moneypenny20

Is the word 'Brit' offensive to anyone? Just wondered. If Paki and Abo are offensive then surely Brit should be as well. The word itself means nothing, the nature in which the word is used means everything. We used to have a corner shop near us run by a Pakistani family. Everyone without exception referred to it as the Paki shop. No one was being racist or offensive. Had it been referred to as that ******* Paki shop it would have been totally different.

NKSK version 2

I think it's about context. (Again.)

Historically, has "Brit" ever been hurled in abuse?
Has "abo"?
Has "Paki"?

moneypenny20

Which is what I said.

The words themselves are not racist. Therefore just because someone uses the word does not make them racist.

NKSK version 2

If the family had been subjected to comments like "Hey you *****ing pakis, you stink of garlic, you're terrorists and you're taking our jobs" in the past by people, then although you may not have meant to offend this doesn't mean they would not be offended by people calling it the "Paki" shop.

I find it amazing that people can profess to know that no-one was being racist or offensive and that people can pretend to know what others on the receiving end must feel like.

Anyhow, I'm backing out of this thread. I'm wasting far too much time repeating the same things.

asprilla

I think this is a very commonly made mistake. People wrongly assume that the nature in which a word is used somehow has an effect on whether it should be considered offensive or not.

In the example above, you state that referring to the shop just as a "paki shop" is not being offensive, but referring to it with malice as a "f*king paki shop" is offensive. This is incorrect.

Whether a word is considered offensive or not, is entirely down to whether an individual/group considers it offensive. It has nothing to do with whether or not there was any intent to cause offense in the first place.

As such, it really is no defence when you hear people say things like "I didn't mean to be insulting when i used that word".

asprilla

why do you assume that context has anything whatsoever to do with it?

If I was sitting in the tearoom with my mates, and jokingly referred to one of the ladies at work as a silly old hag (when we all love her really) - do you think that she would be offended if she overheard? Of course she would. It doesn't matter if there was any intent to offend in the first place. What matters is the opinion of the person/s who are the subject of the comment.

NKSK version 2

I can't reply because I've taken a vow of silence on the thread.

asprilla

If you consider this very same argument in a slightly different way, I think you will agree that it is flawed:

Is the word "brit" offensive to anyone ? Probably not. Why? Because british people, when they are referred to as Brits, do not consider it to be offensive. This is regardless of the context it is being used in....whether it is an old american lady saying "I love those brits with their quaint villages" or a drunk iranian shouting "I hate those f*king brit infidels I hope they burn!!!"

Either way, we don't care. The intent behind the word didn't matter one bit, because we don't consider it offensive in the first place.

The difference between the word "brit" and words like "abo" and "paki" is actually quite simple. Brits don't consider being called a "brit" offensive.... whereas aboriginals and pakistanis are offended by "abo" and "paki". Simple as that.

asprilla