I finally realised what this is all about:

Schiapelle is our beautiful white Christian princess being held hostage by the infidel (Barbary pirates, Turkish emir, Saladin – whatever). And John Howard is our noble king Richard the Lionheart trying to negotiate her ransom and safe return home.

Forget about drug charges or evidence – this is the Crusades again, as interpreted by W E Johns or Boys’ Own Adventures circa 1950. As to all those sentimental older white blokes like me getting stuck into poor Chek – forget reason or logic, Chek, this story is way beyond rationality – it’s about getting our beautiful princess home safe from her barbarian captivity.

Cheers, mate !

Tony Kevin

Col Rouge. I agree on your assertion regarding education levels and racism. I know racists who have a phd.

Resentment and privilege was a big factor in Rwanda. I see what you’re saying but those “tribal distinctions” were an invention of colonialists who introduced racism and privilege, initially gave it to the Tutsi over the Hutu (later reversed) for their own gain; divided a culture in two that had previously lived happily ever before, as one – about 1884.

col, completely in agreement. Racism is wrong whoever does it.

Chek, thanks for your comments. In regard to your comments about the Chinaman keeping his place in the ALP, that's not to far off what I would have expected.

I think that a lot of the lefts help to "disadvantaged" groups has an overlay of patronisation.

Clearly the right side of politics also has enough racists to be embarassing as well. My own perception is that many of us don't like a lot of the lefts programs because
- to help one group they hurt individuals in other groups.
- they tend to have underlying assumptions which are racist, sexist etc.
- they appear to be damaging to those they try to help.

Most on the right are not racist, we believe each individual should be judged on their merits not on their gender or race. The challenge then becomes how to break through genuine disadvantage without introducing new problems.

I am of the view that tossing the term racist into a debate can have the impact of stopping discussion about what is really bothering people. Of suggestion that their concerns have no legitimacy. That tends to breed anger.

How much better if instead of carrying on about racism during the Hanson period the issues which were being raised were addressed openly and politely. The silly issues would soon show up as such and genuine fears could have been addressed. Instead we left anybody who shared Pauline's concerns feeling shouted down. We painted the impression amongst any neighbours who were listening that we as a country are more racist than I believe us to be. I think a lot of that was the "left" playing the race card for it's own political advantage, just as bad as anything Johnny might have done.

R0bert

Our neighbour think we might be racist, Robert?

Reality check time Robert.

Papuans don't like people from southern New Guinea and highlanders who are very black don't like lowlanders who are have a noticeably lighter skin colour. Naturally, their enmity is returned by the lowlanders who think the highlanders are just barbarians.

The Indonesians don't like the Chinese, and when the Chinese minority tried to take over Indonesia when Sukarno died, the Indo's marched a couple of million of them into the jungle and machine gunned them. Are they going to call us racists?

The Chinese minority in Malaya tried to do the same thing and turn Malaya into a vassal state of the people's Republic of China. Even today, there are very racist laws in effect in Malaysia to enshine the perpetual political dominance of Muslim Malays. The Malays do not like then Chinese and wish they would all migrate to Australia so that they can get rid of them. Looks like they succeeded with Chek Lee.

The Vietnamese absolutely despise the Chinese and after the Vietnam War was over they made life so miserable for them in Vietnam that a million or two Chinese fled into China to escape the persecution. That was the reason for the Vietnam/China war. Are the Viets going to call us racists?

The Phillipines has the distinction of being the most troubled Asian with several separitist and sectarian movements vying for control of local provinces. Another triumph of multiculturalism. The bloke handing out how to vote cards for Pauline Hanson at my polling booth was a Phillipino who had a jaundiced view of Muslim immigration into Australia. He saw too many people die.

So who is going to call us racist, Robert? Fair dinkum, you lot just love mouthing off touchy feely platitudes so much, I can almost hear the angels singing as you write.

Racism is caused by fear of change and the unknown.

I define racism as making some one feel inferior in order to secure our own status within society.This happens in every family on a daily basis.The very existence of a pecking order mentality reinforces the notion of racism.Job status,intellectual ability and wealth are equally divisive as racism.We are just disciminating against others in terms of intellectual ability,looks and wealth.So we have geneticism,intellectualism and racism.

To some degree according to the particular situation,they are equally devisive.It is always wrong to put down anyone to emulate our own status,yet it happens on daily basis in all societies.We are all potential racists due to our own inherent insecurities.

A study a I read years ago in the US found that the Puertoricans hated the Negros more than the middle class whites because the Negros were more a threat to their job security.It all amounts to perceived threats ,real or not.

Who can blame many for feeling this way,since it has been happening since Homo Sapiens competed with the Neanderthals.

In reality I think language is more a problem than than colour, since it is ignorance that breeds distrust and hatred.We need intensive language programs for all migrants,even for cockney poms.

In Australia we need to slow down the pace of ethnic change since we are losing our national and cultural identity too rapidly.We need to bring all levels of our society with us and not pander to the whims of the latte left.

We need evolution,not revolution.

I will agree with most of what you said, Arjay. Even the oft repeated claims that "racists" are all a bunch of low educated morons is a form of racism itself. Because it is an attempt by one group with it's own social values to claim that it is intrinsically superior to another group with differing social values.

Since we climbed down from the trees, human beings have formed interdependent groups and established territories. They do not like it when a rival group invades their territory. This is a deep emotional response which is programmmed into every persons DNA and is unlikely to be deprogrammed by anyone listening to "Imagine" or sitting around singing "Kumbaya."

Racism is simply a product of group loyalty. It exists because it is part of the human condition and it can not be wished away. Claims that we in Australia can make a race blind society is as unrealistic as the Communists desire to build a class blind society. Blood is thicker than Ideology.

Here in Australia, the classic symptoms of a divided society are already manifesting themselves. Ethnic ghettoes with high rates of welfare dependency and criminal behaviour, valid fears of terrorism, and a political elite who openly talk about courting the "Greek vote", the "Jewish vote" and the "Muslim vote."