Comments on: Martin Bashir Apologizes for ‘Asian Babes’ Remark

By: user-81

user-81 — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 04:55:21 +0000

“It’s not a matter of “the world revolves around America” at all. Americans have their terminology and the English have theirs, which they are free to use, and they do.”

I wasn’t meaning Americans aren’t free to use what they want. I was saying he was wrong to tell Rina she was wrong. In #43 Wangkon seemed to say that “Asians” doesn’t generally refer to South Asians and that’s that. Not in American usage, but in general usage.

“To be fair, since we’re speaking of giving offense, having informed us of what “Asian” means to the English, why don’t you tell us what the English call East Asians?”

I called Wangkon’s lazy use of “Pakis” offensive, not the use of “Asians”.

AFAIK English refer to people in East Asia as “Asians” or “East Asians”. I’m sure there are some offensive terms too.

By: peter63

peter63 — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:45:44 +0000

Did you just cyber-hit me. That feels kind of weird. Nice, but still weird.

By: NES

NES — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:36:39 +0000

#52 Peter

Personally I prefer the maxim ’sticks and stone will break your bones but names wil [sic] never hurt you.”

[NES picks up the engraved marble name plaque on his desk and whacks Peter in the back of the head with it.]

By: peter63

peter63 — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:12:52 +0000

It lies not in the mouth of the insultor to determine what the aggrieved person can percieve as an insult.
Were this blog not censored I would be able to demonstrate this by making a comment about for example, NES’s mother, that in some cultures could be ‘percieved’ as a slight.
Personally I prefer the maxim ’sticks and stone will break your bones but names wil never hurt you.”

By: peter63

peter63 — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:07:48 +0000

There is no one or the other, Wesge. A considerate person will be considerate of others. Even to try to do so there is no guarantee that one will suceed, as Tiger found out. However, there is no honor in rejecting any attempt.
the etymology of Spazzing out is the same in both British and US English, but perhaps this is an occasion of the PC movement being more advanced in England than the US. I’m sure Woods knows the errors of his ways, now. I don’t know what he thought the word spazz meant before he was educated by the british media. Anyhow, he was in Britiain, so he could be expected to follow British norms. What other words are similar in the US, i’ve seen retard and short bus on this site,.
I’m not a proponent of PC, just trying to enter the conversation.

By: NES

NES — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:00:04 +0000

My vote is for telling the “victims” of perceived slights to get a life.

I hear the British also love the movie Free Willy and Bill Clinton’s nickname “Slick Willy.”

By: Wedge

Wedge — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 23:36:10 +0000

The Limeys got their panties in a bunch when Tiger Woods said he spazzed out at the British Open when he missed a putt. Who knew an innocent remark in America would be a deadly slur in the UK? Do we have to carry the “Political Correctness Dictionary” with us at all times, or tell the “victims” of perceived slights to get a life?

By: peter63

peter63 — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 23:19:12 +0000

Eurgh .
I too googled to see what Juju Chang looks like.
Definitely NSFW.

DON”T DO IT PEOPLES, IGNORANCE IS BLISS!

Eurgh, that face haunts me. How do I eat breakfast now?

By: bumfromkorea

bumfromkorea — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 22:40:09 +0000

I, for one, calls my Russian roommate “my Asian brother”… also, “Alex”. He seems to prefer the latter.

Dogbert is right - it’s just the difference between American English and British English. As long as Americans don’t go around the streets of London and tell people to change the British terminology, no “world revolving around America” stuff is going on.

So, can you do me a favour (;-)) and let me know whether “Paki” is targeted to just Pakistanis, or Middle East population in general?

By: dogbert

dogbert — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 22:25:11 +0000

It’s not a matter of “the world revolves around America” at all. Americans have their terminology and the English have theirs, which they are free to use, and they do.

To be fair, since we’re speaking of giving offense, having informed us of what “Asian” means to the English, why don’t you tell us what the English call East Asians?