[78-L] Racial Words.

[Julian Vein]

Spats wrote:
> Hi!
> 
> The right and wrong words to use keep changing.
> 
> When I was young, calling someone 'black' was regarded as an insult.
> 'Coloured' was the correct word to use.
> Then it all got reversed about 30 years ago.
> Nevertheless, my good friend, the great Jazz singer, Adelaide Hall, 
> always said 'coloured'.
> 
> We in England always seem to use insults for other countries based on 
> food, much of the time.
> Thus the French were dubbed 'Frogs', because of their willingness to 
> eat frog's legs, while Germans were often referred to as 'Krauts', 
> referring to sauerkraut. I wonder how our Christian Zwarg would react 
> to being called a 'Kraut'.
> 
> Currently on the UK comedy circuit, the people who seem to get 
> 'racialist' abuse are redheads. Goodness know why, but there it is. 
> The are GINGER jokes by the score.
> 
> A heard a black British comedian recently saying on stage that, these 
> days, it's rare to get 'nigger' jokes, whereas 'ginger' jokes are 
> heard all the time. Then he said 'Of-course, it's just the same word 
> with the letters rearranged'. ;-)
> 
> Excellent!
> 
> Earl.
> 
> PS I gather that all of this started with reference to your new president.
> Frankly, I'm delighted that you elected someone with lots of 'grey' 
> for a change.
> I'm referring to the 'grey cells' making up his brain! ;-)
> 
> For some reason however, nobody, or practically nobody over there 
> refers to the fact that he's also half white and was indeed brought 
> up by the white side of his family.
> 
> Since we have almost 10% of babies in the UK being born mixed race 
> these days, his election has made a huge impact on people like that 
> who have been struggling to define their identity.
>======================
Sorry, I hit the send button prematurely. Here 'tis again.

I didn't realise "Ginger" referred to redheads. I thought it was Cockney 
rhyming slang for "Ginger Beer"!

My partner has three children by a previous relationship who are "mixed 
race" (an unscientific term) who are all in their forties and have never 
had an identity problem.

I refuse to show my ethnicity when asked for it on application forms. If 
I was forced to do so, then I would have two options:

1. Give them a sample of my DNA and let them work it out.
2. Describe myself as Russo-Polish Semitic.


      Julian Vein