How many Pakis does it take to screw in a light bulb?
 

I didn't read the link, but assume it's the guy with a light bulb in his rectum I read about elsewhere today.

[Captain Obvious]I think he put it there himself to stimulate his prostate and experience some sexual pleasure. I think he's lying when he says he doesn't know how it got there.[/Captain Obvious] At least he isn't claiming he fell on it.

Years ago I stumbled across a medical website with x-ray images of things people got stuck in their butts. I still don't get it.

You just haven't met the right lamp yet.

At least you aren't claiming you fell on it. :-)

It's actually one of the oldest sites on the net...only slightly newer than my home page.

Well day and day out I hear people say, "Stick it up your ass".
I never took it literally but I suppose some people might. :rolleyes:

Damn it, Achmed...I said I wanted a *Bud* Light!

I have spent 16 years fighting against racism in my country. We have a strong neo-nazi political party, complete with its paramilitary wing ( known as Combat 18 .....1=a=Adolf. 8=H=Hitler. Used to be called Combat 88 for Heil Hitler)

One of the most commonly used terms of abuse we hear from both the fascists and racist sympathisers, is 'Paki'. We see it daubed on walls..."Paki's go home. If they're Brown, put them down, If theyre black, send them back" etc.

White girls who date or marry asian men ( Indian, pakistani, Sri Lankan, there is no distinction made) get shouts of 'paki lover' . The 'paki jokes' told by far right comedians are often stomach churning.
An example:

Whats black and brown and looks good on a paki?
Ans: A Rottweiler.

When talking about 'Pakis' , I have heard a right wing comedian say they can never be British even when born here. After all, he explains, if a dog is born in a stable, that doesn't mean he is a horse.

I have just fought an 8 month election campaign where my main opponents were the neo-nazi BNP (British National Party) and the amount of people on the doorsteps who said things like:

"Well, I wouldn't vote for the BNP, but some of the things they say are spot on. It's the pakis that are ruining this country. Us English are becoming second class citizens in our own land"

One lady told me, with no shame at all, that she had withdrawn her daughter from school (aged 12) because ONE 'paki' had joined her year. Not even her class, just her year. A year with over 100 kids in it, and she couldn't bear the idea of her child being amongst that 100 because a single asian child would be there.

In the UK, the word Paki is used with much the same tone and intent and as the word Nigger was in the USA twenty or thirty years ago. Since the recent war on terror it has had a disturbing resurgence. I see graffiti on 'paki shops' all the time now. Particularly in the ward I serve.

Imagine my shock to see that term used here, of all places. I am deeply offended. Sickened. When I read the thread title, I went cold. I just hope that the term is either being used ironically, or carries very different connotations over there. Either way, I feel like my haven has been sullied.

So...you're upset with me about racisim in your country? The thread title is in the context of a lightbulb joke; would you be as offended if it was "How many Polacks does it take to screw in a lightbulb?"?

Ass Bulb
 

Thomas Edison must be turning in his grave.

Turning in his grave? Would that be to cover, or expose, his butt? :lol:

I must say I (another Brit, like DanaC) was pretty surprised and mildly shocked to see the word "Paki" here myself. As to your question, I suppose I would not find that as offensive. How strong is anti-Polish feeling in the States? Are there political parties dedicated to repatriating Poles (or other immigrant populations)? Do Poles get beaten up on the street because of their nationality? Are their shops fire-bombed?

No I am upset by your use of clearly racist terminology. That does not mean I believe you are a racist however.

That would depend on how often and how widely that term was used in an abusive context.

How about how many Poles? that'd be fine. How many Pakistanis? That'd be fine.
Polacks? Not pleasant. How many Niggers? Really not good. How many Spicks? How many Kikes? How many Yids? How many Eggplants? How many Darkies? How many Spearchuckers?

Terms that have traditionally been used in an abusive tone by a dominant culture against a minority race are racist. It's that simple. The fact that it's a lightbulb joke does not stop it being a racist term of abuse.

As I said....You cuold have said, How many Pakistanis does it take to change a lightbulb? The use of racist language does not make it funnier imo.

Well said Limey.

I'd like to add another question to your list....Do other races who look a little similar to the Polish, also get called Polack, regardless of their actual nationality?

In the UK Paki is a universal term of hatred and abuse which is levelled at anyone with brown skin, regardless of their racial heritage.

Indians, Sri Lankans, Pakistanis, Sikhs, Gujeratis, Bengalis; Arabs, Iraqis and Iranians even are often referred to as Pakis by some of the more racist (and more stupid) members of our nation.

It really does equate more to the term Nigger than the term Polack.

That said, Maggie. I really don't want you to think this is an accusation of considered or deliberate racism. I don't for one second believe you actually are a racist. Nothing you have said on these boards would give any such indication. Using a racist term, does not automatically make someone a racist. If it were, we would have to brand most of the human race as such :P

[[edited out. Not really relevant, just me getting a little carried away on the whole 'Fascism in Britain Today' thing:P]]

Ok, I have gone on a little long there:P But the politics of race is something close to my heart. Have I ever mentioned that my dad is from India? What do you think he got called when he was bullied in an English schoolyard? Yah....Paki.

I don't think the term is interpreted as negatively over in the States, Dana. I read it and thought "Pakistani" with no pejorative overtones. As further examples of linguistic differences,

I don't know what either of these even are.

*Smiles* Thanks Clod. I was hoping that would be the case. I wuold hate to think that intentionally racist terminology was acceptable in the cellar. I also, kind of assumed that Maggie wasn't intending it to be racist. But for a Brit to see 'Paki' on here would be a little like you logging in to see a thread entitled, "How many Niggers does it take to change a lightbulb". I am guessing you would do a double-take if ya did. Spearchucker and Eggplant are both outmoded terms of abuse for people of African descent.

Maggie, I am so sorry for hijacking your thread! In my defense, I can only say...hey, I'm British, which means I am also a European...we have had the odd, teensy little problem with racism over here :P It's really scary, when you look into it, just how fast a country can progress from Paki jokes (in the UK context) and cartoons about dirty Jews, to something much, much uglier.

On a lighter note, the article itself was pretty funny :) And the intro joke would have been too, if the word wasn't so loaded over here.