Bahtatboy

Fear of gingers? Seems unlikely. Being a prick sounds more like it, surrounded by other pricks (the sexual predator).

Or was your ginger friend being overly sensitive?

norsk

There are examples of this kind of thing in all languages. The key difference is that in western society the terms tend to have become less racist over the last 50 years. This is definitely not the case in some non-western societies.

It has also become increasingly common for white people to become offended on behalf of non-white people. Sometimes the concern is justified, but most of the time they are just making it worse by putting more focus on what probably wasn't particularly racist at the outset...

shiva

im offended by people being ****ing offended these days.

Bahtatboy

Mentalist: I didn't post this to cause offence, nor with the hope, expectation or intention that it would degenerate into insults. It was to stimulate debate. You and your family took offence--I apologise for that, for none was intended.

I hate it when people say, "I'm sorry, but..." and then go on to qualify the apology to the extent that it is no longer an apology. So I won't do that. Genuinely, sorry if I caused you offence.

Alexa

I can't agree that those terms have become less racist in Western society. At least not for me and the people I know.
I think racism in all its forms is disgusting. Emphasis on ALL its form Of course there are many cases where offense is taken for offenense's sake ...or some kind of agenda.Besides that , non white people can be just as racist as white people.
And yes, I have been upset by seeing people being treated awful because of their race, and I have, in some cases, intervened. Did it help? Probably not at the root cause, but I like to believe it did make the person feel better...in fact....the last time I witnessed such an incident, I was, after my intervention, upgraded to First class, all the way to Singapore

Meow

Are gingers a race now?

Sally Redux

I don't agree that a black person would be offended by a white person saying, "I like being white."

As someone said earlier, the cartoon is just a white perspective.

kimilseung

This is so out of date, just spell it 'nigga' in your head and anyone can call anyone else it, you just have to be wearing a baseball hat backwards.

norsk

I'm not trying to justify racism by any means as it is despicable, but at least in Norway and the UK I know first hand that the language used commonly (by the man in the street) is vastly less offensive now than it was just 15 years ago. Of course I am a white man so I cannot possibly know how a person of colour would feel about it, but I have lived a multi-cultural (I can't believe you made me use that word - I despise it with a passion) life so I like to believe that I have at least some insight..

OriginalSunshine

Ok - here's a little firework to throw into the mix.

What do you assume in your own head when you see a middle aged white guy with an asian wife?

Alexa

ok, I think I have misunderstood you before. I certainly agree that the language has become less racist, no question.

Hahahah...you are "multiculti"...rofl!

I hate that term too.

And I too have lived in many countries, have seen many cultures. and that is why I feel that no matter what colour a person is, one can be as racist as the other.
It is, IMHO, not only or predominantly "the white Man" who is racist.

Alexa

A young wife or approx the same age? Is he fat and ugly?

The Dean

'Multiculti'?? Never heard of it, and I'm not sure it's widely used (what does it even mean?).

Racism comes from the way certain words or phrases are used, and by whom, not the phrases themselves. Nobody can explain why 'Aussie' is OK, but 'Paki' isn't (both are simple abbreviations, well sort of), but the fact that the far right picked up the term 'Paki', and started using it back in the 1970s, makes it unacceptable.

That old quotation (Edmund Burke?) about 'all that is necessary for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing' is spot on - we do nothing, and look what happens.

NorthernLad

'There is a bloke who works on the oil industry.'

The Dean

............ and, by the way, is that a genuine Peanuts cartoon? I cannot believe that Charles Schultz would have drawn/written that.