What did Ann Winterton MP actually say?

[beagle1]

I know its tasteless, but does anyone actually know? I am consumed with curiousity.

[AB Editor]

It was a 'joke' in very poor taste at the expense of the cockle-pickers who died in Morecombe. The 'joke' is inherently racist. (I realise you know this, beagle1, I'm just explaining for the benefit of others.) Therefore, it would be inappropriate for it to be repeated here. No doubt other sites will be bolder: I note that the 'joke' appears in the report in the Daily Telegraph and was repeated on Radio Five Live this morning.

Please note, therefore, that any posting of the joke here will be removed.

[jenstar]

I think I've broken my jaw.

[beagle1]

Thanks, AB. I did not want it repeated, just curious to know the gist & how bad it was. For the record, it is pretty sick. As it was a second offence (that we know of) for this particular MP, have no problem with the outcome - its not just insensitive, its positively offensive & she should know better.

[PaulB]

It's in the Daily Mirror if you're very curious - sick though
:o(

[PaulB]

The joke is I mean, not you lol

[shyashley]

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/allnews/content_objec
tid=13989671_method=full_siteid=50143_headline=-TORY%2DMP%2DS%2DRACIST%2DJOKE%2DON%2DCOCKLERS-name_page.html

[kags]

Why was this woman given another senior post after a similar incident last year? I find it worrying that someone who is obviously so insensitive can be in such a position. Michael Howard has sacked her because "racism has no place in the Tory party" - I would have hoped that went without saying, he should be more concerned about the place of stupidity in the party!

[BadBob]

How the hell is that racist. Sick maybe but there's no way that jokes racist. Can somebody please tell me whats racist about it. Her last effort was racist as it dealt with people in a derogatory way but this one is simply a play on words. I'm not defending her but it gets my goat when any mention of a nationality is a deemed racist, its not.

[kags]

there is a thin line between a play on words and an implied reduction of a huge and diverse section of society into one stereotyped element - ie China (1 billion people) = take away food. Anybody in the public eye should have more sense than to tread this line, whatever their private beliefs.

[BadBob]

Don't agree kags. I totally agree that it was a stupid thing for her to say, it may be a sick joke and very offencive, but that doesnt make it racist. To be racist it must come under the unbrella of racism which is by definition "a prejudiced belief that one race is superior to others". The joke doesnt present China in a derogatory way and it doesnt imply the reduction of a population. What your saying is if I say to my wife tonight "do you fancy a chinese" in some way I'm implying I'm going to try and reduce the chinese population. No it doesnt it means were going to eat chineae food. Chinese, India, Italian are all short hand ways of refereing to the food of those regions, it is in fact in no way derogatory as its a testament to the fact such foods are popular and have been embraced and entered into our culture with effection.

[andy hughes]

Mrs Winterton ought to realise that a sense of humour requires a sense of judgement, and she appears to be lacking in both - unacceptable in a potential (hurgh!) Government Minister. The 'joke' she told was unfunny, tasteless, redundant and pointless - in fact rather like Mrs Winterton.

[kags]

I agre with most of what you say Badbob, it is a sad state of affairs when we can't celebrate cultural differences and qualities, and actually supressing the discussion of such things can perhaps worsen the situation. I wan't to teach my children not to allow differences in culture, race religion etc etc to lead to prejudice, and to do that we have to acknowledge that those differences exist. The point that I was making was more that this is a tricky area, and somebody like a senior Tory mp should be better advised than to stray into it, particularly with her track record!!

[kags]

by the way (and then I'll shut up!!) I wasn't saying that referring to Chinese food as "a Chinese" is inherently racist - it's just a simplifed way of saying "food that is cooked in the traditional Chinese fashion, available locally to take away". Using this shorthand as a means of ridicule, is however (I think) racist. Right now, I'm off for a lie down.........

[BadBob]

I agree to ridicule somebody of another race is racism, but I don't believe this joke is using the word Chinese for the ridicule factor. I was using the Chinese food reference to highlight the fact the word "Chinese" means different things in different contexts. I just think calling such things racisit only helps to worsen the situation. Anyway were going round in circles. Sick, ill informed, tasteless and pointless, yes all of those things, but in my opinion not racisit.

[kags]

thanks for the debate Badbob, good healthy discussions are what are needed - and now I really will shut up!