Time To Drop The "bomber" Chris?

[rabbit 1]

Some people really need to get out more

[Eastie 0]

Perhaps he could change it to the name of someone I used to work Chris "CHOPPER" Harris

[Don'sfreelancerider 2]

In these times of political corretness, is it time for Chris Harris to drop his nickname?

 

The final GP this year is in Germany, and I am sure many Germans still have memories of the tactics used by Bomber Harris in the second world war. Carpet bombing of cities, causing fire storms and the deaths of thousands of women and children.

 

Whilst in this country Bomber Harris is a popular wartime figure, using the same strategy oday would surely see him up for war crimes.

 

Imagine if there was a German rider called Herman "SS" Himmler?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Here we go the PC Brigade are here.

[comebackkings 113]

Never heard any germans bitching about "DER BOMBER" Gert Muller.

 

Plus noone from France, Britain, Belgium, Holland or Luxenbourg were much bothered about "DER KAISER" Franz Beckenbauer.

 

So its COME ON BOMBER!!!!!!

[Bobbin' Along 5]

One word in answer to Mr Shovlar's question:

 

 

NO.

Edited July 1, 2007 by Bobbin' Along

[Don'sfreelancerider 2]

One word in answer to Mr Shovlar's question:

NO.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

AGREE.

[Diesel 26]

A British sporting hero changing his nickname to appease the Krauts? Not a chance!

[tomcat 21]

In these times of political corretness, is it time for Chris Harris to drop his nickname?

 

The final GP this year is in Germany, and I am sure many Germans still have memories of the tactics used by Bomber Harris in the second world war. Carpet bombing of cities, causing fire storms and the deaths of thousands of women and children.

 

Whilst in this country Bomber Harris is a popular wartime figure, using the same strategy oday would surely see him up for war crimes.

 

Imagine if there was a German rider called Herman "SS" Himmler?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Didn't we already have a thread on this subject some while back.....

 

I said it then, I'll say it now...... C'Mon Bomber!!!!!

 

Hacked off with all this PC crud these days...who cares, its just a name for heavens sake.

 

I agree with the other poster.... About time you got out more. Its called life, get on with it.

[Mr. Clemens 646]

The name is quite apt for someone who 'bombs' around the track in the way he does.

 

Connotations are added to a person's name by those who want to add those connotations to the name

 

I don't think for one moment that Chris Harris thinks of his nickname in anyother way than people often call those named Harris 'bomber' because of the world war two Bomber Harris or Chopper because of the chelsea footballer.

 

But either way Chris chopped and bombed his way to a great win last night and let's hope it's the first of many times he does it

[BjarneRubble 8]

Hey! If the Germans can send their football team over here, as they did in 1966, each and every one with their Helmut Schoen, who are they to complain about our Bomber?

 

They could have offended a lot of people back then. But we Brits, we just let them get on with it!

Edited July 2, 2007 by BjarneRubble

[BTL 0]

...........no one ever battered an eyelid over former racer, Peter Carr's moniker of "The B52 Bomber!"............

 

Point 1 Chris "Bomber" Harris it is END OF

 

Point 2 I thought Peter Carr's nickname was the Moped (OOOOOOOPPPS! not wishing to offends our esteemed friends from the East) the Motor.

 

But the B52 Bomber - weren't the they Aussie guys who sang "Love Shack"

Edited July 2, 2007 by BTL

[Tipsy_McStagger 3]

But the B52 Bomber - weren't the they Aussie guys who sang "Love Shack"

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

There from Athens, GA, USA ... on with the thread.

[SuzieQ 0]

A British sporting hero changing his nickname to appease the Krauts? Not a chance!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

A tad over the top there!

 

Only amongst the speedway community is his name known! No-one else would have a clue who he is, what he does or anything else!

[longlivefrankie 458]

Point 1 Chris "Bomber" Harris it is END OF

 

Point 2 I thought Peter Carr's nickname was the Moped (OOOOOOOPPPS! not wishing to offends our esteemed friends from the East)    the Motor.

 

But the B52 Bomber - weren't the they Aussie guys who sang "Love Shack"

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

actually they are the B52's and are named after a hairstyle if my memory serves me well

 

and as someone else has pointed out are from USA

[usineC 0]

While I quite agree that politically correct objections to certain language/symbols can very quickly veer towards the absurd, there are broader considerations on this topic that deserves a degree of concern over and above the appearance of the apparent jingoistic bigotry straining to gush forth on this thread from the anti-political correctness brigade.

 

The earlier, somewhat sarcastic, point that suggested banning the nickname 'Pirates' for politically correct reasons, quite effectively illustrated how absurd the pc debate can be. The same could equally apply to, say, the nickname Vikings, for all the violence popularly associated with those northern 'brutes' (just forget about the fantastic art they brought with them, eh!), though if you've ever had a saturday night out in Hull city centre you'd know that never was a speedway team more appropriately named!!

 

Yet, while the posting above states that it's only the speedway community that is aware of the more politically in-correct nicknames (in this thread's case, Bomber Harris) and therefore doesn't really matter, we ought to be conscious that speedway does not exist entirely in some sort of cultural bubble.

 

For example, I recently introduced two brand new people to speedway who have a wide range of interests, both are humorous and well educated. The meeting happened to involve Somerset and they were both absolutely flabbergasted by their Rebels nickname and at how proudly the fans brandished their confederate flags. Cultural symbols do matter and my companions were left wondering just what kind of people would so happily associate themselves with such a strong symbol of southern slavery and the KKK? They're aware of Bristol's history of participation in the slave trade but just how big is the Klan's presence in the west country these days, they wondered?

 

During an initial period of discomfort, and extended period of p***taking, I could only reply that those people waving that flag would be speedway people who really didn't give a toss about the world beyond the fourth bend. Sorry to say, but that didn't sound like much of a mitigation to them!

 

Anyway, you'll all be glad to know that these two debutants thought the speedway was thrilling, but whether they'll decide to venture back into our cosy little cultural bubble remains to be seen!

 

Would it matter if they didn't return, anyway? Well, a speedway club that represents a city with quite a high number of young people from a different cultural background, Oxford, has just gone belly-up, so perhaps the image that speedway projects does matter, after all!!