[Zoot]

Just read this story on Yahoo - http://uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20090211/tuk ... a1618.html

Basically, Prince Harry told the comedian Stephen K Amos that he 'doesn't sound like a black chap'. (If you youtube Stephen K Amos you'll find he speaks very posh).
Now I've always been confused about the whole 'racism' topic, I mean where is this 'line' we aren't to cross?
If I was to go into a shop to take something back and was asked who served me and I said 'he was a black gentleman', would that be deemed racism?
Not holding a lift door for someone because of their skin colour - yes, that's racism, I get that, but If I was to go into a shop to take something back and was asked who served me and I said 'he was a black gentleman', would that be deemed racism? If a woman served me and I stated as much, would I be bordering on sexism???

[Nicola_Red]

Well, I would guess that the "doesn't sound black" comment would imply that black people can't be posh or well-spoken and are therefore an inferior class of people? I'd probably say that's racist. It's not the same as just describing someone as 'black' in order to point them out to someone else or something.

[Bonanzoid]

I certainly don't think so, I think that would just be you identifying the most noticeable thing. For example I view it as someone's first comment on me being "the guy with the curly hair" or you being that "blue robot".

If you were to say you got served by a 'nigger' then it's quite different to saying "black gentleman". As far as I'm concerned, anyone who views that as racist is a tit.

[MK Chris]

I would agree with nicola_red, I think it was a mildly racist comment, nothing serious though. Certainly not as bad as Carol Thatcher's comment, which was bad. I also agree that referring to someone as 'the black fella' when pointing someone out is by no means racist.

[Munki Bhoy]

I don't even understand racism. I don't see how you can actively hate someone because they have a different skin colour from your own. Personally, most people have a different skin colour from me. I'm pasty white, most people I know are kinda pink.

I also don't understand why people get so offended at words. It's the hatred behind the words that are the problem, not the words themselves. When I was younger, we always got sent for messages at the corner shop across the road. Of course, it wasn't referred to as the corner shop, it was the "shortened version of Pakistani" shop. We didn't know any better, we didn't care. It was a name to refer to it by and it just so happened to be owned by a nice wee asian couple that everyone seemed to like.

If someone referred to me as a "Jock bastard", I'd be more likely to be offended by the bastard bit as that's the bit that's insinuating some hatred behind the term. "* off back to Poland" would be another indication that someone had an irrational hatred and there's no term in there that's remotely offensive for any reason other than you may not like swearing.

And then you get the really stupid stuff. Why is it okay for half the rappers on the planet to refer to themselves using that n word they like so much, yet I can't? If it's offensive, don't use it. If it's not offensive, I should be able to use it too. There's no middle ground here. If I did use it, I'm hardly likely to use it to cause you offense. I'm more likely to be singing along to your bloody song!

It's just ridiculous and people think about it and worry it about way too much. And the bit they do worry about isn't even the important bit.

Of course, being a Celtic fan you get double the points here because I'm automatically tarred as a Catholic/Irish person. And then we're into "sectarianism" which is just as bloody stupid.

Actually, that reminds me. They've decided that sectarianism is a bad thing. Who's they? Have they ever read a dictionary? Celtic and Rangers fans are sectarian. No shit sherlock, of course they are. They follow their own team at the exclusion of all others - they are members of the Celtic sect and the Rangers sect! Every football supporter in the world is technically sectarian! But suddenly it's taken on this whole "religious bigotry only" connotation and it is the root of all that is evil. For one thing, I've heard of more anti-Irish stuff from it all than anti-Catholic, so it's not like it's even just the religious thing that's the problem here and now!

You know what? People are just * retards. (And yes, that's an intentional joke before anyone gets upset)

[Yudster]

And then you get the really stupid stuff. Why is it okay for half the rappers on the planet to refer to themselves using that n word they like so much, yet I can't? If it's offensive, don't use it. If it's not offensive, I should be able to use it too. There's no middle ground here. If I did use it, I'm hardly likely to use it to cause you offense. I'm more likely to be singing along to your bloody song!

A Premiership fan magazine was prosecuted and fined for referring to Spurs fans as "The Yid Army". Its what they call themselves for * sake, and they sing about it too. It is plain stupid.

[Munki Bhoy]

To be fair, we're on the verge of causing fights and even wars purely because people are taking offense from words where none was intended! I mean, take the Muslim outrage at the cartoon of their prophet - that was nothing more than a joke.

Ironically, people that easily offended should be mocked at every occasion.

[MK Chris]

To be fair, we're on the verge of causing fights and even wars purely because people are taking offense from words where none was intended! I mean, take the Muslim outrage at the cartoon of their prophet - that was nothing more than a joke.

Yeah, but you can't mock Islam - if you do, you deserve to be beheaded. I'm fairly sure I'm right in saying that the Koran actually encourages killing non-believers and it's the 'moderates' who have chosen not to follow that part of the teachings - possibly because they know it's bad for their image and possibly because they know that with the number of non-Muslims in the world they wouldn't stand a chance.

[AndyJ]

a Blackboard, is that Racist? NO, so why 'they' change it to a Chalk Board?

The childerens nursery rhyme Baa Baa Black Sheep is now Baa Baa Coloured sheep in nurserys and schools. WHY?! Just because it has the word Black, it makes it racist? Bollocks. The world has gone PC nuts!

[MK Chris]

a Blackboard, is that Racist? NO, so why 'they' change it to a Chalk Board?

I'm pretty sure either would do and I've never heard of one being changed for the other because of fears about racism. Are you sure that's not apocryphal? Where did you hear it?

The childerens nursery rhyme Baa Baa Black Sheep is now Baa Baa Coloured sheep in nurserys and schools. WHY?! Just because it has the word Black, it makes it racist? Bollocks. The world has gone PC nuts!

Again, where did you hear this?

[TIAL]

And then you get the really stupid stuff. Why is it okay for half the rappers on the planet to refer to themselves using that n word they like so much, yet I can't? If it's offensive, don't use it. If it's not offensive, I should be able to use it too. There's no middle ground here. If I did use it, I'm hardly likely to use it to cause you offense. I'm more likely to be singing along to your bloody song!

I think there is a middle ground on this one. That word has been used for so many years as a derogatory term by white Americans. I think it is now used in normal talk by the people it used to be targeted at as a way of softening the blow the word holds.

[Bonanzoid]

To be fair, we're on the verge of causing fights and even wars purely because people are taking offense from words where none was intended! I mean, take the Muslim outrage at the cartoon of their prophet - that was nothing more than a joke.

Ironically, people that easily offended should be mocked at every occasion.

The cartoon incident was a different kettle of fish though. I agree with you the reaction was completely over the top, however the people who released the comics should have had more common sense that to do so so carelessly.

As for Baa Baa Black Sheep, I heard it had been remade as "Baa Baa Happy Sheep".

[AndyJ]

a Blackboard, is that Racist? NO, so why 'they' change it to a Chalk Board?

I'm pretty sure either would do and I've never heard of one being changed for the other because of fears about racism. Are you sure that's not apocryphal? Where did you hear it?

The childerens nursery rhyme Baa Baa Black Sheep is now Baa Baa Coloured sheep in nurserys and schools. WHY?! Just because it has the word Black, it makes it racist? Bollocks. The world has gone PC nuts!

Again, where did you hear this?

My sister works in a Nursery. They have to start doing the above when teaching the kids, the new Nursery books have Coloured sheep in them now.

[MK Chris]

I thought everywhere had been using whiteboards for quite a while now anyway? Certainly they have been around here since a while before I left school.

[Zoot]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/4782856.stm

[AndyJ]

I thought everywhere had been using whiteboards for quite a while now anyway? Certainly they have been around here since a while before I left school.

The kids have little blackboards to play with from what I have seen. Sorry, Chalkboards.

[MK Chris]

Again, blackboards and chalkboards have been used interchangably for as long as I can remember.

[exeter4eva]

I thought everywhere had been using whiteboards for quite a while now anyway? Certainly they have been around here since a while before I left school.

if we're gonna get all PC and pedantic, society in general that is, about things if we cant use "blackboard" surely we cant use "whiteboard" either...

ive always wondered how the reaction would go if u got black people calling white "white bastards" would that cause such a fuss? unfortunately i dont think it would..

[AndyJ]

http://www.torchwoodforum.co.uk/viewtop ... 3&start=15

[MK Chris]

At this point I feel I should post a video that foot-loose has posted in the past:

[AndyJ]

I like him, he is great on Mock the Week.

[exeter4eva]

so long as we dont get into a frankie boyle topic whilst discussing PC i think we're alright
russell is fantastic on mock the week tho! loving that clip too!

[Yudster]

I thought everywhere had been using whiteboards for quite a while now anyway? Certainly they have been around here since a while before I left school.

if we're gonna get all PC and pedantic, society in general that is, about things if we cant use "blackboard" surely we cant use "whiteboard" either...

ive always wondered how the reaction would go if u got black people calling white "white bastards" would that cause such a fuss? unfortunately i dont think it would..

Bonanzoid posted in another forum a comment including the term "English Bastards" in a totally derogatory sense, implying that all English people are bastards. That is blueprint racism, and I have to say when I read it I thought "hey, thats a bit much". BUT - he didn't mean it like that, I know he didn't , he's just tired and pissed off and you (I) have to respond to stuff like that with your brain in gear. Unfortunately there seem to be many people whose clutch has gone.

[MK Chris]

I was going to say, I don't think it's [i]unfortunate[i] in the slightest that that wouldn't cause a fuss.

[exeter4eva]

I thought everywhere had been using whiteboards for quite a while now anyway? Certainly they have been around here since a while before I left school.

if we're gonna get all PC and pedantic, society in general that is, about things if we cant use "blackboard" surely we cant use "whiteboard" either...

ive always wondered how the reaction would go if u got black people calling white "white bastards" would that cause such a fuss? unfortunately i dont think it would..

Bonanzoid posted in another forum a comment including the term "English Bastards" in a totally derogatory sense, implying that all English people are bastards. That is blueprint racism, and I have to say when I read it I thought "hey, thats a bit much". BUT - he didn't mean it like that, I know he didn't , he's just tired and pissed off and you (I) have to respond to stuff like that with your brain in gear. Unfortunately there seem to be many people whose clutch has gone.

oh i dont give in the slightest if i get called that, i just wonder whether it would get the same response... i get called 10x worse by my mates so you learn to laugh it off
its just interesting to wonder if it would get the same social response as IF i called someone a "black bastard"