Tuesday, January 13, 2009

My grandparents' cat was called Sooty

And no, they weren't racists either.

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9 comments:

Bob Piper said...

There was a black kid (although his teacher said he was a 'coloured' boy)in my brother's grammar school too. They called him Sambo... but they weren't being racist either. honest.

I wonder if anyone asked Sambo how he felt about it? Still, I suppose the cat wasn't too offended, as long as your grandparents did it behind the servant's back.

Get real Paul. I can't believe you even meant this seriously as any sort of defence of the racism of the aristocracy. Prince Charles was a product of that era. He is his father's son. Yes, he was racist. So were millions of others. Denial won't absolve them of anything

Paul Linford said...

as long as your grandparents did it behind the servant's back

You know Bob, I've got a fair amount of respect for you but that is just about the dumbest thing you've ever written, on this blog or your own.

Anonymous said...

Paul - the only problem I've got with your response to Bob Piper's comment is that you said you "have a fair amount of respect" (for him).

Why? This is a man who is still can't cope with the fact that his brother went the local grammar school and he didn't. Shades of John Prescott's resentment that he didn't get the bike that his brother got for passing the 11-plus?

Gareth said...

The good news for unknowing victims like 'Sooty' is that there are people like Bob who are offended on their behalf. And on all our behalfs.

Bob wants to be offended because it confirms his expectations of the monarchy, but the truth is, as he well knows, that racism cuts across class boundaries.

David Gladwin said...

Personally I think it's much worse than has been made out.

Clearly these pointless aristocrats are becoming so desperate to give the impression that they're no different from ordinary normal people, who live on council estates and drink cider out of 2-litre plastic bottles in front of GMTV, that they're resorting to racism to demonstrate their common touch.

Since we missed our opportunity to hack their heads off, perhaps we should just ignore them, and hope they'll go away.

Bob Piper said...

Toque, I wasn't 'offended'. Actually, my point was that the sort of remark that Charles Windsor and his chums used way back then was fairly reflective of society in Britain as a whole, as evidenced by my brother's school chums.

Paul, it obviously passed you by, but it was an attempt at humour based around Charles and his chums. Try it sometimes. It will help you cope.

Actually, your reference to your grandparents was what prompted my comment. It was common back then to use phrases like sooty and sambo to describe people (and pets) and not perceive it as causing offence. But I suspect you wouldn't call your pet that today, or an Asian friend. Although I'm not sure about Toque because some of these little Englanders seem stuck in a timewarp.

Diablo... i passed my 11+ and went to grammar school. But they didn't have any black kids in my grammar school then, even in Aston.

Anonymous said...

I think the princes were both racist, and they are not right to in line to heads of state. Worse still now some people will think it funny to call people Paki or Sooty. There will be more racist bullying and abuse.

Paki is an incredibly racist term like Niger. It is not like scouse, or jock or taff. It is pure cold racial abuse, not a regional nickname. No one would claim the terms Niger and Cockey are the same. It is like calling a woman a bitch, or if the prince refferred to all working class people as scum. It is just racist pure and simple.

I thought the prince said it while he was at war and I understand people saying such stuff when they are under pressure, but he was in traning camp. It was rude, two faced and bullying of him.

General Patton once got suspended for insulting one of his lower ranks. So why is the prince better than that.
Also calling Asian people sooty as a nickname is racist too. How do we know the Asian business man just has to go along with this to keep his contacts.
Put it this way Paul would you walk up to 6 ft 2 tough looking black guy and say allright there darkie, how ya doi'in.

Anonymous said...

I had a rabbit called blackie but that does give me the right to call black people blackie.
They have helped racists to get away with racial abuse. Imagine if a schoolboy abuses another schoolboy calling him a paki all he has to say well it is allright the prince called "them" pakis, and hey it's just a nickname get over it. Imagine if some thugs shout paki at innocent people, all fair game now the royals do it.

One of the most sick things i ever saw was seeing some fat hooligan Leeds fans shouted paki at some innocent asians who happened to be walking past, the leeds fans. The Leeds were like animals, the way the Leeds fans reacted the instant they saw the asians was like animals, the Leeds fans glanced at eathochter, with some awful shocking smirk at eachother, and just started shouting pakis at them for no reason. They were just scum. And they will love the royalty now. People who use such terms are thugs end of story. Keep in mind the sort of people who stand up for using the term pakis awful awful people.

Anonymous said...

Dirty Euro

Your mum says its time to come in for your tea.

Do try and grow up if possible and don't overdue the faux outrage it look's so contrived.