Gascoigne to pay £1000 compensation ......

[Gullflyinghigh]

At the same time, I agree this court case is PC gone way too far.

Not sure it's PC gone too far if I'm honest, what else should have been done? It couldn't (shouldn't) have just been ignored, couldn't have waved him on 'because it's Gazza' or they'd have been accusations of special treatment, an apology is unlikely to have been taken seriously...I just don't think there's a resolution to please everyone. No surprise there really!

As an aside, when did 'PC', 'liberal' and 'patriotic' (just to throw them in and because the right get sneered at just as much as the left using lovely catch-all terms) all become so loaded with negative connatations? There's inherently nothing wrong with any of them as concepts, but it now seems that you're less likely to be described as them and more likely to be...accused? Or has it just always been this way? Maybe one for the older NSC'ers as I'm but a fresh-faced youngling...ish.

 

[AmexRuislip]

But this isn't anything to do with PC - it's just plain ignorant, rude and unacceptable. Hopefully it will be a lesson to Gazza and to anyone else who thinks such statements are funny.

A few years back, where I work a certain manager, passed a comment 'while you're down there' to a work colleague who had bent over.
Subsequently a complaint was made, followed by this guy getting the sack.
I work in a military environment as a civi, where banter is rife, but there is a fine line between what is acceptable and what isn't.

 

[Sheebo]

But dark is the colour black - which matches the fellas skin tone? Sorry but not really seeing racism here personally - just a joke no

 

[Sheebo]

A few years back, where I work a certain manager, passed a comment 'while you're down there' to a work colleague who had bent over.
Subsequently a complaint was made, followed by this guy getting the sack.
I work in a military environment as a civi, where banter is rife, but there is a fine line between what is acceptable and what isn't.

That's surely standard banter if you have any sort of sense of humour. Hear far worse on a daily basis THANKFULLY!!!!!!

Yes I suppose you have to be careful who you say it to and they have to be like-minded (or have a sense of humour to put it another way...)

 

[Durlston]

By my logic Frankie Boyle should be serving eight years behind bars for his 'banter'. Cock.

 

[smudge]

When instructing at the RN Fire Fighting School, I used one of our bog standard lines to a young lad from a large class of trainees. When inviting him to step out in front of the class to model the Breathing Apparatus for me, I said, "come on up, don't be shy....your Mother wasn't!"
Complaint was duly lodged & slapped wrist received. It was then I realised the Navy had really changed!

 

[BBassic]

But dark is the colour black - which matches the fellas skin tone? Sorry but not really seeing racism here personally - just a joke no

And the lady down the road really is from Pakistan so it's cool to call her a, well, I'm not saying it. Because it's a horrendously loaded word.

"just a joke" is absolutely not a defence for racism. As others have pointed out it is likely he didn't realise it was a problem which is in and of itself a problem.

Education is the way forward, not dismissal.

 

[Mr Putdown]

Gasgoine came into our place last week. He was completely sober and the best I've seen him for ages; he actually looked quite well.

I really hope this doesn't send him on a downwards spiral again, although I fear it will.

Not condoning his past behaviour but there was a glimmer of hope.

 

[Sheebo]

And the lady down the road really is from Pakistan so it's cool to call her a, well, I'm not saying it. Because it's a horrendously loaded word.

"just a joke" is absolutely not a defence for racism. As others have pointed out it is likely he didn't realise it was a problem which is in and of itself a problem.

Education is the way forward, not dismissal.

Wow what woeful comparisons. I absolutely detest racism as much as anyone but if I don't think something is racist or meant as racist I won't jump on it. That's an opinion. Old boys down my local refer to Pakistan cricket team as the word you were referring to - is that racist in your eyes just because others have made the word a 'loaded' dirty word? It isn't for me in that context - it's the same as the word English or Welsh... It's up to someone to decide if something's racist or meant as racism surely...?

 

[Mr Putdown]

It isn't for me in that context - it's the same as the word English or Welsh... It's up to someone to decide if something's racist or meant as racism surely...?

Assuming the elephant in the room is the word paki, then no, it's certainly not the same as the word English or Welsh.

 

[Sheebo]

Assuming the elephant in the room is the word paki, then no, it's certainly not the same as the word English or Welsh.

In the example I gave, it is. Of course it's not the same when used as a derogatory term. Read the example and the generation of people saying it actually DOES matter in this instance - and I'm not usually one to play the generation card! Again, that's a case of judging the use of the word in the context it was said - and where it was 0.00001% racist - my opinion is it wasn't. Of course, you can't answer that as you weren't there I appreciate..

 

[Captain Sensible]

Yes we have all moved on from this type of humour and it's at best out dated, at worst stumbling into racism. Or have we?? If we have, why can Chris Rock say 'brothers are the best security guards at night', and no one gets offended. Because to get offended about a racist joke from a black man about black men, is to not understand their culture. Well maybe some people didn't understand Gazza's culture either? No matter how racist it is, just like Chris Rocks shows. In fact their acts differ greatly. Rocks' shows are entirely based on race and racism, mocking many minorities. Gazza's shows are about telling football and personal stories.
Gazza is being made an example of because of who he his, what colour he his, what race the security guard was.
Racism should not be tolerated, ever. But if we are to completely sterilise ourselves of race, and not be able to laugh at our subtle differences, then it needs to be wiped out from all sides, not just from one.

 

[BadFish]

That's surely standard banter if you have any sort of sense of humour. Hear far worse on a daily basis THANKFULLY!!!!!!

Yes I suppose you have to be careful who you say it to and they have to be like-minded (or have a sense of humour to put it another way...)

of course. All this stuff is entirely about context.

Clearly this was just joke but it also was an inappropriate time for it.

Does is make Gaza a racist?- no
Was it the wrong thing to say? - yes

 

[NooBHA]

But this isn't anything to do with PC - it's just plain ignorant, rude and unacceptable. Hopefully it will be a lesson to Gazza and to anyone else who thinks such statements are funny.

I totally agree. The comment is not funny. The comment is racist and you do need to send out a message to people who make such comments. On the flip side , I see anti Semitic, homophobic, racist, sexist, ageist remarks on satirical comedy shows like ''8 out of 10 cats'', ''Celebrity Juice'' and stand up comedians on TV. Some of those programmes where sexist or racist remarks occur are on the BBC which we pay for. It shouldn't be happening.

Would I like to see action taken against them. Yes I would and I would like to see such programmes pulled off the air when they flout these laws but it does not happen.

Paul Gascoigne has nothing left to offer apart from his perceived and what I would call a distasteful sense of humour. That's how he makes his living nowadays, no different to the comedians who do the same and make the same distasteful type of jokes on TV.

If you ask me the ones who get to do it on TV are worse because they are on TV and often the unsuspecting public has to put up with it. Gascoigne on the other had has a private audience and the people who go there know that they are going to get a drunken idiot talking like this. It's his audience and people go there knowing what to expect.

Should there have been a Public Prosecution. In my opinion probably not if you are letting others away with it on TV.

Should there have been a Private Prosecution brought by the security guard if he was offended by the comment. Most definitely YES. No one should have to be ridiculed in public, especially in your place of work and certainly not due to the colour of your skin. It is just not acceptable any more

 

[amexer]

it is because he is well known and in front of public was taken to court. Suprised guard didnt just laugh it of. Over years have worked with all nationalities and there is often what i would call banter which nobody ever has taken offence to. About 10 years ago when living in London guested for a West Indian club cricket team. As i entered dressing room somebody said we have a whitey playing for us today. We all just laughed because it was funny. As a matter of interest have all the There is an Englishman, Irishman and Scotsman jokes now become offensive

 

[spring hall convert]

Ah yes, the good old "only a joke" defence.

So "What's red on the outside, brown on the inside, screams and makes you want to laugh?" is not racist even when the answer is a Bus load of Pakistanis driving over a cliff?

Jolly good fun, what? And, as it happens, racist.

At the same time, I agree this court case is PC gone way too far.

Every word of my post was ironic. I thought my looney liberal, lefty, hipster credentials on here would carry it through, I was attempting to lampoon the usual suspects, who are always at pains to point out that they're not racists, yet somehow seem to always have more sympathy with the perpetrators of racism rather than the victims.

It got a like from PPF so obviously I was completely wrong.

 

[spring hall convert]

it is because he is well known and in front of public was taken to court. Suprised guard didnt just laugh it of. Over years have worked with all nationalities and there is often what i would call banter which nobody ever has taken offence to. About 10 years ago when living in London guested for a West Indian club cricket team. As i entered dressing room somebody said we have a whitey playing for us today. We all just laughed because it was funny. As a matter of interest have all the There is an Englishman, Irishman and Scotsman jokes now become offensive

'I'll tell you what you can and can't find offensive.'