Andrew Johns comments within the NSW Origin camp are a HUGE lesson for everyone on the whole. I really don't think Johns is a racist, I just really think there - (which seems apparent in the wider Au community, as well) - is a certain amount of ignorance towards racism and the affect comments aimed at someone's family tree CAN have on an individual.

I believe Tahu, without knowing the bloke, would think this as well.

It seems Tahu acted on an apparent on going issue with comments such as this within the league culture. This was his stand.

"Black c..." is a racist inference, and statement. What that comment does is devalue the role of an individual within his friendship with other players, his value within the club and team, devalue him as an equal in terms of humanity, and devalues the abilities and drive that got that player, and person, to that level.

You don't have to be a racist to make a racist comment. A comment that separates an individual from others based on race, is racist. Also, intention and ignorance is irrelevant when it comes to the person on the receiving end.

By using that term, Johns devalued every single player in the league community that comes from every culture that apparently fits his statement. He devalued his mates, and he devalued his mate's family and history.

Bravo, Tamana Tahu.

How about calling some and idiot.We are then discriminating on grounds of intelligence.We can get too precious about racism and not see the underlying humour.This also allows big brother to make more rules to subjugate us.

It all comes down to respect for each other StG, you don't tend to see much of that in football despite all the rhetoric about mateship and team spirit - if one believes all the media hype. A mate is someone who accepts you for who you are whether you be gay, ethnic or of different colour.

I know zip about football really other than the media portrayal of it, so there are probably a good many footballers who don't condone this behaviour but are largely unheard.

Johns was drunk by all account so perhaps was not in possession of a right mind, but that does not excuse his behaviour.

As an aside, I always wonder why the C word is used in putting someone down given that most men are almost always in pursuit of that very part of the anatomy.

Would STG and PELICAN mind giving a serious comment on the following article...

http://www.acrawsa.org.au/ejournalFiles/Volume%204,%20Number%202,%202008/O%27Connell%20Pinned%20Like%20a%20Butterfly%20FINAL.pdf

STG said:

You don't have to be a racist to make a racist comment. A comment that separates an individual from others based on race, is racist. Also, intention and ignorance is irrelevant when it comes to the person on the receiving end.

THE ARTICLE.

Have a look at exactly WHAT this aboriginal woman said.. please..
You'll find it to the right of word "preface" in the right hand column.

Now.. given what STG has said.. does anyone honestly consider what this woman said is NOT "racist".

I deliberately quoted STG's comment above for contrast purposes.

Finally...what do you all make of the MAGISTRATE's comment on page 6

Lower right hand side..bottom.

This magistrate declares 'white' not to be an offensive term. Who can disagree..that was NOT the reason the prison guard made a complaint. It was the OTHER adjectives attached TO the word 'white'.

PAGE 7.. summarizes the magistrates findings as follows:

For their social dominance, ill-defined
boundaries and internal diversity as a
group, Brown FM finds that whites should
not be able to invoke the racial hatred
provisions of the Racial Discrimination
Act.

Right hand side column.. about half way down.

Has anyone read section 9 and 10 of the race discrimination act lately?

EQUALITY before the law is the intent. (irrespective of race or color)

It's an interesting article, Al. It seems to me that the magistrate missed the point. Regardless of whether or not the woman was referring to a specific racial group, she made a clear statement that all white people are inferior to her and that she shows disrespect and (possibly) hatred towards them for this. At the same time, the term "black" doesn't refer to a specific racial group. Even "negro" doesn't: after all, there are many different racial groups in Africa, just as there are different white groups in Europe. White people are people of European descent, black people could be African, Melanesian, South Asian . . . I think Brown has offered a dangerous precedent here. One can only make expressions of racial hatred if one makes mention of a specific racial group: "You Croatians are all . . .", or "You Punjabis are all . . .".

Interesting.

<< Bravo, Tamana Tahu. >>

I agree. While there have been commendable efforts, particularly from the NRL and AFL administrations to rid their cultures of overt racism, there is evidently some way to go. I think that this action by Tahu is the kind of thing that demonstrates that racist abuse will no longer be tolerated by players.

Boaz's example is a typical furphy. The case he's been peddling around the forum involves a cynically frivolous attempt by a "white" prison warden to turn the intent of the RDA on its head. While nobody would condone the alleged offender's language, it appears from the evidence that she had been subject to some significant provocation from a representative of a penal system that is notoriously structurally racist.

Andrew Johns had not been provoked by anything, and quite thoughtlessly used a racist term of abuse because it has been normal to do so within the culture of rugby league. Evidently, it is increasingly unacceptable to do so.

Now, if only similar progress could be made with respect to the structural racism that has always pervaded Australian 'correctional' systems...