The other day, the protestor known as “Young Bob” was arrested for allegedly using the term P***.
I’m surprised at some of the comments I’ve seen on social media on this especially from Christians 1. If he did not say it/ there are no witnesses that is an issue. 2. We can debate when language becomes a criminal matter. However to be clear the term allegedly used is not some amusing affectionate slang. It is a pretty nasty racist slur targeting Pakistani and South Asian origin people. I grew up in Bradford in the 70s/80s and references to P… bashing meant the term took on particularly violent connotations.
Trying to understand how this has come about is another matter. It is possible that Christian Nationalist allies see this first and foremost as an attack on one of their own. If so, there seem to be some perfectly reasonable options for defending him. Specifically they could raise points 1 and 2 above.
Additionally, I guess it is possible that those defending the slur genuinely are unaware of its connotations. However, that again seems unlikely given its well known meaning. This leaves us with a couple of options.
- Either friends of Young Bob” know or strongly suspect that he has used the term.
- This is the kind of language used in some circles s to the point where it has been normalised.
- There is a deliberate attempt by some people to normalise the language.
- Free speech has been prioritised over all other concerns to the point where some people will campaign for the legal right to use the language over and above any moral concerns about its use and impact
Again, the 4th option seems legitimate though it seems to me to fit closer with my question about criminality. The argument about morality is not lost and in fact is strengthened if we acknowledge the moral problem whilst defending people’s right to use language we consider morally repugnant.
The risk with normalising this specific term is it becomes part of a context where south Asians are tarred with the same brush as criminal grooming gangs and labelled as an invasion or with even worse dehumanising language.
The specific slur should never be found on our lips as believers.
