Taking It On The Chin

‘NANCY Dell’Olio’s 110% looks show that the language of football has seeped into our every day life.

Think of a four-letter word that begins with C

Why, only the other day, Anorak Towers’ resident caretaker, Ted, called his assistant ‘a lazy fucking thick nigger’.

A full-scale outbreak of handbags was only averted when our archivist pointed out that Ted was only repeating what he’d heard Ron Atkinson say on the telly just the other day, and meant no offence.

And it was right that there was none taken, because no less a pundit on footballing matters than Jimmy Hill says that such a comment is just a bit of harmless banter.

Indeed, it is no more or less offensive than calling Jimmy a jut-chinned berk.

The Mail hears Jimmy speak out on the matter of Atkinson’s outburst.

‘In that context,’ he said, ‘you wouldn’t think that words like nigger were particularly insulting: it would be funny without meaning to insult a black man. It’s about having fun.’

We would like to stop him right there, but by now Jimmy is in full flow, and continues: ‘What about jokes about my long chin? I mean, nigger is black - so we have jokes where we call them niggers because they are black.

‘Why should that be any more of an offence than calling me ‘Chinny”?

The answer to Jimmy’s question can be found in any number of books about slavery and the wholesale destruction of black peoples’ identity through the language of systematic abuse, nowhere more evident than in the term ‘nigger’.

And if Jimmy Hill is offended by people calling him ‘Chinny’, we humbly apologise and invite our readers to come up with a new alternative name for the former host of Match of the Day and presenter of a show on Sky Sports.

So let’s get the ball rolling with our offering: ‘Sacked’…’

Posted: 14th, May 2004 | In: Tabloids Comment | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink