“You realise that’s racist mum”

But love0c would you have said that if your granddaughter was black / mixed race? Being taunted with monkey noises is a well known way of taunting black
players in football.

We took out little granddaughter to the zoo at the weekend. She is a little treasure. When she was running across the wobbly bridge I called out 'you are a little monkey'. Thankfully I was not arrested!

Oh the self- righteousness of youth- especially when based on a lack of understanding.

Oh no, my mistake. I knew a couple of them when I taught in South London, Just assumed they were local ?

Summerlove

I cannot define what I mean by ‘sounding like a black group’.

If my comment offends. I apologise. It is meant as a compliment actually, it’s a great sound.

Kali2 Don’t go there. I’m not playing your game. I repeat with emphasis Codswallop!

Boney M weren’t a German group. Unless there is a different Boney M as well as the South London one?

How insensitive tickingbird. I trust that you do not have close family, grandhchildren or great friends who have been taunted and bullied for their skin colour.

What codswallop. I’d advise your son to get a life.

I didn't mean to deflect from the OP, my apologies.

The creator of the group and song writer was a German record producer called Frank Farian. He sang on the records and Bobby Farrell lip synched during performances. Bobby Farrell may have sung on some later performances but the early ones were Farian.

Juno56

The singer of lead vocals in Boney M was white and German ?.

Boney M were a German group but none of them were white.

The singer of lead vocals in Boney M was white and German ?.

I agree I havent heard that phrase in a very long time, it will just disappear.

I've always thought "blue-eyed boy/girl" a silly phrase. It should just go especially if it offends.
I don't think many young people would know that phrase so it will fade away over time.

This has taken an odd turn.....

Summerlove ther are many black groups and so you can get many different records.
Just a quick example try Rivers of Babylon by Boney M it is old now but still quite catchy

Calendargirl

Listening to some music at a BBQ at DS’s home once, a record was played and DS asked me if I knew who the group was. I didn’t, but said they sounded ‘black’.

That was a no-no apparently, but I meant nothing offensive with my remark. I hardly dare open my mouth now.

What does a black group sound like?

to say something is just a saying is not an excuse.
remember the agatha christie book with the unmentionable title; it is now called, and then there were none, which is fine.

and that's a useful site for looking up official lyrics, re the mondegreens.
thanks.

Judy Collins did.

genius.com/Judy-collins-i-know-where-im-going-lyrics

vegansrock

Obviously blue eyed boy isn’t a directly racist term, but it’s an example of everyday language which sees “white” as pure, desirable and “black” as something to be avoided - there are numerous examples “whiter than white”, “ pure as the driven snow”. “black mark” “dark forces”, “black market” etc These are phrases that many of use use unthinkingly , and whilst they aren’t directly racist in any way, they nevertheless reinforce the beliefs that white is positive/ black negative. Surely in the light of our awareness that language can have an effect on unconscious bias, we maybe should give some thought as to the way we use such language.

Absolutely.

Listening to some music at a BBQ at DS’s home once, a record was played and DS asked me if I knew who the group was. I didn’t, but said they sounded ‘black’.

That was a no-no apparently, but I meant nothing offensive with my remark. I hardly dare open my mouth now.

Chestnut

vegansrock it’s an example of everyday language which sees “white” as pure, desirable and “black” as something to be avoided - there are numerous examples “whiter than white”, “ pure as the driven snow”. “black mark” “dark forces”, “black market” etc These are phrases that many of use use unthinkingly , and whilst they aren’t directly racist in any way, they nevertheless reinforce the beliefs that white is positive/ black negative.
Black is associated with night time and the forces of darkness, hence black magic. Nothing to do with race, the darkness is what brings out the evil forces. They are gone when the sun rises and daytime arrives. So black being negative and evil, and white being positive and good is correct in this sense. It is coincidental that black people have dark skin, but there is no racial connection whatsoever. Not unless people choose to associate black skin with everything in the world that is black.

But of course they're linked. We call people 'white' and 'black' specifically because of racial dominance. Because people aren't actually white and black, but are really various shakes of brown, from beige, up to walnut brown or darker.

In the same way language defines male & female in a patriarchal system, our language is heavily weighted against darker people in a white dominant system.

I’m practising a song for our local folk club, ‘I know where I’m going”. One verse says:-
‘Some say he’s black, but I say he’s bonny,
The fairest of them all,
My handsome, winsome Johnny”
At the bottom of the page, the asterisked *black is explained as dour, ungracious.
This a very old, traditional song. Am I obliged to change the word?