Indy: I heard about it on the news but they only said that the girl made racist remarks, they didn't disclose what she actually said.

It was, " Ya big ape." It could have been, Ya big galoot." or "W@^K#r."

I agree with Antiseptic & with the footballer that there was no intent from the kid to be racist, just kids being kids caught up in excitement of the game. And we all know how tight AFL fans are to their own Team. However the footballer went on to expand the incident by blaming the average Australian. Or, playing "The Race Card."

Jansey: A very close non-Aboriginal friend recently bought a black dog and called it Jigga Boo. And that some people might find it a bit offensive.

Jansey don't get caught up in the Race Movement please. ASTIC has an extremely bad reputation of playing the race card for its own gain without regard for the people involved.

A few years ago there were two mates who were born on the same day with-in minutes of each other in the same hospital. One Aboriginal, one European. They were raised together like brothers, went to school together, started work together at 14 on the Links in the Railway. Married on the same day at the same time. They wrestled, fought, cajoled, and supported each other only like two brothers & best mates can. Until, one day, at work the European bloke cajoled the Aboriginal bloke with something like, "ya silly black b@$T@&d." A European Railway inspector, nick named, by the way, "The Black Prince," visiting the site sacked him on the spot. The Gang & his Aboriginal mate tried to talk to the Inspector to no avail. "Rules are Rules" & there was no room for tolerance. The Aboriginal bloke went to ATSIC for help. Did he get it? NO! ATSIC saw an opportunity to make an example of a "White" bloke & they went for it tooth & nail. Now these two are bitter enemies. Sad so Sad. Check with anyone on the Links in North Queensland.

Dear Jansey,

Our language reflects our view of the world, and so
it is always changing. New words are being added all
the time as discovieries are made in medicine, science,
and technology. You can probably think of many examples
of this. Words for things no longer in use are dropped
from our everyday language.

For example words like "unisex" relfect our changed
attitudes to men and women. This word would have been
meaningless in past years when men and women were
expected to dress and act differently.

There are many terms which reflect the feelings of
superiority of some people of one race over people
of other races. For example, "n###r" referring
to African negroes. "boong" referring to Australian
Aborigines. "dago," referring to Italians, "wog"
referring to migrants living in Australia. "Savages"
or "barbariabs" referring to natives of non-European
lands.

These outmoded words are no longer acceptable to most
people today. However it's good that you explained
the historical content of the word to the young person.
They need to be told of the meaning of these old-fashioned
words that show us very clearly how some people viewed
one another. Words do reflect our society after all.

Jansey, I implore you don't let them destroy you very close friendship with a good mate.

I had a very close Aboriginal friend at work in the Railway Workshops. So close that we could sense each other. I spent time as a Forward Scout in Vietnam. After a time we all developed a sense of each other wants while on patrol. It was a sort of mind thing where no words were needed to send a message. Arthur & I had the same thing in the workshop. He was the Crane Slings man at one end of the shed & I was at the other end. If I need him or he need me, all we had to do was think of each other & we knew that the other wanted us & what was wanted. Arthur is a full blood, born at a little spring just East of Hughenden that flows down to the Murray Rv. His Tribal birthing place. He took me there. We would often cajole each other as well but were told to stop. I had a go at him once because he didn't know how to peel a Coconut. As he said, He's from Hughenden, "they don't have Coconuts in Hughenden." It's a North Queensland thing.

When I got married I invited him & he didn’t come. He said it was a “Whitie” affair & he didn’t feel comfortable going. I was devastated, but I accepted his explanation.

Don’t let those people looking for an excuse to “knock a whitie” colour your friendship with your very close friend. That would be a very sad thing.

Bazz: Never heard the term before !

I believe it was a term (word, "Jigga boo" that came about in America in the 1920's. It had to do with an African American (Negro) dance, or the how they danced. It was an African American word. The forerunner to the jive, also an African American word.

It was not originally a derogatory word but was taken up by Americans as a word for Negro, even African Americans. Fa God sake get some history into ya.

Jayb: Fa God sake get some history into ya.

That wasn't aimed at you personally Bazz, sorry. It's just I find history fascinating & can help in explaining a lot of thing we all take for granted which maybe different in reality.

Dear individual. my post was simply recounting an incident that happened to me, & one that was relevant to the Adam Goode's incident and discussion here. How you come to the conclusion that I'm making huge generalisation about white people is beyond me. I think people like yourself just naturally react in a defensive way when racism is being discussed in a rational way because such calm and rational thought based on trying to evoke the humanity in us all is not something racists like to engage with. Which is sad, you can learn lots from being an anti-racist.