"Paki" remark unacceptable[

[dgriffin]

UK PM says prince's "Paki" remark unacceptable


LONDON - Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Monday added his voice to those condemning Prince Harry for calling an Asian army colleague a "Paki" but said the royal's apology was genuine and should be accepted.

The 24-year-old prince issued an apology after his remarks, captured on a video made in 2006, were published on the News of the World website. He said the comments were made without any racist malice intended.

"The Army is going to investigate it and hopefully he will be given the appropriate penalty," Keith Vaz, chairman of the House of Commons Home Affairs committee, told BBC radio.

In some of the footage on the homemade video, Harry -- third in line to the throne -- is behind the camera and can he heard making a mock commentary. "Anyone else here ... ah, our little Paki friend ... Ahmed," Harry says as he zooms onto the face of Asian officer cadet Ahmed Raza Khan while waiting at an airport to fly to Cyprus.

Harry was also shown telling another officer cadet wearing a camouflage veil during a night maneuver in Cyprus, "You look like a raghead" -- an offensive term for an Arab.

Khan's father Muhammad Yaqoob Khan Abassi said the remarks were "a disgraceful insult."
"That word he used is a hate word and should never be used against any Pakistani."
"When I saw the video I was very, very hurt," he told the Daily Mail.


Probably hurt enough to set up a suicide bombing. But not wear the bomb himself, of course. Is this ridiculous or what? Now, even those in line to the throne are stepping aside for Muslim sensitivities. What do you think would have happened if he had called me a mick or a Papist? Not much.

[concerned]

Papiist, lol, I was called that one day by one of the minister's at Rescue Mission.

I was wondering what was up with Harry when he was talking to those troops with a cigerrette in his mouth. I think the Muslim sensitivity issue is because we attacked them in Iraq, lol. I've heard that Muslim kids in Utica are the ones responsible for turning over the Christian religious statues in the various cemeterie's in the city. Couple of weeks ago I wanted to go into that new mosque that was built on Hopper St( the old Church), I was asked what my religion was I said Catholic and this bearded guy grabbed my arm and said no. Gee I only wanted to see how it was remodeled.

[Clipper]

When did political correctness and sensitivity come to be a major issue in private conversation among soldiers? I wouldn't swear to it, but I think the muslims probably have a few insensitive names for us also.

I know that when I underwent training and served in Viet Nam, we did not always call the North Vietnamese "the most honorable citizens of North Viet Nam". Hell, in boot camp we had an ethnic mix, and we all joked and kidded about our ethnic backgrounds, and no harm was intended or offense taken.

Uh, isn't "paki" the first 4 letters of Pakistan? Kinda like "Brit" is the first 4 letters of Britain! people, GET OVER IT! How the hell is that taken to be a nasty name to call anyone? Get a freakin life Muhammad Yaqoob Khan Abassi. YOU are a freakin insult to your people, with your whine assed bullshit. Behave and don't piss off the prince, and YOU TOO may be granted a convenience store in Great Britain.

[dgriffin]

Corcerned, for many years, the "interval signal" (identifier) on the BBC's World Service radio frequencies was an instrumental ditty that had it's routes in Guy Fawkes Day in Britain, with words (if sung) that went, "Up the long ladder and down the short rope, we love King Billy and Go F*ck the Pope." It was an antidote to a similar Irish saying that expressed ridicule in the opposite direction.* No one ever complained about it, not even the Vatican.

The normal way to express displeasure with others it to avoid them, ignore them and to teach your children that you're better than them. That's what I remember as a Catholic growing up among Protestants. You could call it reverse snobbery, and you'd be right. But no one ever mentioned blowing up the First Presbyterian Church. Or enslaving our women, or making them wear tents, let alone circumcising them.

I hope you had the time to get off a remark to the Hopper Street Bearded Guy that went something like, "you wouldn't get this kind of reception at MY church."

Bottom line: civilized people can live together with differing beliefs about the hereafter, as long as their moral sense is roughly equivalent. The Muslim faith doesn't seem interested in that concept.

* "Up the long ladder and down the short rope, to Hell with King Billy and God bless the Pope.

[lrtill]

Come on! It was clear Harry was breaking balls and good for him for having a sense of humor and "entertaining" the troops. For any of you who have seen Gran Torino - maybe he was just practicing some man talk! If you haven't seen it I highly recommend. Clint Eastwood rocks!

[clarencebunsen]

We have an incoming Vice President and Secretary of State who have both made politically insensitive remarks about the ethnicity of convenience store operators in the past couple of years. At leasr the lad is learning from our best.

[dgriffin]

Jan 12, 2009 19:45:03 GMT -5 clarencebunsen said:

We have an incoming Vice President and Secretary of State who have both made politically insensitive remarks about the ethnicity of convenience store operators in the past couple of years. At leasr the lad is learning from our best.

Well ... our current best vote getters. Sort of like our new best friends.

[concerned]

Be careful if you go into that Arab store near the county building, that old guy is nuts. I went in there one Sunday morning and there was an elderly shabby guy who was asking to buy a box of pasta. He had a problem with his speack maybe because of a past stroke. Well, anyways he went into the area near the cash register to ask that Arab where he could find what he wanted and the Arab shoffed him away cursing him and knocking his to the ground. I helped the guy up but the Arab owner threw him out then started yelling at me. I was going to call the police but didn't. I bought a gallon of milk there the sign on the cooler read $4.00/gal. When I went to pay for it he says" $4.98" and I said sign says $4.00, he says $4.98 you no want you leave the store, do you not want" I said no, he said' then you leave store" Never went in there again.

[frankcor]

Now that's what I call an inventive customer service model. I wish him well.

[bobbbiez]

Not for nothing, but when did "everyone" become so thin-skinned over name calling?

Did everyone forget what we were taught? "Sticks and stones can break our bones but names will never hurt us."

Sorry, but I don't care what you are, I feel all this sh*t is simply ridiculous and very childish.

[dgriffin]

Concerned, you're in the New World of Business, straight from the mid east. I've had the same thing happen to me re pricing in the convenience stores. I bought one of those Big Moose ice cream cones twice a week or so last summer in a store near me. Every time I went to pay, one guy or another asked me for $4. I said, "No, they're $3.50," because that's what I paid the first time. Each time he said OK. Of the various men who waited on me, I never figured out whether it was an owner trying to maximize profits or a worker pocketing the difference. But if I could find the cones in some other cultural venue, I'd no longer shop in what I laughingly call sleeper cell gas stations.