The 3 Towns Coffee centre

[Bosun]

Ian, I totally agree with you. Coincidentally I only recently found out that 'nitty-gritty' referred to the detritus in the holds of slave-ships from a Radio 4 programme, however many dictionaries still refer to it as we do.

What your ex-NSPCC friend would have said if he had heard my late father using the term 'pickininnies' in the 1960's to refer to the little black and Asian children I went to school and played with I have no idea.

Woa, before there are any horrified posts, my father was a refugee immigrant who loved the children and was extraordinarily kind to them all.

Yes, it's a minefield both socially and professionally. 

[Merddin Emrys]

Interesting how many black rappers use the N word in their lyrics! Been happening for years.

[Ian]

pickininnies

I seem to remember we had Golliwogs then, too. Robertson's Jam, I think.

[Hugo]

Interesting how many black rappers use the N word in their lyrics! Been happening for years.

Seems that they do, but if a white person uses the word then they must be racist.   It just seems a bit odd     

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCQQtwIwAWoVChMI1OaO3uD-xgIVROkUCh0KhwV-&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DCZR4kBs30vI&ei=OPK3VdTqMsTSU4qOlvAH&usg=AFQjCNFbS2vo9DwWqX5e9GdomiwTbX-HXg

[born2run]

Interesting how many black rappers use the N word in their lyrics! Been happening for years.

Seems that they do, but if a white person uses the word then they must be racist.   It just seems a bit odd     

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCQQtwIwAWoVChMI1OaO3uD-xgIVROkUCh0KhwV-&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DCZR4kBs30vI&ei=OPK3VdTqMsTSU4qOlvAH&usg=AFQjCNFbS2vo9DwWqX5e9GdomiwTbX-HXg

But there is no reason why a white person would use it unless they were racist.
A black person using it obviously isn't using it in a racist way.

[SDQ]

Interesting how many black rappers use the N word in their lyrics! Been happening for years.

Seems that they do, but if a white person uses the word then they must be racist.   It just seems a bit odd     

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCQQtwIwAWoVChMI1OaO3uD-xgIVROkUCh0KhwV-&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DCZR4kBs30vI&ei=OPK3VdTqMsTSU4qOlvAH&usg=AFQjCNFbS2vo9DwWqX5e9GdomiwTbX-HXg

But there is no reason why a white person would use it unless they were racist.
A black person using it obviously isn't using it in a racist way.

What if the white person wishes to perform the black rapper's song? Is that racist???

[Bosun]

But there is no reason why a white person would use it unless they were racist.
A black person using it obviously isn't using it in a racist way.

The 'N' word is actually used as a term of abuse by black people to other black people.

[born2run]

Interesting how many black rappers use the N word in their lyrics! Been happening for years.

Seems that they do, but if a white person uses the word then they must be racist.   It just seems a bit odd     

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCQQtwIwAWoVChMI1OaO3uD-xgIVROkUCh0KhwV-&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DCZR4kBs30vI&ei=OPK3VdTqMsTSU4qOlvAH&usg=AFQjCNFbS2vo9DwWqX5e9GdomiwTbX-HXg

But there is no reason why a white person would use it unless they were racist.
A black person using it obviously isn't using it in a racist way.

What if the white person wishes to perform the black rapper's song? Is that racist???

Only if me singing 'Delilah' makes me a murderer.

[born2run]

But there is no reason why a white person would use it unless they were racist.
A black person using it obviously isn't using it in a racist way.

The 'N' word is actually used as a term of abuse by black people to other black people.

Can either be used as a term of an endearment or a term of abuse.
However it still wouldn't be used as a term of racist abuse between two black people.

[Bosun]

However it still wouldn't be used as a term of racist abuse between two black people.

Actually it would, it's the abuse of the victim that's the offence, not the ethnic origin of the offender.

[Hugo]

As Fester has already said it is a minefield but can some one explain this for me.     These two separate incidents happened on a football field a few years ago:-

Ian Wright, the black former Arsenal  player went into a vicious two footed tackle that could have seriously injured the goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel.   Schmeichel was naturally annoyed and exchanged words with Wright.
Wright alleged that Schmeichel called him a black b*****d  an allegation that Schmeichel has always denied

The second incident was when Roy Keane, a team mate of Schmeichel  did one of his crunching tackles on Wright.  Words were exchanged and Ian Wright called Keane an Irish c**t   and didn't deny it.

There was a great furore over the Wright = Schmeichel incident claiming racial abuse and the allegations were never proven

The incident with Keane didn't make any headlines so what is the difference between the two incidents?

[SDQ]

As Fester has already said it is a minefield but can some one explain this for me.     These two separate incidents happened on a football field a few years ago:-

Schmeichel was wrong because Wright knew who his father was.
Wright was correct in his description of Keane!  WWW

[Michael]

  Picininnies was a word used in a lullaby to sooth a baby to go to sleep. Sung with much loving.
  It strikes me that  there isn't much loving around in this subject now.
   And I must write this, but Ian, You can delete it if you wish because I am not bothered that much, but I am still writing the plain truth.
   The big difference between "Japs" and "Brits" and why the first can be thought of by Japs to be insulting, whilst Brits are seldom if ever thought to be demeaning.
   Te truth is what everyone who lived through the 39-45 war knows full well is that Japs performed unbelievable acts of atrocity whilst Brits virtually never did. THATS why the japs hate the word. It remind them of something they would like to forget.

[Ian]

To some extent I agree, but we hit quite a problem when we go back in history to justify epithets. The main issue is where does it all start? For example, the current issues with ISIS can be laid squarely at the feet of the English monarchy, since it can be argued it was the crusades which effectively ignited the Islamic hatred of the West.

I agree there seems to be a cultural ethos of causing pain in the Japanese culture and you're quite right about some of the horrendous acts of cruelty inflicted, particularly on the Filipinos. But what about the Germans in WWII? What about the Roman Catholic Church during the Inquisition? Do we condemn the Turks, the Germans, the Italians, the Spanish because of historical acts of savagery?

I suspect all we can do is live in the present and determine how we treat our fellow man according to our own codes of ethics.

[DaveR]

Whilst travelling down the B5106 to take a look at Surf Snowdonia yesterday, I noticed a council lorry festooned with flashing yellow lights parked at the roadside by Caerhun Hall with two men walking along the road pulling up Ragwort by hand.

Surely there are far better things that they could be doing with their time (and our taxes)?