i can't bear racism in any form
but my grandma, being 82, deaf, white and living in halifax is about as racist as it gets.

she is tiny and fluffy haired and looks as if butter wouldn't melt in her mouth. but she announced loudly to a full restaurant the other sunday lunchtime that she had been told off for being racist at the hospital where she goes every friday.

"all i said was PAKI," she boomed offensively, clearly firmly convinced that she was whispering. "i mean, what's wrong with the word PAKI? they are PAKIs!"

good god. and don't get her started on the word gay. "oh it used to be such a lovely word," she whines, completely oblivious to the facts that (i) it was patently obvious that her younger brother was gay as a window; and (ii) her son-in-law, my father, thinks she is a lesbian herself. she does hate men, he may have a point.

i love my grandma but she is barking mad.

still, better than my friend nick's grandma, who refused to buy a watermelon in sainsburys because, and i quote, "you need a mouth like a nigger to get one of those in it."

she was 85. "nigger" was acceptable when she was young, this i can get on board with, can't judge yesterday by today's standards etc. but "to get one of those in it" ?? was she planning to eat the whole fucking thing in one mouthful or something?
( rachelswipe with a fork, Thu 22 Nov 2007, 16:42, 9 replies)

!
She needs to be careful then living in Halifax, in case she offends Howard.
( browser still relating boring anecdotes into a void on, Thu 22 Nov 2007, 16:46, closed)

Haha!
I think I just let out a bit of wee laughing at the mouth and watermelon bit... fucking funny. And I am almost a 'Paki' myself!
(LadyTramp79 Left a bit, right a bit..., Thu 22 Nov 2007, 16:49, closed)

Now then -
I can't see what's wrong with 'Pakis'.

Australians are Aussies?
South Africans are Saffies?

Isn't it a convenient abbreviation? When did it become offensive?

Or am I being hopelessly naive?
( scoshi pretending to diet since, Thu 22 Nov 2007, 17:10, closed)

It became
offensive when people started using it as an insult. simple, really.
( Kroney, Thu 22 Nov 2007, 17:13, closed)

'paki'
I think the thing about the word paki is it gets used by a load of people to define anyone who is indian/sri lankan/bangladeshi, definetly not just pakistanis.
(flytrappedinajar, Thu 22 Nov 2007, 17:15, closed)

also
it's all in the context. if someone calls you a post-it-note but they mean it derogatively, it becomes offensive.

lots of pakistani lads watch the cricket wearing t-shirts that say "proud to be a paki". i think that's quite a nice way of gently mocking the racism.

on the other hand, it's not nice that they've turned parts of halifax into no-go areas for white people. i've been spat at and called a white whore on more than one occasion.

i just don't get why it matters a flying fuck to anyone what colour someone else is. and i don't get why everyone else in the world can't see it that way too. now here endeth the first lesson...
( rachelswipe with a fork, Thu 22 Nov 2007, 17:19, closed)

"Gay as a window"
That made me spray my monitor with coke, I'm stealing that for my own lexicon.

But would that not then go against the whole PC thing?
(jamesthegill opens new tabs with his scroll wheel, Thu 22 Nov 2007, 19:15, closed)

Halifax?
You have my deepest sympathy. Gibett St then?
My nan is just the same!
(Guu Bounce back - With Prozac!!, Fri 23 Nov 2007, 2:14, closed)

Mine too
My Gran was a man-hating racist too. A sign of the era they grew up in perhaps?

I can't think of anything blatantly racist she came out with, just the odd inane comment and a deep mistrust of anyone 'not white', but do remember her having a face on like she was eating dogshit when a black doctor was treating her in hospital.

She also refused to accept that my uncle (her youngest son) was gay. Possibly preferring to believe that he was completely celibate, like herself (certainly since grandpa died, possibly since my uncle was conceived!)
(Greencloud Wanted to go fishing on, Fri 23 Nov 2007, 9:01, closed)