Thread: Clarkson offends - again

Originally Posted by bob10

Back in the late 50's, early 60's, you learned to fight at an early age. If Dad heard you hadn't stuck up for yourself, you got the strap. If you didn't put your hands up against " bullies ", you copped a flogging, and no respect. If you had a go, you gained respect. My Dads favourite saying was " It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog". Wish I had never heard of that saying, it got me a lot of bruises, but also a lot of good mates, Bob

"Got The Strap"?...Don't like the sound of that at all.
My Dad (& Mum), just taught my sister & I what was right & what was wrong, but my Dad never laid a finger on me,...ever. But, my Mum did on a couple of occasions. When We lived in Manchester, I accidentally rode my three wheeler into a canal,...Mum gave me a hiding with a clothes brush,...not good when ya've got no clothes on!, then put me into a salt bath. And then, on one occasion, when I was a teenager, I showed disrespect to my Dad, she slapped my face. That was the only two times.
Never hit my own kids either, except for an occasional smack on the Bum (I think for writing on walls inside our house (they would've been 3 or 4!))they're now grown up.
I've got nothing against smacking children, on the back of the legs, bum, etc, BUT "Hitting" them hard, on the face, body etc etc, is a BIG No No,...for me anyway.
Pickles.

Apart from smacks on the backside when warranted neither of my sons ever required anything more.

My Step son waited until he was 19 to close his hand and take a swing one day...

He will never make that mistake again And I only made one move and a single point of contact.

Originally Posted by Landybitz

Its unfortunate that we now live in a world where slang words that can be said jokingly are deemed offensive.

Again in context they are fine and saying such words does not make you a racist.

Calling a black man a wog is racist

Calling a black man a niger is racist

Calling a Chinese person a chink is racist

Calling a Pakistani a Paki is racist.

How far do you do.

Is calling a American A Yank racist

A French person a Frog?

A English man a Pom?

Is it bad to say French Bastard, but fine to say Pommy Bastard?

Is there even a racist word for a Australian?

Calling a white man a White Bastard?

I wonder how Blazing saddles would go down these days with the do gooders...

My Congolese refugee mate refers to Somalian and Sudanese as Kiwis... apparently it's a common term in the Congo... because their skin is much darker than "average" Congolese.... reference to "Kiwi boot polish" He tells me that the alternative nickname there is "Nugget" for similar reasons.
Just as (white) "Europeans" are known in several African countries in the "Bantu" language as "Mzungu" . The Japanese likewise use the term "gaijin" for whites foreigners...
I don't condone racism...but I do believe many in the PC brigade need to leave the chardonnay belt and expand their horizons...

EDIT:
And another thing...at the Notting Hill Hotel (Vic) several decades ago in the student bar, I recall there was a large sign which read along the lines as follows "There's no discrimination at this Hotel.. wogs, chinks, (etc etc - about half a dozen additional "offensive" names) ...all welcome!"

Originally Posted by DiscoMick

Very true that. Racism is only funny until it happens to someone you know and love, then it's not funny at all - its vicious and nasty.
When we behave in a racist way what we're really saying is we think we are better than the person we are victimizing simply because they are a different race. That kind of arrogance is just plain stupid and wrong, I think. Telling people to 'harden up' doesn't solve the problem, it's just a poor excuse for bad behavior. Instead of telling victims of racism to 'harden up', what we should do is tell ourselves to 'smarten up'.

So true.

It's really apparent from reading a lot of these posts that either people have not done diversity training at work or if they did they must have ignored it.

I'm at a loss to understand how people think that calling someone a derogatory name is acceptable. I put it down to a lack of education.

It's really simple. If it's a name that people would not call themselves then you shouldn't call them that either.

I call myself an Aussie but I seriously doubt that someone from China would call themselves a 'Ching-Chong' or that an African would call himself a 'N....' It's really not that hard!

And I guess it says a lot about a person when they think it's acceptable to treat others this way.

It appears that there is an attitude that I don't find it offensive therefore it isn't and if you do you need to toughen up.

I think that those that have this attitude need to take a good long hard look at themselves, wander down to their local ethnic minority and have a discussion regarding why something might be considered racist and derogatory.

Personally I prefer to identify myself as an Aussie rather than a Pom because I don't want to be associated with the attitudes of the Baby Boomer Pom who think they own this country. We have been to Exmouth for the last 2 years in July and are going again this year. Beautiful place that would be a lot nicer if all the racist pommie baby boomers would just stay home and keep their miserable attitudes to themselves. But hey that's my experience and by birth I'm a part of that culture even though I've grown up in Australia.

For those that don't get it you might think its okay to refer to someone by a characteristic of their race but in their eyes the term may have racial connotations because it was the term used to address their grandparents by the European overlord on the plantation in Sri Lanka, Malaysia or whatever country was colonised by the European nations over the last few centuries.

There's a certain amount of irony in white man deciding what is racist or not when in most cases white people have very little understanding of real racism due to the fact that we live in a white dominated society.

Originally Posted by loneranger

It appears that there is an attitude that I don't find it offensive therefore it isn't and if you do you need to toughen up.

I think that those that have this attitude need to take a good long hard look at themselves, wander down to their local ethnic minority and have a discussion regarding why something might be considered racist and derogatory.

Personally I prefer to identify myself as an Aussie rather than a Pom because I don't want to be associated with the attitudes of the Baby Boomer Pom who think they own this country. We have been to Exmouth for the last 2 years in July and are going again this year. Beautiful place that would be a lot nicer if all the racist pommie baby boomers would just stay home and keep their miserable attitudes to themselves. But hey that's my experience and by birth I'm a part of that culture even though I've grown up in Australia.

For those that don't get it you might think its okay to refer to someone by a characteristic of their race but in their eyes the term may have racial connotations because it was the term used to address their grandparents by the European overlord on the plantation in Sri Lanka, Malaysia or whatever country was colonised by the European nations over the last few centuries.

There's a certain amount of irony in white man deciding what is racist or not when in most cases white people have very little understanding of real racism due to the fact that we live in a white dominated society.

I am a "Baby Boomer Pom", & I certainly don't think that I "own" this Country. Don't know where you got that from.
I emigrated to this Country from the UK in 1958, because my Mum & Dad thought, amongst other things, that it would be a good place for their children to grow up in.
And that has been the case, but......own it,.....I don't think so!
Pickles.

Originally Posted by Pickles2

I am a "Baby Boomer Pom", & I certainly don't think that I "own" this Country. Don't know where you got that from.
I emigrated to this Country from the UK in 1958, because my Mum & Dad thought, amongst other things, that it would be a good place for their children to grow up in.
And that has been the case, but......own it,.....I don't think so!
Pickles.

My parents are baby boomer poms who came here in 1974 when I was a baby, I've lost count of the number of times I've heard the phrase 'go back to your own country' in reference to people who appear to have not been born here.

Yes I went through school being called a pommie bastard etc even though I speak Australian and it didn't bother me as I have no racial connotations attached to it but I also understand that calling a Chinaman a chink might be offensive to them.

Originally Posted by jimr1

I agree Bob , but then we must have came from a different time , I grew up on a council housing estate , every one new every one ,there were loads of kids . Thinking back there was also a pecking order , you had to learn how to look after yourself , I suppose become street wise . The big kids would take your sweets , or marbles , or cads if you didn't learn how to protect what was yours , and yes there would be scraps . You also learned who to become mates with . I look at my grandchildren today , streetwise , they haven't got a clew ! That's not just them , It's now the norm , rather than stand up for themselves , they cry It's not P/C he called me a name , and I can't cope with that , So they run away for protection . But that's only my opinion ! I'm sure even that will upset some !!..

Different time, alright. I remember when we came down from Rockhampton, moved in with Nana at Stafford heights, 3 families in the housing commission house, until we found our own. First day at Stafford Heights State school, mum dressed me up in uniform, shoes & all. Definite instructions, " no fighting, or I'll tell your father" I had form, at Central Boys School, Rocky. Got to the school , approached by a group of young toughs, wanted to know what kind of a sook I was, wearing shoes.


Unlucky for them, I had 4 cousins at the school, the fight was short, we all got dragged to the Headmasters office, 6 cuts each, except me, I didn't fight, remembering mum's words. Headmaster said " put out your hand" I replied " what, Sir, me Sir , I didn't fight Sir". Headmasters reply " I know, this is for not sticking up for your cousins". Now, that may seem harsh, but that Headmaster was a smart man. If I had walked out that office, scot free, my life at that school would have been very hard, but now I was one of the boys. And those " bullies " turned out to be some of the best mates I've ever had. Together we formed one of the best little rugby league teams Stafford Heights had, why, we even beat those silvertails from Stafford State school! Bob