Prince Harry

[Odsox]

I have held back from commenting on this for several hours now as I know this is an international forum and I'm sure I'm not particularly racist, but.... what on earth is this all about ?
Prince Harry having to apologise for calling one of his mates a Paki ?
Does this now mean that all other shortened national names are now taboo ?
No more Brits, Scots, Swedes, Aussies, and how crass of the News of the World who were responsible for bringing this piece of "news" to our attention when many times in the past they have run banner headlines about "Frogs and Krauts" when some piece of EU legislation upset them ?
I'll shut up now

[Green Aura]

I think the problem is not that it a shortening of Pakistani, but has long been used - for anyone from the Indian sub-continent - as a term of racial abuse. It takes no account of the individual's nationality, which, given some of the political/religious tensions in the area can be very distressing (and I think is intended that way).

It's more the equivalent of "wog" (sorry that word took me ages to type - I really had difficulty with it) than Brit.

[Clara]

The "paki" thing is a little ambiguous because he is addressing one of his mates in particular (as I understand it), and I guess that should be between them whether they find that kind of thing appropriate in their relationship.

However.....saying that someone "looks like a raghead" is pretty clearcut, that is a racist term and from someone who has been in trouble with this kind of thing before therefore should have known better and would be better off apologising not on only for the remark but for not having learned his lesson.

[The Riff-Raff Element]

How ever he seeks to justify it ("he's one of me best mates! Don' mean nuffin by it!"), paki has been regarded as an offensive term for at least two decades. HRH is an oaf.

Words on their own are not offensive: it is the use to which they are put that defines them. That is why "Brit" and "Aussi" are acceptable.

It is worrying that such appaling attitudes seem to be prevelent in what might be termed the ruling classes. Saints preserve us.

[contadina]

Er...because both paki and raghead have altogether more offensive connotations. Unlike Scot or Brit, Paki was a race-hatred abbreviation which has historically been used in a derogatory and racist manner. Many people people still use it this way which is why it makes headlines.

Harry made headlines as he is inline to the thrown, but his 'humour' represents that of many of his background. I find that rather more disturbing.

[Wortle]

I expect he gets called more derogatory names than most people.

I think its good of him to allow any press near him at all.

I think the press should be reminded that he has already put his life on the line to defend the freedom of the Afghans, and that was what he would have continued to do that for the Iraqis if the press werent keen to advertise his whereabouts. I wouldnt be prepared to do that.

Where does patriotism end and racism start anyway?

[JulieSherris]

I think we also have to bear in mind that the video footage was shot more than 3 years ago, so it wasn't something he did like, yesterday....

OK, I'm not a right Royal fan - being royalty is just luck of birth really, but we also have to take comments in context.
Yes, we all know that 'paki' & raghead' can be used in a derogatory way, but then so can many other words that we use to our friends.
I have gay friends who I regularly called 'queers', or 'homos' - I am NOT gay bashing, it's classed as a form of endearment between ourselves. However, I also have other gay friends that would take offence if I said something like that to them.
When I lived in Kent, the local shop owner told everyone to call him 'Ben' - as in Tur-Ben... yep, he was a sikh - but it wasn't a race-hate comment.
My godparents were West Indians & for anyone who is old enough to have watched Love Thy Neighbour will have heard all of the racial insults - both from white man to black man & vice versa.... and that was also my Godfather & my Stepfather - they were the very very best of friends.

And really, should we be SO worried about these comments today? No, not at all - especially when they were not being used in a race-hate way.
Anyway, do we know what Harry's mates called him in private? I bet we'll never hear about that, huh?

Julie

[contadino]

I think its good of him to allow any press near him at all.

Either good or stupid. I know which one I'm inclined to believe.

I think the press should be reminded that he has already put his life on the line to defend the freedom of the Afghans, and that was what he would have continued to do that for the Iraqis if the press werent keen to advertise his whereabouts.

Er..he participated in the invasion of Afghanistan. The would have participated in the occupation of Iraq too, if it weren't for Royal PR whoring. The freedoms of the Afghani and Iraqi people are most likely way down the list of priorities.

[Odsox]

Er...because both paki and raghead have altogether more offensive connotations. Unlike Scot or Brit, Paki was a race-hatred abbreviation which has historically been used in a derogatory and racist manner. Many people people still use it this way which is why it makes headlines.

So surely are Frog & Kraut, but those are OK to print in so-called newspapers without libel and human rights claims.
No, I'm sorry, I'm by no means a royalist (hence where I live), but I do think that this is a sensationalist story for purely for newspaper profits.
Anybody else saying this in these circumstances would have been ignored.

[JulieSherris]

.................. Anybody else saying this in these circumstances would have been ignored.

Yep, I agree - I guess the news is short of stories today........

[Millymollymandy]

Can't really comment as I haven't read this. How did it even make the news anyway unless his 'mate' went running to the newspapers - in which case he wasn't much of a mate, was he? What friends call each other is their private affair and nobody elses.

[JulieSherris]

MMM - as far as I could tell, he was being sort of video blogged by the media a few years ago - these comments were picked out from what was probably hours & hours of footage.

[Wortle]

Er..he participated in the invasion of Afghanistan.

I think the UN "invaded" (not my expression, yours, but possibly valid) Afghanistan to stop there being a bloodbath before Harry joined the army. Since then the democratically elected government asks that the UN forces remain.

Anyway this might go off topic so I will shut up about the larger politics.

I wonder what the British soldier to whom the name was applied thinks.

One of my neighbours is up in arms because another neighbour referred to them as the "peasants across the road" in his Christmas Round Robin....that wouldnt upset many on here would it?

[old tree man]

I read the piece with interested, when someone comments "raghead" does this mean muslim, sikhisum, arabic or tibetan whom all wear a form of head wear for protecion fom the sun, cold or religous necessity, i was welcomed to a sikh gurdwara as a friend to join them to learn punjabi
a while back and i must say what a wonderful experience it was, let us not forget the world is a beautiful place and it is so easy to generalise people becauce of the way we look, dress or act, I myself was a 6ft 2in 20 stone biker with tattoos, does that make me a smelly grease ridden thug,
no i am a person with feelings who loves gardening, cooking walking and being married to my wife,
so lets ignore the press who make trouble for sales but think when we talk about other people remember we all have FEELINGS.
Sorry for the rant but i hate racisum
PEACE
Russ

[The Riff-Raff Element]

Whatever they might call each other in private, at the time he made these comments he was being filmed, and it wasn't by hidden camera. He is a public figure and an example to others, whether he likes it or not. To me, it is breath taking that after his upbringing and education (Eton?) he had no idea that many (most?) people would find this offensive.

EDIT: I suppose that I should mention that I've been on the receiving end of some "harmless" racial epithets that I found deeply objectional, but experience showed me the protesting about them just made people go all huffy at my "sensitivity." I wonder if the "paki" HRH was jocularly referring to really felt he was able to protest if he wanted to?