in the sand. Honky does not have the same power history as many other racist terms

Typical ignorant, racist apologist with his head in the sand. Honky does not have the same power history as many other racist terma

One thing I’m not doing is apologising. Really.

Look, it’s really simple; it’s not racist if the intent isn’t so. It may be perceived as such by your audience. I could easily ask “fancy a chinky” or “fancy a ruby” in my mates company without any racism implied or perceived. They’re not the same but, because the slang isn’t racially tinged (in that company) it’s the same question In terms of its meaning.

There are things you wouldn’t say at work, jokes you wouldn’t tell because, regardless of the intent, it “may cause offence”. Same thing here. The audience matters because it’s not necessarily the intent, it’s the perception.

No, I don’t have any friends of Chinese decent. I wouldnt call them a chink/chinky if I did. Unless I checked first if it’d be offensive to them. Even so, I’d probably just use their name…….

The main issue is that it is a bit of a lazy categorisation.

Well, according to TripAdvisor the 5th best Chinese restaurant in Newcastle is Landmark Oriental: http://www.landmarkoriental.co.uk/

Good effort given that there is a reasonable-sized mini-Chinatown in the city centre.

But I’m sure the owners would be interested to know they are lazy and have given up trying to educate the Geordies.

themilo – Member

Look, it’s really simple; it’s not racist if the intent isn’t so.

It’s about intent. The c-word can be a deeply insulting term and yet I often use as a term of endearment, as in “come here you little ****”. And if I refer to someone as “a right clever ****” it’s not in any way intended to be a slur.

Racists, racist apologists and the plain ignorant use these words.
If you don’t want to belong to one of these categories, don’t use the words.

Why would you possibly argue the point? Why are you so desperate to hang onto these outdated terminologies?

But I’m sure the owners would be interested to know they are lazy and have given up trying to educate the Geordies.

Well, you’ve at least demonstrated why they might.