racist influence?

growing up with certain friends and family ive heard every racist word in the book, i wont type them here cuz it aint the place but i dont find it offensive, nasty or wrong (although i know it is im just used to hearing it so dont find it so) and whenever im talking to people in my family sometimes i use these slang words just so its shorter and quicker to say 'p*ki' than saying say, 'this asian gentleman' for example. i been told that im liberally minded in most aspects of life but race seems a flash point by a reliable friend. anybody else in the same kinda situation or that im certainly no racist i do have mates who are muslim, black or whatever

Having Muslim or black friends doesn't mean that you don't have serious racist tendencies.

The big mistake people make in terms of racism is thinking that they aren't racist.

well i aint racist. its purely cuz of the words being there all my life, mainly dads family. i do like coloured people in all walks of life, theres bad and good in all people, mainly white englishmen i think (and i am one )

the words are still quite offensive to people. i personally think that i'm more offended by racism then a lot of the people i know who are of different ethnicity, or from a minority...thats taken by me talking to them about it, i mean one of the girls i know says whenever anyone calls her a paki she laughs at it, because she isn't she's far from it...

yeah people see brown skin and its paki this that and the other.. michael gecko the actor is italian (second generation i think) and he got called that more than once!

you might not intend to be racist, but you should be careful what you say. words like paki and nigger have been used in a horrible way for years, which is why people find them so upsetting. if someone called me a nigger, i know that would make me feel really bad. i hate the way rap artists use that word, which has led some people to believe its ok. use those words around your friends if you want, but make sure you don't forget the history behind the words.

i actually hate the word "coloured". that word was used a lot in the past to refer to black people in a racist way.

well to me its one of the few words i can use without it coming across as racist. same as half caste but somebody picked fault with that a while ago! the word nigger originally meant someone who is lazy and no intention of getting off their arse and working for a living!

i do so hate people calling them 'minorities' though. i thought they were more communities of people now, how can my friend safeena (whos muslim and 3rd gen pakistani) be a minority when shes english born like me? its the way words are used by them in charge imho that breeds racist terms

i think saying those words is kind of arrogant and ignorant,
it presumes that you know what its like to hear them directed at you, and you can't.

i don't use them because i don't say things if i don't have a clue what they mean,
and you can only understand them if you've experienced it.

the power of a word comes from the emotion behind it so i don't think its an enormously bad thing or anything,
when i hear it casually i just think that those people need to grow up.
like when you're a kid and you figure out a way to swear in front of a teacher after you get your first dictionary by saying words that have double meanings, and all your friends laugh and the teacher goes
'what did you say!?'
and you're like
'i said faggot, it means a bundle of sticks'
wow, your so clever because you meant it in a different context.

basically its either stupid or racist in my eyes, take your pick.

i once again agree with alexkid i come from a family where there is jews in my bloodline,blacks and english and unless you have been one of these people you cant actually say the name calling wont hurt them,we have a black friend who hates being called anything other than black because thats what he is,any name calling or slang names to another culture is racist whether you mean it or not,i went to see a native american talk and he got onto the topic of racism and he said take off our skin and underneath we are all one colour and that is red due to the blood,this has always struck me as true and that is how i try to live my life,i dont only dislike racism in colour but also in people with severe learning probs,i dont need to wrie what they have been called but with working with them for 18 yrs and having a niece with downs syndrome i consider i have been blessed,my 2 teenage sons have helped in summer schemes looking after children with disabilities and have no probs with them,one of my kids done his work expierence in a adult centre,if people took just a few mins to think i havnt walked in their shoes before name calling,the world just might show a little empathy to another human but i dont think it would happen in my life time sadly.

hmm i got bullied at school, mainly cuz im a short arse who wears glasses and was spotty at the time. also im half irish and with a surname like horgan thats cannon fodder for abuse!

Everyone is racist. Those who protest their not, I don't believe. Some however, are just more vocal or less PC about it.

They may not use the N word or call a Mexican something derogitory, but I'm sure there are times when a black person (or other race) does something sterotypical and we say (figures...he/she is black) (What do you expect, he's Mexican).

I'd love to sit here and say, I'm not racist, but I'm realistic, I know I can be. I at least, can admit it.

I agree with you. I think that virtually everyone has racist tendencies. Saying "Oh, I'm not racist" is something of a cop-out. The wise person examines their acts and thoughts in an attempt to understand just what their biases are, whether they're race biases, corporation biases, or political biases.

Nobody is perfect but we can all try and be a little nicer and more understanding.