Racist or not?

[pietillidie]

People who try to add subjective caveats on what is or isn’t racist are a real danger. Wolves in sheep’s clothing.

David is just talking commonsense; that's inherently how all language works - forever, always, since the first Neanderthal grunt. Call Donald Trump whatever you like and it has zero impact. Have your boss call you the same and you're likely to be taken aback.

She gobbed off in anger. We've all said dumb things, especially when lashing out or embarrassed. Sometimes dumb stuff comes out of your head from times yore as memories are triggered. Whatever; apologise, say you were dumb and a bad example given your status in the sport. Move on.

And while it's a mistake, you can bet her dad copped a bit as an Anglo-Indian playing in the WAFL. And you can easily see her and Daniel being abused growing up either because of their part-Indian heritage, or because all three of them were mistaken for being Aboriginal, and sadly as a consequence copping one of the nastiest forms of racism on the planet. Imagine her dad playing in the WAFL in the 1980s, FFS!

Add to that the general public abuse and stereotyping as a lesbian footballer, and you really don't know what was on her mind.

At the same time, the cop himself might have been on the wrong end of some idiotic political correctness himself, or even just trying to underscore the importance of racism or trying to uphold the perception of fairness, which is fair enough. He also does a godless job dealing with tools all day, so if he was just doing his job and nothing more he is owed a good sorry, too. I also give cops more leeway than most because their job is ridiculously difficult and stressful, despite known systemic racism and biases in representation (which I think is an organisational phenomenon with a mind of its own reflecting society, so I don't go hard at the police except for obviously bad stuff).

You are hereby sentenced to travelling the Seoul subway for one week with a book of Korean insults directed against Miguk saram (American people) in hand. And no, like Stui I was bemused, not offended, because I got it.

Here's someone in an Aussie law journal:

https://lsj.com.au/articles/sam-kerrs-a ... ot-racist/

[pietillidie]

If a White cop in England took offence at being called White, he has to have skin like tissue paper. Maybe it was the Bastard comment that upset him, the Poms can be twitchy about that whereas to Aussies it's basically a term of endearment.

That's possible, too. I've never tested it publicly! There are definitely nuances here that make some words sharper than Aussies expect.

[pietillidie]

^To add to the above, I just noticed her dad also played in the SANFL and won a premiership with Port in 1988, while her mum's family were sports people! Crikey, that's some sporting credentials between them.

[What'sinaname]

I don’t use it as a slur; I just get think it’s generally the case that people who don’t think racism is power-inflected lean conservative (though I also think there are conservatives who do understand and appreciate this).

Speaking of which, I had to look up who this John Ruddick was who What’sinaname is denouncing above, and he’s a right-wing LDP politician from NSW. I guess even a stopped clock is right twice a day!

https://www.news.com.au/sport/football/ ... c09214?amp

Is he’s right when he said people shouldn’t be offended being called a monkey on the football field too.

[nomadjack]

I don't have any doubts or misgivings about calling it a racist comment. Yes, structural factors may determine how impactful the comment is on the person on the receiving end, but underplaying the comment or trying to redefine its nature as some on 'the left' have done doesn't do anyone any favours.

[David]

[David]

[What'sinaname]

You're sounding a bit like the Harvard President that said racism needs context.


Simple questions - racist or not? And leave it at that.

[David]

I guess that's what I'm saying: they're not simple questions, and we can't afford to leave it at that (at least, if we actually care about the issue of racism at all).

[stui magpie]

^

There's racist remarks and then there's racism. 3/4 of Kerr's family is white, just her paternal grandmother and family are Indian. Her partner is white, most of her team mates are white. She's clearly not racist.

Apart from her being pissed, we don't know the circumstances surrounding the alleged comment, what provoked her to make such an out of character remark.

[pietillidie]

I don’t use it as a slur; I just get think it’s generally the case that people who don’t think racism is power-inflected lean conservative (though I also think there are conservatives who do understand and appreciate this).

Speaking of which, I had to look up who this John Ruddick was who What’sinaname is denouncing above, and he’s a right-wing LDP politician from NSW. I guess even a stopped clock is right twice a day!

https://www.news.com.au/sport/football/ ... c09214?amp

Is he’s right when he said people shouldn’t be offended being called a monkey on the football field too.

If you're a peasant in the outer at a DRC league game in Kinshasa Stadium abusing some corrupt government official who's walked onto the pitch to hand out an award, sure. The idea that some kid who's copped it all his life has some great power advantage because he's paid well as a footballer is nonsense. But even if he doesn't care and thinks he's Lord Muck, what it means to everyone else still matters because it's a public event.

General deterrence is part of law, which is also why Sam needs to apologise to the cop and cops generally if he was just trying to do his job. Her mistake has broader implications, though again unless you're a nutter you don't hang people on a single mistake like that. Leftist crazies who do the same when a mistake runs the other way should similarly be chastised, which of course is very different from dealing with serial racists.

It seems like three-quarters of every discussion now is in reference to fractional extremes rather than consequential problems. Trump and MAGA are a problem because Trump's vying for powerful office in the superpower nation, and controls an entire party in a two-party system. If he stuck in his lane - just another big-mouthed attention seeker selling steaks and reality TV shows - no one would care.

But Sam Kerr making one mistake she'll likely avoid like the plague from here on? FFS, people, deploy some standards of rationality and proportion.

[David]

[think positive]

My instinctive response is a) yes, technically, though surely at the most mild end of the spectrum; and b) that cop is a massive snowflake for booking her over it. All the stuff about her being stripped of the captaincy is equally cringe and just further evidence that people are desperate to find something to be offended about.

the cop is a snow flake?

if it was said in reverse?

no damn way

couldnt give a shit about the captaincy, but she should face exactly the same music as, well for instance a 13 year old kid!More, part of her pay is role model pay.

at the very damn least she could quit making excuses and tell the truth

snow flake!! thats kinda racist right there!

[think positive]

^

There's racist remarks and then there's racism. 3/4 of Kerr's family is white, just her paternal grandmother and family are Indian. Her partner is white, most of her team mates are white. She's clearly not racist.

Apart from her being pissed, we don't know the circumstances surrounding the alleged comment, what provoked her to make such an out of character remark.

how do you know its out of character?

how well do you know her?

absolutely not! if you cant call someone a blackbastard, why should whitebastard be ok?

how about we just stop the name calling?




if she has any decency, any guts at all, she will just front up, shut up on the excuses and say sorry.

if she had done that it might all have gone away.

[David]

snow flake!! thats kinda racist right there!

Oh so now it is