Grandad March 25th, 2008
I was browsing around my Reader this morning and what do I see?
I see Damien Mulley telling the world that "Grandad is bringing Irish blogging into disrepute."
Now, if anyone else said this, I wouldn’t turn a hair, but Damien? I must have done something really bad.
Have I been walking around with my zip undone again?
Has that little incident behind the Alexander Hotel at the Awards night come to light?
Had I misspelled something on my site?
I was worried, so I followed the link.
Oh dear. I have really upset Jenny.
Now, I don’t know who is the more confused – Jenny or me? Because I wrote about things like Christmas being called Winter Holiday in case people might be offended. She replied by saying [and I quote] "So, Grandad, I’m for the removal of all pensions and all health care and housing for old people". That is where my confusion started, but I think she was confused long before then. She is also writing about "baa baa black sheep, black coffee and personhole covers". She really is confused, because I never said anything about them.
The only areas where I may have given her cause for concern [if she had read my post properly in the first place] were my mention of goliwogs and foremen.
When I wrote about golliwogs, I was referring to little toy dolls. Fifty years ago, they were common in toy shops. The strange thing is that I don’t think they offended anyone. They were just little rag dolls, that happened to be made out of black cloth. They didn’t blacken my opinion of any particular race. They were just traditional dolls. Kids have had them for generations. There are plenty of dolls made of white cloth too. They don’t offend me. Nor do dolls dressed in a particular national costume.
However, Jenny seems to have gotten the idea from this that I am all for ‘nigger bashing’? That is a leap in logic that has me dumbfounded. I am not racist, and never have been. I believe all people are equal. In fact I believe that all people are so equal that no group should be singled out for special treatment. In fact, I could argue that it is racist to single out one group for special consideration.
Then me come to the gender thing. I did say that I deplored the foreman/foreperson syndrome, simply because it was silly. Jenny retorted by saying that using words like foreman and chairman were a barrier to women’s progression in the workplace? That is a strange argument. If that were the case then we should have had a lot of female pilots and captains and holding other high positions of non-gender specific titles. But that wasn’t the case. Yes – there was [and still is] discrimination, but that has absolutely nothing to do with words.
You see – what I have been talking about is words. Just words. Not attitudes or racism, discrimination or gender bashing. You say words colour our view of people? I would say that if they do, then possibly you have a latent tendency to discrimination that you are afraid to admit.
I would ask you, Jenny to reread my original post. You seem to have completely misread it first time around.
And as for the last bit -
And if you are offended by any of the above, then fuck off.
You snivelling little cry baby.
That is called irony.
I think Damien appreciates irony.
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