Keith,
I admire you persistence in fighting off the uneducated. If you came here to OLO looking for a debate based on logic and facts you have come to the wrong place. OLO is dominated mainly by the leftist uneducated masses as you can see.
Good Luck,

PS don't worry too much about Bogan Lucy, she is your typical leftist Law graduate.

Hmm why the obsession with Lucy?

At any rate I don't think Keith has put up a logical or factual argument at any point. I'm beginning to think he didn't even read Nazeem's article. Those comments on 'tolerance' are very applicable indeed.

From the viewpoint of someone reading from The Land of Harry Connick Jr., some of the comments I've seen here are truly frightening.

The Hey Hey situation seemed like an aberration until afterward I started reading some of the comments people posted on web-based stories about it. The defensive (and often hateful) attitudes shown in the online comments shone a much brighter light on the ACTUAL problem than anything which appeared on television.

If anything some of the comments on this piece are even worse. The "logic" in some of these posts, such as it is, seems to be along the lines that racism "doesn't exist in Australia" because "its a white country and people who aren't white have to adapt". And that worrying about racism is just "liberal claptrap", rather than a legitimate issue which should cross all political, ethnic, gender and economic levels.

Of course (as is bound to be raised in attack against me) what do I know? I come from the most racist country in the world--the United States of America. I say that only half in sarcasm, since in a sense it is completely true. The only real advantage we have over Australia is that we realize this about ourselves. Because of that we can, in fact, sometimes be TOO sensitive about the situation. But I don't think I am in this case, reading what I'm reading here. Frankly, I'm horrified.

I have relatives who live in Australia, who are very orthodox Jews (the kind who walk around with the appropriate head-gear all the time) and they've sometimes alluded to the difficulties they have--the subtle digs, the "haw haw" slap on the back attitudes, etc. I've always kind of dismissed their stories, because Australia for the most part seems like such a shining example in most things. But the Hey, Hey thing, and the online follow-ups, have shaken those assumptions. Nobody wants to talk about it. Or if they do, its all angry denial and deflection.

Please proceed with all the inevitable anti-American venom and spleen venting. Yes, its none of my business.

ozzie: << Keith, I admire you persistence in fighting off the uneducated. >>

I'd be very surprised indeed if the keiths and ozzies of OLO are better educated than those of us who point out their bigotry. I've got a couple of degrees and postgrad qualifications - perhaps ozzie could share with us the extent of his/her educational attainment?

I agree with David Jennings about the obsession with Lucy too. It's both obnoxious and a bit creepy.

CJ I think the admins have actually gone and deleted some of Ozzie's posts. They might have blocked him as well, I'm not sure.

It might have just been easier to report Keith's comments as being potentially defamatory rather than to engage him in what has been a long and ultimately fruitless discussion!

Ozzie these blokes are all very well educated. Sadly though their learning has been confinred to the 'square'. ie all uni graduates.

And really they just 'hunt in a group' and persecute anyone who disagrees with them... because they know they are right. I've watched them for yonks and just keep pulling their 'chains' when statements they make and pontificate over are just to erroneous to ignore.

Their tactic is the tactic of the simple-minded conformist. And they fail to understand people like me have never had the need to avail from others any sort of support in confronting their stupidity.

You'll note how these blokes all know each other quite well and how their simple mud-slinging never really reflects actual facts or clearly stated opinions... often they just lie... and I think they think that's intellectual.

Suffice to say I proudly finished my formal education in year 12. I matriculated twice but found the environment of Universities far too constricting to be of any use to me.

I've read widely ... and quite systematically. I've probably read more than did Adolph's fat pilot.

My fav author is Richard Saunders... for reasons most of these blokes would never appreciate. My most misunderstood hero, Diogenes... because of his intergrity in opposition to common convention. My most despised ... Adolph Hittler, Stalin and all other socialists.
Most loved Henry Lawsons poems, Shakespeares sonnets and Louisa Lawsons publications/journals, Nikolai Leskov ... earthiness and Gustave Flabert's ... understanding of women. I like Tolstoy's shorter works and get lost in Poe's intrigues.

Reading classical works was a condition my mother imposed when she helped me start and financed me in my first business at 17.

So I guess I'm an under-educated, redneck, former businessman and unmarried father who now is planning a world cruise ... solo.