SM,

I'm not so sure that kulaks were all or mostly, or even predominantly, Ukrainians - who would not comprise a different 'race' from Russians, merely people living in a different part of that world. In fact they used to be called 'little Russians' and the name 'Ukraine means simply 'southern lands' in Russian.

It's awkward that Kiev, the current capital of the Ukraine, was one of the very first Viking-Rus trading centres, 1200-odd years ago, and is now by the tyranny of geography, outside of Mother Russia itself.

On the deliberate dreadful famines across the Ukraine in the thirties, Nicolas Rothwell's wonderful book 'Belomor' is well worth a read. Sholokhov's plagiarised novels also touch on it, they made his fortune.

Joe

To paul1407

Okay Paul. I give up trying to talk sense to you. Keep up the double standards and contradictions, it helps my position no end for you to keep tripping over your keyboard.

But whenever you come on OLO and sprout the nonsense that it is wrong for right wingers to attribute negative characteristics to an entire group of people, while doing it yourself, you can bet I am going to delight in coming down on you like a ton of bricks.

Oh. And you have probably noticed that loudmouth has made two racist statements about white people on this topic. The first, was to denigrate "old white, males", and the second, to make the assertion that a lot of white people think that they are superior to other races.

Now, as a card carrying anti racist, I expect you to go for loudmouths throat. Sic 'em, Fang.

LM,

Kulaks were originally from Ukraine, it was only after the communist genocide that the term Kulak was used generically.

As for Kulaks being a "race", probably "ethnic minority" would be more appropriate, but often racism is used as a catch all.

Lego,

Yes, a sense of superiority may be so taken-for-granted that it's unconscious. It is revealed when something happens to upset those deep assumptions: say, if a woman elected a prime minister, there may be a sense that, hmmm, something's not quite right.

And I should imagine that Kamala Harris's assumption of the office of vice-president in the US is a massive example of this: a woman, Black, Asian. There's a lot there to be uneasy about: white women worried that's she's Black and Asian; white men, of course, worried that she's 'nothing like them, how come she was allowed to vote ? Remember the good ol' days'.

I would expect a lot of those taken-for-granted assumptions about the rightful position of white male ascendancy in the world, is undergoing some analysis, or at least uneasy discussion, in Dirty Neck, Montana.

Other little examples of power-assumptions: the Japanese PM resigning over his comments that 'women talk too much' may indicate that rock-solid assumption of eternal male dominance. I think you might get the drift.

Joe

The topic begins: "The City of Darwin: honouring a blatant racist"

I'm sure there are plenty of places worldwide named after people who have undertaken questionable or simply appalling behavior and have been honoured during a time for something, which today many people would be disgusted with. There is one thing to consider though when looking at this matter:

"History is not there for you to like or dislike. It is there for you to learn from it. And if it offends you even better, as you are less likely to repeat it. It is not yours to erase. It belongs to all of us!"

There are some who feel that by removing certain things from a public realm, they can reduce the impacts on others from previous eras inflicted that were terrible, say against Aboriginal people, but this not possible. The impacts will always be there for these people on generations past and present and they cannot be reduced, limited or minimised.

There is a case for reviewing things being memorialised today, from past eras. One example is the avenue of Prime Ministers in Ballarat. These busts are put in out of tradition, not merit and honour Prime Ministers including those who implemented policies that were simply appalling.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-10-09/julia-gillard-unveils-her-sculpture-in-ballarat/5802838

What? The same Julia Gillard who:

Reopened detention centres? http ://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/aug/13/australia-asylum-seekers-pacific-islands

Cut payments to single mothers? http://www.sbs.com.au/news/gillard-defends-welfare-cuts-to-mums

If anyone wants to erase the past, I will not stand for it. It is not right and should not become part of society. If naming Darwin honours a racist, I want people to know about it!

To loudmouth.

And your point is....?