[Merry Mockmas]

Originally Posted by Redway

Like I said, it was just common decency, Mock. If I said something that potentially came across as offensive in such a fundamentally serious way and I didn’t mean it like that, I’d want to know about it, if nothing else to prevent future misunderstandings and square it with an apology there. Racism and xenophobia are too serious for things like that (intentional or not, and I really do believe it was unintentional in the case of Sarah) to just be wrapped up as a joke. It’s just like making an allusion to black people being monkeys because Segun or Makosi ate a banana. It might not be intended but if it comes across as potentially racially offensive, it’s only right to be called up on that. And, again, it’s easy to dismiss these things as “just a joke” when you’re not part of a group that’s been historically marginalised or oppressed but you’ve just got to have that awareness and understand how what you say might come across as a certain way to someone from that group. So far as your intentions are good and it’s not truly beyond the bounds of what could be understood as a joke from either side, hopefully that’s as far as it goes, and as for as B.B. is concerned that is the end of the matter where Sarah’s involved. It wasn’t a punishment. It was just a quiet word.

I know you don’t mean any harm yourself but I’m really not going to agree with you on this one.

Fair enough.

I personally think that anyone making monkey or ape comments towards black Housemates (like Caroline did to Adam years ago like someone else has referenced on here tonight) is probably not joking imo, as I wouldn't even know where the punchline would even be.