Comments on: ‘Tis the season to be gritting our teeth and smiling gamely and maybe reconsidering the Vodka supply to the younger ones

By: JahTeh

JahTeh — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 05:20:05 +0000

Having just had my granddaughters for two days, I can comment here.
One looks like a Polynesian Princess, the other could pass for an Italian Countess.
Their bloodline goes like this, Sri Lankan, Dutch, English, Irish, American, Scots, French and German.
It’s a brave idiot who asks this grandmother, “What nationality are they?”
The answer is usually through gritted teeth, “Human Being”.

By: blue milk

blue milk — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 05:20:26 +0000

Oh gawd.

I was at a get together recently and everyone seemed quite nice until they talked about break-ins in their local area coupled with some kind of “spot the Aussie” comment. Yuck. The whole implication was that lots of non-Australians (read non-white) people were taking over this city and they were venturing into ‘our’ areas and breaking into everyone’s precious houses. I knew it was time to go but not before I told them that studies show that break-and-enters are usually done by people from the local area, ie. your classy white neighbors. Cheers.

By: Ann of Brisbane

Ann of Brisbane — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 11:34:06 +0000

The strangest setting where racism is rearing its ugly head for me currently is an aged care institution.
There’s quite a cross section of people employed there: as nurses and assistants. People from Asian backgrounds, African, Islanders……..
I don’t know what is said by my relative when I’m not around but every so often during visits something ‘off’ slips out.
From what I’ve seen many of the staff who are relative newcomers to Australia are quite sensitive in their work with the elderly and also markedly cheerful doing work which must be pretty depressing a times.
I guess many are learning the sad fact that our elderly in this country all too often end up in institutional care rather than in the care of their family.

By: Helen

Helen — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 09:58:31 +0000

In this case, L, her right to her opinions is limited by EEO legislation – she was still in the workplace at the time and if we’d been at a restaurant or pub, ditto, under our laws. What I’m worried about is that those kind of opinions lead to pogroms – there are kids discussing further attacks on “lebbos” and other disliked groups on Australia day, via MySpace etc. They need not to hear things like that from their mums.

But yeah, I failed utterly to counter her revelation with anything more than “…” which is my usual slackjawed response when something so outrageous comes out of left field.

By: L.

L. — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 04:13:58 +0000

I heard stuff like this from time to time in Japan. Drunken Japanese people would forget whom they were talking to (white woman, Japanese husband, biracial kids) and talk about how sad it was, that after so many centuries, “Japanese blood was no longer pure,” or they would express genuine sympathy for the kids of mixed marriages.

I would typically use passive-aggressive humor, and act as if I genuinely thought they were joking, and say, “Oh, HA HA HA, that is SO FUNNY! That’s a great one!” And of course that would make them too uncomfortable to say anything.

I mean, people have a right to their opinions, however ignorant, and I have a right (and perhaps even a duty) to make them uncomfortable.

By: shula

shula — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 13:26:10 +0000

Watch, as Helen does Christmas in Hell.

Stuff like that gives me migraines.

By: Deborah

Deborah — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 06:29:30 +0000

What Tigtog said. But also, the racism implied in the kids being a fuckup, because she is partnered with a kiwi.

It’s all just shudderingly awful. I think I would have been tempted to say something very nasty indeed.

By: Helen

Helen — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 11:23:47 +0000

Brett’s argument was that Howard was implicitly condoning Hanson’s worst excesses by saying nothing about them,

Didn’t he say that Hanson was like a breath of fresh air among the PC correctness or something along those lines?

He did shut up and reap the political benefits after that, though.

By: Pavlov's Cat

Pavlov's Cat — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 10:22:32 +0000

I wonder what she would have said if either you or R had been feeling strong enough to ask her why she wanted to preserve the ‘Aryan’ race. (In your place I would have been too gobsmacked by ‘You know Hitler?’ to speak, I think. Maybe you should have replied ‘HAHAHAHAHA Godwin’s Law, I win.’)

Re the responsibility of JWH: Judith Brett said something very early on in his first term as PM about the degree to which he could be held responsible for increasing open expressions of racism in Australia, as indicated by the rise and popularity of Pauline Hanson when many of us could not have believed such a thing possible in this country. Brett’s argument was that Howard was implicitly condoning Hanson’s worst excesses by saying nothing about them, and that the message that sent to the populace was that in the view of the leader of the country it was perfectly okay, even admirable, for people in public life to voice such sentiments.

I thought this was a very good argument and I’ve thought of it often since. Australians on the whole are probably not much more racist than we ever were, but I think we are a great deal more open and less ashamed about saying so, after the manner of your repulsive colleague.

By: tigtog

tigtog — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 09:26:19 +0000

wondering what her beautiful kids would think about being a fuckup

This. How utterly appalling.