I don’t think asking mn if something you did / said was racist should be allowed

Gardensparrows · 2022-01-27T16:11:02+00:00

They may or may not be genuine but the comments they prompt are awful. The thread has been taken down but in 2022 I have reported three people for laughing at the word ‘chink’ and it is completely unacceptable.

Sirzy · 27/01/2022 16:12

I would rather people ask and be willing to learn than to ignore.

MerryPoppings · 27/01/2022 16:13

I don't know what thread you're referring to but YABU. Censorship is wrong.

ClariceQuiff · 27/01/2022 16:14

If it's an obviously goady thread or becomes a magnet for racists, I agree.

I don't think there should be a blanket ban - individual threads or replies can always be reported.

Original poster

Gardensparrows · 27/01/2022 16:15

All that they “learn”, @Sirzy, even aside from the fact that people from black and Asian minorities do not exist to educate white ones, is that its PC gorn mad and you used the word ‘chink’, tee hee and of course it’s not racist.

There are an abundance of resources on racism.

OP posts:

5128gap · 27/01/2022 16:18

Why do you think the thread today should not have been allowed? It appeared genuine, and dealt with an issue that wasn't cut and dried in the way that using an offensive term for someone would be.

PreparationPreparationPrep · 27/01/2022 16:19

I agree -OP I saw the thread and stopped reading as it was just an endless list of "don't be so hard on yourself" type of thing. I guess unanimously from people who are rarely on the receiving end of these types of comments.

lljkk · 27/01/2022 16:20

This reply has been deleted

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Keepitonthedownlow · 27/01/2022 16:23

Seems a bit weird to have a blanket ban?

StColumbofNavron · 27/01/2022 16:24

Part of the problem with them is, quite often, lots of well meaning white people comment saying things like 'I wouldn't be offended if someone asks where I am from' or 'they thought that I was German'. Those things, for the most part are exceptions in most (though accept there will be exceptions) cases whereas that is mine and many others day to day reality. Because you might not be offended by something that likely happens rarely does not mean that you know what it is to be offended by those very same things.

E.g. a friend of mine recently spoke about the US city some of her friends live in that apparently has very little racism. I asked her how she knows that and she said her friends said. Then I asked the friends backgrounds and they are both white, so how do they know whether people experience micro or macro aggressions everyday.

StColumbofNavron · 27/01/2022 16:25

Just to add, I actually like being asked because I like talking about my heritage and I am happy for it to be alongside my Britishness, but for many of my friends feel that it implies that they are not English/British.

Cornettoninja · 27/01/2022 16:25

I read your title and my first reaction was YABU but actually I agree with you. I don’t think an anonymous text forum is the place for the types of discussion you describe. It’s not that I don’t think these conversations shouldn’t happen at all but this is an inappropriate place for them.

There is a freedom and potential for abuse on a forum that’s anonymous and places little accountability on the users.

3cats2kids1dog · 27/01/2022 16:28

@lljkk

You can't talk about racist words without using the racist words in context. And trying to understand the boundaries, why a chink in the armour is ok & a Chink in the street would be bad. Why a dark-skinned person can say the N-word but as a white person I can't even type it out without being criticised.

I'm leaning towards YABVU.

this the nature of the english language is that there are many words that can be offensive in one context and not in another. additionally offense can be subjective and inference can be wildly different from implication... so there is rarely a binary answer.... there is a lot of grey area... or should that be purple area as grey area indicates it's not a black and white situation.... perfectly harmless saying, but might give offensive... so let's say it's not a red and blue situation.... further, it's not logic that everyone saying "don't be too hard on yourself" is a wild racist apologist... just maybe (if its the thread i think it was) suggesting that the self-flagellation was a bit of an over-reaction..

Mrstamborineman · 27/01/2022 16:35

black and Asian minorities do not exist to educate white ones, is that its PC gorn mad and you used the word ‘chink’, tee hee and of course it’s not racist.

*’There are an abundance of resources on racism’**

Op please follow your own advice, the correct term is is Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic groups. Not as your op reads, Black Asian Minorities. You have excluded all Minority Ethnic groups. The detail gives away how much how much of the abundance of resources on racism a person notices. It might not matter to you, but does to someone else.

However, yes that word beginning C you refer to (and no, I don’t mean cunt is awful.

Original poster

Gardensparrows · 27/01/2022 16:40

And yet above someone ‘wants to understand’ why it’s OK in one context but not in another (when it’s not used as a racial slur.)

OP posts:

SerialNo · 27/01/2022 16:46

@Mrstamborineman

Op please follow your own advice, the correct term is is Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic groups.

Or not.

www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/mar/29/boris-johnsons-race-commission-to-scrap-use-of-bame-label

www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-59559834

Mrstamborineman · 27/01/2022 16:57

@SerialNo thank you for sharing.

Waxonwaxoff0 · 27/01/2022 17:00

It's probably not the best place to ask anyway as the demographic here is mainly white middle class women.

Legomania · 27/01/2022 17:00

@lljkk

You can't talk about racist words without using the racist words in context. And trying to understand the boundaries, why a chink in the armour is ok & a Chink in the street would be bad. Why a dark-skinned person can say the N-word but as a white person I can't even type it out without being criticised.

I'm leaning towards YABVU.

Really? I think even my six-year old would be able to understand the first one

DeeCeeCherry · 27/01/2022 17:05

Agree, OP. MN should just take those posts down immediately.

Although I ignore them mostly anyway as its goady dog-whistle racism and they want the attention of Black Women here/to start a bunfight.

They know they'll mostly get 'oh it's fine thats not racist/wear what you want thats not racist'. Thats why they choose to ask in here. White validation.

I'm not really inclined to give them the interaction they crave.

RobotValkyrie · 27/01/2022 17:07

I find these threads educational. They open my eyes to how truly unbelievably casually racist some people are. I'd be ignorant of how wide-spread these feelings still are if it weren't for such threads. It can be a chance to challenge these ideas. But I agree it's also frustrating and sad to read.

PinkPlantCase · 27/01/2022 17:11

I think they are useful on the whole to the OP.

That said I am not a POC so I don’t think my opinion should really count on the topic. Atleast it shouldn’t outweigh others who feel offended. Perhaps those threads should just be more heavily moderated.

rocksonrocks · 27/01/2022 17:18

Why a dark-skinned person can say the N-word but as a white person I can't even type it out without being criticised.

You should be utterly ashamed of yourself for even having the gall to type that.

Nothing else to add other than I agree with you OP. If people truly cared about the impact of their potentially racist behaviour then they would seek to learn from the bountiful resources online and in real communities rather than seeking excusal from a bunch of faceless white women on the internet.

PAFMO · 27/01/2022 17:21

Lots of us have been on MN long enough to know that most hidden in plain sight wide-eyed faux innocent posts about racist language from posters have nothing but racist goading at their core.

Come on- it's 2022 and Britain is pretty multi-cultural. Television is multi-cultural. Our children's textbooks are multi-cultural.

Yet we're supposed to believe that MumsnetNewPoster+numbers doesn't know that her (pretend) kid pointing at the (pretend) black woman and coming out with (pretend) racist comments isn't just the poster voicing their own racism and sending out the bat signal to the apologists? Give over.

JustAnotherPoster00 · 27/01/2022 17:27

@rocksonrocks

Why a dark-skinned person can say the N-word but as a white person I can't even type it out without being criticised.

You should be utterly ashamed of yourself for even having the gall to type that.

Nothing else to add other than I agree with you OP. If people truly cared about the impact of their potentially racist behaviour then they would seek to learn from the bountiful resources online and in real communities rather than seeking excusal from a bunch of faceless white women on the internet.

Well said

BewareTheLibrarians · 27/01/2022 17:28

@lljkk

You can't talk about racist words without using the racist words in context. And trying to understand the boundaries, why a chink in the armour is ok & a Chink in the street would be bad. Why a dark-skinned person can say the N-word but as a white person I can't even type it out without being criticised.

I'm leaning towards YABVU.

Jesus fucking Christ. If you don’t understand why saying a “chink in the armour” is different to using that word as a racial slur, then you’re a fucking idiot.

Do you have any idea the harm that word causes people? If you can’t understand that without having to use the word in “context” then you’re a fucking idiot.

This is one of the absolute worst “arguments” I’ve ever seen on MN and I’ve been here 13 years.

People can’t be this ignorant? Surely?