Whatever Happened to Tyke Merc?

[NotAllThere]

It is good manners, not political correctness, to reject the word 'kaffir' | Nesrine Malik | Opinion | The Guardian

HTHBIDIVVM

I wasn't aware of the term. But in any case, isn't the use by non-muslims equivalent to the homosexual community appropriation of "queer"?.

I.e. it's only good manners for Muslims to reject the word in relation to non-Muslims. Though specifically, Christians and Jews should not be referred to as unbelievers anyway.

[PurpleGorilla]

Whatever Happened to Tyke Merc?

I wasn't aware of the term. But in any case, isn't the use by non-muslims equivalent to the homosexual community appropriation of "queer"?.

I.e. it's only good manners for Muslims to reject the word in relation to non-Muslims. Though specifically, Christians and Jews should not be referred to as unbelievers anyway.

LOL [emoji85]

[TheFaQQer]

I wasn't aware of the term. But in any case, isn't the use by non-muslims equivalent to the homosexual community appropriation of "queer"?.

Well, if admin can strike down a post by a Jewish Tottenham Hotspur supporter referring to him/herself as a member of the "*** army" (as has happened in the past), or Bagpuss getting a warning for using the same term (as happened in the past), why should this be any different?

FWIW, I was unsure of whether it was an offensive term or not - so I used this new fangled Internet thing. I typed "is k**** an offensive term" into that Googlebot program, and that was the first of the results. Maybe try it if you're not sure.

[NotAllThere]

It seems to me that in the UK it is considered to be a racist term only by the small group of people who use it to be offensive.

[PurpleGorilla]

It seems to me that in the UK it is considered to be a racist term only by the small group of people who use it to be offensive.

But a larger group than this in the UK find the term offensive.

[NotAllThere]

Do they? Who?

FWIW, I raised it with Admin, because I really do not know the term in an offensive sense. Bear in mind I haven't lived in the UK for over 15 years, so I'm not up with current epithets. Took me ages to figure out what "chavs" were.

[PurpleGorilla]

Whatever Happened to Tyke Merc?

Do they? Who?

FWIW, I raised it with Admin, because I really do not know the term in an offensive sense.

Me. You can add me to the group of persons who finds the term offensive.

I understand it's a racist term in South Africa, but this isn't contractorsa, so what's the problem?

It is offensive to me, because it is intended to offend me.

[NickFitz]

The first time I encountered the word "kaffir" was in Tom Sharpe's 1970s novels set in South Africa in the days of apartheid, Riotous Assembly and Indecent Exposure, where it's used as a term of abuse for black Africans by the South African Police and other white characters. I don't recall ever encountering it in a context where it wasn't being used as a racist term.

[NotAllThere]

Me. You can add me to the group of persons who finds the term offensive.

It is offensive to me, because it is intended to offend me.

Would you have been offended yesterday before the meaning and use was explained to you? Would the police prosecute someone who used it in a public place?

In any case, the fact that you find it offensive does not mean it is term of racial abuse that is unacceptable. I'm sure you'd be offended if I called you a thick pillock who is trying to stir things up, because he's still rankling over his last ban - but that isn't grounds for the terms "thick" or "pillock" to be ruled unacceptable.

[NotAllThere]

The first time I encountered the word "kaffir" was in Tom Sharpe's 1970s novels set in South Africa in the days of apartheid, Riotous Assembly and Indecent Exposure, where it's used as a term of abuse for black Africans by the South African Police and other white characters. I don't recall ever encountering it in a context where it wasn't being used as a racist term.

So in your opinion should it be ruled as an unacceptable epithet in CUK? Even when used in an obviously ironic fashion?