Rant about racism

[feast_at_heorot]

So maybe 2 days ago my gaijin work colleague is in a discussion with some of the other staff, and she says, talking about te original owners of my country "They`re just crap, they`re not even Australian and they are all drunks!"
So I shut her down in front of the other staff, said "Shut up! That`s not true and don`t spread that horseshit in front of

Comments

[last_chael]

Urgh! That kind of stuff makes me so sick! That people have the balls to spread such shit and then bitch about being called racist. Obviously they need to carry a dictionary around with them so they can actually look up the meaning of the word!

Oh and as a little side note, I'm pretty sure I have Aboriginal heritage on my Dad's side. I made the discovery when I realised that he looks EXACTLY like one of the Aboriginal heads of department at the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander unit at UQ. I thought it just a coincidence until I realised that we actually have some kind of secret affair that was buried a few generations ago, that Dad had always speculated was Spanish (Spanish servants working at the property in Roma; apparently Dad's family owned most of Roma). I realised it made more sense that they would have Aboriginal servants in Roma, than Spanish. Haven't said anything to Dad about it yet....not quite sure how he'd react knowing some of the racist garbage that has come out of his mouth.....

[suyongli]

She`s like "Why are you aboriginal?"

Like it matters! If a jerk makes a racist comment, and no-one of that ethnicity is there to hear it... they're still saying racist shit. ZOMG.

Also: I'd like to know where she thinks they're from if "they're not even Australian". Ooh! Maybe they're Norwegian! *eyeroll*

[feast_at_heorot]

Yeah it was a bit weird.
And when I told other people here about it, they said that I should have qualified it by saying I had good friends who were Aboriginal and so forth.

And I was like, well, no, I`m not the one who needs to qualify what I`m saying because there is no argument here. She`s being racist, and I don`t need an excuse to be offended by it.

[feast_at_heorot]

Plus, making statements like that in a workplace in Australia rightfully would make you subject to:

1. Workplace disiplinary procedures, including dismissal.
2. Possible court action.

So its not like I`m breaking new ground here.

takes knowing one...???

[jstarlive]

This takes me back to one of my more passionate posts this year. Racism is so shit. And clearly the message isn't getting through to people anymore. Anytime anyone says "I'm not a racist but..." is cringe time.

I like the weird way people work, the friends who've said "should have qualified it by saying I had good friends who were Aboriginal". Its a bit like having to say "I have good friends who were raped" or "I have good friends who've been bashed" or "I have good friends who were abused by paedophiles" before you're allowed to be opposed to those things. Some things are just so wrong that you can just not tolerate it without needing to know anyone.

I'm still amazed, reading back, at how passionately angry I was about my "racist in my friends group" experience.
http://jstarlive.livejournal.com/98172.html

Re: takes knowing one...???

[feast_at_heorot]

Yeah I remembered your post and thought I should share my experience, since no one here seemed to get it.