The man said n*****

[Questions]

Listening to radio 5 live this morning with Nicky Campbell I couldn`t believe how ridiculous political correctness has got at the BBC.

Campbell was interviewing a man who was an expert on childrens nursery rhymes and was explaining how they had changed over the years. He said that Eni meni mighny mo (sp) was originally a anti catholic rhyme and had been around for hundreds of year and had infact preceded the rhyme that many of us would remember where the lyrics mentioned , ''Catch a ****** by his toe''

Campbell replied instantly that , he did not want that word used when talking about that particular rhyme and that it was not to be used again.

Now that term is offensive when aimed at someone or a race of people but in this instance when someone was explaining how nowadays children had been re-educated on certain matters I thought it just summed up how silly it has all become.

Before idiots like Dick Knights Mum and Chesney come on here ranting about my racist views I would like to say that this is not about racism (the term is offensive when aimed at someone ) but about PC at the BBC going OTT.

 

[Pigsy]

If you don't think it's a problem to use it in that context, why have you starred it out in the thread title?

 

[Questions]

If you don't think it's a problem to use it in that context, why have you starred it out in the thread title?

I`m not sure why I did that but if you think that I find the word offensive in that context and am just being provative you will see that I did type the word later in the text.

 

[severnside gull]

I agree. If the word has now been deemed offensive how do we discuss that fact without making reference to it? It's all about context.
We re-write Enid Blyton to pretend golliwogs never existed. What's next...re-title Uncle Tom's Cabin?
Madness

 

[Lord Bracknell]

The thread title doesn't explain any context for the use of the word.

The first post does.

That is what I would call "political correctness" - using the term neutrally (which is how it was originally used in the late sixties), not as a contentious, usually abusive phrase (which is what it has become in recent years).

 

[Questions]

The thread title doesn't explain any context for the use of the word.

The first post does.

That is what I would call "political correctness" - using the term neutrally (which is how it was originally used in the late sixties), not as a contentious, usually abusive phrase (which is what it has become in recent years).

Was it used neutrally in the sixties ? I dont remember it being used as anything other than an insulting term but maybe I`ve missed your point there LB.

Maybe the term political correctness needs debating then.

 

[Les Biehn]

 

[Barrel of Fun]

Maybe the term political correctness needs debating then.

It probably does. It can be used as a very lazy term by the Far Right Wing, when it is not simply about Political Correctness, but Correctness on its own.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Was it used neutrally in the sixties ? I dont remember it being used as anything other than an insulting term but maybe I`ve missed your point there LB.

Maybe the term political correctness needs debating then.

"Political correctness" was indeed once a neutral word, describing a positive aspiration, shared by a large number of people.

I certainly had friends who were tuned into the liberal spirit of the age who would ask each other - in all seriousness - "What's the politically correct word for ....?" when confronted with a usage that they felt uncomfortable with.

Words like "coloured person" were replaced with "black", because these people felt it was politically correct to eliminate phrases from their own language that were considered offensive by others.

It wasn't just an English or American phenomenon. I found it in Italy as well, when I lived in an area where the Italian Communist Party had been in power locally, since before the end of WW2. A classic example was the word for "comrade". The dictionary will tell you it is "camarata", but this was totally unacceptable to Italian communists, because it is a word used by the old Fascist Party. The comrades called each other "compagno" (the English equivalent would be "companion") instead. That was political correctness.

 

[Questions]

Now you see Les that is an acceptable use of the word ****** because it is by a Jewish comedian poking fun at stereotypical xenophobic white racists. Besides it is just a plain funny film.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

It does seem rather silly at times when you can watch a tv show and a black actor can use it 50 times.

As soon as a person who is not black uses it there's an uproar.

If black people are going to use it and wear it as a badge of pride i don't see how they can really be offended when others use it.

 

[Les Biehn]

Now you see Les that is an acceptable use of the word ****** because it is by a Jewish comedian poking fun at stereotypical xenophobic white racists. Besides it is just a plain funny film.

Can't you see, this man is a ni!

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

The funny thing is i had a golliwog as a kid and i loved my big black sambo.

And yet the PC brigade demonised them.

 

[Questions]

"Political correctness" was indeed once a neutral word, describing a positive aspiration, shared by a large number of people.

I certainly had friends who were tuned into the liberal spirit of the age who would ask each other - in all seriousness - "What's the politically correct word for ....?" when confronted with a usage that they felt uncomfortable with.

Words like "coloured person" were replaced with "black", because these people felt it was politically correct to eliminate phrases from their own language that were considered offensive by others.

It wasn't just an English or American phenomenon. I found it in Italy as well, when I lived in an area where the Italian Communist Party had been in power locally, since before the end of WW2. A classic example was the word for "comrade". The dictionary will tell you it is "camarata", but this was totally unacceptable to Italian communists, because it is a word used by the old Fascist Party. The comrades called each other "compagno" (the English equivalent would be "companion") instead. That was political correctness.

Sorry missed your point. I thought you meant the word ****** was neutral.

 

[Dave the OAP]

I am still convinced that the BB incident that has led to this was blown out of all proportion and the contestant Charlie made more of it because she saw it as oppertunity to get rid of someone. She is a nasty piece of work.

It was said when the girl was trying to be part of the group ( chartlie and the asian woman) and immediatly apologised.

the black girl then said ok...i accept you did not mean it, lets drop it....and then went around telling everyone what had happened so forcing the issue.

we now have the BBC getting overtly involved in it.

 

[withdeanwombat]

The Afro-American of the Narcissus.

Roll over Joseph Conrad.

 

[Brovion]

I actually have a teeny amount of sympathy with Question's viewpoint. Whilst I feel a lot of the "let's reclaim our lanuage from the P.C. lobby" is simply an excuse to be gratuitously offensive there is no doubt that the supposed 'clean-up' has gone too far.

I can see how old expressions like "He's the ****** in the woodpile" are now offensive and their usage is rightly opposed, but what really pisses me off are the attempts to re-write or at least cover-up history. My particular bete-noir is the dreadful Bowlderised version of the Dambusters film. It's a matter of historical fact that '******' was the name of Guy Gibson's dog and when it was killed it became the codeword for a successful attack on one of the dams. However because all useage of the word '******' is now deemed offensive, regardless of it's context, when the film is now shown the word has been clumsily edited out. In white, 1940s England it was just another noun - why try and deny it? That's how people spoke in those days.

I accept that some ultra-thin skinned dullard will find it offensive regardless of context - so just broadcast a warning at the beginning of the film saying it contains language that may offend.

 

[Questions]

I am still convinced that the BB incident that has led to this was blown out of all proportion and the contestant Charlie made more of it because she saw it as oppertunity to get rid of someone. She is a nasty piece of work.

It was said when the girl was trying to be part of the group ( chartlie and the asian woman) and immediatly apologised.

the black girl then said ok...i accept you did not mean it, lets drop it....and then went around telling everyone what had happened so forcing the issue.

we now have the BBC getting overtly involved in it.

Dave ............. have not watched BB so do not know anything about that incident but my thoughts are that surely the program is designed to show how certain people of different ilks are put together to inter-react with each other and the public will vote on the results of their actions. Why not let the racists, sexist etc get their comeuppence as a result of their own actions. Lets face it Chan 4 pick these muppets dont they ?

Personally I think introducing cyanide into their air ventilation system would be more entertaining.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

There was a case in Australia where this kind of PC went to court, and the PC brigade lost.

A football stand was named after a white guy whos nickname was ******.

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/04/23/1050777305889.html

 

[Ding Dong !]

All this Political correctness is really pissing me off. Soon we won't be able to speak !!!