Is It Is Now Deemed Racist For Our Troops To Black-Up?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3851226/British-Army-accused-racism-blacked-soldier-tweet.html

Will this now make white soldiers more conspicuous to the enemy?

Well here is one who has surrendered to the PC brigade.

https://www.wideopenspaces.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Facepaint1.jpg

[naomi24]

A robust sense of humour would be better all round. More 'preciousness'.

[Mamyalynne]

I'm of the opinion someone is paid to post such stuff to give the Twitterers something to get Tweeting about.

[andy-hughes]

Naomi - //A robust sense of humour would be better all round. More 'preciousness'. //

The standard defence for anyone whose 'humour' is questioned, is to state that the questioners lack a sense of humour of any kind.

It's standard - but it's not valid as a defence.

If I smacked yon in the face hard enough to make your noise bleed and your ears ring, and then laughed until I vomited, would you join me in saying I had a robust sense of humour, because I meant it in fun?

[andy-hughes]

Sorry - 'you' and 'nose', my spell corrector is getting carried away!

[ichkeria]

I actually think the tweet would have been actually quite funny and to the point if they'd used the second picture :-)
I honestly don't "get" the point of the original at all. Is it because it's broad daylight? But then, the chap is not camouflaged: he looks like a black and black minstrel!

[naomi24]

andy-hughes, what a strange analogy. I can't see the correlation between physical violence and a picture.

[Lunol]

Divebuddy I'm not a statician but who came up with those stats?

Don't those cops you mention have bullet proofed vests, are trained in street combat and shoot to kill along with usually are in a safe zone behind car doors with several other colleagues all guns trained on the "Suspects"?

I'd say that the odds on their sides recieving death are stacked on their side by huge margins wouldn't you say?

Don't those cops have other options including tazers or shoot to maim and not kill?

I do not at all condone shooting at cops but if you were a black male with a gun violently pulled up by the police, screamed at,surrounded and you thought your life was going to end what would you do?

Personally i'd toss the gun out of the car or just comply until they found it themselves whilst cuffing me but you can't blame the black community for being jumpy seeing the current racist climate that has always plagued the U.s.

[Lunol]

"I'd say that the odds on their sides recieving death are stacked on their side by huge margins wouldn't you say?"

I meant "I'd say that the odds on their sides recieving death are low and that they'll go home to their wives and kids are stacked on their side by huge margins and the odds that the black youths will go to the morgue whether they've commited a crime or had a gun or not is very likely.

Would you agree with that statement?

[EDDIE51]

The 'Zealous Scouts' of Ian Smiths Rhodesia were infamous for 'blacking up' to disguise them selves as black Africans, so that they could get near enough to shoot them.

[naomi24]

Eddie. I think you mean the Selous Scouts - and the rest of your post isn't entirely accurate either.

[Baldric]

The World appears to be becoming over crowded with those who just cannot wait to be offended on behalf of others, a sad state of affairs imo.

[andy-hughes]

Naomi - //andy-hughes, what a strange analogy. I can't see the correlation between physical violence and a picture. //

That's because you've got no sense of humour! I think it's funny, therefore it's funny!!!

You see what I mean - it's no defence at all.

OK - let's try something more topical - if you were shopping and a scary clown jumped out at you, would you laugh uproariously - because it's funny?

[naomi24]

andy-hughes, //You see what I mean//

No, I don’t see what you mean. You suggest smashing my face in, or alternatively frightening the wits out of me with a scary clown. How do either of those scenarios equate to a picture of a man with his face painted black?

[andy-hughes]

Naomi - //andy-hughes, //You see what I mean//

No, I don’t see what you mean. You suggest smashing my face in, or alternatively frightening the wits out of me with a scary clown. How do either of those scenarios equate to a picture of a man with his face painted black? //

I think I am not making my point.

The first action is extreme, the second less so, but the common link is that you could find someone that thinks they are funny - even though they are clearly not.

My point was to illustrate that the oft-used argument that people who don't find something funny lack a sense of humour is bogus, because you can find people who think the most inappropriate actions are funny, and think that anyone who doesn't is humourless.

That's the point I am after.

To return to the OP - because someone doesn't think the picture is funny - and I didn't, does not mean I lack a sense of humour - I don't.

I wasn't offended by it, I just think the humour it tried to raise was singularly absent - it simply isn't funny in my view.

[Baldric]

I haven't seen anyone on this thread yet who to my knowledge has any experience of Service Life. The humour within the Armed Forces particularly on Active Service, and also within the Emergency Services tends to be 'Black Humour' which in no way reflects the colour of anyone's skin, but is a way of relieving the tensions that go with the job. The mistake here was to put it out in public where it's going to be misunderstood by the majority.

[andy-hughes]

Baldric - //I haven't seen anyone on this thread yet who to my knowledge has any experience of Service Life. The humour within the Armed Forces particularly on Active Service, and also within the Emergency Services tends to be 'Black Humour' which in no way reflects the colour of anyone's skin, but is a way of relieving the tensions that go with the job. The mistake here was to put it out in public where it's going to be misunderstood by the majority. //

I am not so naive as to not understand the concept of black humour.

This was not black humour, it was no humour at all.

[naomi24]

andy-hughes, It wasn’t offended by it either – but, unlike you, I didn’t feel compelled to preach, for the benefit of those who may have smiled at it, the rights and wrongs of humour because you decided it isn’t funny. I’m sick of listening to the whinging of the ‘precious’ brigade who as Baldric, quite rightly, observes cannot wait to be offended on behalf of others.