2009 may have seen a mixed race President in the White House, looking back over the last twelve months it seems that the year has been littered with prominent people in trouble for making unacceptable comments.
It started with members of the Royal Family who were in trouble with the tabloids for the way they referred to friends from India and Pakistan. Many people will have wondered what all the fuss was about. It’s just a nickname. After all if we like someone we give them a nickname based on what makes them different from us.
But living in rural England as many of the Work Place Learning Team do it is possible to forget just how uncomfortable being the odd one out can be. I have experienced exactly that several times. I was the only westerner in the HR department I worked in, in China, and more recently I was the only white person I spoke to whilst working in Nigeria.
In every situation there were jibes about being British. In this country I could have sued my employer for £26,000 like the Spaniard who (Daily Telegraph 23 Jan2009) claims his feelings were hurt when his manager called him Manuel after the Spanish character played by Andrew Sachs in Fawlty Towers.
Calling someone from Barcelona Manuel could be seen by many British people as a friendly nickname, as would calling someone from Ireland Paddy or an Australian Ozzie. Whilst in Sydney my Australian colleagues, promised me that Pommie B**tard was a term of endearment.
This may all be a storm in tea cup. Deprecating comments about ourselves and others is a trait of British humour as is the use of nicknames. I am English, because I am from England, therefore someone from Pakistan must be a P*ki, it’s just short for Pakistani – right?
NO!
Many of the terms we use in everyday language to describe people who are different actually have their origins in the language of hatred and discrimination. Using those words no matter how pleasant the intent is often interpreted as showing the true feelings behind the facade of friendship.
If as Martin Luther King wanted for men to be judged by the content of their souls we must accept that although Sticks and Stones may break bones, words give an insight into your soul.
Attempts have been made to rehabilitate these words by people who’s ancestors were threatened by them, P*ki is now a casual clothing brand, and plastered across sweatshirts like GAP, but would a white guy be comfortable wearing it. Some address the controversy head on. American rap group *igg** with Attitude caused controversy but became N.W.A. to placate wide spread criticism.
You might expect that using this discriminatory terminology might result in social exclusion, but research from Canada shows that this does not happen. Society may have changed its view of systematic prejudice, but on an individual level it remains, albeit unspoken. When we see others acting in a way that supports the stereotypes and prejudices we hold, it is only human nature to interpret this as reinforcement of those views.
Prejudice on an individual level rarely has a malicious intent and is probably better referred to as a bias. We show favour and disfavour to people based on these biases regardless of whether we acknowledge it.
Michael Millward
