... To ask if you agree that "pikey" is a racist term and not just "slang"?

[carabos]

I am following a thread on another forum where a poster has used the word "pikey" in the context of a discussion about burglary. I called the poster on it and pointed out that I believe the term to be deeply offensive.

Another poster has come on and said that the first poster has been "naughty" for using "slang" and to watch out for the politically correct brigade. I am . AIBU?

It's not racist, it's just potentially insulting.

I think I may have my message withdrawn.

What Lynette said

but if 'pikey' is sland for 'turnpike' how can that be 'not nice' sland

turnpikey doesn't sound particularly offensive

Beyond I'm absolutely loving "Worraliability"

pikey is just the new word for chav. its been slangerised

Round here among the current teens Pikey is also used for Chav. No connotations to travellers at all.

He's a bit of a pikey is the same as saying he is a Chav.

Cross post!

Chav is an offensive word though

maybe not racist but still offensive

pikeys aren't the same as chavs

they're a whole other group

it's quite interesting if you can be arsed to try and categorise people

and people from luton are a class all or their own

Toisgarcons - Roma are not a 'substrata' - Roma have genetic and ethnic heritage going further back than the 12thC, originally from India.

Pikey is very offensive, what ever category of offensiveness you decide to label it.

Of course it's a fucking racist term, and it's got fuckall to do with turnpikes. It's a Rom word indicating someone who lives the Traveller lifestlye,but is not true Roma.

I think it depends what area of the country you are in. Pikey and chav is the same thing where I live.

Thank you Blu - I know what a Roma is.

I also know that the all encompassing tick boxes on forms categorise traveller/gypsy/roma in one tick box.

Ditto one tick box for Black African - which must delight every person on the entire continent, being lumped intogether.

I forget slaps self that I must expect to have to write 3 paragraphs to make a point.

Why do people want to defend pikeys so much? It seems the new cause célèbre?

Seriously, what did they ever do for us?

There are so many, many people who are far more genuinely persecuted by society for nothing other than a physical or religious differences that we should be trying to address.

I know ill now be slated but seriously, debating the word pikey is just not worth the effort.

"There are so many, many people who are far more genuinely persecuted by society for nothing other than a physical or religious differences that we should be trying to address"

Oh, like the Roma people Poppadum? The victims of 2000 years of persecution and pogroms. Over one million killed in concentration camps during WW2. Still subject to persecution and ethnic cleansing in 21stC Europe.

Troisgarcons.
The human race doesn't actually follow the structure of an equal opps monitoring form. Roma are a definite racial, cultural and linguistic group, and therefore not a 'substrata' of traveller.

I am of Romany heritage so am no more prepared to be patronised by you about a substrata than you are by me.

Its not worth the effort ?

Fucking just wow

PPeach - why would anyone want to defend insulting people so much?

Insult bad behaviour as much as you like, but there is a list of reasons why it is undignified, uncivilsed and ignorant to insult people for their family background.