Political incorrectness I do miss it!

I was going to ask if the back-to-back houses had a loo down the garden (like my Grandma's), but then I thought don't be daft, Rose, they are back-to-back

My earlier post: I had it deleted, not because it was politically incorrect but because I put something personal on there which I decided I did not want on a public forum.

But the other part of it was to Eloethan - it must have been upsetting for your son when some ignoramus called him names. My DM used to say that sticks and stones may break your bones etc etc but spiteful remarks still hurt.

And I hope mentioning my doggy friend Chinky of nearly 60 years ago did not upset anyone - that was his name and it did not seem politically incorrect then (he wasn't mine and I didn't name him!).

Well I am wallowing in nostalgia too Tegan.

My great-grandfather was known as The Hockley Wonder and as well as living in B'ham he was a music hall performer - singer, dancer and comedian.

All I know about Winson Green is there was a prison there in the 50s.

Well, if I rent one you could nip in for a cup of tea . I'm wallowing in nostalgia at the moment having bought 3 books by someone called Gary Smith about Winson Green and Hockley. I found them on the Ted Rudge site; Ted is currently writing a book about the back to backs [more nostalgia]. Going back to the subject of racism Ted has written books about Black Patch Park where the gypsies used to live. I mentioned this to someone in an antique shop [thinking, with it being about history, they'd be interested]. All I got was a venomous exchange about gypsies etc. I pointed out that I was talking about an event that happened over 100 years ago but it made no difference. The anger was almost tangible [if that makes sense]; in fact it freaked me out . It made me think a lot about how it must feel for a complete stranger to hate you just for being 'you'. Years ago I was talking to a young friend of mine who was a basketball player, and made a comment about his height. He pointed out [in a nice way] that people avoided comments when people were short but thought it was ok to pass comment on them being very tall . I never did it again.

I can't remember the size of the holes Ana I just wanted to get in and out as quickly as possible as they smelt and there were always flies about and the loo paper was the Radio Times cut into squares.

You have given me an idea Tegan I would love to take DH up to Brum and stay for a couple of nights in the Back to Backs, but knowing us we would book somewhere a bit comfier and just visit the cottages. Thanks for telling me about it.

I remember those - but usually one was smaller, for a child.

My Gran had an outdoor lav with double seats - now how cosy is that ?!!

What! no lav out the back any more? I remember some with gas lighting and cold water only.

...they have en suite bathrooms ....

On the subject of Brum [never need much of an excuse to do so] did you know that you can stay in the Back to Backs? I'd love to do that for a couple of days [although, on the NT website they look a lot posher than my childhood home].

GrannyTwice - I know we've moved on now (last page) but no, my point wasn't : "we shouldn't be careful about not hurting people," quite the opposite. (sorry 2 double negatives.)
Rules and laws about the protecting the feelings of vulnerable people are very important and should be motivated by compassion.
But in time the organisations responsible for care get over-cautious and add more extreme rules to protect themselves from being sued.
So instead of the motivation being from compassion, it's to avoid paying out money. Which is when you get these ridiculous rules like no cameras at children's shows.
Another point, which I know many don't agree with, is that we need to be less sensitive to insults, real or not. They're always going to happen.

Different sense of humour all together Galen

I would be very wary Tegan, it's walking on eggshell time on this thread.

Probably have to change the name to the Dirty Country or something similar at this rate.

Dare I say we have a black sense of humour [or is that banned now ]?

Southerners aren't the same are they?

Wonderful humour HollyDaze. Yes Galen I remember some of those stories too, that my dear old Mum would roll about at.

I too live in the soft South (East) but have never lost my Brummie humour.

A few years back we visited The Black Country Museum. Although I left Brum when I was 11, I felt when I heard all those around me as if I was back home. It was a bittersweet experience and made me realise how much I miss those type of jokes.

Incidentally having had an Israeli guide in Israel whose name was Eli, I find it's pronounced Ellie

I like the one where Enoch says he's takin the car on the continent for the summer.
Oh I wouldn't do that says Eli.
Why not asks Enoch
They drive on the wrong side of the road replies Eli.

They meet up in the autumn and Eli asks how the holiday had gone.
Oh! We dae go says Enoch
Why not asks Eli
Well, I remembered wot yow sed about the driving.
I tried in on the road to Wolverhampton and it was bludy murder.

Oh he has Galen (even though I was one of those Brummies, we get along great). One of the funniest he ever told me about Enoch and Eli (pronounced Aynok and Ayli for those of non-Black Country origin):

Enoch and Eli were walking home along the train tracks when they heard a train coming. They began to run and Enoch ran up the hillside embankment. Eli carried on running along the tracks. Sadly, Eli was hit by the train. Enoch goes to Eli and says 'why did you carry on running on the tracks instead of running up the embankment'. Eli replied 'if I cor outrun on the flat I ay gonna outrun it up n ill'

I'm born and bred there. Spent the first half of my life there. Been down here in the soft SW for 36 years.
Get yor friend to tell you the Enoch and Eli stories.

Exactly Galen - I have a friend who lives in Tipton (we've been friends since we were 14!) and he, over the years, has told me many stories about The Black Country.

To regress to chinky food. I can't see what is wrong with that name. It's not as though it was anything resembling normal Chinese cuisine which is gorgeous.
The play about the Black Country where they were blacked up May have been to represent the normal appearance of the men who worked in the small backstreet foundries and drop forges. I was a a GP in Wenesbury and remember them well. Their faces on coming out of work were black with dirt and coal dust.

I hope I'm not racist in any way. But I start to feel offended when old traditions that are not meant to be racist suddenly become racist due to people looking for racism when it doesn't exist [I love old traditions; Morris Dancing, Straw Bear Festival etc etc]. Should men be banned from dressing up to go to the Rocky Horror show because they might offend cross dressers [how long is a piece of string?]. IMO a lot of men seem to love the idea of dressing up as women [any excuse..shows, carnivals etc]. I can't help but feel that men who dressed up as the Williams Sisters didn't have a racist thought in their head and, in a way it's unfair to judge them as such. True racists go about their busines in a much more underhand way. I think we need to know just how ethnic groups feel about certain things and not make assumpions on their part. One of my best friends at Grammar School was from Jamaica [the only Jamaican girl at our school]; one of my daughters best friends at school was a member of the only Asian family in our village and my partner and I were the only non Asian people at a birthday party given on Christmas Day the other year [other invited people didn't go, but, to be fair it was Christmas Day].

Thanks for your kind words WhenIm64 I just get upset when I am called a bigot when I am patently not! Heyho at least a few people on his thread have understood that.

I wonder what some folks would think of Geisha Girls painting their faces white - NO don't answer that as I am sure that would open upon another can of worms.

I think I am going to steer clear of threads about racism and all the other isms.

Eloethan, as always a thoughtful and dignified post based on personal experience and careful response to the issues.

It's hard for those of us who have not stood in your shoes to imagine the pain and hurt that those behaviours and comments cause.

And while it's true that there are phrases and epithets that were once common and were used because they were common parlance, there is absolutely no reason or excuse whatsoever for them to be used today. Thankfully, through the efforts of many, we are all better informed, hopefully a great deal more careful of the language we use and more sensitive about the possibility of causing hurt.

Challenging opinions robustly - or even rudely - is one thing. Using language which mocks the intrinsic nature of another person, be it gender, colour of skin, ethnic background or disability is quite another.