Its a Generation Thing...
Discussion
Yesterday I was at had lunch with a group of friends and their parents. One of the older guys (early 70's) made a comment about foreign doctors in the UK (think Daily Mail) and used the word 'Junglebxxxxxs' to describe some of them. It went uncommented on at the time despite an awkward pause and the younger folk then discussed it afterwards. The consensus seemed to be that the 'older generation' dont seem to understand the gravity of words like that.
I found it offensive and despite knowing that this guy isnt a racist person (ie he does not discriminate through his actions) he just does not think about how words like that can be perceived by a lot of people. Am I being too charitable about him?
I found it offensive and despite knowing that this guy isnt a racist person (ie he does not discriminate through his actions) he just does not think about how words like that can be perceived by a lot of people. Am I being too charitable about him?
st_files said:
I found it offensive and despite knowing that this guy isn't a racist person (ie he does not discriminate through his actions) he just does not think about how words like that can be perceived by a lot of people. Am I being too charitable about him?
I personally don't think you are being too kind, nor too harsh on him.Look at the slum 'problem' in India. You are never going to solve the collective problem of millions of people like that in a few years, you are talking generations.
Racism, and fight to eradicate it, is something that has only really been successful on a majority scale in the last 30-40 years. There will be people who have spent 30 years+ using that term of reference, without regard to its derogatory nature, who will only stop using it, intentionally or unintentionally once they have breathed their last.
Finally remember that a man should be judged on his actions, not his rhetoric.
Biker's Nemesis said:
Love thy neighbour, old 70's sitcom.
Google that.
The point about "Love thy Neighbour" was that both the husbands, the black bloke and the white bloke were both as racist as each other.Google that.
It poked fun at racism and made them both look like stupid bigots.
But of course, the apologists choose not to remember that, they choose to remember that someone said something racist to a black person.
That programme probably did more to highlight the stupidity of bigots than any other.
It is alarming how easily the under-30's think that anything that refers to skin colour is 'racism'. Look it up.
Everybody who voted for Obama 'because he's black' is truly a racist - but that's OK and 'jungle bunny' isn't?
The more that society tries to cover up race, the more obvious it becomes, like Victorians not mentioning sex. Well now it's cool to say f
k and but people are oh-so-shocked at and coon. Both are only slang descriptions for something.
Everybody who voted for Obama 'because he's black' is truly a racist - but that's OK and 'jungle bunny' isn't?
The more that society tries to cover up race, the more obvious it becomes, like Victorians not mentioning sex. Well now it's cool to say f
k and but people are oh-so-shocked at and coon. Both are only slang descriptions for something.I work with lots of people in their 70's and 80's. These are nice, decent people...retired Dr's, Head Teachers, Bank Managers and all live in nice parts of the world.
Sayings such as " in the woodpile" are common place though and when they speak about black/Asian people they (while not overtly racists) do so in a way that can only come from someone who lived through an era where we (white brits) ruled over most of them!
20 years time it will be very different but right now there are still a lot of people with ingrained attitudes that are so deep they have no idea they are "wrong"....and plenty of these guys are still working in upper management/boards, etc.
Sayings such as "
in the woodpile" are common place though and when they speak about black/Asian people they (while not overtly racists) do so in a way that can only come from someone who lived through an era where we (white brits) ruled over most of them!20 years time it will be very different but right now there are still a lot of people with ingrained attitudes that are so deep they have no idea they are "wrong"....and plenty of these guys are still working in upper management/boards, etc.
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