Need advice from Plods

[headjog]

I know someone, who is a livaboard, who has one of these. He's ex SAS, martial arts expert, and works within the legal system. He's the last man on the planet who would break the law. So one would assume, given all Wanted's research, it is okay to keep it/them, providing they are kept in your place of residence.

[onionbargee]

Do you have the words " i will kill again " scralled on your wall in blood ? if not then were all ok, welcome to the forum.

[Barry]

And finally ( maybe ) ......

 

Plod is an 'innocuous' term. It certainly isn't derogatory in my opinion.As stated previously, Police use it themselves, MOD PLOD, 'Get local plod to deal' being common parlance in control rooms etc etc..... The Met refered to Heathrow Airport Police as 'Plastic policemen' and Constabularies as 'County Mounties', or 'Carrot Crunchers ' all meant in jest ( maybe ? ).

 

In the scheme of things , Plod is actually quite endearing. As a previous poster stated "I've been called ALOT worse ".So true ! And given the monumental frig up of The Met and other Police Services recently, "Plod" is pretty much a compliment isn't it ?

 

I wasn't overkeen on being called 'Trumpton' but didn't mind really because it was mostly in jest if not quite a term of endearment. Tongue in cheek. Mind you we were only ever called that by Plod.

[Guest]

And finally ( maybe ) ......

 

Plod is an 'innocuous' term. It certainly isn't derogatory in my opinion.

 

Well given that we now have three rozzers, plods, coppers or whatever come on and say they think it;s a term of endearment and the like I would have to raise the white flag of surrender.

 

Interesting though that the definitive answer didn't come from any of the coppers on here in the end.

[RLWP]

I don't see the point of re writing history but aknowledging when it is wrong is no bad thing eh?

 

When was it wrong then? It wasn't wrong at the time, and it is now

 

Things change all the time

 

Richard

[twbm]

And finally ( maybe ) ......

 

Plod is an 'innocuous' term. It certainly isn't derogatory in my opinion.As stated previously, Police use it themselves, MOD PLOD, 'Get local plod to deal' being common parlance in control rooms etc etc..... The Met refered to Heathrow Airport Police as 'Plastic policemen' and Constabularies as 'County Mounties', or 'Carrot Crunchers ' all meant in jest ( maybe ? ).

 

In the scheme of things , Plod is actually quite endearing. As a previous poster stated "I've been called ALOT worse ".So true ! And given the monumental frig up of The Met and other Police Services recently, "Plod" is pretty much a compliment isn't it ?

 

All agreed, just to add that the Metroplitan Police are pretty universally referred to as 'the f*ckin Met' everywhere else in the UK. In jest, obviously.

[furnessvale]

Well given that we now have three rozzers, plods, coppers or whatever come on and say they think it;s a term of endearment and the like I would have to raise the white flag of surrender.

 

Interesting though that the definitive answer didn't come from any of the coppers on here in the end.

 

I think your white flag is premature. I served over 20 years in the police and MODPLOD was always seen as being a derogatory term for officers who were "not quite the equal" of home office bobbies.

 

Equally the term "let the local plod deal" is seen as referring to "woolybacks" or others considered less equal than the wide boys at the Yard.

 

George ex nb Alton retired

[Guest]

I think your white flag is premature. I served over 20 years in the police and MODPLOD was always seen as being a derogatory term for officers who were "not quite the equal" of home office bobbies.

 

Equally the term "let the local plod deal" is seen as referring to "woolybacks" or others considered less equal than the wide boys at the Yard.

 

George ex nb Alton retired

 

Maybe if I fly it half mast??

[Guest wanted]

When was it wrong then? It wasn't wrong at the time, and it is now

 

Things change all the time

 

Richard

I think in 1943 the world nigger was derogatory, maybe acccepted but I still think it was wrong. I was a little confused by Alnwicks post to be honest. It read to me as if it were ok to use that term as long as you were defending the country, and if you think it wrong then you are not a 'real' person! I may have just read it wrong though!

 

There were quite a few about who thought the other chap was right at that time. (godwins?)

[RLWP]

I think in 1943 the world nigger was derogatory, maybe acccepted but I still think it was wrong.

 

<snip>

 

I'm not sure that is true. It would not have been widely unacceptable, I can remember it just being a word without insult when I was a child.

 

The whole way of considering how a word might upset a group of people who you know no representatives of is a relatively modern thing

 

Richard

 

The 'N' word is of course wholly acceptable these days as long as you are part of a small group of young, male, black people using amongst themselves. Funny old world, innit

[Guest]

I think in 1943 the world nigger was derogatory, maybe acccepted but I still think it was wrong. I was a little confused by Alnwicks post to be honest. It read to me as if it were ok to use that term as long as you were defending the country, and if you think it wrong then you are not a 'real' person! I may have just read it wrong though!

 

There were quite a few about who thought the other chap was right at that time. (godwins?)

 

But if the film is to be an accurate reflection of history - surely correct to use the original name as it says as much about the culture and attitude of the times as anything else.

[Guest wanted]

But if the film is to be an accurate reflection of history - surely correct to use the original name as it says as much about the culture and attitude of the times as anything else.

I have no interest in seeing history re-written, just aknowledging where things were wrong in the past.

[CanalWalker]

I dont think the name of a dog is very important in the story of the Dambusters and World War Two. In fact you could take the dog out of the story and not lose anything.

[RLWP]

I dont think the name of a dog is very important in the story of the Dambusters and World War Two. In fact you could take the dog out of the story and not lose anything.

 

Oh yes? How do they confirm success at destroying the dam then? In the real world, the dog's name was the code word for success

 

To be honest, the books are the best reference, the original film is good, why do we need a new film?

 

Richard

[Guest]

I dont think the name of a dog is very important in the story of the Dambusters and World War Two. In fact you could take the dog out of the story and not lose anything.

 

The name of the dog is historically important as it was used as a call sign confirming as successful breach...

 

 

ETA - Richard beat me to it.

 

why do we need a new film?

 

Richard

 

I think it's become a bit of a fad to re-make old classic films. The remake of the Dambusters seems to be taking an age though - I seem to recall it was first talked about in 2008.

Edited July 18, 2011 by MJG

[CanalWalker]

its not like they have written the bouncing bomb out, or the dams or the people killed in the raids, or changed the plot so Americans design and drop the bomb. Some people just love to complain about this sort of thing, no doubt its health and safety gone mad. If you think that the pilot saying Digger instead of Nigger will ruin the film then dont see it. or go to the loo during those seconds. The film is not about the dog.

[RLWP]

its not like they have written the bouncing bomb out, or the dams or the people killed in the raids, or changed the plot so Americans design and drop the bomb. Some people just love to complain about this sort of thing, no doubt its health and safety gone mad. If you think that the pilot saying Digger instead of Nigger will ruin the film then dont see it. or go to the loo during those seconds. The film is not about the dog.

 

Health and safety???

 

Richard

[Guest wanted]

I'm not sure that is true. It would not have been widely unacceptable, I can remember it just being a word without insult when I was a child.

 

The whole way of considering how a word might upset a group of people who you know no representatives of is a relatively modern thing

 

Richard

 

The 'N' word is of course wholly acceptable these days as long as you are part of a small group of young, male, black people using amongst themselves. Funny old world, innit

 

A Dictionary of Modern English Usage (1926), H. W. Fowler states that applying the word nigger to "others than full or partial negroes" is "felt as an insult by the person described, & betrays in the speaker, if not deliberate insolence, at least a very arrogant inhumanity";

 

This was the earliest ref I could find that alluded to the word nigger being recognised as an insult. Not that far from the time of the dambusters so you may well be right. Although i'll stick to hindsight!

Taken from wiki (bloke down pub?)

 

I

[Guest]

its not like they have written the bouncing bomb out, or the dams or the people killed in the raids, or changed the plot so Americans design and drop the bomb. Some people just love to complain about this sort of thing, no doubt its health and safety gone mad. If you think that the pilot saying Digger instead of Nigger will ruin the film then dont see it. or go to the loo during those seconds. The film is not about the dog.

 

I don't think any body has suggested it would 'ruin' the film have they?

 

We are just discussing the impact of changing the dogs name in terms of the film accurately reflecting history.

 

 

 

typo ed

Edited July 18, 2011 by MJG

[sociable_hermit]

...when real people were defending our country . . .

OMG we're being defended by artificial people!

[RLWP]

OMG we're being defended by artificial people!

 

True:

 

 

RAF Raptor RPV in Afghanistan

 

Richard

[BelgiumBrit]

All agreed, just to add that the Metroplitan Police are pretty universally referred to as 'the f*ckin Met' everywhere else in the UK. In jest, obviously.

 

 

Good one !

[WotEver]

I think in 1943 the world nigger was derogatory...

I disagree.

 

When I was a child living in London we were adopted by a stray black cat which decided to set up home in our lounge, and which we subsequently named 'Nigger'. No harm implied nor taken by anyone when the darned thing went wandering one night and we walked up the street calling "Here, Nigger, come on Nigger".

 

I don't believe it was until some time in the sixties that the word became widely unacceptable.

 

We still had Golliwogs on our marmalade until the mid-eighties. All this PC stuff with 'chalk-boards' and 'chair-persons' is really very new.

 

Tony

[WotEver]

A Dictionary of Modern English Usage (1926), H. W. Fowler states that applying the word nigger to "others than full or partial negroes" is "felt as an insult by the person described, & betrays in the speaker, if not deliberate insolence, at least a very arrogant inhumanity";

 

This was the earliest ref I could find that alluded to the word nigger being recognised as an insult.

But that quote clearly states that (In Mr Fowler's opinion) it's not an insult if used to describe someone who is a full or partial negroe [sic].

 

I'm pretty confident that it wasn't considered an insulting word until some time in the late sixties - and that the move to make the word 'offensive' originated in the US.

 

Tony

[Nine of Hearts]

Oh yes? How do they confirm success at destroying the dam then? In the real world, the dog's name was the code word for success

 

By saying "We've successfully breached the dam", or something along those lines, peut etre? Unless you're going to insist that in any historical drama you have to use the exact dialogue that was spoken at the time, or else face criticism. It could be argued (and I'm going to) that as the word "Nigger" has connotations today that it didn't have in the 1940s, keeping it in implies a prejudice that isn't historically accurate. By changing the dog's name, you've retained the spirit and nature of the original events, but not the pin-point accuracy of dialogue. Which you didn't have anyway.

 

OMG we're being defended by artificial people!

 

Or perhaps complex people?