Not too sure why you have dragged racism into this thread? Pikey is a nickname for a group of people surely? Would it be racist to call a Greek person a Bubble? or a Welsh person Taffy? It may not be appropriate in
some circumstances but racist it is not.(IMHO)
Well actually, the Welsh do find Taffy racist as the Scots find Jock racist too, but it's probably not for me to argue for them.
It's a bit rich for people to start telling minority groups that terms' used to describe them in a derogatory, spiteful and vicious manner for 40 years, isn't racist, just because people now lump in 'Chavs'.
Everyone (that means all of you) knows that 'Pikey' is a derogatory term. Have any of you been called a "dirty pikey" before? It's EXACTLY the same as being called the 'N' or 'P' word
the reason being that both are used by bullies, when trying to make said person feel belittled and oppressed yes, do you remember the WWII, or haven't you got that far in the curriculum yet?
Ok, we could just let it go that it was meant as a joke towards 'Chavs' (why that's better I don't know), but I'm afraid a couple of people in this 'thread' have pretty much made it clear that they're talking about Gypsies. That's where AV Forums have a problem
some of the stereotyping has been outrageously racist and some initial comments (albiet not specific) has been by Moderators, who moderate offensive language
apparently.
Penno: "Stealing cars, flogging roses in pubs for "childrens' charities", nicking lead off roofs, burgling garden sheds, blagging entry to old peoples house to rob them, doing dodgy tarmac jobs ("we've got some black stuff left over from a job up the road"), sometimes with mint imperials used as a substitute for white chippings, or, reportedly, using snow to lay slabs on when the sand ran out, stealing your b*llocks if they weren't in a bag and anything else that's not nailed down and anything that is nailed down but will fit in the back of an untaxed Transit when nobody's looking."
Someone expalin to me how this isn't inflammatory and unhelpful?
Someone explain to me how this isn't racial sterotyping?
Someone explain to why I am a graphic designer and yet still
a gypsy?
IanJ: "We would prefer it of people did not refer to genuine honest Romanies as pikeys but as a descriptive word to refer to low life thieving scum who may or may not have a fixed abode - the word is useable" Ian, I can see where you're trying to come from, but I'm afraid you're just making the same mistake as everyone else. The most common use of the word 'pikey' is to describe a Romany Gypsy, and plenty of people out there take your words and twist your meaning. This day and age you just can't use terms like this when innocent people can be potrayed as thieves and villains.
English Romany Gypsies are NOT: New Age Travellers, Irish Travellers, Chavs, Sink Estate Dwellers, Prisoners (amazing though it seems, the prisons are full of NON-Gypsies so maybe you should all be calling yourselves Pikeys eh?), (the important one) People who live in CARAVANS!. Yes, I'm afraid hard as it is to believe gypsies are in fact a RACE of people. Yes, they are what they are through heritage and bloodline, not how they choose to live and plenty of us own our own houses, have an education and further education and are still called 'pikey's' every single day by people who know they are romany gypsies through school, or their family etc. It's a burden being what you are when we should be proud of our heritage. If you think that all gypsies are nomadic, then you're wrong. If you think you have to be nomadic to be a gypsy, then you're wrong. If you think you gypsies shouldn't be offended by the word 'pikey', then you are misguided and wrong.
So when you use derogatory words to describe them
it's racist. End of story.
PS. There's no point in arguing with me. You're all wrong as you don't live with the racist slurs each and every day so please don't try and patronise us by copying and pasting meanings from dictionaries.
An apology from the Moderators and Penno would be nice but I don't expect it. Also, I would insist the term 'pikey' is NOT usable anymore please. It doesn't NEED to be used and a race of people would feel happier if it wasn't used.
I enjoy using AV Forums and find it very useful and informative
hopefully I have been of some help informing everyone today
Cheers