Why is always white men dictating what, when and who is racist?

Maybe white men should put a sock in it.

Being a female I have been subject to sexism from men so I know what it is like. My first husband was vile, a refugee to boot. However it will be white man who says it is racist of me to complain.

Still a white mans world for sure.

Cornflower: << It is about accepting, respecting and valuing boys and which includes recognising their essential differences to girls as normal and reasonable. >>

I don't think I'd be alone in having raised my son in exactly that way. However, he's 20 now and doesn't refer to Indigenous people as "black c@#%s", "cannibals", or "Abos". He also respects women and treats them as equals.

I think there's a bit more to racism and misogyny in football than just poor upbringing and socialisation of boys. My son played football (the real kind) until a year or two ago and didn't display any of the unfortunate traits that have brought the other codes into disrepute again recently. Mind you, he played in a very cosmopolitan competition where most teams had both male and female players.

C J Morgan

That is a narrow interpretation of my meaning. However if you can find a better way to reduce problems like racism by means other than by modelling behaviour that accepts, respects and values others, go right ahead, the floor is yours.

Psychologists know that behaviour generalises, yet government appears unwilling to accept that in social policy and that is despite the feedback received from youth - as if any of the parties listen to youth.

There is the short game on issues like racism, if you think Joey Johns is a racist and there there is the long game, which I have been talking about. Both have a place. However even the most ardent supporters of blunt weapons like racial and religious vilification laws and commissions like HREOC would have to admit their limitations.

Pelican: >>"Many Australians couldn’t see why the American singer Harry Connick Jr was grossly offended.
Australian humour where the culture is to take the mickey out of everyone including ourselves.<<

Pelican I have travelled extensively on work related contracts that would find me in another culture for months at a time.
My Aussie sense of humor coupled with the informality of our culture is not initially appreciated by the majority of countries I have been to. Another issue was the "call a spade a spade" mindset that the Aussie culture has endowed in me. Even if the outcome is evident I find that many cultures require the truth spoon fed to them, and they seem to take umbrage if you get to the heart of the matter without beating around the bush.

Pelican to your point as to whether we are racist. I suggest that when being derogatory about someone the basic physical characteristic slur is good enough for the laconic Aussie. Examples of common Aussie slur speak.

the fat bastard
the ugly bastard
the skinny bastard
the ranga bastard
the big eared bastard
the bald bastard
the stupid bastard
the smart arsed bastard
the wog bastard
the chink bastard
the arab bastard
the poufta bastard
and the worst of all....
the lying bastard.....the others pale into insignificance compared to this one.

Our culture is unique, for the fact that this type of dialogue is free from any mindsets; the uttererance of the words is of itself is the entire slur, no threat to violence, and with no ongoing connotation. The "fat bastard" of yesterday could be a mate today. That is what we have in Australia, as much harmony and acceptance as you will find anywhere in any society possibly because we do not go for the gun when someone “has a go”.

The isolation from society that our indigenous brothers and sisters feel is certainly real. Look at the mortality rate for indigenous kids under five, and look at the life expectancy of the adults...absolutely third world statistics...shameful.

I blame successive white governments up until 1976, from then on I blame the white government and the land councils. Humans within both these bodies plundered and mismanaged funds that would see our indigenous citizens not only economically prosperous but prosperous through pride of identity.

The mortality of children under five has to do with Third World hygiene contributing to diarrhoeal diseases especially. The only solution is better hygiene and why it isn't done God only knows because WHO already has a well-tested program read to go. See here:

www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/wwdreportchap4.pdf