Carol Thatcher dropped by BBC for racist word

[ComeWhineWithMe]

Don't lnow if anyone has already posted (have checked can't see anything) .

I am shocked that she even thought using the term was acceptable .

Silly silly ignorant woman.

uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20090203/tuk-carol-dropped-for-golliwog-remark-6323e80.html

There are some really really ignorant and ill informed people on this board.

Listening to radio 4 yesterday afternoon. spent most of it swearing at the radio. at the risk of repeating what has already eloquently been stated. It is nasty, insidious and hurtful language. Any employer should bring the full force of their power down on the heads of any pathetic racist who says such a thing. I would think that where i work, it would either be dismissal or final written warning. Lets hope ( prob being naive) that when the likes of CT's generation go, that will be it. However, the fact that apparently one of these repulsive items was on sale in a gift shop on one of the Queen's estates makes me seriously wonder. I was more suprised by the controller of the bbc1 saying that if CT had properly apologised that the whole thing would have been put to bed. One would hope that the likes of Adrian Childs and Jo Brand would refuse to work with her again anyway which would stop the whole thing in its tracks.

Re Jeremy Clarkson i have to say that this is hypocrisy of the highest order by the BBC. Last night, there was an entire episode of staying in which seemed to revolve around someone pretending to be blind to get a prize and including walking around a flat with a white stick and bumping into furniture. At this point I switched off.

So hang on--it's OK for Jeremy insults blind people and prostitutes because that's what he does? But if he insulted black people that would be too much?

I am completely flabbergasted at this thread, particularly at the number of posters who continue to insist that the use of term gw is entirely without malice despite the number of times other posters have referred to the regular use of the word as an insult.

Personally I'm with Marsy and actually feel quite distressed that people who appear to be quite intelligent women are telling me to suck it up accept that words like golliwog and paki are once again becoming acceptable because if I don't it's "PC gone mad" or just being over-sensitive. When you hear those words day in day out often prefixed by "F-ing" and suffixed by "Go Home" then perhaps you might feel differently.....

Anyhooo, I'm a tad confused as to why posters defending Carol Thatcher keep referring to other presenters using offensive language as if it's some sort of justification - surely it's all wrong? The crux of your argument couldn't be that two wrongs make a right, could it??

Anyone want to look here, a related subject without the heat of this debate?

Marslady

I feel exactly as you do. Why the hell should we defend being offended by racist, hateful language.

Clarkson does tend to apologise, though. Personally I doubt the sincerity of his apologies given the frequency with which he has to make them , but it puts him one up on CT.

I really loathe the phrase "pc gone mad".

It is so lazy, thoughtless, and utterly, outstandingly stupid.

I agree, Turquoise.
Mars and CashnCarry have also made excellent posts.

Blu, I am sure you once said that if "being PC means thinking before you say or write something that will offend someone else, then I am happy to be PC". I agree with you.

HoochieMommaFeelGood;

I'm not very PC that's true, doesn't mean i'm in any way racist.

I fully understand why the word GW is offensive, (i am aware of the dolls origin), however, this was a private conversation and CT is of an age where she probably didn't realize she was being offensive, (i understand she was refering to someones hair looking like a GW doll?)

the meanings of words change dont they...gay used to mean carefree/happy, now it means homosexual...or even more recently lame/stupid.

I have never used the word GW, and tbh, have never heard anyone else use it...but now thanks to some PC nut, the word has been brought into the limelight.

I'm not a guardian reader...I'll never be angry from Islington phoning the BBC over crap like the CT fiasco, tbh, i've got better things to worry about.

Oh, and as a side issue, I don't agree in jobs being given to black/homosexual/disabled people, just because they are black/homosexual or disabled...jobs should go to the best person regardless....because that is discriminating against the white man isn't it.
how i see it...and this is a much wider issue, but the avarage white hetrosexual man has no rights, if he gets sacked, he can't claim unfair dismissal because of colour/sexuality/disability can he? .

I think its offensive to call people racist because they disagree with the BBCs decisions.

we are all entitled to our opinions on this issue.

I don't think anyone on this thread agrees with Caroles comment as being appropriate therefore you cannot call mumsnetters racist.

People don't like the fact that the BBC is using double standards by keeping JR and JC just because they have issued apologies when their comments were as offensive to some people as CTs were to others.

People also don't like the fact that something said off air is being dragged in the open. It would have been more appropriate for the BBC to give Carole T a private verbal warning and then to fire her if she ever used such language again.

Adrian Chiles was not overly polite about the Chinese when he was hosting the Bejing Olympics, one comment was whether one of the competitors would ever see her family again as she failed to win a medal, so it seems to be a bit of pot and kettle.

"now thanks to some PC nut, the word has been brought into the limelight."

Er, I think the blame for that lies with Thatcher...

This Times sketch made me laugh...

Fab posts by Marslady, Blu and Rhubarb.

Honestly cannot see how anyone can remotely defend CT. I can understand being ignorant to something, but not learning when you have been corrected demonstrates a concerning lack of tolerance, IMO.

CT was wrong and deserved to be sacked. Am completely behind Mars's excellent posts.

But it's interesting to see the hierarchy of anti-discrimination at work. The BBC seems to have completely missed the point that Ross's offence was misogyny and that is as bad as racism.

Even on Today, when challenged about the different treatment meted out to Ross and Thatcher, the controller focused on the insult to Andrew Sachs, completely failing to appreciate that the crime was actually sexism. Ross was upholding the old view that women who have sex outside marriage are transgressing. 'Nice girls don't and those who do are slags and should be ridiculed or condemned'.

I think a key factor here is that Ross is worth 1m extra viewers while CT is dispensable.

'it's interesting to see the hierarchy of anti-discrimination at work'

Yes--and I think you're probably spot-on about the £££ influences, too.

My DH made a complaint against some work colleges as they were sat in the staff room reading racist jokes from their mobile phones.

You could argue that it was a ?private? conversation as I guess a staff room would be the equivalent of a green room, but it wasn?t done in the company of friends, it was done in the company of work colleges some of which were offended. Why should ppl go to their place of work to do a job and have to put up with ignorant offence comments?