Let the witch hunt begin

Prince Harry will be burnt at the stake by the end of the day...

Another thing going to be completely blown out of proportion.

why whats happened?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7822883.stm

about a million people digging their oars in

Jeezzzzzz DIDUMS

HARRY FOR KING

does context mean ANYTHING anymore?

The guy was a Pakistani, yeah sure the term can be offense but in this context? hardly.

Freedom of speech my hairy arse.

He should know not to say stupid things though and got caught out. Just needs to be a lot more careful.

The state the worlds in at the moment, and this makes the headlines. Sad.

Drunk Dan wrote:

He should know not to say stupid things though and got caught out. Just needs to be a lot more careful.

Yes. We must all be very careful about what we think and what we say because we wouldn't want to be persecuted by the PC nazis do we? How much of a leap is it to the point where we're put in concentration camps because we don't share their PC views and say 'stupid things'? Oh shit...... just remembered....... that has already happened in Germany and Russia before.

Well thats the thing, PC has gone WAY overboard these days. People are almost scared to say anything in fear of PC. Ridiculous!!

Err have i missed soomething ? he refered to someone as a paki and a rag head, how is it being blown out of proportion the guy is a fucking moron

[quote="Mithy"]Err have i missed soomething ? he refered to someone as a paki and a rag head, how is it being blown out of proportion the guy is a fucking moron[/quote

It could have been alot worse. I like Harry, he's like the only human one out of the bunch of snobs

Not a real royal, that's probably why.

Paki is just a word, surely it's the intent behind the word where the offense comes from.

for example, i just typed the word in this post, are you offended?

I think he's a dumb feck for doing it, no question, but the sodding media sensation that has began (and will likely continue untill the next "scandal") irritates me.

I'm British, but don't you dare call me a Brit you dirty racist.

I'm well and truly in dales camp here...i just don't get it.

Clap him in irons! 200 lashes of the birch! Hang him!


But, you know what the most ludicrous thing about this whole thing is? Our soldiers are out there shooting and blowing people up including, unfortunately, women and children, but the biggest scandal to come out of it all is that Harry called someone a raghead! Like that's WORSE! We can KILL them, that's ok. BUT CALL THEM NAMES? OOOOOH NO!

So, why don't we just ditch all the bombs and bullets and attack our enemies with a barrage of racist insults

Hahahahahahahaha! Great post!

Just thought i'd post my views so as to provide the other side of the debate:

Paki is a very nasty word. The word has only ever been used by people wanting to to make asians from India and Pakistan feel unwelcome. I doubt anyone on here would be offended if i typed Nigger, Kike, Wetback or any other offensive name. Typing the word on its own means nothing. When the words are used to describe somone, that's another thing entirely.

Everytime I was racially abused/assaulted, I was called Paki - I was never called Darkie or Indie. I've had adults and kids call me a Paki. My parents were actually born and raised in India so it's annoyingly innaccurate as well as offensive. I'm amazed you guys don't think it is an offensive word. It is a racial slur (the fact that the word race is itelf largely meaningless notwithstanding). Brit is not a racial slur. Anytime I hear a non-pakistani use the word I cringe. That's because of how I've been treated after/during being called it. That shit stays with you, no matter how much you try to get away from it.

As far as Harry goes, I don't know the guy personally and I'm reasonably most commentators don't either. Its all speculation as far as his relationship with the Ahmed. The guy himslef hasn't spoken of it. Perhaps it was an affectionate nick-name. Personally I've never understood the macho mentality of calling your mates offensive names in order to show how closely you've bonded. I'm not entirely convinced that was even the case here. Calling someone Paki as a nickname (deplorable though i think it is) is a world away form being labelled "our little paki friend". the phrase is descriptive, not nominative.

Maybe Harry had a nickname related to his red-hair. When my girlfriend (who is a white red-head) got called Wog-rider, I was pretty fucked off about it. It's and insult to her and to me. When some twats walked past us and found it necesary to shout "ginge!" at her while we were in town shopping it made me cringe. It might have been funny for the guys saying it, but she's had to put up with it most of her life and it isn't funny or fun. Brunettes and blondes don't have to put up with that kind of shit, and red-heads don't have to put up with it in any other country.

Just cos you are called something does not mean you like it. Sometimes you have no option but to put up with it.

Also "fucking raghead" is harldly an affectionate jibe. If they had said "fucking Nigger" there would have been no doubt as to whether it was a racist comment. Coming from a Sikh family (my dad used to wear a turban and on special occasions still does) I take exception to Raghead. A turban is not a rag.

Sound Foundry wrote:

Our soldiers are out there shooting and blowing people up including, unfortunately, women and children, but the biggest scandal to come out of it all is that Harry called someone a raghead!

It's not the biggest scandal. Its just a story that sells more papers than news of our soldiers (I am british born and bred) and innocent bystanders dying in a war in a foreign land. The job of a newspaper editor is to make money by selling papers. reporting the news is incidental. The TV news then gets involved because everyone else is covering it and people would tell them they weren't doing their jobs correctly if they didn't also cover it.

You make lots of valid points there Mandz and obviously i can't relate to your experience to see the offense.

I just think that in the context in wasn't that offensive, like if i pointed a camera at my white friend and said here's our little honky friend.

I guess i'm someone who has grown up around all colours and creeds (i went to a VERY multi cultral school) and i often heard playful use of what is deemed racist words so to me context is everything.

But Dale black men do call each other nigger, you calling another white mana honky wouldn't come across as bad. It might sound a bit silly though.

I think you're right though, we don't know the circumstances.

When a person says this affects our freedom of speech, I have to disagree. I don't think any form of racial slur is acceptable, friendly or otherwise. The words were all born out of hate.

You have a point there, my previous freedom of speech statement was nonsensical in hindsight.

My god I think we're agreeing, quick throw some dookie my way.

It's a bit rich Harry calling someone a paki considering he's a ginger-headed German whose Mum fucked off with a Muslim

But seriously, I do have to totally disagree with you Dan. Freedom of speech should be our inalienable right. You don't have to like what someone says or agree with them, but you DO have to accept their right to say it. EVEN if you find what they say offensive.

Harry's comments were in private to a mate of his who obviously didn't feel it was said maliciously so that's his business. You might think it's wrong and that's your right. But to suggest that you can dictate to a person what they can or can't say or think in private because YOU don't happen to like it, is VERY dangerous. I keep saying this, but we HAVE been down that road before.

The other thing is, would you all have been so indignant if it had been the Asian guy calling Harry a racist name? Would there have been a call for a MOD investigation? No, course not and that would be fine wouldn't it. That's not excusing Harry's comments, it's just pointing out that most of you on here seem to have very one sided views on the subject of racism.

You all think I'm racist because I believe there is an imbalance in how the whole issue of racism is approached. I believe that racism is a PEOPLE thing not a white thing, as is the accepted view, and the ethnic minorities are equally as guilty. But you lot won't face that issue because you might get branded too. I think most of the accepted approach to racism today is actually more racist/fascist in itself, breeds resentment and will lead to MAJOR problems before long.

I actually agree with virtually everything Mandz has said and unlike Dale, I CAN actually relate to some of Mandz's experiences, having regularly been a victim of racism when I lived in Foleshill. That's why I get so angry at the inequality with which some of you view the whole subject of racism.

Some of you take a pretty self righteous view on this subject and I don't believe you can do that until you commit your beliefs to the notion that ALL racism from ALL sections of the community is unacceptable and treat each instance EQUALLY.

Having lived in Tottenham and worked there and in Hackney, I also know what it's like to experience racism and to be a minority.

But even with that experience and the fact that I would not agree to racism towards a white person. I do agree that all sections of society can be racist.

So more than ever I now believe that racsim is wrong and should not be allowed to be expressed. What happened during World War II, the war in former Yugoslavia, Rwanda, Zimbabwe and currently in Israel are all forms of extreme racism and should be allowed to happen. Not now, not ever again if, we have to speak against racism. Otherwise kids will think it's OK, many do and it's just plain wrong.

Sound Foundry wrote:

I actually agree with virtually everything Mandz has said and unlike Dale, I CAN actually relate to some of Mandz's experiences, having regularly been a victim of racism when I lived in Foleshill. That's why I get so angry at the inequality with which some of you view the whole subject of racism.

Some of you take a pretty self righteous view on this subject and I don't believe you can do that until you commit your beliefs to the notion that ALL racism from ALL sections of the community is unacceptable and treat each instance EQUALLY.

I agree. I've listened to black and asian people say very nasty things about other races (I hate that word) and it has made me very uncomfortable.

I don't think the words should be outlawed as that is a slippery slope, The Golden Rule should be applied (check this page for info if anyone is unfamiliar with it http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethic_of_reciprocity). Humour is the perfect example. I love Dave Chappelle, South Park and Andrew Dice Clay because everyone is fair game to them, but I hate Bernard Manning and Chubby Brown because their jokes get nasty as opposed to edgy. My grilfriend has gone off Chris Rock in the last few years as she feels he's getting very anti-white in his humour.

I'm still not convinced about Harry and his "mate" though.