Quizzes & Puzzles22 mins ago
Is 'the N word' offensive or just acceptable everyday slang?
I would appear to be the latter in Australia:
http://www.dailymail....N-word-offensive.html
Would any Ab'er use the phrase in front of a black person they didn't know, and if so, in what context?
http://www.dailymail....N-word-offensive.html
Would any Ab'er use the phrase in front of a black person they didn't know, and if so, in what context?
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there was a similar case in England in 1977. Cutting and pasting:
John Kingsley Read, moving that year from the National Front to the competing British National Party, told a meeting:
‘Fellow racialists, fellow Britons, and fellow Whites, I have been told I cannot refer to coloured immigrants. So you can forgive me if I refer to n*ggers, w*gs and c*ons.’ Then, speaking about the murder of Gurdip Singh Chaggar, Read said, ‘Last week in Southall, one n*gger stabbed another n*gger. Very unfortunate. One down, a million to go.’
He was charged with incitement to racial hatred. At the trial in 1977 Judge Neil McKinnon “directed the jury that the law against incitement to racial hatred did not cover ‘reasoned argument in favour of immigration control or even repatriation.’” The learned fellow concluded that “it was difficult to say what it is that this defendant is alleged to have done that amounts to a criminal offence.” Accordingly the jury found John Kingsley Read not guilty and Her Majesty’s judicial representative gave him some cordial advice for the future: “By all means propagate the views you may have but try to avoid involving the sort of action which has been taken against you. I wish you well.”
(My asterisks, to avoid outraging the AB swear filter.) Anyway, the result was pretty much the same as is now the case in Australia: widespread outrage.
John Kingsley Read, moving that year from the National Front to the competing British National Party, told a meeting:
‘Fellow racialists, fellow Britons, and fellow Whites, I have been told I cannot refer to coloured immigrants. So you can forgive me if I refer to n*ggers, w*gs and c*ons.’ Then, speaking about the murder of Gurdip Singh Chaggar, Read said, ‘Last week in Southall, one n*gger stabbed another n*gger. Very unfortunate. One down, a million to go.’
He was charged with incitement to racial hatred. At the trial in 1977 Judge Neil McKinnon “directed the jury that the law against incitement to racial hatred did not cover ‘reasoned argument in favour of immigration control or even repatriation.’” The learned fellow concluded that “it was difficult to say what it is that this defendant is alleged to have done that amounts to a criminal offence.” Accordingly the jury found John Kingsley Read not guilty and Her Majesty’s judicial representative gave him some cordial advice for the future: “By all means propagate the views you may have but try to avoid involving the sort of action which has been taken against you. I wish you well.”
(My asterisks, to avoid outraging the AB swear filter.) Anyway, the result was pretty much the same as is now the case in Australia: widespread outrage.
jno i wonder how much of that is true remember when the bnp was on telly
The BBC are facing criticism today after inviting The British Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Nick Griffin onto it's show 'Question Time' last night, on which Griffin described homosexuality as "creepy"
What he said was, Grown men kissing in public is creepy to most people. You don’t often see it but if you do see it, it’s not a matter of homophobia,
See how people change things round.
The BBC are facing criticism today after inviting The British Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Nick Griffin onto it's show 'Question Time' last night, on which Griffin described homosexuality as "creepy"
What he said was, Grown men kissing in public is creepy to most people. You don’t often see it but if you do see it, it’s not a matter of homophobia,
See how people change things round.
I wonder which survey Mr Griffin was referring to...
Not this one obviously!
http://news.bbc.co.uk..._politics/8479624.stm
Bigots generally assume they 'represent' the majority...what they fail to appreciate is that they don't, because the vast majority of Brits aren't bigots.
Not this one obviously!
http://news.bbc.co.uk..._politics/8479624.stm
Bigots generally assume they 'represent' the majority...what they fail to appreciate is that they don't, because the vast majority of Brits aren't bigots.
//At the trial in 1977 Judge Neil McKinnon ......etc etc //
Exactly jno. Australia are about 30 years behind us in that respect. It wouldn't happen here now. If you can find a recent case in Britain though I'll stand corrected.
To all the people who aren't sure whether it's offensive, there's a sure fire easy way to find out - next time you see a black person, just go and call them a ni66er - if the reaction isn't positive, it's safe to assume they were offended.
Exactly jno. Australia are about 30 years behind us in that respect. It wouldn't happen here now. If you can find a recent case in Britain though I'll stand corrected.
To all the people who aren't sure whether it's offensive, there's a sure fire easy way to find out - next time you see a black person, just go and call them a ni66er - if the reaction isn't positive, it's safe to assume they were offended.
ludwig, yes, you're probably right. Alternatively, both cases might just have been the actions of rogue judges hopelessly out of line with the majority of the country, in which case it's harder to draw useful parallels because the sample is so small. Racism in Australia seems to have received a bit of a boost from the arrivals of refugees from the black South African regime - so there have been reports of cricket crowds in Perth (the first stop for South Africans) jeering Indian players as 'kaffirs', which simply isn't an Australian word.
Naomi – I agree that sp1814's recent answer makes no logical sense. I too have never heard men use the 'c' word to routinely refer to women and I have never heard women use the 'c' word to describe other women in anything other than a deeply disparaging way.
I don't agree that any particular social group should have the exclusive use of any racial or sexual epithet. If a word is insulting, it's insulting. The colour of the skin, the sex or the sexual orientation of the person saying the words shouldn't be a factor.
I honestly believe that in the case of the 'n' word, the black people who are using it to casually refer to one another are displaying a staggering lack of judgement. They are slowly bringing back into common usage a word that optimises oppression, cruelty and injustice.
I don't agree that any particular social group should have the exclusive use of any racial or sexual epithet. If a word is insulting, it's insulting. The colour of the skin, the sex or the sexual orientation of the person saying the words shouldn't be a factor.
I honestly believe that in the case of the 'n' word, the black people who are using it to casually refer to one another are displaying a staggering lack of judgement. They are slowly bringing back into common usage a word that optimises oppression, cruelty and injustice.
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