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Guy Gibson (Dam Busters) had a labrador called Nigger.
When I was in short trousers our neighbours had a liver labrador called Nigger, presumably named after Gibson’s. Happy memories of the many friendly whippings my bare legs got from the dog’s windmill tail and amusing memories of the fog-horn voiced lady-of-the-house shouting ‘Nigger come here’ ‘Nigger don’t do that’ etc. My coffee-coloured father who is the progeny of a Trinidadian-English coupling found it equally amusing. Innocent days.
Marble, I’m not banging on about anything, a bit dramatic don’t you think?
Just so you know .. I used to be a member of the Labour party and was so for about 8 years. I fell out with them when it became obvious that they were simply carrying on where the Tories had left off, shutting post offices, starting illegal wars, etc. I then joined Amnesty but got a bit fed up with that after a while, so I left. I’m not a member of a political party at the minute, due to the pointlessness of it. This view is based on my 8 years of active membership of the Labour party.
I remember ages ago saying that immigration was unfair on the countries that people came from because they couldn’t be replaced. Someone just like you said I was a racist on a wind up … they obviously didn’t know about this;
The 57th World Health Assembly, in 2004, adopted a resolution to urge member countries to develop strategies to mitigate the adverse effects of migration of health workers; to develop policies that could provide incentive for health workers to remain in their countries; and, among other issues, requests WHO to help countries set up information systems to monitor the movement of health resources for health, and to include human resources for health development as a top-priority program at WHO from 2006 to 2015.
Differences in wealth between countries create flows of educated people seeking better opportunities far from home. One result is that resource-strapped African (and other poor) countries have invested significant resources in educating health professionals who will never serve the populations that were taxed (or took out high-interest loans from international lenders) to pay for their training.
Importing health professionals from poor countries to provide care in rich countries is not consistent with a rational workforce policy rooted in social justice principles.
Our government has been told to train our own people to do these jobs.
Immigration will kill people in sub-saharan Africa. That’s a fact and that’s real racism !!!!!
The point about mass unemployment was what the Tories engineered last time they were in. That’s why people like me wont vote for them.
The reason I am banging on about immigration is because it’s something we don’t have a say in, despite the fact that if you dig a bit under the surface of it you can see the terrible effect it has on people. That is if you value human life in Africa higher than a made up government target.
It was no more controversial a remark than it is to say that all Scotsmen wear kilts and eat fried mars bars and haggis, morning, noon and night.
And that we say "och aye the noo Jimmy" all the time. I’ve been told to go back to my own country by English people and even told twice that I need to change my accent and to turn on the subtitles. I have a distinctive Border accent which is not going to change and being a stubborn old git, it just got broader for a while, after that I did what anybody should do to childish remarks – I ignored them.
By reacting I would be taking myself down to their low level.
I don’t think it is the words per se that are necessarily offensive, it is the context in which they are used.
My best friend is Welsh and I call him all the stereotypical names from “sheep sha**er” to “thieving taff ba$tard” and he, equally, responds with anti-English comments.
However the comments are made in a fun, affectionate way – in reality taking the pi$$ out of the stereotypes. And yes we happily trade the “insults” in public sometimes – do we care if anybody who overhears is offended? Absolutely not.
The trouble nowadays is you are always having to look over your shoulder and think twice before opening your mouth. Some people are just oversensitive and, in my view, they are the ones with the problem.
As for the Black Police Association – don’t get me started on that one – if that is not racist what on earth is? Can you imagine the furore if a group of Caucasian officers formed the White Police Association?
I don’t particularly care what race a person is. I couldn’t care less if a person is white, black, brown, yellow or orange with purple spots. Their character is what is important and you get good and bad people in all races and nationalities.
Why, in the 21st century, do we still need tribalism?
As a result of circumstance I have two Caucasian parents and I happened to be born on some small island off the coast of Europe – I don’t happen to believe that gives me any moral (or indeed any type of) superiority over someone born, for arguments sake, in a remote area of India.
I don’t think it is the words per se that are necessarily offensive, it is the context in which they are used.
My best friend is Welsh and I call him all the stereotypical names from “sheep sha**er” to “thieving taff ba$tard” and he, equally, responds with anti-English comments.
However the comments are made in a fun, affectionate way – in reality taking the pi$$ out of the stereotypes. And yes we happily trade the “insults” in public sometimes – do we care if anybody who overhears is offended? Absolutely not.
The trouble nowadays is you are always having to look over your shoulder and think twice before opening your mouth. Some people are just oversensitive and, in my view, they are the ones with the problem.
As for the Black Police Association – don’t get me started on that one – if that is not racist what on earth is? Can you imagine the furore if a group of Caucasian officers formed the White Police Association?
I don’t particularly care what race a person is. I couldn’t care less if a person is white, black, brown, yellow or orange with purple spots. Their character is what is important and you get good and bad people in all races and nationalities.
Why, in the 21st century, do we still need tribalism?
As a result of circumstance I have two Caucasian parents and I happened to be born on some small island off the coast of Europe – I don’t happen to believe that gives me any moral (or indeed any type of) superiority over someone born, for arguments sake, in a remote area of India.
Paul I couldn’t have put that better myself. Nail has been hit well and truely on the head.
It has always confused me that at Cheltenham whenever an Irish horse wins the Irish flags come out but if an English horse won at Punchestown it would not go down well if a Union Jack was produced..please don’t get me wrong about this; I love it when the Irish flags come out and am really happy when an Irish horse wins ….as usual I don’t really know what point I am trying to make; I guess it’s about what makes something acceptable or not….
I think Union Jacks in Ireland have a deeper significance than a tricolour being shown over here.
I agree with paul. Also think back to Ken Livingstones rejection of a LA commitee because it was "too white". Not to mention his and his cohorts naked anti semitism and near worship of islamists
The biggest racial pigeonholers and proponents of racial hatred reside on the far left
I wonder how many of you whenever the Irish win a race at the festival do you say something like "Jammy Irish B@ast@rds" or other words like that.
no, I never ever think that; the love of horses goes so deep with the Irish they deserve every winner and I love to see their happiness…but that’s why I wish they felt the same way about us..I feel that everyone in the world hates the English..the only country I’ve ever been to where they don’t is Crete…..[oops; bit of paranoia creeping in there I think!]
To be fair i think some people do, I do when they win a valuable handicap at big odds and they all knew that today was the day it was going to happen.
We do call the Irish whenever they beat one of ours at Cheltenham but we know it is in the name of sport and is part of the rivalry which is both sporting and respectful.
When we have a Cricket or Rugby match against Australia then that does turn into a war with the usual "Whinging Poms" and "Convicts" being uttered all the time.
For me the worst kind of racism is when something that is traditional in our country is banned for "Incase it upsets Muslims", what Boll.ocks, The worst thing about that is some poncy middle manager believing that they know how Muslims feel about things in the British Society and so to ban it is the best thing in the long run. I think if a Muslim did not like something then they have got a voice and brain of their own to decide.
My God!!!!
I so want to say something, but my therapist says not to because it makes me angry.
I love everyone. Apparently!
Hi Neil
Can you name a specific example of a tradition in this country that has been banned in case it offends Muslims?Sure thing.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article … slims.html
http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/view/62 … prisoners/
http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.htm … page_id=34
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/2597481.stm
http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/16309
Thats what i could find by using Google.
Hi Neil
I’ve gone through them one by one belowSure thing.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article … slims.html
This is nothing to do with a British tradition being banned in case it offended Muslims, a post office employee made a mistaken claim regarding a 5 year old girls passport photograph, as the word Muslim was mentioned the DM deemed it newsworthy.
http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/view/62 … prisoners/
A crucifix would be deemed offensive by most Christians in the UK too as it is largely a Roman Catholic symbol. Britain has been protestant for 400+ years. There is still a cross on the Christian altar in the jail mentioned, and as far as I can see there is no suggestion that displaying crucifixes has been banned anywhere other than this 1 particular jail from the text of this story.http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.htm … page_id=34
Again, nothing to do with a British tradition being banned, a childrens book has not been considered for inclusion to an awards shortlist for not being good enough, some of the other criticisms levelled at it included being offensive to Builders and the possibility that it could offend Muslims
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/2597481.stm
This a six year old story (first published in the Telegraph in 2002,) again this is nothing to do with a British tradition being banned, 1 charity has asked it’s employees not to display nativity scenes in it’s stores.
http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/16309
Again this is nothing to do with a British tradition being banned, one health authority has asked that employees don’t eat lunch at their desks, this has become news as the M word (muslim) was mentioned in the justification for this action.Thats what i could find by using Google.
From what you’ve posted I can’t see a single example of a British tradition that has been banned in case it offends Muslims. I’ll be honest with you Neil, I don’t think there are any. What we are regularly treated to though by the usual suspects of tabloid journalism are hysterical 2+2=12 stories that make far bigger claims than they’re actually worth.
Incidentally the Muslim CEO of the company I work for ordered that all our company Christmas cards be pulped at the 11th hour last year as the ones that had been ordered said Seasons Greetings instead of Merry Christmas, and at considerable expense thousands more cards were printed with Merry Christmas on them. His reasoning was that they were Christmas cards and as such should have mention of Christmas on them. Unfortunately none of the tabloid newspapers saw fit to print this story, but perhaps if it was the other way round it would have been deemed newsworthy.Terrific post, Seven Towers. I feel duty bound to mention Winterval at this stage as well, the “banning of Christmas” by Birmingham City Council that was of course nothing of the sort.
Stephen Fry rounded on the naysayers in an episode of Q.I., decrying their outrage as words to the effect of “so much fetid ar*se water”. Couldn’t agree more.
gc
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
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