Quoting bjcc (Reply 2):
Now, I put money on what your next comment is....That the above is rediculous. And yes, you're correct it is, and that is the point, and also the biggest inconistancy in what you are saying. |
No, it's actually not at all rediculous (sic)- only the scale is wrong. What is and isn't racist is frequently (and correctly) defined in terms of what is generally socially acceptable. Innocent phrases often acquire racial connotations over time.
Remember, all these things are just words. They don't have any inherent meaning until they are ascribed one. Meanings can change over time, and things which weren't racist can become such. The phrase "calling a spade a spade" is not racist in and of itself- in fact its etymology is Classical Greek- but if it acquires negative racial connotations then I (and others) should stop using it (at least assuming we don't want to be perceived as racist). Nothing at all wrong with that; it's just how language evolves.
Thus far however, I have never heard anybody in the UK suggest to me that this phrase is racist. That suggests that if such a connotation does exist, it is only perceived by a tiny minority of the population, thus your contention "In the UK you would have just said something (apparently) deeply disrespectful and racist" is at best a massive exaggeration and at worse a complete falsehood.
The problem here is a disconnect between your perception of how commonly people take offense to things, and the reality of how often that actually happens in your life (and by extension the rest of reality). That disconnect can be ascribed mostly to the media's obsession with falsifying stories which support that claim.
At least, hopefully that's the problem- because the next most likely explanation is that you're a rude and offensive person who says rude and offensive things. Let's hope for your sake that's not true- but for plenty of people it unfortunately is.