Quote: Maurice Minor @ March 27 2009, 10:14 AM GMT

What REALLY irks me is that the fabled 'PC Brigade' seems to be largely made up of humourless, dour, middle class lefties who are often more sensitive to these issues than the people they profess to protect.

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Do they really exist or are they just a construct of the right wing media to beat the left with? I remember a lot of stories the Sun used to run about how "manhole" covers were having to be renamed, or Christmas banned by some local authorities, were completely made up.

Oh I think it is exaggerated, but the essence is there which is why we do get hysterical overreaction on both sides.

Personally I don't think 'Political Correctness' should even exist. People should treat each other with consideration and respect anyway.

Quote: Maurice Minor @ March 27 2009, 10:14 AM GMT

I think we live in hysterical times really. I am a white English male so I suppose I am not in a position to say whether that was particularly offensive, but as an observation it seems that someone of English origin can mock an English name with impunity (it happened to me), so I would assume that French people mock each other, Americans mock each other and Pakistanis probably do as well. But as soon as a person from one race does the same to someone of another race all hell breaks loose, however innocent the intent. What REALLY irks me is that the fabled 'PC Brigade' seems to be largely made up of humourless, dour, middle class lefties who are often more sensitive to these issues than the people they profess to protect.

Surely 'racism' is treating people negatively because of their ethnic background; it's the thought behind the words that need to be examined, not whether an old man used an old joke.

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Well exactly. I mean, there is even the joke you read in every kids joke book 'What do you call a Spanish man without transport?' 'Carlos' I'm sure nobody would find that racist and that is making fun of a foreign name, but because an extremely similar joke goes out about foreigners from a different ethnic background, it's seen as racist. I don't understand it.
The worst of it is that in one report I read, Jason was said in the same sentance as Carol Thatcher. What Thatcher said was extremely offensive and not a play on words like Jason did.

Yes, the Thatcher and Jason scenarios are very different. I think, with Thatcher, she could have gone some way to remedying the situation with a quick, profuse "Oh my God, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it..." etc, but instead she went on to repeat it with a "there's nothing wrong with what I've said, if you're offended then that's your problem" attitude and only apologised when forced.

Anybody can say something without thinking, but it's your reaction when you realise you've caused offence that is most telling. Even if you think someone is barking mad for taking offence or just pretending to take offence, an apology costs nothing and you certainly don't just repeat the same thing. Again, it's a matter of manners and treating someone with respect (even if you might think they're a berk).

Well exactly. I mean at work last year I accidently offended somebody by making a joke about cancer. I didn't think and I realised what I said was wrong. I meant no offence by it, but I know I did offend somebody and like a man I accepted I was clearly in the wrong and apologised to the person I offended and all was well.

Sigh the politically fascists have won. And now we live in a terrifying 1984 state where a beloved actor, can be dragged out of the BBC and shot for making a joke about mispronounced names.

The reason radio stations, employers and so on are more sensitive about names is the following. I may have had jokes about my first name "Joel" e.g. "you smell," "go to hell," or my mums fave "noel" an abreviaiton of no and Joel. But it never accompanied a brick being thrown, a kicking or being turned for a promotion. If my name was Mohammed or Jaswant it may well have (and far more so historically).

Peri imagine you ended up working for a fundamentalist Christian card company. Where every day your belief in aliens and disbelief in God lead to cheery, cheeky jokes. Jokes at which you were the butt of.
It'd knock the shine off your open mindedness pretty fast.

Having had a similar experience my self (being one of the few white persons working in an NHS project). It isn't fun.

Yes Sooty, that would be bad, because then it would be offensive or racits. Unlike Jasons 'gaffe'.

"THUG1: Yo Mahatma! Wheres ma hat!
THUG2: Yeah!
"

*Thugs high five, then toss a brick at him.*

Seems an unlikey scenario.

It's pretty common.
Honest.

It's all the research into canteen culture in the police.

You know for me the real issue in this story is how it was reported.
David makes a silly joke and apologises. It's the media blowing it up into such a huge story that for me is the real problem.

Quote: sootyj @ March 27 2009, 1:37 PM GMT

It's the media blowing it up into such a huge story that for me is the real problem.

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No surprise there though.

Quote: sootyj @ March 27 2009, 1:37 PM GMT

David makes a silly joke and apologises. It's the media blowing it up into such a huge story that for me is the real problem.

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Absolutely. It's that bloody 24 hour news service needing shit to peddle the cycle. As it were. (I think Mr Brooker's more astute with such things).

And as mentioned in another sketch of mine. Hezbollah and Mullah Omar et al who are genuinely wicked get untramelled airtime. Check out Nick Cohen on the hypocrisy of how you can be as bigotted as you like if it's part of your culture.
I was livid over how with the Prince Harry thing the papers used the P word, over and over and over again. Probably introducing it to some kids who hadn't heard it before.

Quote: sootyj @ March 27 2009, 2:43 PM GMT

I was livid over how with the Prince Harry thing the papers used the P word, over and over and over again. Probably introducing it to some kids who hadn't heard it before.

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Indeed. The 'gift' that keeps on giving.

Well therein lies another aspect. See also Prince Charles and his friend 'Sooty'.

Now Kolin Dhillon said he accepted the nickname, was flattered to have it and wasn't bothered by it. Personally I would feel uncomfortable calling an Asian man by that name unless he expressly approved it, but what happened there was a huge furore fanned by people who didn't like Prince Chas anyway, taking offence on Dhillon's behalf. Maybe they genuinely believed that Dhillon didn't see the patronising mockery meant (which is a patronising attitude in itself), or maybe they were Republicans. Either way it's nobody's business but the people concerned.

Then the list grows longer. Wendy Richard's 'race slur' on Big Brother's Big Mouth. It's slightly hysterical finger pointing, always looking for the next 'racist'.

But did any of these people really behave in a racist way, i.e. discriminating against people on grounds of race?

Perversley if the news hadn't pointed these stories out we wouldn't know about them.
Kinda like a "ban f**king swearing" campaign.

How's Barack Obama's special olympics gag gone down in the USA? I thought it was a bit off-colour for the leader of the free world, but not worth making a stink over.