I've just got home from a visit to my parents. My Mum is seventy now, and tonight she was describing the mess the front lawn was in. "It looks like a wog's house" she said.
It made me smile, because there is no doubt that her utterance was racist. It described a race of people in a negative way. There's no 'interpritation' about it. If I were to say to her (as I have before) "you can't say that these days Mum" she'd just say "well I don't mean anything by it".
And I *know* she wouldn't mean anything by it.
My Mum, in the seventies, once applied to adopt a young black child whose Mother was in trouble. I remember her asking me if I minded a having a 'little brother' who needed our help, and having a long chat about it. I was about seven. I'm sure she used the expression 'wog's house' then, just like loads of people on building sites and factories all over the country use the term 'Jewish' to describe someone mean with money.
I know my Mum, in puruing the adoption, saw a child in need rather than the colour of his skin, and if she's going to say ill-advised things now she's seventy, that are a leftover from her youth, I'm not going to 'put her right' in her own home.
Heck, her Mum used to tell her to wash her hands because the bus conductor was black!

What I don't like is the assumption that if someone uses a certain word they're instantly labeled a 'racist'. That's a very sinister and serious allegation. There's a lot more to being a true racist than terminology. But I know you all know that.

Have you seen the 'Extras' episode where the girl get's uptight with her black date, and tries to hide her toy gollywog. He sees her and says "what's that?" and she says "it's my Golly. . toy".
"Your WHAT" he says
"My gollytoy".

It's bloody hillarious!

I'm not saying it's right to use these words, I don't use them, and it's up to us and future generations to make sure the ignorance of our parents isn't passed down, I just thought it funny my Mum said that tonight.

Bless her!