"You are a racist" - the PC brigades greatest (and only) weapon
It makes politicians quake in their boots, it kills sensible discussion stone dead. This one short sentence is the greatest (and the only) weapon the PC brigade has. Losing the argument? - call your opponent a racist - that slur will usually silence them.
So let us examine this further - a dictionary definition of racism is:
i) discrimination against or unfair treatment of or violence against people because they belong to a different race from your own
ii) the belief that there are characteristics, abilities, or qualities specific to each race
and therefore anyone practicing any of the above must (by definition) be a racist.
In fact that definition includes the definitions from various dictionaries as I want the definition to be as broad as possible.
Ok so no problem with (i) as surely nobody would wish to do any of those things to a fellow human being.
I'm not too sure about (ii) as there does seem to be certain traits that are recognisable in certain races of people. Jewish people often seem to be involved in finance, travelers often want to tarmac your drive, Asians in the UK seem to like corner shops and driving taxis and the Chinese in the UK often like running takeaways and having the odd flutter in the bookmakers. I personally don't see anything wrong in noting the things one observes about the people around you.
If as a country in the 1970's and 1980's, we were experiencing Irish terrorism from the IRA then in my mind it makes sense that the police keep more of an eye on Irish population and likewise now since 9/11 it makes sense for the police to keep more of an eye on the Muslim population. Common sense or racism?
So now let's just examine how the PC brigade can say certain things are racist.
Robert Kiroy-Silk published a newspaper article containing the startling information that Arabs are "suicide bombers, limb amputators and women repressors" and asked what they had given to the world other than oil. Result - he lost his TV program and was reported to the police by the CRE. Read the actual article here. You may think what he said is true, you may think that it isn't true but surely he has the right to say it? If anyone feels libeled by him then they have redress in the courts for civil damages. Common sense or racism?
Ann Winterton's joke about the Chinese cocklers which I have dealt with elsewhere in the site. This was a widely circulating joke at the time and clearly it doesn't come into any of the categories listed above. It is often dragged up though - the last time being on BBC Question Time on the 22nd April in relation to Ron Atkinson's remarks. Andrew Rosindell MP, Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party bravely tried to point out the differences and defend Ann Winterton but you could see the fear in his eyes (and so could the PC brigade). He eventually gave up amid jeers of "stop digging" and "someone take his spade away". He never actually plucked up courage to ask anyone to explain how the joke is racist.
Were the remarks made by Ron Atkinson racist and is he actually a racist?
Calling a black man "a fucking lazy n*gger" is certainly offensive to that person. Ron says he was disappointed in the man's performance during the match. If he had called him "a fucking lazy bastard" or "a fucking lazy wanker" would that have been less offensive to the man? It certainly would have knocked any serious idea of racism on the head (although the PC brigade would have still have complained bitterly as it was said about a black man) but would the recipient be any less upset or offended?
Does it come under any of the above definitions?
Is he a racist? Ron Atknson says not and points to all the good work he has done in the past with black players.
Truth should never be repressed by cries of 'racist'. Just argue the case if you feel you have one.
Stumble It!