renth

'Wogs' now acceptable
By Andrea Mayes
October 21, 2004

WHEN does the word "wog" become a term of endearment?
When the West Australian Government decrees it so.

Terms such as "pom", "wog" and "ding" will be acceptable in the state after amendments to proposed racial vilification laws passed through the lower house of parliament late on Tuesday.

But their interstate counterparts have no such protection, as Sydney talkback host Steve Price found to his detriment.

Price was hauled before the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal last year and became the subject of an Australian Broadcasting Authority inquiry after a listener found the use of the word "pom" on his then 3AW drive show offensive.

The amendments allow the terms to be used without fear of prosecution, while strengthening punishments for race-related crimes.

Attorney-General Jim McGinty said the Government had no intention of making it a criminal offence to make "light-hearted" references to another person's race.

"My best friend is a 'ding' and he has no objection to me calling him that - it's a colloquialism, a term of affection," Mr McGinty said. "Ding" is a West Australian term used to describe people of Italian origin.

Mr McGinty would not be drawn on whether terms such as "nigger", "coon" or "slope" would be deemed offensive under the amendments, saying it would depend on the context in which the words were used.

The Macquarie Dictionary lists "wog" and "ding" as derogatory and "pom" as a colloquialism. However, the dictionary's publisher, Sue Butler, said next year's edition would list "pom" as "sometimes derogatory".

"Over the last 10 years there's been an increased sensitivity to any kind of stereotyping or labelling, which means that many descriptive labels and slang are now equally capable of being used affectionately or angrily," Ms Butler said.

While the federal Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Board is responsible for complaints under the commonwealth's Racial Discrimination Act, the states - with the exception of Western Australia - each have their own racial vilification laws.

A spokesman for NSW Attorney-General Bob Debus said the use of "low-level" racial insults such as "wog" could lead to civil action but were not a criminal offence.

In Victoria, the Racial and Religious Tolerance Act also provides a civil avenue for people who feel they have been vilified.

British People Against Racial Discrimination lobby group founder David Thomason said he had been trying to get the word "pom" outlawed for years.

The Australian

http://www.news.com.au/common/story_...55E421,00.html

Bordy

Those poor people trying to outlaw the word "Pom".
Shouldn't they try & get a life.
I don't know anyone who finds the word Wog offensive, most love it. I work with a guy of Greek origin who even has it on his car number plate.

The only ones that get offended when called a wog are the Scots, Irish & Welsh.

Stewie

Couldn't agree more. Strange how someone from the the UK would find being called a Pom offensive. But we're all different.

There are many people in the UK who would find the term "Wog" offensive and I can understand that because in my experience the word is used in offensive manner, not in a light hearted way.

The Australia culture is different to the Uk and I know from my visits there that several words are used in day to day conversation that are normal but raise an eyebrow from visiting Poms. Anyone wanting to live the Aussie life has to integrate and to a certain extent get a tougher skin

Billabong

Here, here!!!

Get a life you do gooding idiots

ABCDiamond

Nick Giannopolous, they guy who has starred in "The Wog Boy" amongst four long-running stage shows (all with the word “wog� proudly in the title), just appeared on TV saying that it is offensive !!

Apparently, it all depends on WHO says it !!

He's done plenty to make the word seem OK and acceptable, but it's only OK if used in their own community ?

stevereed

I think it's a strange position to make the blanket use of words such as these acceptable.

appreciated that many people don't mind being called a 'pom' or 'wog' offensive. Thats OK, but the issues are open to individual feelings.

the term 'pom' could be used in a most offensive way as a racial attack on someone, so how it is delivered is important.

Wog is, certainly in the UK an offensive term. Anyone who has see Pulp Fiction will remember the term 'nigger' being used by black people. The term is however grossly offensive to many black people. No-one would advocate legitimising that word would they?

Things have moved on a lot in recent years. You can call someone a name and offend someone else listening in.

It's really difficult not to offend somebody at sometime in your life, but I personally see no reason to refer to peoples ethnicity by these type of names.

Legitimising the term 'wog' shouldn't stop someone being offended by it, and taking action if they so desire, either in the workplace or through the courts.
And if it does, then how about all the other terms which are on a par, but not mentioned in the amendment.

Treat everyone with the basic respect everyone deserves, apologise if you get it wrong. Simple stuff really

Athena

I'm Italian, I don't know whether I would mind to be called "wog" or "ding" or not... nobody has called me that, so far... I guess the context and the level of acquaintance/trust with the person calling me that way would be the discriminating factors...

Considering the sound, I'd probably like "ding" (which makes me think of bells, or coins) rather than "wog" (which in my mind rhymes with "hog" !)

But does anyone know where both terms come from?

sackofspuds

Try telling an Aussie that you don't like Australia and then you'll see how tough their skins are!

cresta57

There's got to be some common sense used. One of the blokes in our drinking circle down the local calls me "The Pommie Bastard" I now call him the "Greasy Wog" [you have to give as good as you get] neither of us finds it offensive, yet it raises some eyebrows when you shout across the bar "your round, you tight wog" Another bloke is of black African parents and It took ages to work out why he's called "Toke" I asked him one night and it's because he's the only black in the club hence the token black or "Toke" to his mates.
It's usually apparent if something is being said in a derogatory way or is racially motivated prejudice

stevereed

Common sense is a useful attribute, sorely lacked by many :-)

I work in the UK Fire Service, a predominately white, male orientated workforce (although it's changing..slowly)

There was a firefighter who worked in one of the brigaqdes in the South East of England. He'd been in the job for some 15+ years. his nickname was 'CHALKIE' I wonder why?????

He took his 12 year old daughter to a brigade function for the first time at the age of 12. As he left someone shouted 'see ya Chalkie' and he of course turned round and said his fairwells.

his daughter asked why the called him that name, and he then had to tell her that it was a joke on him because he was black. Daughter was upset that her dad was being ridiculed because of his colour.

After 15+ years of being called that he realised how wrong it was, and how bad he felt about it. Don't know whether he ever managed to put a stop to it or let it continue for an 'easy life'

A true story. Now I can't speak for the guy named 'toke' and wouldn't dream of trying to, but i wonder how many people put up with name calling for the 'easy life', to be accepted, to fit in. And I wonder how many have been successful at saying, "I actually don't like that and my real name is ??????, please call me that"

Pressure to fit into a group, culture etc is a strong influence on whether people say how they really want to be treated.

I personally wouldn't necessarily object to being called a stereotypical nickname within the bounds of decency :-) but many people don't have the forceful character to say no. And why should they?

Quinkana

"Ding": WA slang for Italian - from Italian fondness for church bells, especially the small tinny kind rung at double beat. Obsolete.

"Wog": corruption of the British racial slur on non-whites - southern European immigrant. Obsolete except in wog communities.

liverpool12

It all depends on who is saying what to who. The black people around the world call each other 'N****R' but if a white person called them that then there would be an outcry.
Just listen to all the current black rap music and most songs have that 'N' word in it. Is that OK for black people to say that??
At the end of the day if someone is really offending you in whatever way, then you have to react. Most people would know if another person was being offensive to them or not (Well I think so anyway), but if there is even a sniff a racial offensiveness, some people just jump on the dogooder bandwagon and have too much to say.
It is just political correctness gone mad..............

Athena

Hi Quinkana,

Thanks for the explanation !

Still, "ding" makes me think of Tinkerbell ! For the rest... well, I'm a dissident Catholic, so I don't often listen to the sound of church bells, if not from far away

"Wog" goes to show how everything is really relative, as, although I never stopped to think about the colour of my skin (or anyone else's for that matter), I don't think I've ever thought of it as a non-white...

stevereed

'Political correctness' is a 'buzzword' or phrase should I say.

stereotypical jibes have been around an awful long time. I find it hard to understand why people feel the need to use them.

Under the current political climate, the media need to take a lot of the blame, 'Asylum Seekers' are lumped in with illegal immigrants, Muslims are inextricably linked with another group, commonly known as 'terrorists'. Completely untrue but this stereotyping brings out the bigot in many people. Be it fear, outright racism or what, people from diverse cultures get lumped together into a 'one size fits all' type of grouping.

I deviate slightly from the initial post, but the point is, if the new amendment says it's ok to call someone a 'wog' or 'ding' then it reinforces the argument that name calling of people based on their ethnicity is OK, and I don't think it is.

almor

The word "wog" is an abbreviation of "golliwog". Golliwogs were, in past years, acceptable toys for young children. They were stereotypical black skinned rag dolls with large round heads, bulging eyes, and large red lips. Robertson Jam until the 1980's used them as their brand symbol. They don't now. Wonder why? Falling sales, allegations of racism...

Personally, I don't find being called a whingeing Pommy b*****d, a problem because I can give as good as I get. And, in a way, it isn't really a racial slur. I think it is supposed to mean Prisoner of Her Majesty or something. So, a lot of true blue Ozzies must actually be Poms too!

On the other hand, I could imagine that being called a "wog" would be considered offensive by someone of Afro-Caribbean descent. It smacks of racial superiority on behalf of the name caller - who in all liklihood would be a caucasian. However, I'd be interested to know what the experience of Afro-Caribbean immigrants has been.

I reckon its best to steer clear of these terms. Plenty of other words that are far more offensive like.... oh, probably best not to go there!

Almor