General Chat

the word bob was changed to gnome, and bashful is to be called basher, cos bashful could offend those who are shy, how ever theyve just made a perfectly happy dwarf violent

Quite right Julie! United we stand, eh. I get the general impression on this thread that the plebs that make up the PCB aren't held in high esteem! Oh - good question, Bob. x

im so glad this has been put on boards, im offended that they think short people will be offended by snow white and severn dwarfs, its unbelieveable, im 4ft 11, and i never thought of myself as a dwarf, dwarfs are cartoon characters in pantos, or disney, im so angry that these people (political correctness brigade) think they can call shorter people dwarfs how dare they, next theyll be calling the big friendly giant, the rather taller than average man, let kids pantos stay as they are

Brian, out of interest what was the word changed to? Jim,/anyone. Have the PC brigade actually got any LEGAL powers? Bob

Nana, Can't you just tell the PC brigade to PC off. Present your pantomime. Then it is up to them to prove that you were being offensive which I am sure would be impossible to prove.

Brian, THAT should NEVER have been rewritten Nigger was the word.....and nigger it should stay. Dah dit, di dit, dah dah dit, dah dah dit, dit, di dah dit. N............I............G..............G.............E........R Bob

Paul (from Hampshire) PMSL Glenys I to have a black and a black and white cat and that's the way they're going to stay lol *Julie refuses point blank to paint them despite being threatened by PC police lol

Well ........... I'm going to offend an awful lot of people now. We have 3 BLACK cats, 1 BLACK cat with WHITE bits here and there, and 1 tortoiseshell, which is WHITE, BLACK and GINGER. Oh - and our 'part-time doggie', my parents' dog, is a BLACK labrador/collie cross. There! I've done it. So does this apply to animals too? I take it that it does; after all, we can't be animalist, can we. (No offence aimed at anyone here, but oh boy, when does all this PC stuff end?)

It gets ridiculous when you have to re-write history. Guy Gibson, leader of the Dam Busters squadron, had a black Labrador dog named Nigger, who was sadly run over and killed by a truck just before the famous raid. In his memory the code word for successfully breaching the first dam was 'Nigger'. In a recent re-make, the code word was changed out of political correctness. Next we will have The Black Prince renamed The Genetically Suntanned Prince.

Good point Claire, And what about Terry Pratchett?

My wife went back to the Guest House after the Panto season but it later occurred to me that had she not been asked to move out and did so simply because she was scared of them perhaps the dwarves would have been offended........... We have no problem with the landlady's request and understand the feelings of the dwarves........but not political correctness

Just a thought. The seven dwarfs are portrayed as kindly hard working gentle men in the pantomime. Does this mean that Tolkien ( and Peter Jackson ) should not use the word Dwarve and portray them as gold digging axe weilders then? Just wondering ...... Claire xx

I like the story about the Mum who was going to School to see her wee boy in action at sports day. 'You will be able to meet my friend Paul.' he said. When they got there he said, 'There's Paul with those other boys.' Questioning established that he was the one with the blue tee shirt with a picture of Spiderman on it. It never crossed his mind to point out that Paul had the darkest coloured skin in the school.

When I was little we had a dog called Nigger. This was never a term of abuse in my book, and is a term I have often heard people of Afro-Caribbean stock use to each other. He was, obviously, a black dog. I understood the word either derived from Nigeria, or from a foreign word for black. The only black skinned people I can think of are Australian Aboriginals. As has been already stated, most non-white people are varying shades of brown. Please inform the Lord of PC that I object to being called a Caucasian, and in future wish to be referred to as White English. (Unless Diana is listening and then I will be called Pink English)

Should we also stop using Postman? some of em are Femail........(sic)

julie thats a very battist thing to say. you are generalising that all bats are blind. i am quite offended and so is my mate batty. paul....

Maybe its just a title, what on earth does it matter what title we use,change it, and sooner or later it will become the next non preferred word. Things, people, attitiudes HAVE to have a name.........so how does that ONE word become offensive?.in my day a homosexual was a poofter or queer, now we have a totally innapropriate word, Gay. THAT used to mean ''Happy'', or pleasing.........not now it doesnt! Black is a colour, most ''Blacks'' are a varying shade of brown. ''book'', shall we dispose of THAT title and call it a Tome? My wife hates the abreviation Ms. she is a Mrs. I find it difficult sometimes writing letters to a company, Dear Sir? or Madam? 'Dear Head of dept'. usually gets used....... Bob

Hi David I can see your point. I'm just wondering why now and not previously. Or is it just me who hasn't noticed it, I can be blind as a bat sometimes. Juliexx

Hi Julie I just think that in some cases we have to develop with peoples senstivities. Black people used to be called coloured and that was the accepted word - most black people hate it now and so we don't use it. If people don't want to be called by a word or description, to me it's just good manners not to call them it and nothing to do with any idea of political correctness.

Colin so did I. Paul and I must share a similar sense of humour lol. David in any other context I'd agree with you but this panto has been around for decades probably longer. If they're offended why leave it until now to say so.