Love thy neighbour.

Kev

Yes, I understand now and take your point.

The difference is between making a remark, indirectly, to which offence is taken, and disrespectfully directing a remark to a specific individual which you know will cause offence. I would maintain that the first example is legitimate and that the taking of offence aggravates the situation.

In the context of this forum it is safe to assume that the majority of members will know what is likely to offend other members. And it is these posts which should be deleted under the CoC, in any case.

SH

Sky High.

Perhaps I’ve made myself misunderstood?

I realise you were referring to the offence taken by BumbleBee at the insult to her faith. My point being that it is not the fact that she took offence at the comment, but that PeeDee made the comment knowing that it was likely to offend. If the offensive comment is not made, then there is nothing for anyone to take offence at.

It is largely about respect. Some people understand the concept, others clearly don’t. It has always been that way and always will be.

Regards,

kev35

Kev – my remarks were based on the comment you made to Bumble Bee and had nothing to do with your exchanges with PeeDee.

I respect your sensibilities to those with disabilities, and share them myself. I seem to recall that Bernard Manning, loathed and loved as he was in equal measure would never make jokes about the disabled, although everyone else was fair game.

As for PeeDee he seems to be able to provoke antagonism and verbally violent reaction, no doubt because that is something he enjoys. It is probably better in the long run not to rise to it.

I would like to believe that Key believes in free speech but it does seem that at least one of the CoCs is contravened from time to time without action being taken.

SH

With all due respect Sky High, it is not about offence taken. Rather, in the situations I mentioned, it describes a total and utter contempt for people who, for whatever reason, are ‘different.’ I know you would never imagine going up to a family who have a child with cerebral palsy and asking ‘how’s the spazz doing?’ You wouldn’t dream of saying to someone ‘I never knew you had a mongol child.’ Of course you wouldn’t. There is nothing remotely funny or accurate about calling people who have Down’s or cerebral palsy a spazz or a mong.

I’m not actually as divorced from this as some of you may think. I worked with both children and young adults with learning disabilities for a number of years. Many of whom displayed challenging behaviour, though none as challenging as PeeDee. I’ve seen the effects such language has on those with such disabilities, their parents and their siblings. They have enough to contend with without being referred to in the most derogatory and insulting of terms. I’ve seen the changes over the years in language and nomenclature regarding disabilities and firmly believe that the changes have been beneficial.

It is heartening to see that Key, in the interest of tolerance, allows such displays of bigotry as those posted by PeeDee. It reminds the rest of us just how bad the world might get.

Regards,

kev35

Kind of like the people who go on about gay rights who are actually straight – the gay friends I have take the p!ss out of themselves much more than anyone else could, .

very true i have had gay friends and i have been astounded at some of the facts learned ( my friend gets chatted up by more straight married guys than gays !! ) but his humour about it is second to none !!

also i have dissabillities and the biggest insulting place i went was on a dissabillities course but at the same time it was one of the most hillarious with everyone taking the **** out of each other

i work as a support worker for dissabillities

my present one to one client is in a wheelchair

we were in a club this saturday just gone when the singer asked if anyone wanted to dance

well he has a sharp wit and instantly shouted ” NO !”

the whole club was in hysterics !!

I cannot find fault with your second paragraph and your first made me smile broadly.:D

quite correct but at the same time we have to realise the deffinition of ” nig*er ” as used by them

as they use it it is used to describe dirty low down scum and is why most are offended

Very good point indeed! I went to see Chris Rock at the O2 a couple of years ago and was absolutely crying my eyes out at where he says “there are only two types of black people, there’s black people and there’s niggers, and I HATE niggers” – Chris Rock’s a black guy. That’s exactly what he was describing; he wasn’t using the word to generically describe someone who’s black, he was directing it towards, shall we say, the lesser pleasant members of that particular group.

In all honesty I think the vast majority of people who talk about being offended by things or campaign for equality should actually just leave it alone. Kind of like the people who go on about gay rights who are actually straight – the gay friends I have take the p!ss out of themselves much more than anyone else could, and if people throw a genuine insult at them they just ignore it because in the grand scheme of things being insulted by someone too ignorant to know any better really isn’t all that important, so why allow yourself to be offended by it? I say allow yourself because that’s precisely what it is; you have a choice and can decide what does and doesn’t offend you so I sometimes have to question the reasons why some people seemingly take offence for no real reason when they could ignore it just as easily – if not easier than rise to it.

I have been called many things over many years but I cannot recall feeling offended – I usually ignored the insult. If we are “offended” by the media, we can either turn the page or switch off.

holy cow !! if i took offence i’d have a list the height of blackpool tower

( and that’s just from one friend and in one week )

Kev – an interesting thought comes out of your comments. The problem is entirely due to “offence taken”. I am not sure how recent a phenomenon this is but I do not recall growing up in the fifties that people were as “offended” by remarks then as they are now.

i think you have hit a very important nail on the head !!

we have bred the most intollerant and oversensitive society ever

it was good when it was getting rid of genuine racism etc

but as i said earlier ( it has never truly gone !! ) as pee dee proves , there are still those there !!

they just find difrent more subtle ways

nowadays we are trying to be the most polite and pc country

whilst those we are being polite to come from the most intollerant countries in the world

i’d imagine names are a walk in the park

that is if you compare them to stoning , shooting , burned alive , beheading , et al !!

Kev – an interesting thought comes out of your comments. The problem is entirely due to “offence taken”. I am not sure how recent a phenomenon this is but I do not recall growing up in the fifties that people were as “offended” by remarks then as they are now.

Have we become over sensitive because the taking of offence has been inculcated into us as a required response? I agree with your comment to Bumble Bee. I have been called many things over many years but I cannot recall feeling offended – I usually ignored the insult. If we are “offended” by the media, we can either turn the page or switch off.

PeeDee.

I defy you to go and find me someone who both legally and medically can be called spastic. NO person is or ever has been spastic. The term refers to the condition, or spasticity, of their limbs. Your ignorance really does have no boundaries does it?

“However, the word began to be used as an insult and became a term of abuse used to imply stupidity or physical ineptness: one who is uncoordinated or incompetent, or a fool. The mental connotation derived from a common misconception that those with any physical disability resulting in spasticity would necessarily also have a mental or developmental disability. It was often colloquially abbreviated to shorter forms such as “spaz”………. The current understanding of the word is well-illustrated by a BBC survey in 2003, which found that “spastic” was the second most offensive term in the UK relating to disability (retard was deemed most offensive). In 2007, Lynne Murphy, a linguist at the University of Sussex, described the term as being “one of the most taboo insults to a British ear”.

Your little diatribe only confirms your intolerance, your prejudice and your ignorance.

“A bigot is a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices, especially one exhibiting intolerance, and animosity toward those of differing beliefs. The predominant usage in modern English refers to persons hostile to those of differing race, ethnicity, nationality, inter-regional prejudice, gender and sexual orientation, homelessness, various medical disorders particularly behavioral disorders and addictive disorders, religion or spirituality and reality creation beliefs.”

Do you know where I found that? I looked it up in a Thesaurus and found it under PeeDee.

BumbleBee.

Why should PeeDee apologise for his use of what you perceive to be blasphemy? If you are secure in your Faith, as I’m sure you are, his comments are a reflection on no-one other than himself. If I were a Christian (and who knows? I might be) I would have to say that his blasphemy only serves to show that some people truly are without redemption.

Regards,

kev35

it is ironic that individuals within some predefined “group” are free to insult each other without offence being taken whereas the moment anyone outside that “group” insults them they are practically banged up. Multiple standards apply.

quite correct but at the same time we have to realise the deffinition of ” nig*er ” as used by them

as they use it it is used to describe dirty low down scum and is why most are offended

although yes deffinately double standards

one generation tried for ages to stop the word , whilst the new generation practicaly promotes it in music

quite odd realy !!

In general I think that is absolutely right. I suspect the “hidden” level of racism is higher because of the sheer numbers of immigrants now here and the abject failure of multiculturalism.

. The world has changed and racism is far less now than was then.
.

don’t think so !! people are just more sneaky about it because of pc !!

you still have the same ammount . all that’s changed is there is less openness about it for fear of being fined etc

ironicly some of the worst racists are asians due to thier cast system !!

Humour has offended some and not others for a century or more. And so it should. My only yardstick is – is it funny? If not I switch it off. As this week’s most unpopular poster implied in an earlier post it is ironic that individuals within some predefined “group” are free to insult each other without offence being taken whereas the moment anyone outside that “group” insults them they are practically banged up. Multiple standards apply.

Back on to the subject I think.
I personally have no issue with Love Thy Neighbour and think like much humour then it is off its time/era. The world has changed and racism is far less now than was then.
To an extent comedy then was trying to break moulds and sometimes failed as in “Curry and Chips” with Spike Milligan which really for me just didnt work.

I love old comedy and collect it, But you do need to remember it is in many ways a time capsule for the decade it was in, and some ages better than others.Its certainly not worth being offended by lines writen 30 or 40 years ago.

Moderator Message

PeeDee,

Either adopt a more respectful tone to your fellow members, or go and widdle in someone else’s paddling pool.

Your choice.

Thanks

GA

” If the MODS want me to edit it …. ” ?

Cheers mate,you’re all heart.

Sorry flower, but I actually find your faith in an imaginary friend objectionable.
But I don’t want you to stop putting those points across and I won’t expect you to delete stuff that is in oposition to my views.

And there was me about to post a comment mentioning my intense dislike of religion, maybe I should save that for another time!

” If the MODS want me to edit it …. ” ?

Cheers mate,you’re all heart.