Is it racist to call someone a Jungle Bunny?

[10ClarionSt]

In Barnstaple, a member of staff at the local hospital said someone looked like a jungle bunny because they had a sun tan after being on holiday. Someone else heard it and reported it. The police were called and the member of staff was taken away for questioning with regard to racism. Can you believe that? Have the police, and others, got nothing better to do than investigate a common expression? What would they say to someone in this situation when questioning them anyway?

[Doc Spock]

Hang on corbyloo, is Brit offensive, must be by your standards. Its all a load of old tosh, paks, chniks , nognigs, it has all gone overboard. What is wrong with nicknames, Finns, Danes Poles, Krauts, yanks,

[beryllium]

you forgot Septics Doc lol....

[beryllium]

Sorry 10CS,
In answer to your question. I don't think that was such a nice comment to make by a member of staff of a hospital.
Calling the police was ridiculous though, and as Miss Random wrote..... A warning would have been suffice or even a suspension. Whatever......

[missrandom]

doc spock, thats just being silly. everyone knows all those words are offensive, wether it makes sense or not that you can call a british person a brit and its not considered offensive, but you cant shorten pakistani as that is considered offensive. the fact is it is offensive, and people know that.

[THECORBYLOON]

Doc Spock when was the last time someone shouted Dane or Finn at you as term of abuse?

The first five letters of Pakistan are often used as a term of abuse against anyone who is or appears to be Asian. I doesn't matter that they are Bengali, Indian, Sri Lankan or whatever, the person being abusive doesn't gie a damn. He or she doesn't see an individual, merely someone who is to be abused solely because of their colour.

In the Southron American States, many use the word Yank or Yankee as a derisive term..

In Ulster, supporters of IRA/Sinn Fein used the word Brit in a derogatory manner. Have you not heard or seen the phrase "Brits out!" ?

So you see, words you find acceptable are not accepted by all.

[amonty1144]

Yes the jb is offensive, I also think that 'poles' is offensive. People from Poland are polish, poles is now such a derogatory term

[olddutch]

Hypothetically speaking, if Trevor Mcdonald had said Jungle Bunny on his "Knight" programme doing irony or context or comedy or whatever would the Police have been called ?

[IggyB]

who on earth says jungle bunny? rude and inappropriate and whats more really out of date...
but to get the police involved is clearly ridiculous - work reprimand would be sufficient surely

[tiggerwoo]

missrandom...pop over to Society and Culture and read a question "Hows this for an irrational dislike of something" and the answer from our friendly neighbourhood racist Reachesme....and he calls people born out of wedlock THICK....how dare he I wonder...i suspect is cos he's....guess what.....THICK !!!!!!!!!!

[IggyB]

oh and Dr Spock you are just trying to ignore the fact that it isn't words alone that are "bad" its the meaning behind them - as the term pak1 has been used as a racial insult for so long it is obviously "bad" - but i think you already know this and i doubt you call your shopkeep or the chinese take out guy pak1 and ch1nk do you...

[tiggerwoo]

Reachesme...do not take me for a fool and do not try to make excuses for your comment in Society and Culture. Just to remind you of what you said (in case you have trouble remembering which offensive remark you made last.)...as you make so many. Quote..."People who say "seriously", usually thick people born out of wedlock, trying to look bright"
Well I think you have to be thick if you read that and did'nt understand your inferrence (oh sorry...perhaps you don't know what that means) being thick and all...so...i was wondering...were you may be born out of wedlock....I was'nt so that must make me intelligent....don't you think?

[BooldawgsMrs]

Is any contributor to this thread actually a member of a ethnic or cultural group that has direct experiences of being to referred to as one of these derogatory terms, or are we all 'talking on behalf of others' as we are so good at doing in this great country of ours?

[bobtheturkey]

i heard you were on the titanic clarion

[bundleone]

It sounded to me like a bit of light-hearted teasing, the person who complained was just an eavesdropper,

[whiffey]

Bye bye Britain, wave cheerily and in a non-racist fashion of course !!! as the nation disappears beneath the waves.

[stokeace]

its a good job 'love thy neighbour' isnt on the tv still lol

[THECORBYLOON]

Why do you think "Love Thy Neighbour" is not repeated?

[stokeace]

it was said as a joke cbl do you know what that means?you know something that you can have a laugh at?anyway racism in that show was a 2 way thing.so dont come on here whingeing that it was purely a white on black racism show.