Why then does the term black appears to be offensive in conversations (or heated exchanges)? More recently the cases of John Terry who allegedly insulted Anton Ferdinand a "f****** black ****" during a football match and eccentric X Factor contestant Kitty Brucknell who is alleged to have hurled racial abuse at a fellow contestant when she screamed "You evil black b*****d, f*** you Derry."
Both stories have made gripping newspaper headlines across the country with the police currently conducting an investigation which could see Terry charge with racial harassment. Meanwhile sources say Brucknelll has been quick to issue a grovelling handwritten apology to Derry Mensah as internet forums flooded with calls for her to leave the X Factor.
No doubt verbal abuse took place in both cases but I struggle with the term "racial abuse". The Lantern Project describes racial crime as something committed against a victim solely because of their race. The Race Relations Act 1976 focuses on racial discrimination and harassment. Meanwhile The Met Police focuses more on hate crimes.
What is racist about one calling a black man what he is...a black man? Yes; insultive colourful adjectives where heaped on the description which are of course hurtful and should not be condoned but what part of this is racially abusive? Mensah is black and in Anton's case appears to be mixed race. Perhaps then Terry should have said "f****** mixed race ****"(or maybe he believes in the one drop theory). The derogatory notorious N word or others similar to it was not use in both cases. Now if those had been used, of course there will be no objection it was indeed racial abuse.
Do we get overly sensitive when peoples of different colour use the word black at us?. I get defensive when people comment I do not have an accent and don't sound African( Whatever African sounds like and which human hasn't got an accent? The only species of living animals not to have one will be cats, dogs, cows, etc since irrespective of where they come from they all meow, bark, moo, etc alike).
Too often we get caught up with the media frenzy surrounding particular cases such that our views become distorted and slowly merge with what these news sources wish us to think. We should from time to time take a step aside for inner reflection of honest opinion we hold.
Calling a black person names using the word black is not racist. Personally I will take offense if I am called white ***** as that will be the real issue seeing as I am not white but "Black and proud".
Good write up. Calling someone a black man, black woman, black boy, black girl, black baby, black child, black person or just black is not a problem. Where the problem lies, is in the context in which it is being used. To me when someone start saying to themselves they are Black British or Black and proud, it just tells me that there has been some kind of struggle in the past. If for political correctness Black British or Black and proud are being used, I see this as being very patronising, it is just like saying, even though you had a hard time before now you have made it.
ReplyDeleteThe Race Relations Act 1976 and the The Met Police focus on hate crimes if looked at more closely, you cannot help to think that special words and phrases have been selected that can be reloaded with other meaning. At the end of the day, we have to give the authorities credits for what they are doing and also to anyone who is doing their best by not standing up for such nonsense, which is going on. As Mother said, 'We cannot all do great things, but we can all do small things with great love.'
Check out, Framing Invisibility: Racial Stereotyping and Selective Positioning in Contemporary British Animation
Really love that your blog is all about promoting positive black British role models! You don't know how long I have been searching for something like this online.
ReplyDeleteI'm a little confused about this post though - surely the point is not that the word 'black' or 'white' is offensive in and of itself but that to feel the need to bring someone's race into it when calling them a name is, hence it being seen as racist. If I'm calling you a white bitch, or a black bastard I'm implying that your race is relevant to the slur, which it isn't. Coco Neutrino, tracesofmagic.blogspot.com