What it all comes down to is the social group a person is a member of. Something is deemed offensive to a person if the person having a go at them doesn't belong to the group they are having a go at. You can call a Spaniard a "lazy Spaniard" if you are one, but not if you aren't. Likewise if you are black you can refer to other black people in the derogatory. It works for all socal groups and taboos. Jewish people can have a pop at other Jews but non-jews are frowned upon for doing so. Does this make sense?

Big Ron was was one of the funniest commentators on TV. He and Clive were a good double act; they, together, will be missed by many. I think his comment was inappropriate, should not have been said and he deserved to go. However, the bigotry still lies within football, not just Big Ron. It is a very secluded business where players and coaches speak to only players and coaches, who are in turn looked after by club admin staff. The real world is a long way away from these people, yet they are adored my thousands each week. The recent spate of football indiscretions should highlight the perverse culture they belong to; and I'm not talking about Beckham, plenty of people cheat on their spouses. I love football and always will but I think it's better for the game that players do speak like pre-programmed robots, becasue as long as they are involved in football they can be very stupid individuals. But get them on their own and most of them are nice blokes. Sorry to digress. I do, though, think that Ron's legacy to commentating will be his final faux pas. I'll never forget what he said to an interviewer when he was manager of WBA after a European tie. When asked to comment on the standard of refereeing, his reply was: "It's not my policy to comment on referees, and I'm certainly not making an exception for this idiot." Priceless.