Nature or Nurture

First Prince Harry, now Carol Thatcher. Is racism in the genes or the up-
bringing?

 

*ding*

D.

 

Er, talk about knee jerk reactions...

I suggest you read the story again. Thatcher gobbed off to the two
presenters of The One Show, who challenged her on her use of the word
golliwog and then complained to their boss about her.

Their boss has told the obnoxious old bitch that she's not working on
the show again until she apologises to the staff members she pissed off.

Sounds perfectly acceptable to me.

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that Jesus was not born of a virgin." Cardinal Bellarmine

 

That fat ****.

 

It wasn't in private. It was used in a workplace and a complaint was made.
The employer is duty bound to investigate.

Whether the matter should've been reported to the media and the resultant
furore is appropriate is another matter...

 

She was guest 'speaker' at an awards dinner we attended last year.
Utterly *awful*. I'd rather be in the dental treatment thread.

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The word "golliwog".

hth

 

The thing I don't like is that it's getting to the point where people
just can't say anything that might be deemed even slightly offensive
any more, which I think is just wrong. Without wanting to quote
Voltaire, people should have the right to say what they like but have
to be prepared to be challenged when they do.

I don't know exactly what was said, nor the context in which is what
said, case but whatever it was was deemed offensive by the others, and
she was quite rightly challenged upon it.

And that should have been the end of it, imo, not having some snitch
running to the media.

 

No. people can still be as offensive as they like.

Which is fair enough. And in this case Carol Thatcher is being
challenged.

The problem is, how does Carol Thatcher meet that challenge? She
apparently wants to be able to use words like "golliwog" without
appearing to be the sort of person that uses words like "golliwog".
That is trying to have it both ways.

 

Oh, good!

Right, but she was challenged at the time but the people that deemed it
offensive. That should have been it.

I don't feel that any word *in itself* can be offensive otherwise your
quoted bits up there would be. Because I know the context, I'm not
going to run off to your employer and say "Colin just posted the word
"golliwog" on a Usenet forum and he should be sacked".

So, as I see it, as "we" don't know her exact words nor the context in
which it was used, then "we" can't be offended; the ones that were
there can be (and were). It's only a word.

 

"Jehovah!"

 

The story is that she used one particular word, and not simply quoting
someone else (as you and I have used it). You either believe the story
or you don't. I do.

I'm certainly not offended. I do, however, find the use of the word
offensive.

 

Nah, you're confusing me with someone else.

 

Oh, I do too.

If someone used /it in front of me/, then I may or may not find it
offensive, depending on the context and various other factors, such as
who said it and about whom.

I don't agree with a blanket "use of the word is offensive", full stop.

YMOV.

 

It's the beard that does it. I bet you've got sandals, too.

 

Do you not think the original toy was racist?

 

Nope. Not in the slightest.

Clearly the more general use of the word 'wog' which derived from
it[1] was indeed racist, but as kids, and I'm sure this was true of
99.9% of children, we never even associated the toy with black people,
nor realised the significance of the name.

[1] Or was it the other way round?

 

Indeed. They just have to accept the consequences of their actions.

Phil

 

<Submits complaint>

Phil.

 

A word doesn't have to offend everyone to be offensive, just be likely
to cause offence. Do you not think "golliwog" meets that requirement?