[Tyrannosaurs]

That's not what I said at all and I suspect you know it.

What I'm saying is that taking what often gets said between English and Scots and drawing a parallel to how they might be seen if directed towards the minority groups you mention isn't a valid comparison.

A history of discrimination can give certain remarks a very different meaning. Context is everything and centuries of oppression is quite some context and doesn't exist between the English and Scots (at least not in a way that the English can have any issue with).

[alexholehouse]

So does this not mean that a white person in (say) Nigeria would not be able to claim they were experiencing racism if they were targeted because of their skin colour? [I'm not, in any way trying to be inflammatory]

I actually agree with a lot of what you're saying, but I'm not sure historical context gives a perfect mechanism to categorize racism or banter, but it does give a lot of weight, certainly.

[Tyrannosaurs]

The lack of historical discrimination doesn't preclude discrimination happening now, and the existence of it doesn't preclude the possibility that banter can just be banter and be taken as such on both sides.

What it does mean is that you can't just assume that the same words or behaviour means the same thing when directed at different groups.

The specific example I was responding to said try saying some of the things a Scot might say to and Englishman to a black person and see how far you get. My response to that is you can say the same words in the same tone of voice but it doesn't mean the same thing as everything that came before and goes along with those words is different.

I'm not saying that Scots can't be genuinely prejudiced against English (in a small number of cases they are - there are arseholes in every society), I'm saying what is acceptable or unacceptable between Scots and English is not the same as what's acceptable between white people and black people.

To turn it the other way around, I'm sure it wouldn't take much to find something I could say to a Scot about their history which would be horribly insulting but wouldn't be remotely offensive to, say, an Asian.

Does the fact that the Asian man didn't find it insulting make it OK to say to the Scot?

[hobbes]

So, what criteria must hold for "banter" to be classed as racism towards an Englishman in Scotland?

[Tyrannosaurs]

The usual criteria for comment to be deemed racism is that it causes offence (whether intended or not) and had a racial component.

[hobbes]

So, the only difference between the anti-English banter I experience and racism is that I don't get offended?

You had better hope I don't start being offended, then! :)

And, yes, this argument also applies to Scots living in England, or any other similar situation.