Is the G-word racist?

[DALNEIGHCALEY]

The day football died ! I wont be back :angry:

[CaleyMad]

http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.a...423887?UserKey=

The ICT blog had messages saying the “G-word” had been banned, and last night club officials and police met with representatives of young fans among the ICT supporters to reiterate the position regarding such chants before tomorrow’s Challenge Cup semi final match.

If ICT blog means this site, find the member and ban there IP......

Edited October 3, 2009 by caleymad

[DornochCaley]

This is a joke. I cant belive what is happening to the world we live in. I know its the law, but it has not been helped by "Him".

I say, against QotS, we get a Mike Smith, get to Feck chant on the go!

[CaleyMad]

,Shoes off, if you hate mike smith :angry:

[tm4tj]

OK guys, I would be very careful what you type having read CaleyD's report from last nights meeting.

[HumbersideDude]

This is a joke. I cant belive what is happening to the world we live in. I know its the law, but it has not been helped by "Him".

I say, against QotS, we get a Mike Smith, get to Feck chant on the go!

Why wait? why not have one on Sunday?

[DornochCaley]

This is a joke. I cant belive what is happening to the world we live in. I know its the law, but it has not been helped by "Him".

I say, against QotS, we get a Mike Smith, get to Feck chant on the go!

Why wait? why not have one on Sunday?

Because im not going :angry:

[ictchris]

It doesn't surprise me that it was Caley fans who complained. Ever since we've been in the league there has been an element that goes to games who react like this when fans try and support the team or behave like every other clubs fans do. I remember at the 2004 Scottish Cup when we scored the fans I was with (minibus of about 20 lads) were going mental celebrating and a guy in the row in front of us didn't even look at the pitch but turned round and stared at us, before telling us to settle down. I watched the last derby from the main stand and although a few of the guys I was with were absolutely wrecked you'd have thought we all had two heads given the looks and comments we got.

It's sad that given we are developing a pretty good core of supporters who will get behind the team that this tendency in our support comes out with this stuff. I mean, every single derby these things get chanted, presumably the complainant had been to one of these games before? Mike Smith also sounds like a complete waste of space, an empty suit. What's his salary and does he do anything to justify it?

[Johnboy]

I find it a bit sad that for much of our support shouting gypsy stuff at C*unty fans seems to be a major highlight of the season.

I know it's nothing more than banter and it's been around for a long time, but is it really such a big deal?

Besides that I'm sure somebody will come up with something much more offensive than the "gypsy" word and which hopefully might not be deemed against the law.

I'll be there tomorrow, looking forward to cheering on my new idol - Nick Ross - the most exciting young talent I've ever seen at ICT.

[DornochCaley]

I find it a bit sad that for much of our support shouting gypsy stuff at C*unty fans seems to be a major highlight of the season.

I know it's nothing more than banter and it's been around for a long time, but is it really such a big deal?

Besides that I'm sure somebody will come up with something much more offensive than the "gypsy" word and which hopefully might not be deemed against the law.

I'll be there tomorrow, looking forward to cheering on my new idol - Nick Ross - the most exciting young talent I've ever seen at ICT.

Inbred *******?

lice troden ****bags?

Tuchter ********?

Caravan roaming ******?

Edited October 3, 2009 by themann4thejob
removing abusive content

[ictchris]

I find it a bit sad that for much of our support shouting gypsy stuff at C*unty fans seems to be a major highlight of the season.

I know it's nothing more than banter and it's been around for a long time, but is it really such a big deal?

Besides that I'm sure somebody will come up with something much more offensive than the "gypsy" word and which hopefully might not be deemed against the law.

I'll be there tomorrow, looking forward to cheering on my new idol - Nick Ross - the most exciting young talent I've ever seen at ICT.

I don't think anyone sees it as a major highlight of the season, it's the fact that people could end up getting arrested for it that is riling folk.

I was reading the Adam Smith Institute blog today and thought of this furore when I read this post.

Police cover-up at the Joy fashion chain in London sends a message to Cameron that he needs to strip our laws down to their foundations.

Yes, the fuzz have done it again. The new Islington, London store of fashion chain Joy enterprisingly launched a promotion, in which the first 25 customers to turn up in their underwear would get free outfits. Rather a fun idea.

But no sooner were 25 lucky ladies assembled outside the door in their smalls than the bluebottles (in the now-standard body armour) turned up to accuse them all of committing pubic indecency. That's an arrestable offence ? actually, everything is an arrestable offence these days, as you'll find if you drop an apple core. Faced with the prospect of being marched in handcuffs down to the nick, swabbed, fingerprinted, cautioned, charged, and taken to court, everyone grumpily covered up, saying that our bobbies lost their sense of humour.

No, they haven't. They are just doing their job. And that's the problem. Politicians, in their anxiety to stamp out anti-social behaviour, hate crime, indecency, offensiveness and litter, have passed laws that give the cops powers to arrest (swab, fingerprint...) people for almost anything. No problem, you might think, if the Old Bill use common sense.

But you can't expect them too. It's simple bureaucrat economics. If they don't intervene and people are offended (or worse), they will get pilloried and people will demand they lose their jobs. If they do intervene, the worst that happens (to them) is that we complain they are a bit heavy-handed. Give bureaucrats ? officials, rozzers, whoever ? a power, and they will use it. All the time. It's just self-preservation.

That's why these powers should not exist in the first place. Sure, the peelers need authority to protect the public against terrorism, or stop breaches of the peace. But ? note to Cameron & Co ? if we want to make sure we don't face arrest for over-filling our wheelie bins, our politicians need to be much more precise about exactly what the law is there for. They won't, of course, because they like having the powers and think they will apply them sensibly. But for the reason I gave above, that's a fat chance. (Or can I be arrested for hate crime for using the word 'fat' in an abusing manner? When everything is unlawful, it's hard to know what to do.)

[CaleyD]

Inbred *******? - Breach of the Peace

lice troden ****bags? - Breach of the Peace

Tuchter ********? - Breach of the Peace

Caravan roaming ******? - Racially Agrevated Breach of the Peace (Because it refers to travelling and these people are "protected" under the same laws as ethnic groups etc)

The above is basically how it was explained to us at the meeting, and whilst the police aren't interested in getting involved with people who come away with the odd expletive or a bit of name calling and they appreciate that much of it is par for the course at a football match, they do have to act if someone reports being offended or it is a discriminatory remark (as in the last one in the list).

Singing "the wheels on your house go round and round" could also be deemed as Racially Aggravated Breach of the Peace because it infers you're having a go at travelling folk.....so you don't even have to use the word Gypsy or Traveller. It's not a good situation, I don't agree with it, but it's only right that you guys are as aware as you can be on these things. If you decide to go ahead with these songs/chants anyway, then you are at least doing so in full knowledge that their is the possibility you could be lifted for it.

The article posted by ICTChris calls the situation spot on.

[DornochCaley]

Damn, this isnt getting any better!

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

Mike Smith is an ersehole (I take it that is a term of banter as it is speelt wrongly ?) - always has been. An eminent member of the muppets who are slowly destroying this club. Afraid there is not much we can do about it but it leaves everybody open to being thrown out - which will undoubtedly lead to some of the Barstewards dribbling at the thought of being able to use their muscle indiscriminately.

I am being hugely serious that I have cancelled travelling overnight as I am seriously concerned that I may be one that is targetted - even if I go with sellotape around my gob and it aint worth losing my job over. It will be a long, long time before I enter the TCS again but will spend my spondoolachs on going away.

Feck the Muppets. :angry:

Caley D - you say dont go for tit for tat - but dont you just wish the Old Filth were still coming to town ?!!

[+weeman]

OK guys, I would be very careful what you type having read CaleyD's report from last nights meeting.

Give me a G...Give me a Y..

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

Who put the MMIK in Mike Smith ?

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

Perhaps this article may be of assistance:

Gypsy

1. A member of a people that arrived in Europe in migrations from northern India around the 14th century, now also living in North America and Australia. Many Gypsy groups have preserved elements of their traditional culture, including an itinerant existence and the Romany language.

2. See Romany.

3. One inclined to a nomadic, unconventional way of life.

4. A person who moves from place to place as required for employment, especially:

a. A part-time or temporary member of a college faculty.

b. A member of the chorus line in a theatre production.

c. A supporter of Ross County Football Club.

The comedian Ben Miller has told FHM magazine that he has been battling with the BBC over the use of the word "Gypsy" in a comedy sketch for his show with Alexander Armstrong, The Armstrong and Miller Show (which will be broadcast next month):

"We're having a debate at the moment with the BBC over whether we can say Gypsies, because they say Gypsies is a racist term, and you think "Yes it is but that's the point that we're making, that we were more racist in the 70s than we are now".

"We wanted to make fun of racist public information films from the seventies, and considered using the word "Gypsy" in that context. After discussing the issue both amongst ourselves and with the BBC, we decided to use a different word, so that the target (racism) was clearer and the joke was funnier. These discussions are a normal, healthy part of writing a comedy show and help to make sure that we end up with something we can all have a ruddy good laugh at."

The tale, not entirely surprisingly, is covered by the Daily Mail, along with other papers today, although it doesn't actually use the phrase "political correctness gone mad".

Gill Brown, of the London Gypsy and Traveller Unit, told the Mail: "Romany Gypsies are an ethnic group so it depends on the way you are using it. If you use it in the correct context it is not racist. However, it can still be used as a slur and that is racist. But I don't know how Ben Miller was using it. The word was used in a very racist and discriminatory way for many years and then what happened was that the term moved to traveller to be all encompassing. So anybody that could be described as a traveller or a Gypsy became a traveller."

A BBC spokesman said: "There are no banned words on the BBC; "Gypsy" isn't a banned word. This wasn't about the word itself, but about the sketch as a whole and the potential to cause offence. As with all comedy, it's about context, and in this particular case we felt there were less offensive ways of making the same joke."

In the post-Sachsgate world, is the BBC being forced to become over-sensitive? Or is this just sensible cultural awareness?

If you hate the feckin travellers clap your hands ?

[Yngwie]

I remember when Viz comic (back in its heyday when it was selling over a million a month) got into trouble for running a stereotyped but very funny strip called "The Thieving Gypsy Bastards".

They were forced to pull it. But in one of life's delicious irnoies, the member of the gypsy community who led the action against Viz was convicted of handling stolen goods shortly afterwards.

[Scotty]

Can i ask CaleyD or Scotty (or wanna be admin's)... Is the term Gypsy acceptable on this forum when we are talking about the County fans?

As ridiculous as it seems when applied to County as "banter" rather than at someone like Marius where it could realistically be interpreted as potentially personally offensive remarks, the fact that the police have highlighted it to be "on the offensive list" means we do have to crack down on it I am afraid.

Regardless of our own personal opinions on this "law" - and I think that the best description I have seen in this thread is "blunt instrument" - we have no choice as we have a legal responsibility to keep numerous -isms, including what we have now been told falls under the category of racism, off the boards.

Personally, I would say it is alright to use the word itself in the contect of a discussion like this, but unfortunately we have to ask all you guys to not use it as an adjective to describe County or anyone else, even if you mean it as banter.

The ICT blog had messages saying the ?G-word? had been banned, and last night club officials and police met with representatives of young fans among the ICT supporters to reiterate the position regarding such chants before tomorrow?s Challenge Cup semi final match.

If ICT blog means this site, find the member and ban there IP......

I noticed the use of the word blog and my first reaction was to correct them as IMHO blog minimises a 15 year old site with 2000 members but at the end of the day its not worth worrying about.

OK guys, I would be very careful what you type having read CaleyD's report from last nights meeting.

I would listen to this advice if I were you

[alimci]

Thanks for the report CD. All very depressing.

I can understand protection being afforded to the race of ethnic Roma people, but not to people who have just made a lifestyle choice.

I agree. I think to say you cannot even say caravan dweller as it implies gypsies and is therefore racist is unbelievable. Has anyone told Jeremy Clarkson this?

The law is an ass as ever, but there doesn't seem much we can do about it.

[Glebeict]

How can a football team survive when it works so hard to drive its fans away?

From over here in Canada these guys look like a bunch of fools.

[SMEE]

this is the pathetic Highland way. Your not allowed banter. Your not allowed to cause a scene, by backing your team, not allowed to do anything remotley risque. But...as i sed earlier in the thread...the more we roll over and tow the party line, the more those behind it will expect. its like Gaelic!! People need to make a stand

[Scotty]

How can a football team survive when it works so hard to drive its fans away? From over here in Canada these guys look like a bunch of fools.

Cant argue with that .... I could go into another long-winded comparison between Toronto FC and ICT in terms of how the fans are treated (either by club, stewards, or police) but I am not going to .....

Suffice it to say that at TFC (and elsewhere in MLS), fans are encouraged to enjoy themselves at games, whereas the various powers that be in the UK seem to be getting massively over sensitive and trying to legislate or apply hastily thought up national association or club rules to every little thing that has (or even has not) happened .....

As several people have already said, this nonsense is killing the game as an enjoyable spectator sport. Whilst ICT will always be my #1 team, I can honestly say that the banter, craic and in-game experience at TFC is miles ahead, even if the play on the park is just as frustrating at times !

[Johnboy]

How can a football team survive when it works so hard to drive its fans away?

From over here in Canada these guys look like a bunch of fools.

I can argue with that.

The club aren't trying to drive the fans away. They are anxious not to fall foul of the law by allowing them to chant what are now, apparently, racist chants....

I don't think they've got any options other than to heed the police advice in this matter.

[old caley girl]

I.m confused here. Did anyone actually complain to the pokice or SFL/SFA re this or is this just the reaction of the club to the 2 complaints? If no-one had complained at all would this have carried on as banter as has been the case for years? If it is the club well you have to wonder about their communication with the fans and the bad press we all have had whether we chant or not.