"And Andrew - just because you have rolled over and accepted the hurt does not mean others have to put up with it."
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My experience shows me that unless you belong to one of the favoured groups (mainly ones that used to be under the British colonial jackboot) the PC Police deem you are not capable of being offended.
I was discussing this debate with my brother the other night and his reply was "don't even bother. You'll only make things worse for yourself."
So if he is right we have two options: (1) Take the abuse; (2) Don't take it and make things worse.
Take the Shepherd Neame adverts for example - can you imagine that being deemed acceptable if the joke was about any other ethnic group? I doubt it.
Just think yourself lucky Bern that you are a member of one of the golden groups.
Anyway rather than focussing on what divides, maybe we should be thinking about something that unites us all - i.e. the blatant anti-Dover prejudice that exists in the UK and especially in other parts of Kent.
I think the town should be renamed "Dover - Urrgh" as that is the response many of us seem to get when we say where we live.
By the way, thanks Maggie, spot on.