Post by OldGit on Dec 9, 2004 11:10:32 GMT 1
The debate about Cynical Shrew is an intriguing one. It generates an awful lot of heated argument and the very mention of his / her pseudonym is almost guaranteed to produce a thread of many pages. That in itself is fine, because the purpose of message boards is for folks to express opinions and let off a bit of steam. You could argue that the direction of postings gets a bit obscure at times, but as a self-confessed thread hijacker I can hardly complain.
What concerns me, is not the views of CS, we are all able to take a balanced view of these - or at least the majority seem to be. However, I stand on the Riverside and hear the chants from behind - thankfully few in number and wonder why they still persist? Also, not far away are those who join in the "where's yer caravan" or "gippo" taunts. Clearly there are those who think Monkey Noises are off limits, but Gypsy baiting is OK?
Now I don't expect to live in a perfect world, and I know that because our society is so diverse, that we will always have a broad spectrum of opinions and views. I also know that times change and so do attitudes - the "comedy" of the 70's (Alf Garnett, Jim Davidson, Bernard Manning) is frowned upon now, having been highly-rated (in terms of viewing figures) 30 odd years ago. In fact, both my Mum and my Mum - in - law, would qualify as Rascists under most definitions. It seems to be a factor of their generation that "immigrants" are the cause of most social problems. If I have learned anything, it is to be tolerant and try to understand people's motives. It is by our actions that we are measured. Words are cheap, and often wielded as weapons by those neither skilled in their usage nor understanding of their meaning. Call me an "Old Git" and I will laugh, call my friend a "Paki barsteward" and I will see you in court.
What concerns me, is not the views of CS, we are all able to take a balanced view of these - or at least the majority seem to be. However, I stand on the Riverside and hear the chants from behind - thankfully few in number and wonder why they still persist? Also, not far away are those who join in the "where's yer caravan" or "gippo" taunts. Clearly there are those who think Monkey Noises are off limits, but Gypsy baiting is OK?
Now I don't expect to live in a perfect world, and I know that because our society is so diverse, that we will always have a broad spectrum of opinions and views. I also know that times change and so do attitudes - the "comedy" of the 70's (Alf Garnett, Jim Davidson, Bernard Manning) is frowned upon now, having been highly-rated (in terms of viewing figures) 30 odd years ago. In fact, both my Mum and my Mum - in - law, would qualify as Rascists under most definitions. It seems to be a factor of their generation that "immigrants" are the cause of most social problems. If I have learned anything, it is to be tolerant and try to understand people's motives. It is by our actions that we are measured. Words are cheap, and often wielded as weapons by those neither skilled in their usage nor understanding of their meaning. Call me an "Old Git" and I will laugh, call my friend a "Paki barsteward" and I will see you in court.