Moving the black dog’s grave?
Shy Torque, how right you are! (Even though I post as originally named!)
Why not? We are all posting on what was was initially conceived as an anonymous forum for all sorts of stuff, much of it being politically incorrect pilot banter, some twenty eight years ago. I was there at the time. The forum rules have changed, but none of them state that posts have to be made under one’s real name.
Edit: And if you helped instigate this forum, thank you very much Sir! It's an odd and eccentric community, and all the better for it; I'm honoured to be a tiny part of it.
There is an under-discussed sub-text there, surely?
That is :
Is air-brushing history ever a moral or virtuous act?
If so, how do we differentiate between good airbrushing and bad airbrushing? Dog names and grave inscriptions for example.
As matters stand we have the twee phrases "n-word", "c-word", "p-word". There may eventuallly be another 23 varieties, or even N1, N2 etc. These "words" have trodden in the sanitised footsteps of bogs, Crappers and khazis through loo, lavatory, WC, toilet to the unspeakably coy "bathroom".
Surely much better to write the words, say the words and always acknowledge that then was then, now is now and we [most of us who aspire to decency] have moved on.
If not, we risk bequeathing a saccharine sweet view of the past to the future. That is not progress, but dishonesty.
That is :
Is air-brushing history ever a moral or virtuous act?
If so, how do we differentiate between good airbrushing and bad airbrushing? Dog names and grave inscriptions for example.
As matters stand we have the twee phrases "n-word", "c-word", "p-word". There may eventuallly be another 23 varieties, or even N1, N2 etc. These "words" have trodden in the sanitised footsteps of bogs, Crappers and khazis through loo, lavatory, WC, toilet to the unspeakably coy "bathroom".
Surely much better to write the words, say the words and always acknowledge that then was then, now is now and we [most of us who aspire to decency] have moved on.
If not, we risk bequeathing a saccharine sweet view of the past to the future. That is not progress, but dishonesty.
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It was not done at my instigation but I am certain that I was the first helicopter pilot on the forum, in 1995. I believe my member number, which we all had, was in the low seventies. I posted under a different assumed name back then, because of my specific job role at the time.
I knew someone who flew from Scampton at the end of the war when 617 moved out.
He told me that even then the grave was not correctly marked, and if you served there, you knew where the dog was buried in reality.
I didn’t push on where, as he didn’t seem to want to say.
This was years ago, I was told, not recently.
He’s no longer with us, but the stories he could tell.. mind boggling,. and I genuinely don’t believe he was embellishing them.
He told me that even then the grave was not correctly marked, and if you served there, you knew where the dog was buried in reality.
I didn’t push on where, as he didn’t seem to want to say.
This was years ago, I was told, not recently.
He’s no longer with us, but the stories he could tell.. mind boggling,. and I genuinely don’t believe he was embellishing them.
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Arabella
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It’s a Dog. The only people that care this much about someone’s dog and are so fixated on its name and preserving it have got to be the casual racists. The name was derogatory then as it is now and it is absurd to think that the dog has any link to the success of the raids.
In fact, the linking of the two things in my opinion serves to divide and discredit the effort and sacrifice that went into the raids. Get over it. There were hundreds of dogs on airfields all over bomber command and fighter command but nobody cares where their bones are now? Or are is there actually a huge shift to find the remains of every pet across the RAF during the period? Focus on the crews and the efforts and leave the casual racism out of it.
It should be uncomfortable to know that such divisive names were used for pets when the whole commonwealth were putting their lives on the line to fight the Nazis. Unacceptable then and unacceptable now.
There, I said it.
In fact, the linking of the two things in my opinion serves to divide and discredit the effort and sacrifice that went into the raids. Get over it. There were hundreds of dogs on airfields all over bomber command and fighter command but nobody cares where their bones are now? Or are is there actually a huge shift to find the remains of every pet across the RAF during the period? Focus on the crews and the efforts and leave the casual racism out of it.
It should be uncomfortable to know that such divisive names were used for pets when the whole commonwealth were putting their lives on the line to fight the Nazis. Unacceptable then and unacceptable now.
There, I said it.
I am not at all sure that the peope who bombed me out of my home, machine-gunned me as I ran for cover in Hove, or sent doodlebugs to Sussex were Nazis. That is modern airbrushing of history.
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Meanwhile in oz academia
Poor dears Fancy attending a tutorial about a particular word and having the tutor actually use the word.
Tutor’s use of N-word was ‘academic freedom’
Nicole Precel
A Monash University teaching associate who was suspended after using the ‘N-word’ in class returned to tutorials on Thursday night, after an investigation found he used the racial slur under ‘academic freedom’.
Gary Lacey, who has worked at the university for 23 years, was reported for using the word in a class ‘From Freud to Friends: Ethnic Identity in Popular Culture’ in late February.
At the time, students were offended and complained.
In an email to students, course coordinator Associate Professor David Slucki said the university had ‘‘fully investigated the matter’’ and found that Lacey did not engage in misconduct and ‘‘has not breached university policy around behaviours in the workplace and integrity and respect’’.
‘‘As such, Dr Lacey has been reinstated to his role, effective immediately,’’ Slucki wrote.
Lacey told The Age at the time of the suspension that he apologised to his students when he realised they were upset and said he didn’t mean to offend them.
He said he was ‘‘intimately involved’’ with Black African culture and that his wife was Kenyan.
‘‘I have apologised profusely. I’m genuinely deeply sorry I’ve offended people,’’ Lacey said.
‘‘This was an academic discussion – it’s not the case of a racist running around using racist language. I did make a commitment TO change that behaviour.’’
Lacey said the incident happened in a class where they were discussing the use and history of the word, and had given context.
One student, who asked not to be identified, and is in the course but wasn’t in Lacey’s class during the incident, said she was disappointed by the decision.
‘‘I think it’s a big disruption to the class for the last two weeks of semester to change tutors again. And the whole process with the investigation took around 10 weeks, which I think is pretty poor.’’
On social media, some students have been threatening to boycott Lacey’s classes.
Monash Student Association president Sebastian Schultz said students were concerned about Lacey being reinstated, and still angry about the original incident but he said some were also understanding when it came to the university’s decision.
‘‘There are a few people who are really concerned about the lack of transparency and that’s really what we are concerned about more than anything else,’’ he said.
In a statement, the MSA said it had reached out to the university to find out how this was determined AND what evidence was presented.
‘‘Students deserve to understand the consequences that were imposed, and how the university is working to ensure such offensive behaviour is not exhibited by staff again,’’ he said.
‘‘While the MSA acknowledges the importance of academic freedom, Monash must guarantee its students a learning environment free from prejudice, with transparent consequences for anyone who uses discriminatory language or behaviour.’’
A Monash University spokesperson said a tutor had returned to work after an investigation into students complaints about his conduct in February this year.
‘‘The investigation found the employee exercised academic freedom within the meaning of clause10.2 of the Agreement and the corresponding Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom Policy, anddid not engage in any misconduct,’’ she said.
‘‘The employee fully cooperated with the investigation, has offered apologies to the students and has agreed to modify language.’’
Tutor’s use of N-word was ‘academic freedom’
Nicole Precel
A Monash University teaching associate who was suspended after using the ‘N-word’ in class returned to tutorials on Thursday night, after an investigation found he used the racial slur under ‘academic freedom’.
Gary Lacey, who has worked at the university for 23 years, was reported for using the word in a class ‘From Freud to Friends: Ethnic Identity in Popular Culture’ in late February.
At the time, students were offended and complained.
In an email to students, course coordinator Associate Professor David Slucki said the university had ‘‘fully investigated the matter’’ and found that Lacey did not engage in misconduct and ‘‘has not breached university policy around behaviours in the workplace and integrity and respect’’.
‘‘As such, Dr Lacey has been reinstated to his role, effective immediately,’’ Slucki wrote.
Lacey told The Age at the time of the suspension that he apologised to his students when he realised they were upset and said he didn’t mean to offend them.
He said he was ‘‘intimately involved’’ with Black African culture and that his wife was Kenyan.
‘‘I have apologised profusely. I’m genuinely deeply sorry I’ve offended people,’’ Lacey said.
‘‘This was an academic discussion – it’s not the case of a racist running around using racist language. I did make a commitment TO change that behaviour.’’
Lacey said the incident happened in a class where they were discussing the use and history of the word, and had given context.
One student, who asked not to be identified, and is in the course but wasn’t in Lacey’s class during the incident, said she was disappointed by the decision.
‘‘I think it’s a big disruption to the class for the last two weeks of semester to change tutors again. And the whole process with the investigation took around 10 weeks, which I think is pretty poor.’’
On social media, some students have been threatening to boycott Lacey’s classes.
Monash Student Association president Sebastian Schultz said students were concerned about Lacey being reinstated, and still angry about the original incident but he said some were also understanding when it came to the university’s decision.
‘‘There are a few people who are really concerned about the lack of transparency and that’s really what we are concerned about more than anything else,’’ he said.
In a statement, the MSA said it had reached out to the university to find out how this was determined AND what evidence was presented.
‘‘Students deserve to understand the consequences that were imposed, and how the university is working to ensure such offensive behaviour is not exhibited by staff again,’’ he said.
‘‘While the MSA acknowledges the importance of academic freedom, Monash must guarantee its students a learning environment free from prejudice, with transparent consequences for anyone who uses discriminatory language or behaviour.’’
A Monash University spokesperson said a tutor had returned to work after an investigation into students complaints about his conduct in February this year.
‘‘The investigation found the employee exercised academic freedom within the meaning of clause10.2 of the Agreement and the corresponding Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom Policy, anddid not engage in any misconduct,’’ she said.
‘‘The employee fully cooperated with the investigation, has offered apologies to the students and has agreed to modify language.’’
In fact, the linking of the two things in my opinion serves to divide and discredit the effort and sacrifice that went into the raids. Get over it. There were hundreds of dogs on airfields all over bomber command and fighter command but nobody cares where their bones are now? Or are is there actually a huge shift to find the remains of every pet across the RAF during the period? Focus on the crews and the efforts and leave the casual racism out of it.
The use of a Dog's Name today seems to get some folks knickers in a wad....no matter the context of the use of a six letter word....one that was used as a Military Code Word announcing the success of a very costly but important bombing raid of WWII.
That it was the name of the Commanding Officer's Black Lab Dog, an Aviator that made a tremendous contribution to the victory of that War cannot be ignored or displaced or altered. He named his dog what. he did and that is historical fact as was the use of the dog's name following the raid.
That name was used to identify the dog...only the dog and was not used in any way to suggest any kind of racial slur towards anyone here or any ethnic group in the post some are taking issue with.
I would suggest some of you need to wind your necks in and get over whatever super sensitivities you have about it.
When that form of address is used in reference to any person or ethnic group at these forums I am quite sure a large hammer shall fall on the individual that does so.
What other terms/words/phrases would you sensitive types like to see stricken from the English language and what justification would you offer for that.....the fact that you just don't like it is not going to cut it?
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from the heat generated on here you'd think the dog flew the mission and maybe was awarded a VC
It's a dead dog in every sense of the word
It's a dead dog in every sense of the word
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Chief Bottle Washer
Thread closed for disappointing thread drift.
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