Today I'm neither Angry nor Happy about....

[TANGODANCER]

Not that you'd want to commit it to tape, but that was the words to the rhyme when I was a kid.

I honestly used to say "monkey".

I think we said monkey, but that was then and it was only ever a young kid's thing anyway. Many wrongs have been righted by the passage of time. Clarkson's a buffoon but I doubt even he would say something so blatantly wrong on purpose on national TV. He's no kid at six-feet nineteen, so why not just toss a coin and have done with it. "Eeny meeny" ffs...

You surprise me, Tango, given your age (and mine). We certainly used the 'N' word in the rhyme, as well as 'Ten Little N....', which was actually the title of an Agatha Christie Mystery. This later got changed to Ten Little Indians which is now considered equally wrong (well perhaps not equally). In the excellent war movie the Dam Busters Guy Gibson's black retriever was called N* - it has since been dubbed out. There was a water colour available called N* Black. Basically in the 1940s and 1950s the word was in fairly common usage in England, although it did not have perhaps the same connotation as in the Southern States. Still we have adjusted as time passes...

The thing was Monty, lots of things weren't considered wrong back then that are now. We just didn't think about it because that's how things were. W.E. Johns (Biggles,) Agatha Christie, anybody, just did and said what was normal back then. We sang songs at school that would cause offence now. The Black and White Minstrel Show was national entertainment. Before anybody wants to condemn it, your parents and grandparents were part of that era. They were still hanging people in the fifties, villains got "the cat" or the police just gave them a hiding and kids got six of the best with canes. Nobody set out to be offensive, it was normality. Things from now will be vastly different in fifty/sixty years time. It's just life and the progression of...

[Montreal Wanderer]

Wiki actually has an article on Nigger the dog

Nigger was a male black labrador retriever belonging to Wing Commander Guy Gibson , V.C., D.S.O., D.F.C. of the British Royal Air Force, and the mascot of No. 617 Squadron. Nigger died on 16 May 1943, the day before the famous "Dam Busters" raid, when he was hit by a car. He was buried at midnight as Gibson was leading the raid. "Nigger" (Morse code: -. .. --. --. . .-. ) was the codeword Gibson used to confirm the breach of the Möhne Dam. Nigger's grave is at Royal Air Force station Scampton, Lincolnshire.[1] He had often accompanied Gibson on training flights.

...

Nigger was portrayed in the 1955 British war film The Dam Busters, in which he was mentioned by name frequently. The word nigger, which was in general use as a dog's name at the time, has since become culturally unacceptable. In 1999, British television network ITV broadcast a censored version of the film, with all instances of the name removed. ITV blamed regional broadcaster London Weekend Television, which in turn alleged that a junior staff member had been responsible for the unauthorised cuts. When ITV again showed a censored version in June 2001, it was criticised by Index on Censorship as "unnecessary and ridiculous" and because the edits introduced continuity errors.[2][3][4] The code word "nigger" transmitted in Morse Code upon the successful completion of the central mission was not censored. More recently, in 2012, ITV3 have shown the film uncut a few times, but with a warning at the start that it contains racial terms from the period which some people may find offensive. However, in 2013 the film has been shown a few times by Channel 5 uncut and without any warning.

Some edited American versions of the film use dubbing to change Nigger's name to Trigger.[

I've seen the 'Trigger' version, though Trigger was a horse to most of us.

[Montreal Wanderer]

Not that you'd want to commit it to tape, but that was the words to the rhyme when I was a kid.

I honestly used to say "monkey".

I think we said monkey, but that was then and it was only ever a young kid's thing anyway. Many wrongs have been righted by the passage of time. Clarkson's a buffoon but I doubt even he would say something so blatantly wrong on purpose on national TV. He's no kid at six-feet nineteen, so why not just toss a coin and have done with it. "Eeny meeny" ffs...

You surprise me, Tango, given your age (and mine). We certainly used the 'N' word in the rhyme, as well as 'Ten Little N....', which was actually the title of an Agatha Christie Mystery. This later got changed to Ten Little Indians which is now considered equally wrong (well perhaps not equally). In the excellent war movie the Dam Busters Guy Gibson's black retriever was called N* - it has since been dubbed out. There was a water colour available called N* Black. Basically in the 1940s and 1950s the word was in fairly common usage in England, although it did not have perhaps the same connotation as in the Southern States. Still we have adjusted as time passes...

The thing was Monty, lots of things weren't considered wrong back then that are now. We just didn't think about it because that's how things were. W.E. Johns (Biggles,) Agatha Christie, anybody, just did and said what was normal back then. We sang songs at school that would cause offence now. The Black and White Minstrel Show was national entertainment. Before anybody wants to condemn it, your parents and grandparents were part of that era. They were still hanging people in the fifties, villains got "the cat" or the police just gave them a hiding and kids got six of the best with canes. Nobody set out to be offensive, it was normality. Things from now will be vastly different in fifty/sixty years time. It's just life and the progression of...

No argument here - it was what I was attempting to say. You surprised me only because I had never heard of catching a monkey by the toe in our generation.

[TANGODANCER]

No argument here - it was what I was attempting to say. You surprised me only because I had never heard of catching a monkey by the toe in our generation.

It's hard to realise just how much things have changed in our lifetimes Monty. Quite frightening really thinking about how kids and grand-kids may be affected by change and what it will be. If you bought a car or cooker etc in our youth it was almost for life. Now, you drive one out of the showrooms and you can slice five grand off it's value before you reach the main road. Nigger Brown was an accepted colour back then, even in fabric dyes and nobody thought twice about it.
Nobody I know could even believe Robertsons removing the black doll from their product labels.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... versy.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Kids are the best ant-racist ambassadors in the world, but they are taught be adults and, by today's rules many things are different.

[bwfcdan94]

Nothing odd in that score line then http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/27168757

[Montreal Wanderer]

No argument here - it was what I was attempting to say. You surprised me only because I had never heard of catching a monkey by the toe in our generation.

It's hard to realise just how much things have changed in our lifetimes Monty. Quite frightening really thinking about how kids and grand-kids may be affected by change and what it will be. If you bought a car or cooker etc in our youth it was almost for life. Now, you drive one out of the showrooms and you can slice five grand off it's value before you reach the main road. Nigger Brown was an accepted colour back then, even in fabric dyes and nobody thought twice about it.
Nobody I know could even believe Robertsons removing the black doll from their product labels.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... versy.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Kids are the best ant-racist ambassadors in the world, but they are taught be adults and, by today's rules many things are different.

We actually had a golliwog. Robertson's Golden Spread had paper golliwogs inside and if you saved enough of them they would send you the toy. We nearly ODed on marmalade but it duly arrived. I think my sister played with it more than I did but I can still see it in my mind's eye.

[Dujon]

Probably like Monty, we are more or less of an age, I loved golliwogs. Not that I ever owned one (although I did have a 'Sammy" money box at one time). To me as a child there were no racial overtones at all. The word 'nigger' is simply a term for black which comes to us from the Latin 'niger'. I am only too well aware that the English language changes over time, but it's the pejorative use of the term for a colour (or lack of colour in case some pedant jumps in) that leaves us where we are at the moment. For instance: the homosexual 'community' stole the word 'gay' from our language to describe itself. I suspect that these days that terms such as 'it was a gay party' or 'he was a gay if profligate man' would resonate quite differently now as opposed to the same terms used in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

[TANGODANCER]

Probably like Monty, we are more or less of an age, I loved golliwogs. Not that I ever owned one (although I did have a 'Sammy" money box at one time). To me as a child there were no racial overtones at all. The word 'nigger' is simply a term for black which comes to us from the Latin 'niger'. I am only too well aware that the English language changes over time, but it's the pejorative use of the term for a colour (or lack of colour in case some pedant jumps in) that leaves us where we are at the moment. For instance: the homosexual 'community' stole the word 'gay' from our language to describe itself. I suspect that these days that terms such as 'it was a gay party' or 'he was a gay if profligate man' would resonate quite differently now as opposed to the same terms used in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Funny that Dujon how some words are almost isolated beyond recall . "Gay" is a lovely word as in "bright and gay" but now it's almost always associated with same-sex relationships. Same with "Merry" which many associate with being part pistachio'd.

[Montreal Wanderer]

Probably like Monty, we are more or less of an age, I loved golliwogs. Not that I ever owned one (although I did have a 'Sammy" money box at one time). To me as a child there were no racial overtones at all. The word 'nigger' is simply a term for black which comes to us from the Latin 'niger'. I am only too well aware that the English language changes over time, but it's the pejorative use of the term for a colour (or lack of colour in case some pedant jumps in) that leaves us where we are at the moment. For instance: the homosexual 'community' stole the word 'gay' from our language to describe itself. I suspect that these days that terms such as 'it was a gay party' or 'he was a gay if profligate man' would resonate quite differently now as opposed to the same terms used in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Funny that Dujon how some words are almost isolated beyond recall . "Gay" is a lovely word as in "bright and gay" but now it's almost always associated with same-sex relationships. Same with "Merry" which many associate with being part pistachio'd.

I was born on a Sunday and I used to be pleased I wasn't 'full of woe' or had 'far to go' in the childhood rhyme. For me it said "The Child Born On The Sabbath Day Is Bonny And Blithe And Good And Gay" - not quite so good any more.

[TANGODANCER]

I was born on a Sunday and I used to be pleased I wasn't 'full of woe' or had 'far to go' in the childhood rhyme. For me it said "The Child Born On The Sabbath Day Is Bonny And Blithe And Good And Gay" - not quite so good any more.

Ah, I was a Thursday child with far to go. Believe me I've climbed a few mountains on the way.

[Bruce Rioja]

I'm full of woe, apparently.

I've been told variously that I'm full of something. It was never woe.

[TANGODANCER]

I'm full of woe, apparently.

I've been told variously that I'm full of something. It was never woe.

[Dujon]

Friday's child is loving and giving. That's me folks!

[bobo the clown]

Not a feckin' clue what day I was born.

I know I can look it up. I have done in the past. Clearly made no dent on my consciousness.

[Dujon]

Just stick in the date and year you were born into your favourite search engine, bobo. Example: "Day of August 05 1922".

[LeverEnd]

Just stick in the date and year you were born into your favourite search engine, bobo. Example: "Day of August 05 1922".

Good choice of example, my birthday! Well you were a bit off with 1922 to be fair. 53 years to be precise.

[bwfcdan94]

If I'm totally honest I don't really get what the whole big deal is with birthdays, I can understand it when your a child and you get presents and toys and that but once you get to about 17 or so it becomes a bit pointless.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

Blencathra's up for a sale. I want it, but cannot afford the £1.75million. Shit.

[clapton is god]

^ Thats a bit steep.....

Yes, I had seen it was for sale. Now, if you and I split the cost?

[Lost Leopard Spot]

^ Thats a bit steep.....

Yes, I had seen it was for sale. Now, if you and I split the cost?

Superb...

Go on then, I'll ask me mum too...