Is Pikey Racist?

[Kinky Gerbil]

feed the pikeys let them know its christmas time

 

[beorhthelm]

I think "Pikey" is a racist word though. Speak to any member of the Gypsy community and they'll tell you that's a term of abuse often shouted at them.

This is the heart of the matter, and wrong. 'Gypo' could be considered racist aimed at Gypsies, but 'pikey' isnt about them. Its aimed at travellers/caravan dwellers in general. They are NOT a race simply because they choose to live that.

 

[Citrus]

Is Pikey Racist?

No.

 

[Brixtaan]

Millwalls 'racism' towards Liverpool wasn't racism either.They're trying god bless em,the black player substituted in the second half received unusually loud applause.

 

[The Clown of Pevensey Bay]

This is the heart of the matter, and wrong. 'Gypo' could be considered racist aimed at Gypsies, but 'pikey' isnt about them. Its aimed at travellers/caravan dwellers in general. They are NOT a race simply because they choose to live that.

But lots of Gypsies do live like that, and you can't ignore it.

Beorthelm, your argument is the same as saying that "raghead" isn't racist towards Sikhs, just "aimed at men who wear turbans."

And that's why I think you're wrong.

 

[Lady Bracknell]

If the word is aimed exclusively at those members of the Gypsy and traveller community who ARE an ethnic minority that's one thing. Because ethnic Gypsies and Irish and Scottish travellers are classified as an ethnic minority.

But if, as it's commonly used and I would suggest yesterday was a prime example, as a way of describing people who most certainly don't fit the ethnic classification but are actually "didikais" or chavs - then it's difficult to draw the conclusion that this is racism.

What I would say is that the "p" word is open to all sorts of interpretation - many of which can easily be misunderstood.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Re: Re: Is Pikey Racist?

Not racist - not in this context anyway. But I dunno if it's the brightest thing to chant in the world either, we have better ones I feel. But some of you may feel WE SHOULD be dusting off those old Yiddo chants for the 3rd Round

Here's the issue causing a stir at Spurs:
http://www.spurs.co.uk/article.asp?hlid=220538

and here's quite a decent defence of how language does not have fixed meanings and context is everything:
http://www.glory-glory.net/article.asp?story=680

No different really to our one-nil to the nancy boys. I guess my view is that it's funnier when we sing the gay chants and not the opposition does, just as it's funnier when the Gills sing "Pikeys" about themselves and not when it's directed at them.

When Spurs fans embraced the racist insult ("yids"), they undoubtedly did so in a spirit of solidarity with the minority against whom the insult had been targeted.

Likewise us with our recent adoption of "one-nil to the nancy boys", or "you're too ugly to be gay". It's a way of dealing with an intended insult by refusing to be insulted by it.

But ... we have to be careful here.

When Albion supporters respond to chants of "Town full of faggots" with something that essentially says "We're comfortable with that", we think we're being clever.

But what about when we chant "Town full of nazis" at Burnley and some of the more unpleasant elements in their crowd clap in response? Are we pleased that they don't seem to find the intended insult offensive?

 

[The Clown of Pevensey Bay]

Re: Re: Re: Is Pikey Racist?

When Albion supporters respond to chants of "Town full of faggots" with something that essentially says "We're comfortable with that", we think we're being clever.

But what about when we chant "Town full of nazis" at Burnley and some of their crowd clap in response? Are we pleased that they don't seem to find the intended insult offensive?

When Burnley sang "town full of faggots" we laughed cos we'd heard it all before, we knew it's not true, and we could out-do them with our song.

When we sang back "town full of Nazis" they laughed because they had heard it all before etc.

I think in that case it was just a sense of humour thing, wasn't it?

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Is Pikey Racist?

When Burnley sang "town full of faggots" we laughed cos we'd heard it all before, we knew it's not true, and we could out-do them with our song.

When we sang back "town full of Nazis" they laughed because they had heard it all before etc.

I think in that case it was just a sense of humour thing, wasn't it?

I don't think it was.

 

[fatboy]

This is getting ridiculous.

Soon we will be expected to sit at games in silence.

 

[Brixtaan]

Re: Re: Re: Is Pikey Racist?

But what about when we chant "Town full of nazis" at Burnley and some of their crowd clap in response? Are we pleased that they don't seem to find the intended insult offensive?

I think we can afford to be pleased because it says more about them than us.I'd rather live in a town full of faggots than a town full of nazi's.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

This is getting ridiculous.

Soon we will be expected to sit at games in silence.

You're right, fatboy.

John Barnes made the point after the Madrid incidents that eliminating monkey chants from English football grounds isn't the same thing as eliminating racism from English football.

 

[Schrödinger's Toad]

Context is everything. If there was any reason to believe that the large majority of Millwall fans were travellers, then maybe there's a case (although I don't think of them as a race anyway). However, they had nothing to mark them out as this - calling them pikeys was merely a comment on their choice of clothing/footwear/reliance on benefits etc.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

calling them pikeys was merely a comment on their choice of clothing/footwear/reliance on benefits etc.

How things change.

My grandparents lived in SE16, when Millwall were called the Dockers, not the Lions.

Grandad was a brickie. He had no time for dockers - they were over-paid, working-class aristocrats who thought themselves to be superior in every way. And he hated their football team.

He supported Charlton Athletic. I have very happy memories of him taken me to the old Valley - the most amazing football stadium I've ever been in, with terracing for about 80,000 fans. It always seemed empty.

 

[Fran Hagarty]

Context is everything. If there was any reason to believe that the large majority of Millwall fans were travellers, then maybe there's a case (although I don't think of them as a race anyway). However, they had nothing to mark them out as this - calling them pikeys was merely a comment on their choice of clothing/footwear/reliance on benefits etc.

Racism is to be abhorred but I agree with the above statement - in this context the use of the word pikey was not racist.

 

[Little Piggy]

I have heard travellers use the term as well, some of the ones who live by the Burgess Hill tip. They used it to describe the boys with souped up Ford Fiestas who sat outside McDonalds all night throwing bricks at other cars.

I really don't think BY DEFINITION it applies to any one group of people, its just a term to insult someone you consider lower than yourself for whatever reason. I have been called a pikey because I have shopped in Iceland before and because I have travelled on a Stena Line Ferry (WTF??) so it varies.

I accept it is aimed at some people more than others though.

 

[Billy Seagull]

I was sat not too far behind Liz Costa yesterday and she had a go in my general direction when I was jpoining in the singing of "there's pikeys there, there's pikeys there". I couldn't believe it and couldn't be arsed to ask how pikey is racist....had I had more than just 3 pre-match pints it may have been different !!
She also had a go at someone over the other side early in the game who was joining in with the chav chanting as thats racist too...apparently !!

I can't see the point of going to football if chants like that upset you !!

I'm not quite sure why she didn't have a go at us when me and my mate called Dennis Wise a "f**king little wanker" tho

 

[Cian]

I have been called a pikey because I have shopped in Iceland before and because I have travelled on a Stena Line Ferry (WTF??) so it varies.

You did the Chav Test, then I guess.

I get the Iceland connection - in Ireland at least Iceland is a scumbag shop. However, Stena Line??

 

[Tesco in Disguise]

This is getting ridiculous.

Soon we will be expected to sit at games in silence.

what?!! simply because you can't shout abusive expletives? whether 'pikey' is racist or not, some people find it offensive so why not just shut the f*** up. do you really find it that difficult to restrain yourself from shouting it? there are plenty of other things you could be chanting that won't offend anyone. its pricks like you that give football supporters a bad name.

 

[Schrödinger's Toad]

what?!! simply because you can't shout abusive expletives? whether 'pikey' is racist or not, some people find it offensive so why not just shut the f*** up. do you really find it that difficult to restrain yourself from shouting it? there are plenty of other things you could be chanting that won't offend anyone. its pricks like you that give football supporters a bad name.

You are taking the piss, I assume? You want swearing to disappear from football?