Overheard at work...

[that_punk_guy]

So we're loading fabric onto a trailer when the truck driver asks where the load's being flown to. (He only knows he has to drive it to Manchester airport.)

Our forklift driver tells him it's going to Dubai. "Dubai? Isn't that near f**king Pakistan, or summat?"

No, wait... That's not the punchline...

Mr. Trucker continues, "Stick a load of f**king Pakis on and send them back an' all. Ha ha ha!"

Belly-laughs from him and Tony (a fat guy in an England shirt) follow. Of course, you have to be a goldfish-brain to have (a) forgotten the "joke" even though the exact same thing was spouted by another idiot no less than 48 hours ago, and (b) to have found it remotely funny in the first place.

"Are there a lot of Pakis in Nelson?"
"Yeah, f**king loads of 'em."
"Yeah, there's loads where I am now, all the f**king bazaars and {bleep}, it ain't gonna get any better, is it...?"

(Et cetera.)

They were both standing right next to the edge of the trailer, and six or seven feet above the ground... Tempting indeed.

[that_punk_guy]

It wasn't the geographical implications that amused/offended me so much as the fact that he was perfectly happy to rant on a subject on which he had proudly displayed his ignorance.

It's such a common thing to hear too. Generally from stupid old men, so at least there's hope that they'll expire and take their stupid views with them. In the meantime though, they are influencing the next generation of bigots.

I just don't understand why kids think it's perfectly reasonable to think like that. :-?

[that_punk_guy]

smithy wrote:
Hrmmm... isn't this what despots and dictators do?  Resort to violence against people who disagree with them?

Although I don't find their comments terribly tasteful, they have as much right to hold opinions as you do.

Yes, that was a joke. Keep up.

[that_punk_guy]

Vincent wrote:
Punkie, wth are you doing up at 7:36am... on a Sunday!!! :-P

Not been to bed yet? ;-)

I've been getting up at 5.30am every day for work, and for some reason I still wake up at that time on the weekends, even if I don't set the alarm. :-)

[that_punk_guy]

Vincent wrote:
Hehe, good habit to get into - makes Mondays seem not that bad :-D

'Tis true. Makes you feel much more productive too. :-)

(And 1900 posts for you! :pint:)

[that_punk_guy]

Vincent wrote:
Makes me ashamed to be Scottish :pissed:

Nothing makes me ashamed to be English... Just as nothing makes me proud to be English (or British, or European). I was born here by chance, I feel no emotion about it one way or another. I regularly feel ashamed of humans, though. :-(

Re: PC

I'm kinda with Kenny on this one, in that people should not be referred to using racist/sexist/whatever terms when the audience is being addressed directly (e.g. a newsreader or a comedian.) That gives those terms acceptance and it quite rightly isn't allowed.

However, if you're depicting a racist character in a film, or showing documentary footage of a bigot, going out of your way to censor the words they use doesn't really acheieve much.