AIBU as the mother of mixed race children to be furious that Giles Coren’s article in The Times included the phrase “fuzzy-wuzzies”?

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Why did The Times even allow this to be published? I can remember when I heard this derogatory term being used as a racist insult in the playground during the late 80s. It makes me want to weep. I know Giles Coren has form where racism is concerned but FFS 🤦🏼‍♀️, it’s 2022, not 1922. This is not funny, arch satire and could have horrific consequences. He may as well have used the n word and no doubt people like him do in private company. I really fear for my young children and what they might be subjected to if this is acceptable in print.

(This is my first time posting here on Mumsnet so please be gentle! I know this issue is being discussed a lot of Twitter though and several anti-racism campaigners have commented.) Here is a link to the full article, which is behind a paywall: www.thetimes.co.uk/article/call-yourself-british-ill-be-the-judge-of-that-dwl3qp53w

I would question whether we can make equivalent all words that were seen as negative/rude.

It's a bit like scatological swearing, there are all kinds of words like that, from wanker to dick to fuck to twat, to shithead, and many more. Even the ones that refer to the same thing have different levels of offensiveness and power attached to them, and we use them in different situations and for different audiences. Some words also become less powerful over time, you can see that really clearly with words like damn which at one time were among the most serious curses. It doesn't have much power now though.

The n-word is among the most powerful and offensive, and it now has such a powerful taboo associated with it lots of people can't actually bring themselves to use it in historical contexts. It's not just that they are worried about offending, it's actually really hard to spit it out.

I've wondered if the fact that we've ascribed almost magical powers to it is actually going to be a bad thing, but be that as it may, I don't think this word has anything like the same power. And people who are reading a newspaper are in a position to understand that there are offensive, rude, and vulgar terms, and understand the things those terms imply.

I think there is pretty clear blue water between “the fuzzy-wuzzies” meaning feelings, and the same phrase used to mean black people. But you know that don’t you

And some people just associate it with the poem about the bear with no sense of other connotations.

My sense is that it's racial use is so old-fashioned and so associated with a very specific sort of person that it doesn't really function as a modern slur.

Well not if you've never heard of the first one.

Why would you assume everyone has heard that before. Lots of people don't even know how to dial a rotary phone any more.

No I really don't, and my dc are mixed race, I've probably said this at one of their side of the family BBQs! Really really didn't know!

Yes he is. Giles Coren is a pillock, and can be hateful but in this usage he is taking the piss out of a certain attitude. I’d have removed it if I were his editor, because you could make the sane point without it.

I think it's meant ironically, to lampoon the attitude itself, but it's clumsy and too easy to get wrong and insensitive to say the least. He's a good enough writer to make the same point another way.

He's known for not allowing edits to his pieces and being a total arse about it, but I'm pretty sure John Witherow could handle it or find someone else.

He is such a dickhead.

Is he the one loving life on gogglebox?

I’ve never seen Giles Coren on Googlebox. I don’t think he’s well known enough to be on the celebrity edition. His sister, Victoria Coren, was on it with her more famous husband, David Mitchell.

oh, I'm thinking of Gyles Brandeth!

Gyles Brandreth is magnificent.😍 He's talented, warm, funny and I he makes me happy and grateful to be alive at the same time as him.

And some people just associate it with the poem about the bear...
The same people who just associate Golli*s with jam.🙄

He's a good enough writer to make the same point another way.
No he's not. He's a shit writer (that's why he still coasting on daddy's name and contacts rather than making a name for himself). And an actual racist and cunt of a man.

On Twitter someone described him as a pound shop Lawrence Fox.

That's an insult to pound shops. They usually have some good stuff in.

He's a syphilitic dribble of pre-cum. Wait. Sorry. That would have more charm, culture & intelligence.

Ee, I had taken Giles corens rep and attached it to Gyles face. I will investigate.

This. The whole answer is racist. And is meant to be.

I read it as satire, parodying old fashioned colonialist and racist attitudes using a phrase from the 1900s.

The correct answer.

He's a talentless twat who only got where he is now due to his Dad. don't give him a moment's thought

I think it's pretty clear that he meant it as an example of the awful things a certain, less modern/enlightened set say. He is pillorying them.

to be fair he's using the phrase to denote racism..
however - can't believe he gets paid what I presume are big bucks for a pretty mediocre and unamusing column that your average student could probably have tapped out in 20 min

I thought Gyles Brandreth was dead! I see now that he isn’t. I had him mixed up with Clement Freud.

I've never heard of this phrase being racist. It's not something I'd particularly say but I would think if it being like, a soft fluffy carpet, that sort of thing? Or those felt sticker books I'm sure they used to be called fuzzy wuzzy pictures? I'm not saying this in defence of the article or anything. Just noting that I've never heard this in a racist context.

If he's trying to make a point about a certain sort of attitude, I think he actually chose that phrase quite cleverly.

I heard a groups of older white men at a jubilee party outraged about that exact term carrying a warning at the beginning of a dad's army episode. Going on about being "of it's time etc etc" but not seeing the POV that things move on, it is offensive and people don't want to hear it anymore. It's the sort of archaic but slightly less taboo language that Boris gets away with (letterboxes and watermelon smiles for example) but definitely a dog whistle. Also the out of date word use almost indicates a nostalgia for times gone by when racist language was commonplace and the British empire was something to be proud of.

So assuming this was what he was trying to highlight, but not what he actually thinks himself, maybe he should have starred out some of the letters?

It's hard to believe an educated person whose attended Oxford could be so bloody stupid seriously lacking any critical thinking skills.

Disgraceful man.

Yeah I read he was completely revolting so I stopped reading him on my two free articles a week and only read Marina O'Loughlin. Maybe maybe not but...