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It’s only words .. ffs, I tend to agree with David. Much ado about nothing.
Just a story to stick in between the recipies and horoscopes.
Harry does seem to be a little short of the grey matter and it was a very stupid thing for him to have said.
It probably also gives an indication of the institutional racism which appears to exist within the armed force and the rest of our uniformed services including our police force(s).
You might say, on the one hand, that it was a silly wee boy making a stupid comment and that because it is Harry shouldn’t make any difference but, on the other, you could say that it speaks volumes for our society when those figures at the very core of our ‘establishment’ are still referring to Asians as ‘Pakis’.
Do you think he gets it from his Grandfather?
The press are just suffering from the lack of ‘bird flu’ headlines……must be a bitter disappointment to them that the plague never did arrive [have noticed that when news is scarce even publications such as The Observer dig out old bmj articles to scare people with…..]
Well said, Corm.
gc
Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
Quote "the Grasshopper test" – I like that!
Ken – takes more than a few asterisks to get booted i’m pleased to say.
Do you think he gets it from his Grandfather?
.. probably not, he’s more interested in spear chucking and chinkies. I’ve not heard him slag off the bush beaters at the tiger shoots yet.
Prince Harry is a young lad in his twenties – he is still growing up and learning. When I look back at some of the things I said and did in my younger days I positively cringe. On that basis I would feel it somewhat hypocritical of me to criticise him.
We all say and do silly things when we are young, it is part of the growing up process.
Re Corms observations I don’t think racist views and comments are the exclusive domain of the "establishment" I would venture to suggest there are even more trenchant racist views in many "working class" circles as well.
Racism will be found in all layers of society – not that it makes it right of course.
I would venture to suggest there are very few people on this forum who could put their hand on their heart and say they have never, ever, made a racist or discriminatory remark. I certainly couldn’t.
Nearly all societies will single out anything that differentiates others, especially obvious differences like skin colour.
However I would wager any money you like that (should society survive that long) in say 500 years time when the vast majority of the world is all the same colour, there will be some other differentiating factor used for discrimination.
there was that experiment where a group of people were put together and asked to perform certain tasks but were told that people with either blue or brown eyes had a lower IQ than the others; they then all started treating each other differently until they were told that it was a complete fabrication.
As someone who believes the monarchy should be abolished i barely follow any stories surrounding them, but this little woprm does appear to be particularly unpleasnt and dim
Doesnt look like his supposed dad much does he?
As someone who believes the monarchy should be abolished
You mean you would be happier with a President Blair, President Brown?
As someone who believes the monarchy should be abolished i barely follow any stories surrounding them, but this little woprm does appear to be particularly unpleasnt and dim
The monarchy is useful in that it generates a profit for the country. The yanks, for one, love all the history, pageantry and our peculiar obsession with kings, queens and titled nobility; so the tourist dollar attracted by it all almost certainly exceeds the tax payers’ contribution to the Civil List.
As for the ‘dim worm’ Harry I for one don’t think he should be protected against danger when fighting on the front line; he obviously enjoys it and minor Royals have a long history of tootling off to foreign parts and being blown to pieces. A fate I suspect he finds rather more appealing than a lifetime wearing a suit on civvy street and smiling nicely when unveiling a plaque to commemorate the opening of a new cottage hospital.
Corm,
I do not think there is any evidence that the Armed forces are institutionally racist any more so than any other part of our society. The members of the armed forces are drawn from our community and as such will suffer from the same problems that we all have. You just need to go to any pub or building site and you will find all sorts or racism and bigotism much worse than in the Army. My Dad and most of his generation were all racist but never acknowledged it.
These Harry statements clearly not racist when you take them in context. Just like Dave jays last post when he said "Chinkie" if not meant as an offensive remark. Its just the typical crap journalism from a crap newspaper.
"Racism will be found in all layers of society"
Agreed but shouldn’t someone like Prince Harry know better and shouldn’t the Armed Forces be teaching their officers to treat people of a different race with respect? I don’t buy into the view that he shouldn’t be criticised because he is young.
On teh matter of whether it qualfies as racist – if the use of a derogatory term such as ‘paki’, a term synonymous with the disrespect of people wholly on grounds of race, doesn’t qualify I’m not sure what does.
His Father should be made to discipline him quite vigorously…….So where are you Mr Burrell?
On the plus side it is nice to see him following his Grandads attitude toward his fellow man.
clivex wrote:
As someone who believes the monarchy should be abolishedYou mean you would be happier with a President Blair, President Brown
Absolutely. Anything is better than the vile idea that power should be inherited
The monarchy is useful in that it generates a profit for the country. The yanks, for one, love all the history, pageantry and our peculiar obsession with kings, queens and titled nobility; so the tourist dollar attracted by it all almost certainly exceeds the tax payers’ contribution to the Civil List.
Willnever be an argument that would clinch it for me even if true, but i am highly sceptical about that. Do they shun Paris to come to london to "see the queen"? I dont think so….
Absolutely. Anything is better than the vile idea that power should be inherited
You are happier it should be bought then?
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