Why should it be interpreted as antagonistic though, what - just because someone decides they're 'offended' by something? Nah sorry, that IS walking around on eggshells - and I have far better things to be worrying about, than trying to be everyones lil buddy. That's got absolutely nothing to do with "basic good manners" either, so you might want to bring yourself down a little bit there. I can tell from your replies that you're obviously a very judgemental person, and that strikes me as very ironic considering how you're trying to lecture me on manners and behaviours. If you want to put yourself up on a podium - go ahead, knock yourself out mate, but you're deluding yourself if you seriously think everyone else is beneath you if they don't ascribe to your preconceived, judgemental views.
Yes, if they've 'just decided' and have no good reason then fair enough. I already said, I agree with that. It does happen, for sure. And I think it is absurd that the law is ever brought into these cases - this one on the use of yids being a good example:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1544972/Yid-Army-schoolboys-held-for-alleged-racism.html
But some do have a good reason IMO. They may have had a particular term hurled at them before and would rather not hear it. That seems sane and rational to me - not just a case of plucking something out of your arse to be offended about. I used to work with a fella who often mentioned about how he was going to the 'paki shop' or 'I've just been down the paki shop', you get he idea. He would use it synonymously with corner shop. I have no idea if anyone had pulled him up on it before. I suspect he may have been dimly aware that it had another meaning beyond the way he meant it. None of my other colleagues had pulled him up on it anyway. Some probably thought it was a bit off but it wasn't offensive to them, so no need to get involved.
Then, of course, he ran into someone who was of Pakistani hertiage who challenged him about it. Well, the reaction was hilariously cowardly and pathetic. Most ordinary people would just no longer use the term around that person. End of story. No big deal. Yet this guy was indignant and all the cliches were trotted out: 'Paki is just short for Pakistiani like Brit is short for British. So is Brit offensive?' and 'I have a mate who is like you and he doesn't mind it' (O RLY?) etc etc. He couldn't understand why anyone would be offended when he didn't intend it. The other fella could well have had to deal with people abusing him as a 'paki' before and then he has to come in to work and listen to some ****roach use it? fudge that! Worse, when he was engaged in a bit of banter later on, he mockingly pretended he was offended by what was said. So as again to suggest that the fella who had taken offence was being over sensitive. As if his faux offence is the same as being bothered about the use of paki! And again, this chap probably thought he was a right charmer. Whereas everyone else thought he was a bit of a ****. I get the impression he didn't care. He was there to make his money, not friends. But if he went around saying his manners were impecable then it would be a bit laughable.
And this is very similar with the use of 'yid' at football. The Jewish fans who don't like it have good reason, in my view. It has been, like paki, thrown at them as a racist epithet for decades, along with kike, hebe etc. It isn't just like some Jews have just suddenly decided to get offended by yid for no reason. I've listened to their arguments and I can see their point. I don't think they're being frivolous. The only difference is that we're in a big crowd where it used as a badge of honour and we rarely encounter, face to face, Jewish supporters of other clubs who geniunely hate us for using it. Why did you think the Kick It Out campaign came from? It wasn't gentiles moaning about the use of yid, it was Jewish fans of other clubs. The Baddiels are by no means the only ones. To be fair, most who use it aren't even aware that it can be regarded as offensive in some cases. As the 'yid army' school children in the line above found out. Which was half the point behind the Kick It Out campaign. Another reason it has probably lasted this long is because Jews are a tiny minority at football, across the country and on the pitch. What is more, they're not a visible minority. If we'd become known as a 'black club' instead, would we have turned racist abuse around by calling ourselves 'the niggers' or 'the wogs'? Probably not. And even if we had, the practice would have ended long ago when the battle against the idiots who used to abuse black players was won.
I used to be exactly of this frame of mind about the use of the word 'yid'. I saw it as the same as gay people reclaiming 'queer' or black people 'nigger'. Then I happened across a non-Spurs forum a few years back where this was being discussed by several fans of different clubs and plenty of Jewish fans were chiming in. This may well have been after Ken Bates waded in to the debate and blamed us for the problem. There were plenty who dreaded the Spurs game every season because of yid being bandied about by both sides. They bitterly complained about how some anti-semities might be able to hide behind the 'they call themselves yids.... why can't I?' excuse. Another simply didn't even go to the Spurs game anymore because he'd been abused as a 'yid' in the past (away from football) and didn't want to have his children listen to it being used casually as just another name for Spurs fans. I put forward all the arguments here about reclaiming the word and was met with an angry: 'are you a Jew then'? Which is a fair point. Some black people reclaimed nigger and use it amongst each other. Some gay people relclaimed queer and use it among each other. I was a gentile saying I was a reclaiming yid on behalf of Jewish victims of racism and was ignoring the views of some Jews who didn't want to hear it. The Jewish fans were rightly mocking this absurdity and arrogance. That is when I changed my mind. And to me, this is more pertinent than what some geezer in Tel Aviv thinks about it all. Meanwhile, Jews in this country have had to put up with this sort of crap since they first came here (or came back here after being expelled in the 13th century). Right through Mosley and Cable Street and still after the war when they had form the 43 group (Jewish ex-serviceman who battered the remaining fascists who were organising after the war) right up to the present day. It therefore stands to reason that British Jews might have encountered the term as a term of abuse more often than someone born and brought up in Israel.
Lets be clear, the Kick Racism video was pretty crap. If Baddiel wrote it, then he got the point across badly. The start of it mentions how 'yid' is as offensive a term for a Jew as 'paki' for an Asian person or 'nigger' for a black person. I think that is up for debate. Baddiel may think that but I think it is safe to say that some Jews aren't bothered by it. It should have just said 'some Jews find this term the same as being called a nigger or paki'. Then the worst part of the film is the bit where Lampard comes out with the 'you probably think yid isn't offensive. It is just a name for a Spurs supporter. They call themselves it... but what about these chants?' cuts to Chelsea supporters singing 'Spurs on on their way to Auschwitz'. Of course, this is nothing like the same the thing. It would have made more sense to cut to fans shouting 'you yid ****s' or 'yid whatever'. Yid being a term of abuse but arguably being used to mean 'Tottenham supporter'. People have been chucked out of grounds and banned for calling us 'yids' in the past. If they'd made this point, then it would have made some sense.
Overall though I got what the Baddiels were saying and I don't see any evidence for saying that this is just a whim for them or they're just being over-sensitive. They probably are offended by the use of the term. They have good reason to be. They probably do want to stop it being used at football. They were just asking Spurs fans politiely to help by not using it. That is all. It is fair enough if people haven't come across any other Jews who are bothered by it but it doesn't mean they don't exist. Eventually, like with a lot of these things, the message will perhaps slowly sink in. I've noticed the yid chanting less and less in recent times. That said, I have no idea if that is the campaign working or the atmosphere just isn't what it used to be....
