I usually like to be respectful and circumspect in my comments but in this case I can only say the premise behind this article is nothing but crap. The argument for free speech made by the writer equates to that made by the US gun lobby's argument for the right to bear arms. The freedom of individuals must have boundaries if people are to live together in peace, harmony and safety.

The freedom of individuals must have boundaries
Ian D,
My point also, the problem is though when you have a society built on sport rather than culture then personal freedom is perceived as a license to be stupid, greedy, selfish etc.
That's why I am such a big advocate for National Service because I see a NS as the ONLY way to instil a sense of responsibility, respect & belonging. Sport doesn't offer that, it divides by way of competition. Competition has no place in harmony.

Ian D
Who is going to impose those "boundaries"?
How can you have "freedom of individuals" without freedom of speech?
You would equate guns with ideas?

You should all go and read the piece by Kerryn Pholi. There is a lady who has gotten to the nub of the problem. Incidentally, if the number of people claiming aboriginality keeps increasing at the present rate as shown by the census figures, by the turn of the century, all Australians will be eligible to claim.

It seems to me that in the current climate, it is all right for a minority person to insult a white Anglo Saxon, but not the other way around. When I was young we said "Sticks and stones will break my bones, but names will never hurt me." That doesn't seem to apply to minorities, only to majorities. It should still apply to all.

David

Ian D
Your response, "crap", is, sadly, conclusive evidence for the article's contention that there is no rational debate about 18C.

VK3AUU,
Once indigenous status does no longer equate to so many entitlements then the status claims will automatically reduce dramatically. Same goes for the boat people.

Ian D, anyone who expects a life of "peace and harmony" should not move to a social environment where they'll be ethnically incongruous.

should not move to a social environment
Shockadelic,
Could you please let the previous idotic Labor Government know about this ? They sent such people to our communities without asking.

Ian D who died and made you queen?
Shove your boundaries, you little bully, think you can shove us around? Well matey I will decide what I can think and I am sure you know now what I think of you!

I didn't know about the 'Irish joke' amendment, but if it's true, that sums up entirely the underlying problem with legislation like this.

This is neither about free speech nor hate speech, because it's far too selective and arbitrary. It's all about social engineering. Australia is simply following a global agenda to outlaw anything that may prohibit the ultimate breakdown of national states and the complete homogenisation of the world's cultures.

Similar (and much broader) legislation is being enacted in Europe and other Western nations - wherever there exists racial tension points caused by excess migration, indigenous conflict and refugee intakes. Such legislation is designed to suppress much of the inevitable negative impact of enforced racial and cultural intermingling caused by the increasing destabilisation of countries through war, unfair trade agreements, economic sanctions and so forth.

Senator Brandis may pull off a Little Dutch Boy coup for now, but eventually this ridiculous and dangerous legislation will triumph.

It is extremely gratifying to realise that multiculturalism is in real trouble when its adherents demand that oppressive laws be introduced to shut up debate on the subject. But it is not gratifying to realise that our western democracy must be in real trouble when they seem to be getting away with it. Rather incredibly, the NSW Liberal Party has come out in favour of opposing free speech, as it sees ethnic votes in marginal electorates as being more important than supporting one of the foundations of western democracy.

The whole thing gets idiotic when you realise that 18C is now being supported by both Muslim and Jewish ethnic leaders. Its nice to know that these two groups can finally agree on something. Although one wonders why they wish to live in a free society when they support the idea of the repression of political thought in the first place?

One presumes that one reason why both of these warring groups support 18C is because they see it as a protection for their particular groups. But neither Jews nor Muslims are "a race." Therefore they must already know that "the term "racism" can be stretched by liberal judges to mean "religions.'

But there is a catch here if stretched to religions. A "religion" is simply a "belief system", and if "belief systems" are now protected from criticism, what about political belief systems? This is especially relevant to Islam which combines religion, politics and a justice system in it's belief system.

Unless the Anti Discrimination pukes want to be guilty of that awful sin of "discrimination", they must include all belief systems. That means that no political party can be criticised for fear of violating 18C.

An interesting footnote re the whole issue of discrimination. Recently I befriended a guy who hails from Pakistan but now resides in OZ. He is currently working in a call centre.During a number of discussions we’ve had he has made much of the tendency of locals to prefer conversing with locally born operatives. He often quoted the Lefty-Green slogans about it being a clear breach of anti-discrimination-racism and proof the boganism.

However, one day I happened upon him returning from his morning break with a cup of coffee.And, seeing that he had walked half way up the street I enquired as to why he had walked past three or four other coffee shops to visit the one he shopped at –his answer was noteworthy : “ because a woman from my country works at that shop and I like chatting with her in my language”!

It never dawned on him for one moment that there might be a parallel in locals preferring to talk to locals when on the receiving end of a call centre call –I thought to myself --THERE GOES ANOTHER COMFIRMED SUPPORTER OF MORE STRINGENT ANTI-HATE LAWS!

This article is valuable in demonstrating the methods of those opposing the repeal of the outrageous Section 18C. The fact that it enabled the Bolt case to succeed is more than enough reason for its immediate removal.
If there was any doubt about the mentality of the opposition to its repeal, the puerile comment of IanD dispelled that.

Ian D, we once had a government policy with bipartisan support, with "boundaries" designed with "peace, harmony and safety" in mind.

It was commonly called "White Australia".

And people like you threw it away to engage in a reckless experiment.

Well, if you upset the apple cart, don't be surprised if you see a few bad apples rolling down the street.

Individual, are you referring to the NT intervention?
It was actually started by Howard.

It's official name should give you an idea why: The Northern Territory National *Emergency Response*.

There were serious law and order/public health issues involved.

Are you suggesting governments should make no effort to address problems, where the community has an "ethnic/cultural" element?

That community had been left to its own devices for years and the result was disastrous.

are you referring to the NT intervention?
Shocakdelic,
No, I'm on about the hundreds & by now probably thousands of Labor voting bureau rats who replaced the thousands of long-term working residents of remote communities in Qld by the Goss Labor Government & now the forced amalgamation by Beattie & Bligh. They brought in the get-as-much-as-you-can useless administrators & contractors. They literally advertised that the indigenous communities were huge money troughs & public service snouts were needed.
Look at the communities now in comparison before the Morons got into Government. No-one does anything except vote Labor at every election.

Individual,
If anyone should be boycotting elections it's Aboriginals and anyone who's sympathetic toward the poor as a whole should be non compliant as well.
Oh yeah,this is where "Anti Racist" hate speech leads:
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/restaurant-owners-furious-over-claims-of-discrimination-against-a-customer/story-fni0fit3-1226975497578
"Owners of a Melbourne restaurant are fuming at being branded racist over the treatment of a customer and are considering legal action for defamation.

Their legal plans come as the African-Australian woman at the centre of the claims, which were published in The Age, has openly admitted that she hates white people.

The comments made by Tabotu Teklemariam, 21, on social media emerged after she claims she was turned away from Melbourne’s Il Pom restaurant for racial reasons.

“I’m going to bring you whites so down you wouldn’t know what’s coming,” Ms Teklemariam told social media followers on June 22.

“I don’t care if you think I’m being a racist cause (sic) I’ll openly admit it, I hate whites with a passion.”

The “Ban the Burqa before it Kills” sign
displayed prominently on the side of a building in Melbourne
is a case to ponder.

This statement is based on factual observation of the many conflicts
involving Muslim Based religions around the world.

So if this was banned as racial vilification, then the factual, observable
truth part contained in the sign is banned also.

An example of where the racial vilification laws can also stiflle truthful
observation. Is a law banning truth and stifling discussion on that truth
a ban on freedom of opinion? I believe so.

Jay of Melbourne,
That african sheilah's outburst should be made a show case.
How about a white sheila pulls the same stunt in an african restaurant ? Could that be arranged in Melbourne ?
The indignation brigade could make it a public holiday.

Individual,
I doubt it because White women would be more likely to think things through and do a quick risk vs reward analysis than low IQ African women.
Africans like all dumb people the world over have ridiculously high opinions of themselves and their capabilities, they think behaviour like this is a pathway to some gain and that causing a ruckus is going to result in prestige and admiration from others....which it does on social media but social media isn't the real world.
That aside this girl didn't grow up among Whites and her comments are based on ignorance and result from a low intellectual capacity and being easily led by smarter, more devious people on Facebook who want to use her to push their own agendas.
The best way for the restaurant to deal with this attempted scam is to ignore Ms Teklemariam because she's not very bright and has been manipulated by Anti Racists, but to be fair the authorities should also pardon or acquit all those addled middle aged White women who yell at Asians on public transport.
They know not what they do.

<<“I don’t care if you think I’m being a racist cause (sic) I’ll openly admit it, I hate whites with a passion.”>>

Now just imagine if an individual from a group -- other-than a multiculturally recognized minority -- had said: "I hate racial or religious group X WITH A PASSION"

Holy Moses!

Yoooo-hoooooooooooo! all you anti-racist campaigners where are you?

Christine Milne?
The ABC?
SBS?
Paul 1405?

Annnnnnny takers at all?

SPQR,
I bet if you went on Facebook and looked at the profiles of her supporters you'd find that 99% of them are White, under 40 and support other pseudo left causes.

Racial discrimination laws like 18c serve only one purpose, they are specifically intended to protect the official history of events surrounding five German labour camps in Poland which operated between 1941 and 1944, that's the only reason they exist at all.
The justification is always given in the form of "words lead to actions" but those camps operated under such strict secrecy that there's no proof that even the National Socialist leadership knew what was going on behind the wire. Even if the official, protected history of those camps could be proven (it can't at present) then reason fails, there were no words to excuse or promote the actions, the public were told that criminals, asocials and troublesome ethnic minorities were being sent east into exile or to work off their debt to society, not to be killed or maltreated.
The reasons for the protected status of the history of those five work camps is the subject of considerable controversy and can actually lead to prosecution or persecution by vigilantes so we need not go into it here.
You'll notice that these "Train ranters" are only ever charged with offensive behaviour or disturbing the peace type offences? To use 18c or the other proposed "race laws" would open a can of worms, or to put it another way, let the Genie out of the bottle, do we really want to see drunks, Aborigines, the mentally ill or people of low IQ charged with "hate speech" and locked up for three years like Brendan O'Connell?
To most people is a smack on the wrist is fair enough, people who breach the peace in that way should face a small fine or community service and suffer the embarrassment of being arrested and facing court, nothing more. Anyone who further harasses them or makes false allegation of "Racism" should face the same charge of offensive behaviour.

Jay,

<<do we really want to see drunks, Aborigines, the mentally ill or people of low IQ charged with "hate speech" >>

Not sure that would ever happen. Any such laws seem to be very, very selectively applied. There was at least one case --which I cited in an earlier thread-- where an Aboriginal's abuse of a white, far worse than the Adams Goodes incident, was excused by a magistrate as unactionable because it was street language.

Similarly I'd suggest if SBS's "Legally Brown" reversed some of its jokes/skits and directed them at non-anglos all hell would break loose--remember "Hey Hey It's Saturday's" infringement!

And the real cost is that such train incidents will be cherry picked and fed to impressionable undergrads as proof that OZ is bad bad bad--I sat through one such semester! Or,as foundation for one of SBS's monthly doco-sermons. This month SBS is running with "Once Upon a Time in Punchbowl" which makes out Cronulla was all due to WASP racism and intolerance (no doubt, Foxy will be linking us to it on another thread one day soon!). And it will also be used as proof of the need of another layer of bureaucratic thought police and conditioning.

SPQR,
Yes, it all goes to prove that 18c and the other provisions in that act are unworkable in the real world, they're an adequate tool for protecting a historical narrative but useless in any other context.
What people seem not to appreciate is that the coalition's proposed otion upon repeal of 18c would make such "Street Language" a criminal offence, so things actually get worse for free speech, not better.
My previous post on the German labour camps is probably actionable under 18c, the fact that such statements are politically incorrect is the sole reason why I take that position on WW2 but under the Brandis model it would be illegal, it's a big difference.

I hope this racist sheilah is getting a one-way ticket back to Somalia where she won't need to worry about whites so much because I'd hate her to have to go on social security because no-one will want to employ her now. I suppose the Greens might offer her a position as a consultant.

Gee, where's the Anti Racist brigade ? Any of the multicultural crowd have anything to add ?
Don't be shy, give us your views.

Love Australia - a great global citizen

We don't make racist comments here
We don't tolerate holocaust denialists
We just run off-shore concentration camps
Our navy sinks refugee boats
And our government policies are determined in Washington

Viva foreign ownership