Bahtatboy

Really? So why is it that shortening one country's name (or shortening the full word for a specific nationality) is ok, but shortening another country's name isn't? Who gets to decide?

I have no objection whatsoever to being called a Brit. Or a gweilo, gaijin, rosbif or whatever. WGAF?

jam25mack

I'd say so as most white Brits will have Brindian friends.

I've asked quite a few folk about if it is considered offensive or not. Some say yes and some say no...... I've only had it used against me in a derogatory manner once when a taxi diver was trying to chat up my ex (in Hindi)..... unfortunately for him he didn't realise my Hindi is reasonable on occasions.... He didn't like it when I called him out and questioned why he was asking my ex 'why is a nice Indian girl doing with a gora like him'.....

jam25mack

I think thats the key point here, Brits generally don't gibe a ****! Sticks and stones and all that....

scrubbedexpat141

I'd ****ing love to be able to do that at times.

Miss Ann Thrope

i was referring to the terrible awful "music"...

Inselaffen

Agree on that. My user name is the less than pleasant German name for Brits.

What I do object to is PC Brits who will cause a big fuss when a term like Chinky is used but feel its perfectly ok for others to call Brits names like those mentioned above.

Miss Ann Thrope

Really?????

What I do object to is people who never really suffered prejudice refusing to acknowledge that there is a BIG F**KING DIFFERENCE between these things.

One of them is "banter" between relatively balanced opponents. The other is the big bully kicking the easy prey.

DXBtoDOH

I'll go on record as saying I don't care for 'Brit' as a shortened term. If we're not allowed to say Paki anymore, then we should be called British full stop. And yes, before Miss Anne comes along I'll point out I've frequently heard 'bloody Brits' and '*****ing Brits'

Miss Anne,you're sliding a bit too closely to the patronising jerk shouting claims about prejudice. Most of us have experienced some form of discrimination or stereotyping in one form or another based on gender, class, occupation, education, regionalism or what you have it. It's not fun or pleasant but the one thing it's taught me is not to take it seriously and brush it off.

scrubbedexpat141

Brit - it just sounds a bit blunt doesn't it?
Never really thought about it before, but like everything; stick '****ing...' in front of it and most terms can be offensive (even if the PC / literal / polite version).

What about 'Britisher'?
I used to always be asked for 'Britisher's' rather than 'plastic-Brits'

Miss Ann Thrope

Au contraire, it is you who is sliding a bit too closely to sounding like the privileged braying member of the ruling class refusing to recognise the benefits his position has always afforded him and jealously guarding all privilege against encroachment by others who are just looking for a fair shake.

Everyone has experienced some discrimination at some point which is why I find it very frustrating that so many people refuse to recognise that unnecessary insulting demeaning language should not be acceptable. At best it is a reminder (often calculated) of the significant systemic discrimination that some minorities used to endure (and still do in some cases). At worst it is an unabashed effort to keep us "in our place"....

jam25mack

You do say that as if it is our fault though.... and we should be forever sorry, because we are British. As far as I know I wasn't involved in slavery, the Raj or any other blots the British have on our copy book, and to be honest sooner or later you have to draw the line under things.

It's like the Scots constantly going on about how badly the English treated them.... 500 odd years ago. Let it go!

DXBtoDOH

Perhaps it's you who's stuck in a fictional world where all white people are members of a privileged raj being waited upon by fleets of grovelling brown skinned servants and that we must do our kind dutiful bit to help out the poor unfortunates who were unlucky enough to be born without a white skin and British passport. Do you have a Christian missionary ancestor or two?

Newsflash for you. It ain't America, circa 1955. Last time I looked, the 'brown' people were doing a pretty good job asserting themselves without a pansy Irish (*insert appropriate slur for an Irishman here*) coming to their rescue And, ironically, the 'brown' people seem to do a quite nice job taking advantage of western liberal guilt while being silent about the severe racial, caste, class and gender discrimination in their own societies.

As I get older, the more I realise it's a strange and peculiar world and human vanities and follies never cease to amuse me daily.

jam25mack

Meow

I can't tell you how nice it is to have you back espousing these views as I got rather tired of being the only one and dealing with many deeply unpleasant comments from other members.

The use of certain words is also about context. Brit is not seem as an insult in the same way other terms are as it wasn't mean to be an insult or the putting down of a 'lesser' person. You all know this anyway.

I fail to see why it is hard to avoid using certain terms when you know that they upset some people and what's clever about trying to offend? Political correctness isn't about being precious; it's about not discriminating or marginalising someone who might be disadvantaged in some way. It's about being kinder and more considerate to others. If you are a decent human being this is A Good Thing.

Meow

Of course our generation is not responsible for the actions of the past but simply being born British and/or in the UK gives you numerous advantages in life, simply by accident of birth. It's not about being better but about having advantages such as access to 'free' education and healthcare. No one in the UK has to worry about having clean drinking water and whilst there are still a number of homeless people and those struggling financially, no one starves to death and there is a support system.

Being born in the West (a loose term) is an advantage in life and to paraphrase Spiderman, with great advantage comes great responsibility.