Actually I'm not but I've got to say something about this

[Iklboo]

Met my mother in town last night and we caught tram home together. Alighting from said tram with other passengers we all passed a house with a garden.
Staffie dog comes running out of house barking at the gate.
The two young black girls in front of us jumped & screamed.
Quoth my mother "they don't like dogs, n-word"
Quoth I "WHAT did you just say?"
Mother "coloured people then. Or whatever you're supposed to call them these days"

APART from the sweeping generalisation it was the shock of her hearing her say THAT word. Age isn't an excuse, she's only 58.

Told her in no uncertain terms NEVER to use racist or homophobic language in front of DS.
She took the hump saying I was being too PC

Bloody hell. but black people don't like dogs? what a bizarre thing to think. How on earth would someone come to that conclusion?

I'll bet you thought you knew her quite well too!

How extraordinary. And YANBU, obviously.

YANBU - so shocking!!!

Although my mother claimed that my dh (a light-skinned Asian) looked exactly like some Africans we saw once on the basis that "they all look the same". Horrendous.

Gosh, that word never fails to shock me, and what a sweeping generalisation as well. It sounds like something my mum would say, too. We can only hope that your mother didn't say it loud enough for the girls to hear.
Poor Staffie shouldn't have to hear such words either!

My mums favorite saying is" play the white mans game"!!!! Shes 65 and stuck in her ways, mums are sent to try you

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Bloody hell!

Everything about what she said is ridiculous, illogical, offensive and dodgy.

Evan an individual child of unspecified ethnic origin who DID like dogs might well scream if a running barking dog made them jump.

Is she usually that ignorant, your Mum?

I mean, poor you, Iklboo - what a shock, from your own Mum!

She's usually quite an intelligent reasoned person. She generally says "coloured lad/girl" but it's the first time I've heard her say the n-word.
Dh was horrified when I told him as well.

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I've heard that "play the white man" thing, but only from an Indian colleague (who must be late 40s if it has any relevance). I don't know what it means.

Loads of people say coloured. I think they're trying to be polite in a misguided sort of way.

You will see me argue elsewhere that people worry too much about words, but this is a case where I agree it was wrong to say it. I'm afraid my mother was like that. Not really nasty, just used to thinking a certain way.

If one of these girls had been bitten. I bet your mum have helped her - regardless of color.

As for 'playing the white mans game' I don't think that's racist. Unless it's racist about white people. I think it refers to the whole capitalist/money making way of life

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Horrible, but mnet HQ wouldn't censor it if you did write the hideous word out in full

My usually wonderful MIL and I had a bit of a todo when I banned her from using what I would consider a derogatory term describing Japanese people in front of DD.

She said "oh its fine, its what they call themselves in Japan"

I still don't believe her, but even if shes right I don't want her using it around the kids. I blame her DP, he reads the Mail.

IT's a generalisation (the don't like dogs bit) that I've come acros a lot too. We used to live in Africa, and got a couple of puupies whil we were there - wiht out fail, everyone we came across who knew about them said "good idea, the natives (or similar very un-PC word) don't like dogs"

Now, we did get them as added security (high crime rates, and we were a bit of a target) but still at the attitude

There is a huge qualitative differnce between 'coloured' and the N word, though. The first often being used in ignorance of more up to date acceptable language - the second being never anything other than very offensive, really.

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sorry, didn't mean to upset anyone by typing it? I just can't quite believe anyone would use the more offensive of the words I typed. She MUST know it's completley wrong, where has she been for the last 30 years?!?

did she say it out loud on the tram more than anything I would worry about peoples reactions to it!

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