Prominent Australians call us Racist
The usual suspects gather to emphasise how terrible we ordinary Aussies are.
PROMINENT Australians, including a former governor-general and an archbishop, say Sydney’s racial violence is a symptom of deeply worrying divisions in our society. In an open letter, they call on all Australians – particularly political and community leaders – to reinforce national unity and cultural diversity.Good idea. Could I suggest we start reinforcing national unity at Lakemba. The letter has 12 signatories – including Brisbane’s Anglican Primate Archbishop Phillip Aspinall, former governor-general Sir Ninian Stephen, former Victorian governor Sir James Gobbo and Melbourne barrister Julian Burnside QC. Enough said.
“Putting it all down to alcohol, stupidity or high spirits I think simply hides the problem. Community leaders need to make it very clear right at the outset that racist thinking and racist speech is simply not acceptable in Australia.”True it does hide the problem; the problem of disfunctional anti-Australian Lebanese thugs who try and inflict their ideas of society on us. The Australians might have been drunk, stupid and in high spirits but the Lebanese were extremely dangerous, vindictive, life threatening and decidedly uncivilized. I’m getting tired of the empasis on the Aussie guys at Cronulla. All the news releases have centred on these people as if the whole thing happened in a vacuum. This is the effect now move on and ignore the cause. Plenty of coverage of the hundred odd white supremacists in a crowd of thousands, repeated coverage of an Aussie getting charged for holding a tree branch but none of Lebanese holding baseball bats. Ample video of the drunken yobbos uttering hate messages but none of the people at Maroubra getting bashed, having their cars totalled, pistol whipped and forced indoors at gunpoint. A bit of balance please. I’ll say it again…most Australians are not racist. The troubles at Cronulla had more to do with culture and a break down in policing than anything else. Any poll that says differently is flying in the face of a long history of people from other lands settling in Australia. If we are so racists why is it that we only have a problem with one very small group of immigrants. I guess the racist tag fits the Left’s policy of multiculturism. To admit it is anything other racist would force people to question the cultural divide between the Australian open society and the extremist Muslim one, the negative aspects of which the media are studiously ignoring. Don’t talk about the dysfunctional Lebanese Muslims with their horrendous attitude to woman; don’t discuss the effects of the laisser faireattitudes of NSW policing whereby they stay away from local gang violence and whatever you do don’t mention the overbearing criminal attitudes of so many uneducated Lebanese. Just show another video clip of a drunken Yobbo mouthing off. He’s the problem…believe us…we are smarter than you. Don’t think so!
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It has to be racism, if it isn’t racism then you are left with a bunch of proles calling for tougher penalties for criminals and actual police enforcement and
being right.
The idea is intolerable to the leftist intelligentsia – evenhanded policing and punishment being vital to a functioning society? redneck proles being right and the self
styled elites being wrong? How can it be?
What’s you take on the Sth African’s being called “kaffirs” at the cricket, arguably, the most offence abuse one can label.
John, I don’t really know not being up to speed on SA racial slurs but at this stage I would put it in the same classification as ‘Poms’ and ‘Kiwis’…South Africa is a mouthfull afterall.
Here’s a link to an item in the Australian
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,17634862%255E2722,00.html
Its widely known that the term “Kaffir” is one of the most offensive names one can use in South Africa… it would be equivalent (as I understand) to calling an Aborigine a Coon….
I think its just more evidence of inherant racism that our Prime Minister refuses to acknowledge and take a stand against which is most unfortunate.
To suggest the term Kiwi is worse makes like of this incident Kev, and I really would not have expected such a position from a man like yourself.
Kev, John is correct. It started out as a simple descriptive word then turned into a slur. ‘Kaffir’ is of German/Dutch origin not English,John. People forget that British ancestors were the minority in white South African population.
“I think its just more evidence of inherant racism that our Prime Minister refuses to acknowledge and take a stand against which is most unfortunate.”
absolutely, after all a couple of drunks in a cricket crowd are representative of the entire populace of Australia. I blame myself, if only I had done more…
BTW, John they aren’t Aborigines, they are Kooris – try not to be inherently racist.
Yep, OK doesn’t look good but then I’ve been on the hill at the WACA when I took my eldest son along as a treat. I was embarrassed by the yobbos there then.
I didn’t say the term Kiwi is worse just that I thought they may allocating the SAfricans a nickname like Pom and Kiwi.
Yes that is racist but it doesn’t make us a racist society. We all have our share of dickheads and I might add that I would think South Africa has, or has had a bigger share than us.
Kev – Good to see your on the mark. That Harry seems like a bit of a goose though. Koori is the term used for Victorian aborigines ONLY. Dont worry Harry. I dont expect sense from someone who thinks this is a joke issue….
Sorry John –
Koori, Koorie
noun {C}, adjective
(an) Aborigine
———–
koori
noun kooris
1. An Aborigine.
2. A young Aboriginal woman.
Etymology: 19c: Aboriginal.
————
these are the wider (common) use, however if you want to be pedantic, Koori is used specifically to refer to Vic AND NSW Indigenous Australians, please try to keep your
inherent racism in check here John.
Oh, and it IS a joke subject – anyone fool enough to think a few drunken louts at the cricket are representative of the wider Australian public is only fit for ridicule.
However, lets look at the overseas view –
Razi Azmi in Pakistan’s Daily Times: “Does Cronulla show that Australia is a racist country? Of course, some Australians are racist. But their numbers are miniscule … Few countries today can boast such a record of fair treatment of all its citizens, regardless of race, religion and origin, both in law and in practice. And none of those countries are situated in Asia, be it west, east, central, south or southeast.â€?
If only I had done more…
Kev,
We have a South African working for us of Afrikaan descent who confirms that using the word “Kaffir” in South Africa could literally be a death sentence. It is an offensive and grossly offensive and racist remark. It may be that some of the remarks may have been made by South African expatriates in the crowd and not just drunken talk from the local yobs. I have not heard Aussies use the term; they would have called them coons or such other racist terms.
The word “Koolie” or “Coolie” is also a racist term applied to persons of Indian origin in South Africa. It is usually ascribed to persons of chinese origins in the Australian context.
The PM has his head in the sand. There are racists in this country hopefully the minority and to say that it does not exist is merely cant.
His handling of racial issues such as the refugees etc shows that he is adept at fanning the undercurrents to his own political gain. He is without doubt one of the best”politicians” since Federation. The term is not used to praise him. He could never be called a leader in the same stature as Mandela, Chuchill even though his middle name is Winston.
If we say that the country does not have ongoing racial tension especially against persons from the Middle East or of that origin since 9/11 then you must be living in denial. Did most of thsoe yobbos go to Cronulla with Australian flags becasue they thought it might keep the sun off their head. Not likely. They went there with a purpose in mind and when the alcohol took effect and the “dutch courage” came on the boil then the fighting started.
I don’t recall taking the Australian flag to the beach when I was a kid. perhaps the young drunken yobs are much more patriotic than me.
“The PM has his head in the sand. There are racists in this country hopefully the minority and to say that it does not exist is merely cant.”–peter
He did not say that peter, further proof of you distorting reality to suit your little mind.
“I have not heard Aussies use the term”–peter
I have but what you say still could have happened. Throwing so many unsupported assertion as you do, once in a while you may come close.
Oh! and thanks for confirming what has already been confirmed.
Gary,
You sound like a typically defensive South African ex pat.
I don’t recall seeing one intelligent comment from you since I started contributing.
I still have not heard an Aussie in my earshot use the word other than from ex pats and “refugees” from South Africa.
It is typically used by racist South Africans. I don’t classify you as a racist.
I bit I have come close to working you out.
Well peter if you had ‘heard’ from “ex pats and “refugeesâ€? from South Africa.” why then did you have to confirm it now.
More opinions extracted from your orifice I guess.
“I don’t recall seeing one intelligent comment from you since I started contributing.”–peter
I don’t recall you contributing.
“I bit I have come close to working you out.”–peter
Not even close but that’s to be expected.
And peter, I do classify you as one of many that uses today’s socially acceptable bigotry in the same way your kind did in the thirties and forties.
gary,
You would know all about that.
Going back a few comments – why do you assume that the word Pom is socially acceptable? If a country uses a term to describe themselves – then it is acceptable. If they term is thrust upon them by another country in an aggressive fashion, then it is racist. I was subjected to years of bullying at school – and the word pom was used as a racist weapon. It would not be acceptable in Europe, and so should not be acceptable in Australia.
Because in my circle it is acceptable. I might call friends Poms, they call me Aussie. If others are offended by the term I wouldn’t use it.
If your offended by my use of the term then I apologise. I’m not in the habit off offending people deliberately