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Is the phrase "whiter than white" racist?

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Xenophon PCDGS

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In 1969, the group Blue Mink sang a song called "Melting Pot", the start of the lyrics being as below:-

Take a pinch of white man
Wrap it up in black skin
Add a touch of blue blood
And a little bitty bit of Red Indian boy

Curly Latin kinkies
Mix with yellow Chinkees
If you lump it all together
Well, you got a recipe for a get-along scene
Oh, what a beautiful dream
It could only come true, you know, you know

What we need is a great big melting pot
Big enough to take the world and all it's got
And keep it stirring for a hundred years or more
And turn out coffee coloured people by the score

 

furnessvale

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In 1969, the group Blue Mink sang a song called "Melting Pot", the start of the lyrics being as below:-

Take a pinch of white man
Wrap it up in black skin
Add a touch of blue blood
And a little bitty bit of Red Indian boy

Curly Latin kinkies
Mix with yellow Chinkees
If you lump it all together
Well, you got a recipe for a get-along scene
Oh, what a beautiful dream
It could only come true, you know, you know

What we need is a great big melting pot
Big enough to take the world and all it's got
And keep it stirring for a hundred years or more
And turn out coffee coloured people by the score
A song which IMO, manages to offend just about every variation in the human race.

I am proud of my heritage. I expect every other variation are proud of their's and have no desire to be "coffee coloured".
 

swj99

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A song which IMO, manages to offend just about every variation in the human race.................
If someone's being deliberately offensive, that's one thing, but in many cases now, I suspect people are just looking for something to be offended about. Almost like the old game of, "Did you spill my pint ?"
I don't seem to be able to get offended at the things a lot of people say they do. I've been labelled and called names, but to be honest, even that doesn't actually 'hurt'.

Words and phrases are not in themselves racist. To me, it's the intent behind it, and I think most people know when something's not right, or when somebody is being intentionally offensive.
 

Belperpete

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Words and phrases are not in themselves racist. To me, it's the intent behind it, and I think most people know when something's not right, or when somebody is being intentionally offensive.
Does that mean that it is acceptable to keep say things that others find deeply offensive just because you yourself don't think it offensive? Most racist would jump at this excuse.

In my view, you can be excused the first time if you didn't realise it might be offensive, but to repeat it after that is being deliberately offensive. Even in private, because repeating it is to encourage other people to say it.
 

swj99

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Does that mean that it is acceptable to keep say things that others find deeply offensive just because you yourself don't think it offensive? Most racist would jump at this excuse.

In my view, you can be excused the first time if you didn't realise it might be offensive, but to repeat it after that is being deliberately offensive. Even in private, because repeating it is to encourage other people to say it.
In my view, everyone is responsible for their own issues and reactions. I decide how to respond to what is said to me and nobody can take over my emotions and make me 'feel' anything. I was once called a F****** pikey, and even though I'm 100% sure it was meant as an insult, I found it funny, and didn't feel offended at all.

As I've said before, if people carry on being scared to say things in case someone else decides to feel offended, then followed to it's logical conclusion, people won't be able to say anything, because any remark has the potential to be mistaken as offensive, and we'd eventually have to ban most of the words in the dictionary, just in case.

It's all about the context. Did you watch The Young Ones ? There's an episode (I think it's the one called 'Boring') in which there's a dream sequence involving Rik, who has a fantasy that he's the 'people's poet'. Two comedy policemen approach a group of young men on a pavement with a cartoon background, and one of the officers says, "You gay black b******..." to them. There is no suggestion they are gay, and none of them are black. I understand the intention of that scripting, in the context of the show, was to draw attention to blind stupidity of actual racism and homophobia, not to insult homosexuals, black people or those who are illigitimate. It was quite groundbreaking stuff considering when it was first on the tv. That episode is on youtube, but it looks like you have to pay £1.99 to watch it, unless you've got it on VHS somewhere.
 

Strat-tastic

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PC comes to the fore in society and more people end up being offended. Ergo, PC is madness, as I've maintained all along.
What we need is good manners seasoned with a gracious attitude.

There. That's the world put to rights on a Friday :p
 

Harbornite

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I’m not one to use phrases like “pc gone mad” but it seems fitting here. It’s not racist.
 

Teflon Lettuce

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at the end of the day whatever happened to "sticks and stones may break my bones; but names will never hurt me"?
 

matacaster

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No its not, from memory it was about a washing powder and a white shirt. Possibly Daz, Omo, Surf, Persil???
 
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