When And Why Is It Racist To Abbreviate A Background .

[cuttsie]

The English cricket board along with Yorkshire  CC  are being brought to task over racist remarks made by close colleges to Azeem Rafiq a County player .

Apparently these remarks where made in what was considered banter in a bar between Gary Ballance who was called a Zimba by Azeem , Ballance replied bu using the P word , A word we cannot use in print on these pages .

My question is when is the line drawn on abbreviations of ones background , be it Aussie , Yorkie , Yank, Brit , Kike and so on .

I myself have worked abroad and been called English barstuard and so on but its like water of a ducks back to me because my old ma always told me .

"Sticks and stones may break your bones but calling names won't hurt you "

So its a delicate matter that needs discussing and explaining by all different communities in our Country .

perhaps we can come up with a sensible debate on Sheffield Forum without name calling and nastiness .

 

[Mister M]

The 'P' word is used by those not as a term of endearment - but a word of abuse.

Didn't the ECB say that all these remarks were made as part of banter? 

Other 'team mates' singling out another because of his background and using that to degrade him doesn't sound like banter to me. More like bullying.

P.S. I think Kike is a nasty word for someone who is Jewish, a word I wouldn't personally use.

4 minutes ago, West 77 said:

All this happened years ago.  Why didn't Rafiq complain at the time?

 

Sledging happens all the time in cricket especially in international matches.  It's part of the game.

A black contributor to a radio discussion yesterday answered that very question. In the 1970s, when he was growing up, it was seen as 'banter', and black people were expected to laugh along with the abuse - even though they were hurting inside. 

[cuttsie]

I also think kike is a nasty word to use  , but this needs to be brought out in the open and debated .

Another question in cricket circles is that in Australia there seems to be no restrictions on words used in so called sledging , they seem to say what ever they want , The problem is they cannot take it back and scream  like banshees when called convicts or jail bait etc .

Is it racist or banter ..

14 minutes ago, Mister M said:

The 'P' word is used by those not as a term of endearment - but a word of abuse.

Didn't the ECB say that all these remarks were made as part of banter? 

Other 'team mates' singling out another because of his background and using that to degrade him doesn't sound like banter to me. More like bullying.

P.S. I think Kike is a nasty word for someone who is Jewish, a word I wouldn't personally use.

A black contributor to a radio discussion yesterday answered that very question. In the 1970s, when he was growing up, it was seen as 'banter', and black people were expected to laugh along with the abuse - even though they were hurting inside. 

A black pal of mine used to call me Honky Judd back in the sixties , I never ever gave it a thought , perhaps now I would .

Times change .

Edited November 4, 2021 by cuttsie

[dan2802]

So, can we not call ourselves Brits any more ?

[Carbuncle]

There is often nothing in particular that distinguishes insulting terms/ terms of abuse from acceptable terms other than some kind of general understanding that they are abusive. For this reason alone, what is acceptable can change over time and differ between different cultures.

 

A case in point would be the word "coloured". This is wholly unacceptable among the people who it might be directed at in the US while being entirely acceptable in South Africa. The current situation in the US differs from that in the past as embedded in the name of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People often known by the acronym NAACP. The strong preference in the US for the alternative "people of color" versus "colored people" is clearly arbitrary but no less important for that.

 

Given the existence of this arbitrariness and the tendency of things to change over time, it is easy to see how a misunderstanding can arise in which one party feels extremely insulted while their apparent tormentor is entirely oblivious.

[The_DADDY]

It's a lot of fuss about nothing. 

If it's banter then I don't see a problem. 

If a name us used to insult or degrade then that says a lot about the person hurling the insult. It says they aren't worth the time of day so move along, live your life and be happy. 

[Mister M]

27 minutes ago, West 77 said:

By long time I meant a few years ago not decades.  Balance has stated he wasn't aware he was causing Rafiq who he calls a friend any distress at the time. Why didn't Rafiq talk to Balance and his other team mates if he was as distressed as he is now claiming?  Did Rafiq never receive and sledging from team members of the opposition in cricket matches while representing Yorkshire?

I don't know about 'sledging'.

If Balance wasn't aware that calling someone a 'p' is offensive, I'd want to know where has Balance and his 'team mates' been for the last 40 years? Does it really need explaining to them that calling someone racist names is hurtful and downright unacceptable.

I would've thought that the experience of black and minority sports people who've had the courage to speak out about their experiences and how it feels would've educated the people who think it's okay to degrade people and "it's just a laugh". Yeah, a laugh to them, not to those on the recieving end.

Edited November 4, 2021 by Mister M

[RJRB]

Intent and context are everything whether on racial or sexual matters.

The difference is pretty easy to distinguish at the time,but very difficult to defend in cold print some time later.

Facebook,Twitter etc.will continue to be a problem for many in the future.

[Carbuncle]

20 minutes ago, West 77 said:

The word is "****" which when originally used wasn't intended to be offensive.  The problem is some people used the word purely as a slang abbreviation without any intention to cause offence while others use it as a slur.  A common use was the "**** Shop" which again was originally non offensive but became offensive because the term was used for any corner shop run by people of Asian non white appearance.  Also the term "****" has been used to describe a white person who has recently acquired a sun tan.  Regarding Balance he has stated he didn't intend to cause any offence when using the word which I believe.

On a related matter, do you find it offensive when people call you 'raci' or 'bigo'? I am asking for a friend.

[*Wallace*]

I’ve heard cricket commentators refer to Australians as Aussies loads of time.