Do you think Barnes Wallis called his dog that name, as an insult to a race or because his dog happened to be a certain colour? Perhaps he should be erased from our history

Dude, I was alive back then. I remember it as a fact.

Prior to the 1950s who would it have been applied to? In my memory it was the first term dropped since it was considered offensive.

You have to understand that no one cared about political correctness back then. There was common decency and politeness but language very different. The use of that word was quite common,especially among oldr people, and mostly about description. I'm sure it must have been used as an insult too but not in my world.

Obviously, you only have to watch old TV shows like Love thy neighbour to hear that there were a whole range of other 'colourful' descriptions for Black people but no one got too excited about it. Obviously we live in different times now and no one sensible wants to go back to insulting name calling.

I only ever hear Black people doing it on TV nowadays and for some reason that seems to be OK.

My 90 year old mother-in-law, who I have never heard utter even as much as a swear word, had a dog in the 1930s called n. Nothing malicious intended just a name due to its colour.
My kids were gobsmacked earlier this year when, she was reminiscing, she said “ I don’t suppose you can call a dog n now.”
Just an age thing. Of course it is now always seen as a racial slur but early 20th century it wasn’t always seen as such

Maybe not in your insular world but my father certainly cared after fighting in the second world and as did his brother who fought in the first world war who were then treated as far less than equal and had that word used against them.

In the same openly racist way as it was in the days of my father and uncle and when I was growing up no, but yes things still go on a lot now but I'm not going to waste my time explaining what I mean by that as I tried to do that before on these boards and I was told I was wrong in not so any words.

But some posters on here seem to think if they can't see if happening it can't be.

What about Eminem? He's white and uses it all the time.

As a white person,If I find the n word offensive for any reason, and in any context, (which I nearly always do) then why isn't the offender castigated for using it? just because they're black, so are allowed?

Isn't that the very definition of racism; treating someone different based on The colour of their skin?

"It was a Team effort, I guess it took all players working together to lose this one"

interestingly, was a very common term for a paint colour up until as recent as the mid 80s.
It would be on Dulux, crown colour charts(& Ripolin for those old enough to remember)

Personally, I've not heard it from anybody since I worked with a very rough floor laying team from Bristol at the hospital we was painting in the 90s.
(just films & rap music now)
I dont mix with a particulary genteel crowd either, general consensus is its just not done, obviously other unflattering words get used in certain company for all & sundry, but i've struggled to recall any use of it bar the rough bristol boys decades ago.

Kids,tired of being bothered by your pesky parents?
Then leave home, get a job & pay your own bills, while you still know everything.

Insular world. My life has been far from insular.

So what about your life. How often have you been treated unequally? How often have you been insulted using 'racial slurs'?

Edited by Hrolf The Ganger (10 Dec 2020 3.51pm)