A couple of relaxed days, involving, mostly, eating and sleeping and a visit to Sleepy Mansions.
I was also formally presented at court, or rather, not court so much as Kindergarten classroom. I was presented to Miss Gregory, Holly's teacher.
On the way back from Sleepy Mansions, I saw what I thought was a sheep on a lead, but on closer examination, and I did peer let me tell you, it turned out to be a dog with chickeny black legs sticking out of an elaborately sheep-like doggy coat. Quite surreal.
I swear there are even more Indian food places on Rue Albert. I don't think I've seen that Bangladeshi/Indian one before, maybe I just haven't noticed it.
And the past couple of days have reminded me of things I knew, took for granted and yet have almost forgotten.
That posties ride bikes, Waitrose is a fabulous food Emporium, disgusting people don't always pick up after their pooches, churches and pubs abound in residential areas, that Italy and France make phenomenal cheeses (whilst just calling your company something in Italian doesn't make your cheese better), that Italian waiters make you feel comfortable without annoying informality, that ATMs dispense tenners as well as twenties, that Chavs still exist and that teachers work ridiculous hours.
Now the Prince Harry thing seems a bit out of order. I imagine the remarks were made in an 'inner circle' kind of setting. I know that my youngest son has many friends of Pakistani origin and is allowed to refer to them within the circle, just as they themselves do, as 'pakis'. At one point, my blonde-haired, blue-eyed son happily and continually wore a T-shirt that proclaimed he was 'proud to be Pakistani'.
There are many examples of this, not so much the T-shirt wearing, but the inner circle of friends being allowed to use language that those outside are not. The problem comes when other members of the inner circle are not so loyal, and that's my guess at what's happened here.
Tomorrow I go to Brighton, so, co-incidentally, does Sleepy, but she's going too early for my plans.
Nothing new under the sun
3 years ago
3 comments:
I totally agree about the Prince Harry thing.
It also made me think of an incident on Boxing Day.
The nephew had all manner of stuff around his mouth and was referred to as "As dirty Arab" as his Grandmother wiped it.
It was said gently and with a big smile.
He laughed so it was repeated a couple of times.
If she had been heard outside a family context someone could have complained and she'd be done for Incitement to Racial Hatred.
Would it be right or wrong?
I bet she pronounced it as 'A-rab' as well !
(Which always confuses me when some Americans pronounce Iraq as 'I-raq' as thought they're trying to be amusing, but really they're not).
...and I wonder if there would have been so much furore had Prince Harry referred to women as 'chicks' or 'birds' which to my mind really is the exact equivalent of Pakis, I can't really see that there's anything inherently disrespectful about the term 'Paki' since it's just short for 'Pakistani' and they were.
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