General Chat

The huperson race should take great care in debasing itself with Political Correctness; how would the men and wopersons of Personchester feel about the new name? How about the Ethnicpool Illuminations already mentioned upon these boards? Isle of Caucasian? What about speciesism? we could be going to the not-a-two-legged -species- but-still-of- inestimable-importance -to-the- biosphere-of- this-planet. A downpour could rain an unspecified mixture of four-legged common household companions! It could get really ridiculous. Rob

Robert, please not woperson - woperchild!

Our local evening newspaper placed a whole page advert asking if anyone had been subject to racial abuse? Some 2 weeks later, a lot of our foreign nieghbours had reported such abuse.. such as being called paki, darkie etc.. Now what i wanna know is how many of us English folk have ever stood in a corner shop and had to listen and try to decipher what they are saying about us?? Just because we cannot speak their language doesnt mean that we dont 'feel' what they are saying! and i know its not always nice stuff!!! Karen PS and why cant they serve us without talking in their tongue without having a telephone at their left ear!!! Manners Folk!!!# Oh yeah and is Please and Thank you not in there language???

In my daughters creche they have to sing ' Baa Baa Wooly Sheep'. I always correct her and say that it is Black sheep not wooly!! X

Susie that sort of thing really makes my blood boil...the nursery rhyme was written long ago and would have had absolutely nothing to do with race, creed or colour!! The sheep is black.....it may be woolly but that makes the rhyme senseless!!!! Robert love your comments..... Jacquie xxxxx

Just had another thought about this. What would we call the following if not their proper name. Blackbox Blackboard Black Hills of Dakota Blackpool Black and Tan (Drink) Mr. or Mrs. Black (Do they have to change the name they were given.) Blacktown a place in Australia And that's only a few I can think of I am sure there is a lot more. I agree also with another person that commented. They can talk in their language tongue and get away with it. Yes I have seen the same thing here, you know they are talking about you. I believe in the saying 'When in Rome do as the Romans do' If they live in your country then they should speak your language and abide by your rules. They seem to come up with rules of their own. I am not native to this country I live in and it has been good to me and my family. I have and always will abide by the rules of this country. Of course they speak the same as I do so I have not had to change too much. But if I lived in a foreign speaking country I would make sure I was capable of speaking the language. Blackboy Tree has now to be called Grass tree Some schools are trying to stop kids singing Christmas Carols because of religious preferences in the school. We also get it here in Australia especailly with Indigenous people as they call the Aboriginals now. According to my Dictionary Indigenous means native of a country belonging naturally. Surely my son and Grandchilldren who are white and were born in Australia are also Indiginous. Or am I wrong??????? Ok will get off my high horse now. I get so angry with this subject. Regards Jackie

As most on the boards know I have been and still am occasionally a prison Officer. Our job is fraught with PC as you may imagine and this is SERIOUS stuff.The stuff of disciplinary measures if we transgress. The latest one is we cannot refer to those who bring drugs into this country,secreted I might add in unmentionable places,as MULES. It is not a derogatory term,it describes their function in transporting drugs and has been used generally by Police,Customs Officers and ourselves alike.We cannot call them Drugs Importers because this refers to the Big Guys,these small time runners are the mules of the drugs business.It is a term which is understood by all who have to deal with the problem.It is not said to their face,just among ourselves,but we cannot now use the term. Rose

What winds me up is that they say we must not have racist jokes. But no one complains about the jokes taken out on the Irish and the Scottish. They have been the butt of jokes for years. Poor old Noddy he got it in the neck, they tried to bann him. Can I say Golly W**** what do we call them now Golly. There was never any bad intentions on their names. They even tried to have a go at the poor old Eccles cake. The list of stupidity goes on and we pay for this. Germaine x

Collette just asked for a coffee, a white coffee.. When I expressed doubts about my ability to provide same due to Political Correctness she offered to Politically Correct my ear!

Rose...So what do you call them now....carriers of illegal substances!! So rediculous...so do mules now get upset by the term!! I bet the carriers themselves use the term...everyone knows that term!! Crazy Germaine I mentioned the Robertsons Golly....my first ever doll I had was a Black doll and I loved her with all my heart - even punched a friend in the face when she dropped it on our air raid shelter and her face smashed!!! I also had a Golly doll - like a rag doll..surely it's more racist not to have a mixed culture of dolls!!! My Carpenter here who lives in my Village is called Golly - his nickname but everyone calls him that...I actually don't know his real name!!! My husbands friend is called Samuel....his nickname is Sambo!!! Grampa....give Collette her White Coffee.... Jacquie xxxx

I don't remember ever seeing a black person until 1957. I was 16, living in Mitcham, South London, and working at the Brobat Bleach bottling factory in Merton, just at the back of the Bus Garage. There was a gang of black men loading the crates onto lorries, and I was most impressed by their strength, their colour, and most of all their colourful language as they threw full crates up to one of their number who was standing on top and stacking the crates! After that I don't remember knowing any black or Asian people until after I had moved to Birmingham at the beginning of 1970. Our children today grow up alongside children of all ethnic backgrounds so there is no culture shock when faced with someone who looks different.

Germaine, I stand firm in that one of my favourite childhood toys was Golly, my Gollywog (original name, eh). And that is what he will always be called by me - Gollywog, and NOBODY will correct me on that! x As always, an interesting thread.

Grampa....I can remember as a small child the first Black man I saw (and he was very black!) he knocked on my Mum's door and looked very smart in a mack and trilby hat..he was selling brushes and various other stuff from a suitcase (very enterprising) my Mum always bought something from him and although I had my mouth wide open she acted as though this happened every day. My daughter, when at school, was trying to describe a friend to me. She went all round the houses with her description colour hair, size, how tall, all sorts of things....but never once did she mention her friend was Black...just didn't occur to her. Her best friend was from Vietnam...one of the boat children! Jacquie xxxx

My opinion for what its worth is,The PC.Brigade Insult the Inteligence of the people they assume they are standing up for. Hal.

Well said Hal. Not really to do with PC but...... My husband used to come to England---oops sorry Wales and England on the Banana Boats in the early 70's... He often tells of the instances of racism they received then, Pubs that said no coloureds, bed and breakfast places that wouldn't let them in...dances where if a Welsh girl danced with them there would always be a fight but he still remembers those days with affection, as do all the other guys from here. Apparently the Teddy Boys were the worst!! lol He used to joke with the black guys about being able to get in places they couldn't!!!! Jacquie xxxxx

The first black person I met was a Jamaican boy who joined our class at primary school in South London, when we were 5 in 1953. He was very shy at first, especially with the girls, which was understandable, but the boys in our class soon made friends with him, and he knocked spots off them playing cricket and rounders. He was a very good footballer too. Whenever we played rounders (boys and girls), everyone wanted to be on his team, because they always won. We thought our class was special because we had the first black boy in the whole school! I don't remember anyone calling him nasty names - he was just another boy in the class. By the time we reached 11 and were leaving primary school, there were other West Indian children in the school, and one of the girls had joined our class. She was quickly absorbed into our games and played netball, skipping and ball games with us, so did her younger sister. There was never a hint of racism then. We had children from all over the world at that school, and yes, we discussed differences, but we never called them names or treated them any differently from the rest. During the 1950s and 1960s, lots of black people came to live and work in our area, and they just became part of our everyday lives. I went to a youth club in Brixton and got to know several of the West Indian teenagers there - again, we all mixed quite well. There were some people who resented all the newcomers, but most people I knew thought nothing of them being a different colour. I agree with Hal's comment - PC has gone to ridiculous lengths to ensure everyone is treated 'equally' by highlighting differences and causing resentment by trying to force people to adopt certain attitudes. People who hold grudges against others because they're different from themselves don't just dislike those whose skins are a different colour. I've heard Welsh people say they don't like 'the Irish', Irish people say they don't like 'the English', and English people say they don't like 'the Scots' or 'the French', etc. Prejudice comes in all shapes and sizes, but to the PC brigade only certain categories of it matter, which makes the whole thing unfair. CB >|<

CB I was going to relate a similar story to yours.....we had the only black boy in our Village in our class at Primary School(he had been adopted). It was a small rural Village in Surrey. I still recall his name even though he was only with us for a couple of years....all the girls sort of adopted him - not particularly because of his colour but because he was a great kid and fitted in so well with his strange surroundings...he had come from a town! I often think of him and wonder what he's doing with his life - I hope it is a good one! Jacquie xxxx

Hi Jacquie, I agree with people who say that the PC brigade have gone too far and everyone now sees it as a joke, but it didn’t start out that way. When you call someone NigNog you sometimes don’t know the real meaning Here is the true meaning: Nig Nog meaning in old English: - ‘Silly person” was not originally an abusive or racial term but an old expression used in the North West to express mild disapproval of someone's actions’. I find it strange that that was used, as a term for black People must be 'nig' as a shortened version of Ni**er Yes people at first thought it was exotic to have a black family in the area, but not when more and more black families joined them, then it was seen more as an invasion. Jamaicans are very good at name calling examples being coolie for Asian, chinee a Chinese and Syrian mostly Jews but sometime used for Arabs as that’s what Jamaica’s population besides the clear majority which of course is black descendants of slaves were. On a lighter note if it was only name calling no one and I mean no one could beat a Jamaican they are far too quick the US kids wouldn’t even have gotten started lol. :-) Pat x

Have to agree with that Pat....my husband calls Asians and Syrians Coolies...seems like a general West Indian term. As to name calling - can't speak for the Jamaicans but if they are anything like the Grenadians say no more!! They certainly call a spade a spade (pardon the pun) not a bloody shovel!!! As you say Nig Nog in relation to black people probably came from the N word which personally I hate but Grenadians do use to each other. Where I live was once (long long ago!) a very racial area....they used to have a gate at the bottom of the Mountain to keep the black people out!!! It was a whites only area (Scottish decent from Barbados) but it is very mixed now with all races Guyanese, Asian, West Indian and English! lol I love it here!! Jacquie xxxx

Re Chairperson, I have served on various commitees for a number years and a lady chairman has always been called 'Madam Chairman'. Political correctness is not correct its b****y stupid. Clive.