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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think a police officer should have more sense?

167 replies

nappyaddict · 10/01/2011 14:47

I have just seen a police officer say on his Facebook page "has finally got my car to move and has now found a great big fucking scratch on the door, pikeys....."

OP posts:
Besom · 10/01/2011 18:47

Wikepedia says that the slave thing isn't generally accpeted by scholars as having any basis in fact, but that the theory was advanced in the eighties amidst discussions about political correctness.

Besom · 10/01/2011 18:49

Sorry OP - getting a bit off the topic.

ledkr · 10/01/2011 18:49

The travelling community refer to people who live in houses/non travellers as gorgers.They say it openly to your face and i never feel its meant to be derogatory its just the name they have for us.

InWithTheITCrowd · 10/01/2011 18:51

I used to work in the Police Force, and every member of our force (support staff and officers at every level) had to have diversity training due to very poor records in police behaviour in the past.
During the diversity training, we were all required to sign a form acknowledging that we would never knowingly use an offensive term. There was a list, which we were advised would be amended as and when language evolved and more terms/words would no doubt be added to the list (ie a disclaimer that this list was not exhaustive)
The word "chav" was on that list, as was the word "pikey"

Police Officers are still public servants even when off-duty, and though there is STILL a lot of institutional racism within the force, there is (in my local force) a massive clamp-down on things like this. Not only is it racist and offensive, it was very stupid of him to say it, in any form, particularly in such a public forum

usualsuspect · 10/01/2011 18:54

Its offensive in my eyes ..but then I find the word chav quite offensive too

altinkum · 10/01/2011 18:54

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Spenguin · 10/01/2011 18:55

InWithTheCrowd - can you answer this for me? [genuine question!] - even if off-duty, do you still have a positive obligation? i.e. civilians can't be sued if they see a kid drowning and just stand there. Is it the same for an off-duty policeman?

Kahuna · 10/01/2011 18:58

Off topic but what jumps out at me is the alarming number of posters on this thread stating that Pi is unacceptable/racist and then give ?pa?, ?n? and ?c? terms as examples of unacceptability, and are able to type out the full Pi word but none of the pa, n or c words, why is that??? does this mean that most on here are of a generation that now accepts that ?pa?, n, and c? have racist conations but are still coming to terms with the newer realms of racism/unacceptability of the term Pi ? Not disagreeing with anyone here?just struck me that so many people were shouting down the use of pi* and actually typed out the word in full but could not type out n, pa, or c?.that?s all?

scurryfunge · 10/01/2011 19:01

I think that is more to do with referring back to the relevant word in order to debate it, Kahuna.

crystalline, it doesn't matter what the intention is -it is the perception and how it is interpreted that is important. It is a racist term, like it or not.

scurryfunge · 10/01/2011 19:08

spenguin, that question is debated in every police training school. The decision to intervene in an incident is based purely on a risk assessment at the time.

Police officers can bring the force into disrepute, etc whilst off duty and many have fallen foul of this.

aslongassheishappy · 10/01/2011 19:09

just typed out a long post and lost it darn!!

basically saying thet chavii is a colliqual word meaning child, in my understanding chav does not derive from this word but is an itialism meaning council housed and violent.

but that is besides the point, pikey was historicaly the accepted word meaning romany traveler, nigger was once non offencive as was spastic and retard and so many more words but once a word has a common use to marenalise any persons or groups it then becomes offensive.

people should IMHO follow these rules of social language.

also it is never acceptible to say something is gay, as it is making comparison to a person who is gay as being un cool or unacceptable. What kind of message is that to show our children by allowing them to talk this way as many parents do.

aslongassheishappy · 10/01/2011 19:11

sorry lots of typos, was battling a toddler over biscuits at the time of typing.

CognitiveDissident · 10/01/2011 19:14

AICR the 'Baa Baa Black Sheep = racially insensitive' meme originated on the mid '80's. A group of teachers/PTA members used to sing a sarcastic 'PC gorn mad' version at meetings...the DM & Sun got wind of this and the rest is history. It was Birmingham area, I believe, remember speaking to a teacher involved with it all at a CND rally.

CognitiveDissident · 10/01/2011 19:22

Pikey is a Roma word,means someone who lives the Traveller lifestyle, but is not Rom,doesn't follow the customs. It's a pejorative term both within and outside the community.

Chav,Chaver is also a Loan word, means child,kid but the meaning has evolved and spread to encompass a whole section of society; the DM's 'untermensch'

SixtyFootDoll · 10/01/2011 20:00

Police are technically on duty 24/7.

If I saw something happening whilst off duty I am obliged to get involved - as long as it is safe to do so.

I have been involved in a number of incidents off duty.

I am also aware that when non-Police friends see my Fb they are judging me as an officer and a friend.
I try not to do/post things that would bring myself and my force into disrepute.

I still manage to have fun though Grin

And we arent employed as such, we are 'servants of the Crown'

StewieGriffinsMom · 10/01/2011 20:12

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

pinkthechaffinch · 10/01/2011 22:15

actually the origins of 'Baa Baa Black sheep' lie in a draconian medieval woollen tax

one third to the king -'the master',
one third to the monasteries or the church- 'the dame'
and the last to the little boy- the farmer or the shepherd.

So -definitely not racially dubious-god the 'DM PC gorn mad brigade' really annoy me with their false stories.

Spenguin · 10/01/2011 22:23

SixtyFootDoll - 'servants of the Crown'! Thank God you said that. I had been spending ages racking my brain. Looks like I'll sleep tonight!

SixtyFootDoll · 10/01/2011 22:51
Grin
bumpsnowjustplump · 10/01/2011 23:16

My dn school also sing bar bar multicoloured sheep and are not aloud to sing bar bar black sheep.

I gave my dn a book of rhrymes for xmas 4 years ago and she said that it was wrong as it had black sheep in it.

So to back altinkum that there are plenty of schools out there that do not sing bar bar black sheep..

bumpsnowjustplump · 10/01/2011 23:25

However to the op Blush sorry pressed enter to early.. I think your friend needs a reality check. I live in the SE and know that Pikey is very prejudiced... Not sure if it is raciest but is still nether the less prejudiced and offencive as well..

ThatVikRinA22 · 10/01/2011 23:32

FB has been the death knell to many a coppers career

i am contemplating ditching mine actually and im far far from racist, but even your associates can land you in the shite....

actually i bet my force would frown on me using mn...

ThatVikRinA22 · 10/01/2011 23:35

actually i have posted on an anti racist thread tonight...

scurryfunge · 11/01/2011 00:12

Vicar, you would do well to limit your fb activity as it can be scrutinised in an investigation. A good deal of your jobs will have a fb base, in terms of harassment complaints, domestics and juvenile arguments. Steer clear if possible.

InWithTheITCrowd · 11/01/2011 00:35

spenguin - others have replied to your question far more eloquently than I could have
:)

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