I was watching Question Time last night - well, there was bugger all else on - and couldn't help noticing that the panel kept referring to Britons as "Brits".
Is it too hard to say Briton? I mean, the non-entities who appeared on the programme last night seemed to have no trouble spouting endless meaningless drivel with considerable verbosity - but seemed unable to extend that to the complete the word "Briton".
Would they show the same laxity if they were talking about some of our European neighbours? When discussing the attitudes of the German population would they refer to them as "Germs"? Or the Italians as "Its"? Or the Belgians as "Bellies"?
I'm not sure when the term Brit was first used, but I do recall that it was a derogatory term for Briton used by Irish Republicans back in the seventies and as such it has no place in common usage - certainly not by our politicians and commentators.
6 comments:
or dare I say it "Pakis"????
Exactly!
I hate the word too. It was the Nationalists in Belfast who started it. it should be stopped if possible.
Nonsense. What about the 'Scots'...
"Scots" is the accepted term for people from Scotland, bernard and therefore equivalent to "Britons". The equivalent to "Brits" would be "Scotch".
I thought it was American english - and that it can be both positive and negative in that context (a bit like Yank?).
To my mind that is the only acceptable context - other users are generally using it in a derogoratory or condescending way or otherwise are just misguided.
I don't think it is used (I can't remember hearing it except on the television) - I think British would be the normal word in normal speech.
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