Comments:BBC receives 487 complaints after 'Dancing' race row

What is your opinion on Bruce Forsyth's reaction?
So nowadays its ok to racially abuse someone so long you appologise later? Wrong! Bruce Forsyth is wrong to say that where is peoples sense of humour as the nation is well aware that the racial word in question was always said in racist manner and was linked to many racist attacks in the early years, it has never been said in an abbreviation for someone from pakistan,therefore Anton Du Beke's head should have rolled by now and he should be excluded from come dancing.

Bruce is not quite correct, everybody has a nickname except the Belgians. So they don't feel slighted I would suggest they henceforth be refered to as The Flem.
 * You obviously don't know that much about Belgium. The country is spit into two parts. So, yes, the Flemish could be the "Flem", but the Wallonians also have to be the "Wallies". --Brian McNeil / talk 10:57, 10 October 2009 (UTC)

Well, you can't teach an old dog new tricks and the same goes for Bruce Forsyth. He thinks that what happened back in the light- hearted days of Enoch Powell when brown -skinned British citizens were hounded with the name 'Paki' is the same as Americans calling white Brits 'limeys'. Oh how everybody laughed and 'didn't they do well' those 'pakis'. Everyone got along. A bit of 'paki-bashing' never hurt anyone. That's Bruce Forsyths world view and the BBC cynically and stupidly wheeled out the grand daddy of TV to calm the masses. But instead of actually checking to find out what Forsyth's opinion was on racially offensive language, they let the old dog loose and now the situation is worse....so they had to backtrack and issue another statement, no doubt carefully constructed by a clever speech writer, to proffer the official stance the BBC take on these sorts of issues. But the damage is done. It's very obvious that for Du Beke to use such language, and for it to be played off as a 'slip of the tongue', it looks as though there is casual culture of light racism, or else why would it be a 'slip of the tongue'? But back to Bruce: his wife is Brazilian and dark-skinned. In fact, she probably looks like a 'paki' and we all know how Jean Charles De Menezes was shot because the police thought he was a terrorist and a 'paki'. Funnily enough, the same two words that Du Beke used to describe laila. As a joke. Yes, a person died over a mistake. What is someone called Forsyth's wife a 'Paki', would he be outraged or would he tell her to 'lighten up'? Maybe that's his real point....if we all 'lightened up' then none of us would look like 'pakis'.

It isn't a simple as either side is making it out to be. Although a genuine Pakistani would know I wasn't, I suspect to most white people I could easily fob myself off as one with my skin colour. It doesn't stop me cracking jokes at one mate with similar colour; he tends to throw them back in a similar way. Would I dream of saying anything like that to someone I didn't know, and who wouldn't see I was enitirely non-serious? Nope. There's a double-standard. How many comedians tell (bad) stupid Irishman jokes? Well, imagine the uproar if they were stupid black man jokes. It doesn't make racism acceptable in any of it's many forms, and he certainly shouldn't have said that either in that setting or to someone he had only known a few weeks, but... He was stupid, said sorry, and life goes on. If that's the reaction to such a minor slip, then certain mistakes I'm not proud of - and been forgiven of by all but myself - must surely be death penalty offences. Blood Red Sandman (Talk)   (Contribs) 16:06, 10 October 2009 (UTC)

What is your opinion on Bruce Forsyth's reaction?
In a way it’s rather ironic that a television programme that made ballroom dancing cool again should have provided such a flat footed response to the racist comments made by Anton Du Beke to his dance partner Lalia Rouass.

Let’s say the easy things first; yes Du Beke was, in his imagination at least making an amusing remark with no malicious intent. That, of course, does not mean that it wasn’t offensive and the remark should have cost him his job, which would be the outcome of such an incident in any other workplace.

So why have the BBC dragged their feet over the issue, after all they were quick enough when it came to sacking Carol Thatcher for a similar offence?

Cynics would tell you that the sacking of Carol Thatcher had more to do with her second name that the enormity of he crime. Depending on their point of view this allows the cynics to depart to the far corner of the student union bar of their imagination to either gloat over a blow being struck for the oppressed workers or to grumble about political correctness gone mad.

In this case I’m inclined to take an even more cynical view, namely that the BBC has allowed what should have been a simple disciplinary matter to become a minor national scandal as a means of attracting publicity to a programme that is starting to look rather tired.

It won’t work, when Strictly Come Dancing burst onto our screens a few years ago the nation took it to its heart because it seemed to represent the sort of good, old fashioned family entertainment that is all too rare amidst the ‘edgy’ fare doled out to viewers. The last year’s voting scandal and the sacking of acerbic judge Arlene Phillips has taken the shine off Strictly’s reputation and this latest fuss will only hasten decline of a programme that has long since passed its best. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.8.75.78 (talk) 10:17, 11 October 2009 (UTC)

short form national terms
Does a British person get upset if they are referred to as a Brit? Why should anyone get upset over calling someone who is or looks Pakistani a Paki? Is there something so wrong with people from Pakistan that nobody wants to be associated with them? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.251.206.224 (talk) 22:52, 12 October 2009 (UTC)

Acceptable terminology
Okay, so once again people are getting their knickers in a twist over the use of the word 'Paki' - can someone explain why? From what I can see, it wasn't used as a term of abuse or offense in the current context - if Leila had been wearing a kilt & Anton said 'You look like a Scot!', would there have been the same outcry? I think not... I'm proud to be called a 'Brit', & I know people who refer to themselves as 'Finns' & 'Danes' & 'Swedes'... & the list goes on.... Strikes me there are far more serious things going on in the world right now to worry about....... —Preceding unsigned comment added by Moonknight (talk • contribs) 23:18, 16 October 2009 (UTC)