Post by Hickman on Jul 8, 2005 1:27:05 GMT -5
[glow=red,2,300]"You are a racist" - the PC brigades greatest (and only) weapon[/glow]
It makes politicians quake in their boots, it kills sensible discussion stone dead. This one short sentence is the greatest (and the only) weapon the PC brigade has. Losing the argument? - call your opponent a racist - that slur will usually silence them.
So let us examine this further - a dictionary definition of racism is:
i) discrimination against or unfair treatment of or violence against people because they belong to a different race from your own
ii) the belief that there are characteristics, abilities, or qualities specific to each race
and therefore anyone practicing any of the above must (by definition) be a racist.
(In fact that definition includes the definitions from various dictionaries as I want the definition to be as broad as possible - Ed)
Ok so no problem with (i) as surely nobody would wish to do any of those things to a fellow human being.
I'm not too sure about (ii) as there does seem to be certain traits that are recognisable in certain races of people. Jewish people often seem to be involved in finance, travelers often want to tarmac your drive, Asians in the UK seem to like corner shops and driving taxis and the Chinese in the UK often like running takeaways and having the odd flutter in the bookmakers. I personally don't see anything wrong in noting the things one observes about the people around you.
So now let's just examine how the PC brigade can say certain things are racist.
Ann Winterton's joke about the Chinese c0cklers which I have dealt with this elsewhere in the site. This was a widely circulating joke at the time and clearly it doesn't come into any of the categories listed above. It is often dragged up though - the last time being on BBC Question Time on the 22nd April in relation to Ron Atkinson's remarks. Andrew Rosindell MP, Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party bravely tried to point out the differences and defend Ann Winterton but you could see the fear in his eyes (and so could the PC brigade). He eventually gave up amid jeers of "stop digging" and "someone take his spade away". He never actually plucked up courage to ask anyone to explain how the joke is racist.
Were the remarks made by Ron Atkinson racist and is he actually a racist?
Calling a black man "a f*cking lazy n*gger" is certainly offensive to that person. Ron says he was disappointed in the man's performance during the match. If he had called him "a f*cking lazy b*stard" or "a f*cking lazy w*nker" would that have been less offensive to the man? It certainly would have knocked any serious idea of racism on the head (although the PC brigade would have still have complained bitterly as it was said about a black man) but would the recipient be any less upset or offended?
Does it come under any of the above definitions?
Is he a racist? Ron Atknson says not and points to all the good work he has done in the past with black players.
www.politicallyincorrect.me.uk/
It makes politicians quake in their boots, it kills sensible discussion stone dead. This one short sentence is the greatest (and the only) weapon the PC brigade has. Losing the argument? - call your opponent a racist - that slur will usually silence them.
So let us examine this further - a dictionary definition of racism is:
i) discrimination against or unfair treatment of or violence against people because they belong to a different race from your own
ii) the belief that there are characteristics, abilities, or qualities specific to each race
and therefore anyone practicing any of the above must (by definition) be a racist.
(In fact that definition includes the definitions from various dictionaries as I want the definition to be as broad as possible - Ed)
Ok so no problem with (i) as surely nobody would wish to do any of those things to a fellow human being.
I'm not too sure about (ii) as there does seem to be certain traits that are recognisable in certain races of people. Jewish people often seem to be involved in finance, travelers often want to tarmac your drive, Asians in the UK seem to like corner shops and driving taxis and the Chinese in the UK often like running takeaways and having the odd flutter in the bookmakers. I personally don't see anything wrong in noting the things one observes about the people around you.
So now let's just examine how the PC brigade can say certain things are racist.
Ann Winterton's joke about the Chinese c0cklers which I have dealt with this elsewhere in the site. This was a widely circulating joke at the time and clearly it doesn't come into any of the categories listed above. It is often dragged up though - the last time being on BBC Question Time on the 22nd April in relation to Ron Atkinson's remarks. Andrew Rosindell MP, Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party bravely tried to point out the differences and defend Ann Winterton but you could see the fear in his eyes (and so could the PC brigade). He eventually gave up amid jeers of "stop digging" and "someone take his spade away". He never actually plucked up courage to ask anyone to explain how the joke is racist.
Were the remarks made by Ron Atkinson racist and is he actually a racist?
Calling a black man "a f*cking lazy n*gger" is certainly offensive to that person. Ron says he was disappointed in the man's performance during the match. If he had called him "a f*cking lazy b*stard" or "a f*cking lazy w*nker" would that have been less offensive to the man? It certainly would have knocked any serious idea of racism on the head (although the PC brigade would have still have complained bitterly as it was said about a black man) but would the recipient be any less upset or offended?
Does it come under any of the above definitions?
Is he a racist? Ron Atknson says not and points to all the good work he has done in the past with black players.
www.politicallyincorrect.me.uk/