One of life's many mysteries?

SpeedFreak · 16 Oct 2010 at 13:32

I didn't call him racist, more pointed out that casual use of a term that people can find offensive isn't very clever when he could easily have used Chinese in his post. We'll leave it there though.

Edrof · 16 Oct 2010 at 13:33

shoot1st said:
Here in the UK we call a Chinese meal a chinkie,

Speak for yourself Nick Griffin.

Eddie · 16 Oct 2010 at 13:34

Forde said:
Speak for yourself Nick Griffin.

We've covered that bit already and who is Nick Griffin?

Edrof · 16 Oct 2010 at 13:36

shoot1st said:
We've covered that bit already and who is Nick Griffin?

A little Google treat for ya

Raumarik · 16 Oct 2010 at 13:37

shoot1st said:
Here in the UK we call a Chinese meal a chinkie, we don't mean anything racist by it, it's just a shortened term that everyone here understands, please don't think that I was being racist as I am not a racist.

You are missing the point, it's not whether you mean someone to take offense by using the term, it's whether or not they do. It can and has been used in the past as a racist term, the same way we don't call corner shops by the ethnic origin of some of the people running them..

PS I still use both words occassionally, as like you I'm daft enough not to mean offense, but my wife is constantly telling me off

Feef · 16 Oct 2010 at 13:42

The only bit I never got about this particular debate is why "chinkie" is considered shorthand for "chinese"? There's no need for it, so far as I can see..

Cookeh · 16 Oct 2010 at 13:55

fifiov said:
The only bit I never got about this particular debate is why "chinkie" is considered shorthand for "chinese"? There's no need for it, so far as I can see..

+1

Since when was shorthand exactly the same number of characters as the full version?

I for one, have never called a takeaway a chinkie, but meh, I have a posh up bringing

However, one cannot call another racist for using Chinkie as a reference to a Chinese takeaway!

SB118 · 16 Oct 2010 at 13:56

Deadbeat said:
... she's from Essex. ... back in school, ... she got sperm in her eye.

So many types of win there.

SpeedFreak said:
I'm probably overly sensitive due to my half Chinese half Irish child being due early in the new year .

Poor little mite is going to get serious grief for being part Mick.

The_blue said:
Out is interest to the new and improved thread topic, what do you call your local Asian run corner shop?

Spar.

Eddie · 16 Oct 2010 at 14:14

Forde said:
A little Google treat for ya

Halfmad said:
You are missing the point, it's not whether you mean someone to take offense by using the term, it's whether or not they do. It can and has been used in the past as a racist term, the same way we don't call corner shops by the ethnic origin of some of the people running them..

PS I still use both words occassionally, as like you I'm daft enough not to mean offense, but my wife is constantly telling me off

Being a Brit we also have various terms that are used to describe us in possibly a negative/derisory way. Never once have I been offended by any of them as I think that they can only be classed as an insult if they are used in the specific 'racist' context i.e. the person is deliberatley trying to be racist towards me.

I'm not too stupid to know the difference in that regard, or else I'd be getting into pointless arguments and debates practically every day. Me saying that I'm having a chinkie is not me deliberately trying to be racist towards Chinese people, it's simply me saying I'm going to have something to eat and it's going to be that specific thing. The fact that a Chinese person may find that to be racist is a mark of that particular Chinese person, imo, not me.

Jono8 · 16 Oct 2010 at 14:39

You want pray game?

Brian8bit · 16 Oct 2010 at 14:52

shoot1st said:
The fact that a Chinese person may find that to be racist is a mark of that particular Chinese person, imo, not me.

The fact that you would choose to use the term chinkie as opposed to chinese says more about you that what you're eating or where you're getting from and how the people and place you're getting it from may view the terminology.. You uncouth heathen.

InvaderGIR · 16 Oct 2010 at 14:54

Fenris said:
Don't tarnish the rest of us with your scummy racist brush.

Most of us just call it "A Chinese".

Indeed.

There was a sketch about it on PeepShwow, but it's not on youtube from a quick search. Essentially, Chinkie IS racist slang for Chinese (people and their food).

markk · 16 Oct 2010 at 15:02

I'll think of this thread when I have a chinkie later, yum can't wait

Eddie · 16 Oct 2010 at 15:05

Brian8bit said:
The fact that you would choose to use the term chinkie as opposed to chinese says more about you that what you're eating or where you're getting from and how the people and place you're getting it from may view the terminology.. You uncouth heathen.

Yes, I think it states that I'm not afraid to say or use the words that I want to. In this case I'm obviously not intending it to be racist, but I can't help if someone takes offense, that's up to them.

InvaderGIR said:
Indeed.

There was a sketch about it on PeepShwow, but it's not on youtube from a quick search. Essentially, Chinkie IS racist slang for Chinese (people and their food).

I'm eating food that (alledgedly) comes from China, this is what I refer to when I say the word 'chinkie', that it comes from China, not that it was cooked by a Chinese person.

Wizzfizz · 16 Oct 2010 at 15:06

Chinkie / Chinks, it's all related racism.

Enjoy your meal.

Eddie · 16 Oct 2010 at 15:10

Wizzfizz said:
Enjoy your meal.

This is a really serious post isn't it, you're sat there thinking 'ha, that'll **** 'em up while they're sat there eating their chip, peas and gravy".

Brilliant

Wizzfizz · 16 Oct 2010 at 15:12

Nope not really but please make of it as you will.

Edrof · 16 Oct 2010 at 15:20

The term 'chink' is as racist as any of the other ethnic slurs.

Ignorance of the reality of the term is not an excuse.

Having said that, you seem like a nice guy

save me some crispy duck because I could eat that stuff whole!

ordinaryjoe · 16 Oct 2010 at 15:28

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=chinky

Also, why would sperm in the eye result in needing an eye patch? Would an eye wash not be enough? It's not exactly sulfuric acid

Eddie · 16 Oct 2010 at 15:33

Forde said:
The term 'chink' is as racist as any of the other ethnic slurs.

Ignorance of the reality of the term is not an excuse.

Having said that, you seem like a nice guy save me some crispy duck because I could eat that stuff whole!

Why, thank you

As I've said a few times though, I didn't mean anything by it, it's just a very sad reflection of the world we live in today, imo.

Am I at all bothered by it?, well, no tbh. But I am bothered by the fact that we can't open our mouths these days without offending someone...somewhere.

At the end of the day I was just making a thread about why spare ribs are called spare ribs...