AntiSocial Folgen

Jonathan Rosa, an associate professor at Stanford University who researches language and race, talks through the evolution of words and phrases used to claim people are being ethnically inauthentic.

Is it racist for a person of colour to call someone a coconut? Should it be a crime?A teacher was put on trial after she was pictured at a pro-Palestinian march holding a placard that showed then prime minister Rishi Sunak and then home secretary Suella Braverman as coconuts. The term “coconut” can be used to suggest that someone who is brown on the outside is white on the inside - that they are somehow acting in a way inconsistent with their ethnicity. The prosecution called “coconut” a “racial slur”; the judge said the placard was “political satire” and found the teacher not guilty. How did the case play out in court? What’s the history behind this use of the word coconut and others like it? And what does the law say about when speech becomes criminal?Presenter: Adam Fleming Producers: Simon Maybin, Ellie House, Elliot Ryder Production coordinator: Janet Staples Editor: Richard Vadon

Disney’s upcoming Snow White remake has sparked a debate about representations of people with dwarfism. But what does that term actually mean? Dr Melita Irving gives a medical perspective.