Serious thread from me, for once...

[Nozza]

Discussion on the train down to Barnsleh:

"Is the word Paki racist?"

My arguement is no it isn't. No different to someone calling me a Brit, IMO.

Got an earbashing from some woman like.

[Daxter]

It is only used in a derogatory and offensive manner.

Someone from Pakistan should be known as a Pakistani.

As someone from Britain should be known as a Brit.

Or someone from Australia an Australian.

So I'd say it pretty much is racist.

[TANGODANCER]

It is only used in a derogatory and offensive manner.

Someone from Pakistan should be known as a Pakistani.

As someone from Britain should be known as a Brit.Or someone from Australia an Australian.

So I'd say it pretty much is racist.

Why not a Britain then, or British? Think you shot yourself in the foot.

[Nozza]

That was my point - if me calling someone a "Paki" is racist, then surely them calling me a "Brit" is racist too?

[gaiser]

I don't know what "Paki" means"

but I think it's how you pronounce words that make the difference. I'm sure that I will hear "f**g swede a lot when I visit you all "Brits" in Bolton. >You hear what you want to hear. But I know you love me anyway!

[Tombwfc]

I think most people call people Pakis without actually knowing where they come from. They just say it to anyone who looks indian or whatever.

[Montreal Wanderer]

It is only used in a derogatory and offensive manner.

Someone from Pakistan should be known as a Pakistani.

As someone from Britain should be known as a Brit.Or someone from Australia an Australian.

So I'd say it pretty much is racist.

Why not a Britain then, or British? Think you shot yourself in the foot.

Et tu, Brute? I think Britain is a place, while a Briton is a person. Personally I find the term "Paki" somewhat derogatory.

[Batman]

Of course it is.

[sluffy]

If you think about it - and it as been stated above why should Aussie, Brit, Swede, Swiss, etc be acceptable and Pakki and Jap not? After all they are all just shortened names for people who come from (or are assumed to come from) those countries.

Over the years words can change their meaning from one thing to another. The word Pakki most probably started out innocently enough - but is now generally accepted as racist.

Similar to the word 'gay' which when I was a youngster simply meant to be 'happy and carefree' but means something much different now.

[InsaneApache]

Julian and Graham are 'happy and carefree'.

[Luna]

How many people always call Australian's Australian, not Ozzy's or whatever? Is that racist?

[Daxter]

Whenever i have heard someone call someone a paki it has been in a derogatory and offensive manner.

[Henrik's fan club]

I had a couple of Pakistani mates at uni and they referred jokingly to themselves as 'pakis' all the time. Not a word I'd use and in most contexts I'd say it was racist. But the word itself is not inherently racist

[Batman]

Is it the same as black people referring to themselves using the 'n' word?

[TANGODANCER]

I think it just started out, as many words do, as a "lazy" chopped version of Pakistani. It has grown to be offensive because of there is still a lot of underlying racism, not on the surface, but still there. "Asian" is the general term used as many people still confuse Pakistanis with Indians. A lot of so-called "Asians" these days are in fact born and bred English.

[keveh]

When I was at uni there was a guy in our flat who was a pakistani, he never minded being called a paki because that's what he was. Him and his mates used the word all the time and used the word to take the piss half the time, like "you're only saying that because i'm a paki".

For me it comes down to how it's used, as with any word. Somebody could say to you, "You stupid fkn lazy Brit" and you'd take offence because of the way it was delivered.

[TANGODANCER]

For anyone who hasn't seen it, the film "East is East" is on film 4 tonight. (Sky 315, Virgin 444, Freeview 29) Deals with this very issue amongst other things. About a typical Asian family growing up in England. Gives a real insight into the young views as opposed to traditional Asian ones.

[Batman]

I appeared in the unofficial follow-up 'Chicken Tikka Massala', but I bet no-one has seen that barrel of shite.

[Bruce Rioja]

For anyone who hasn't seen it, the film "East is East" is on film 4 tonight. (Sky 315, Virgin 444, Freeview 29) Deals with this very issue amongst other things. About a typical Asian family growing up in England. Gives a real insight into the young views as opposed to traditional Asian ones.

Quite a good film. I went to the cinema to see it with my Indian friend, which for some reason meant we had people staring at us.

[TANGODANCER]

For anyone who hasn't seen it, the film "East is East" is on film 4 tonight. (Sky 315, Virgin 444, Freeview 29) Deals with this very issue amongst other things. About a typical Asian family growing up in England. Gives a real insight into the young views as opposed to traditional Asian ones.

Quite a good film. I went to the cinema to see it with my Indian friend, which for some reason meant we had people staring at us.

Well, if it was a male friend you just had to be homosexual, (won't use gay as I refuse to disassociate that beautiful old word from its descriptive usage). If it was a girl, that's the old under-the-surface racism showing it self. We still have a long way to go yet.