Prince Harry and the Jew-Haters

American Spectator ^ | 1/15/09 | Hal G.P. Colebatch

[Nachum]

The British media is in one of its periodic fits of moralizing hysteria and convulsion over the fact that Prince Harry called a fellow officer a "Paki" -- a not-particularly-derogatory diminutive of "Pakistani" -- during Army training three years ago when aged 21, and long before his recent front-line service in Afghanistan. (Perhaps I could still sue someone over the fact that as an Australian in London I was frequently called an Aussie, but that's another story.)

[Nachum]

About time someone called it what it was.

[Winniesboy]

"Paki" -- a not-particularly-derogatory diminutive of "Pakistani"

Given the profound ignorance of the demotic usages of British street racists which is demonstrated in that sentence, it's difficult to take the rest of the article seriously.

[eclecticEel]

After his time in Afghanistan, Harry has the right to call a Pakistani anything he so desires.

[Edizzl79]

This poor kid, for heavens sake! How much stuff I said at 21 under a global spotlight, Id be livin in a cave with Obama, I mean Osama.

[3niner]

Given the profound ignorance of the demotic usages of British street racists which is demonstrated in that sentence, it's difficult to take the rest of the article seriously.

So your theory is that Prince Harry is a "British street racist"? Just how would you expect Prince Harry to have gained all his "street racist" background, at the polo club?

It's much more likely that he heard the usage and assumed it was something like Kiwi or Aussie. After all, Pakistan is not a race, it's a nation.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

Would those be the same “street racists” the rest of the article refers to? The ones who flooded London streets with a violent protest against the Jews of Israel?

[maine-iac7]

It's much more likely that he heard the usage and assumed it was something like Kiwi or Aussie. After all, Pakistan is not a race, it's a nation

right - or is referring to a citizen of the UK as a "Brit" going to be a crime too?

[lonevoice]

When I saw the video on Greta Van Sustern’s program, I thought Harry would be in more trouble for saying to another soldier “You look like a rag head” than for using the term “Paki”.

[Billthedrill]

"Resile." Beautiful word.

I will note that those apoplectic over Harry's faux pas are the ones who used to make my friend's forehead veins bulge by calling him a "Yank." He's from Atlanta.

[Winniesboy]

No. "Paki" in Britain is not used as an epithet just for Pakistanis - that's precisely the point. Since the 1960's it's been the street racist's insult of choice for anybody with a brown skin who looks vaguely Asiatic, regardless of country of origin - most familiarly in the tired formulation 'go home Paki', addressed indiscriminately to Indians, Sri Lankans, or indeed Latin Americans - the implication being, among others 'they all look the same'. For a British public figure to use the term in private is fairly close to a public figure in the U.S. using the 'n****r' word in private. The comparison is not exact, but near enough.

That's not to say, of course, that the media froth over the Harry tape isn't absurdly overblown - of course it is. All this tells us, as if we didn't already know, is that Harry isn't exactly the brightest kid on the block.

[Oztrich Boy]

No. "Paki" in Britain is not used as an epithet just for Pakistanis - that's precisely the point. Since the 1960's it's been the street racist's insult of choice for anybody with a brown skin who looks vaguely Asiatic, regardless of country of origin

And if the NatFronters choose to use "Icyfor" instead of "Paki" do the writers for The Bill need to avoid using it?

Ah the perils of a