Never thought I'd ask this here but... is this racist?

[MrsMingech]

I know these threads are fricking cringe and awful sometimes and I've deliberately not name changed as I don't want to seem like a troll.

My son and I really like a comedian called Nigel Ng who often slates peoples cooking. He has several quips, one of which is "Emotional damage"

I recently overheard my son and his friends saying it when something bad happens, in this comedians accent.

I said to him later that it's probably not the best idea, it doesn't come across well.

On the other hand I have a vague memory of my parents repeating some of the famous lines from 'Ello Ello, so that can't be racist?

I once heard someone say to their kid, if something feels wrong, then it is wrong.

And hearing the kids saying it felt wrong....

It is, isn't it?

wrong.

I don't intentionally kick my DH under the table when we are eating dinner, but when it happens I still apologise, because regardless of it being unintentional it still hurt.

Same applies to racial comments, you can hurt someones feelings and be incredibly offensive unintentionally, and your lack of intent doesn't absolve you from wrongdoing.

www.irishmirror.ie/showbiz/irish-showbiz/chinese-father-ted-actor-ozzie-24200942

Racism is in the eye of the beholder. What one person finds offensive another won't and there's no final definition of what is and isn't racist.

I would suggest you warn your son that some people might think it's racist. He might need to pick his audience and possibly apologise at some point.

Listen very carefully, I shall say this only once.

It's not racist.

Yes, it's always showing on various cable channels, it's hilarious! 😂

Shrek "Donkey" another thing I've heard from the kids. Just watching the German episode on Fawlty Towers. Are all these things racist?

It’s not racist. They’re imitating a specific person as they repeat that persons exact words.

If it’s racist to use any accent different from your own, then that will put most actors and actresses out of a job.

“Allo Allo” was of its time, but there was
also a particular reason for the ‘comedy’ accents

Not all viewers knew the inspiration for Allo Allo was Secret Army in which there was a conscious decision to use actors natural accents, instead of attempting accents and avoided subtitles etc
You then had the majority in Belgian, German, British characters etc speaking with well spoken BBC English but with appropriate pronunciation (the cafe / restaurant owner was Albert and his name pronounced with the R of Al-bear not the T of Al-bert

Allo Allo was a comedy alternate to Secret Army (and also a parody of other war films/shows) and one of the in jokes for those who knew the inspiration was the language and accents
It does however make more sense in Allo Allo at some times that in Secret Army you may get RAF evaders not understanding the English spoken conversion going on between Belgians, Germans etc but in Allo Allo you get an accent for each nation

Nigel Ng exaggerates a stereotypical “East Asian” accent. It is racist but it’s different because Ng is Chinese/Malaysian. Mocking a Cockney accent is totally different to white people taking the piss out of East Asians. Then again, we’re kind of used to it.

I've been watching repeats of Allo Allo on tv quite recently.

It could be 'It Ain't Half Hot Mum' you're thinking of. I think that one has been pulled.

So, basically, no, don't do 'The Voice

@AffIt are you saying that you disagree with anyone emulating a Scottish accent? Cos, as a birth Scot who just happens to have an English sounding voice, I think you're wrong.

As a mixed race person, my take on this would be:-

If they are saying a meme, it's OK.
If they are talking to a person of colour using an accent that the person or their race use ergo Chinese accented English to a Chinese person, yes, that's racist.

They aren't mocking it

Is Nigel Ng the guy who does the uncle roger skit? Cos if it is, I saw him live and he made some preeeettty close to the bone paedo jokes about Asian women who tend to look younger than they are. Man, were there some tumbleweeds in that room!

It's like saying 'heeerre's johnny!' In a voice that emulates the way that Jack Nicholson said in the Shining.

That's probably offensive to insane would be family annihilators

This is the WORST take "if it makes you feel uncomfortable its wrong". Christ no! Lots of things make people uncomfortable, that in no way makes it wrong. The thought of 2 fellas getting married made my grandad very uncomfortable, by your logic gay marriage is therefore wrong.
No. As if the younger generations need any more of these snowflake supportive bullshit ideas!!

As a Scot, no it’s not racist, but it is very offensive. Please don’t do it.

Scottish people haven't in recent history faced significant racial abuse from English people

Really? Not big into history then are you?

The English police officer in Allo Allo who said “good moaning” and “I was just pissing by the cafe and thought I’d pop in”. I mean THAT was funny.

I think there’s a difference between these kids saying a catchphrase and, say, Jim Davidson doing his Chalkie impression.

So is only recent abuse that counts?

Scottish people haven't in recent history faced significant racial abuse from English people

Lived in London in the 90s, which I would argue is very recent history, and "fucking Jocks" was thrown our way regularly. I'd call it xenophobia rather than racism but f*ing horrible abuse anyway.

It is still repeated.

Prime have Allo Allo - just checked. But a chargeable series otherwise I may have been tempted. It was funny at the time.

I personally have told my dc not to mock or joke about any different colour or religion, and this would include non white accents. It can so easily be taken out of context, it just isn't worth it.

You can watch it for free using Freeview Play.

No at all, you will see upthread that I disagree with the use of mocking accents of any kind at all. However, it informs the situation, and things to be particularly cautious over, recent abuse is much closer to the bone. The fact that Chinese people (and any East Asians who were assumed to be Chinese) faced a huge surge of racism less than 2 years ago at the beginning of the Coronavirus outbreak means they might be especially sensitive. Understandably, as many were scared of physical abuse, were yelled at in the street, made to feel very unwelcome, and in the US even targeted in a mass shooting. I'm not making a hierarchy of racism, there is no point in that, but you can see why a Chinese person might be more upset than a Scottish person in an equivalent situation. I will hold up my hands and admit I am not that knowledgeable about Scottish/English relations, but in the last 10 years have Scottish people feared for their lives in England just because they were Scottish? That's what I mean by close to the bone and recent.

As I just clarified, happy to admit I am no expert in Scottish/English tensions and issues, I also appreciate there might be variability regionally. The 90's is 30 years ago now, recent history to me means about 5-10 years.