Words, Racism & Anti-Welsh Racism
Disclaimer: This article uses examples of racist language.
Words are funny things. Each word can mean a myriad of things on paper, and then homophones, when one word can be spelt different ways to mean different things, like hair and hare, add to the whole confusing bunch.
Some words in English can’t even be translated into other languages, like serendipity. Some words in Welsh can’t be translated into English, like hiraeth. It’s such an abstract concept that it’s only found in Portuguese. I can’t pin the exact meaning down, but it means a longing for something that can be either in the past, or in the present, and it can occur at any time.
But some words are international and transcend realms of cultural understanding and history. Words like the N-word, and the P-word, an abbreviation of the country Pakistan. Slut has been reclaimed too, apparently. There have been many movements to try and ‘reclaim’ this word. Hip hop has tried to reclaim it, and arguably has done so according to some people.
For a word to be reclaimed, the power has to go from it. I don’t think the N-word can ever be reclaimed. The last word before Stephen Lawrence died that he heard was the N-word.
I don’t feel comfortable using it here. I don’t feel comfortable typing that six lettered word. But if you want to use that word, I’m OK with that. If you feel comfortable in doing so I feel comfortable in your capacity to do so. But it’s not for me.
The power has to leave the concept for it to be used. There are dozens of slurs, but none quite hit home the most for me as ‘Paki’ and the N-word.
The Stephen Lawrence case has been in the news. He was killed at 18 around 18-and-a-half years ago. His parents lobbied endlessly for his killers to be brought to justice, and they were eventually, just this week. The police force that oversaw the case, the London Metropolitan Police, were deemed ‘institutionally racist’ by the Lord that oversaw the inquiry into the failings of the case (which included botched evidence, done by the police), Lord Macpherson.
I don’t think racism has gone from anywhere, and I think that racism is still around today. The fact that Stephen Lawrence’s family had to campaign for so long is a testimony to that. Racism doesn’t only affect people from different backgrounds that aren’t necessarily Caucasian. Wales was subject to racism when the British Government tried to outlaw Welsh and tried to linguistically kill it off. If you spoke it in school, you would have to wear the Welsh Not.
I think that all racism is as bad as each other. Ever noticed how Welsh people are always the butt of the jokes in the British media, or seen as ‘inadequate’? Take the two Welsh characters in Skins, the painfully inadequate principal, Doug, who is failing as a teacher, and then the Psychology teacher who later goes onto sleep with one of her students, Chris. Or all the sheep-shagger jokes. Rob Brydon addressed this on a question on Stephen Fry’s QI.
The whole thing has got me thinking, the Diane Abbott scandal, the Stephen Lawrence case and what ‘racism’ actually means, and how it’s been distorted. What do you think of words and concepts like this? And what do you think of how Welsh people are portrayed in the media? Do you think it’s fair? Do you, like me, get angry too? There’s a comment box below, let me know your thoughts.
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4 Comments – Post a comment
DanielleNicole15
Commented 52 months ago - 9th January 2012 - 18:01pm
Hey! Great article! Certain words annoy me too!
The idiom 'Mae hiraeth arno fe' means
he is longing for someone i think :) If that helps.
Also, I found out the other day that the Welsh word 'cynghanedd' can't be directly translated into English either apparently!
SamuelPatterson
Commented 52 months ago - 9th January 2012 - 22:48pm
Language has recently become an interest of me. It seems like such an obvious fact, but words only have meaning because of the meaning we give them. Language mutates. We see this everyday. Words like cwtch, lol and omg are commonplace in the English language of today. Did they just acquire their meaning? Of course not! We gave them their meaning. For example, do any of you know what the word fortoire means? I should be impressed if you do, as I made it up.
People who are offended by N-words and P-words need to realise that it's not the word itself that is offensive, more the meaning the speaker puts behind it. I could, if I so wished, called you a chair and, if you understood my meaning, you could be just as insulted as if I'd thrown the N-word at you. It's not the words, but the meaning behind them. The meaning we gave them. I provide a video for you... whcih contains language, so if your offended by language, maybe not for you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nVBZieBmXI
neilramsden
Commented 52 months ago - 10th January 2012 - 19:23pm
What Stormer says is interesting, and I agree with him. It ties in with Suarez being banned from playing for Liverpool recently: because he described Evra as 'negro' - 'black'. Presumably he was banned because he was using the word 'black' as an insult, which it normally isn't. But then he argued that he used it as he would use it with his black team-mates- supposedly, for him, it wasn't insulting.
On a related note, is the colour of somebody's skin really that much more offensive when used as an insult? Clearly if the person believes that somebody is lesser because of their skin colour then they are out of touch with life. But on the football pitch players are just saying anything they can to provoke a reaction- so how can they get away with calling somebody's mother a god-knows-what, using the worst words imaginable, but literally just calling them black warrants an 8 match ban?
neilramsden
Commented 52 months ago - 10th January 2012 - 19:41pm
Also, choosing one show doesn't show that the British media is biased against the Welsh. How about Torchwood, Casualty, Luther, Being Human, Gavin and Stacey, all of which feature strong Welsh characters? I'm just saying, Wales isn't picked on particularly.