Believe it or not, the word most frequently heard in cricketing circles today is a perfectly normal English word – not chucking, sledging, googly, fine-leg or doosra. Racism has always been lurking around the fringes of the game – when unapologetically segregationist South Africa was kept away from cricket, several (mostly) white players from Australia and England would sneak in to play a game or two, lured by the money; risking lifetime bans. Each quaintly labeled rebel tour would inspire a few articles condemning apartheid, and (predictably enough) British newspapers would write muted articles about why things weren’t really that bad, and why people shouldn’t get their undergarments into intricate knots over a mere game.
Neighboring Zimbabwe had an all-white cricket team as well, but that didn’t raise too many eyebrows because the team hardly won anything, but mostly because they played for a country ruled by a benign black dictator.
But today, things have changed. The benign dictator is not so benign anymore, and of late, he has been maintaining a punishing schedule – creating food shortages in his country by taking away farms from white farmers. But Robert loves playing games, and he is going to make time for cricket, punishing schedule or not. And how well he plays. First, he cleanses his team of all white players – using other people of course, why would a powerful man get his hands dirty? – and then obviously pleased with how clean the team looked, he is now on another cleaning spree – this time to get rid of all the good players, especially the pesky ones that want to get paid for their services.
Several interesting strategies have been employed in this round, including but not limited to robbing players of their money, death threats, divide and conquer. Meanwhile, the standard of cricket has dipped alarmingly in the country, and most games involving them bear a more than passing resemblance to games involving the Atlanta Hawks. But Mugabe doesn’t know that because he has no time for the NBA. Plus now his team is all black, and isn’t that good enough?
<
p>
Meanwhile, events in Australia are ensuring that things stay balanced on the racism front. Crowds at cricket matches in Australia are always a bit more, um… boisterous than crowds elsewhere, possibly due to a lot of beer and not too many bathrooms on the grounds, but this year they’ve taken their bad behavior to new depths. People have learnt new words, and are not hesitant to try them out on visiting cricket teams.
A few years ago, a prominent Australian cricket player was suspended after using an innovative new phrase that combined the color black and a certain part of the female anatomy to describe Sri Lanka’s cricketers, and at that time, there was a sneaking suspicion that this was no isolated incident. Events this year are proving that theory right.
Less violent [than the Sydney riots], but in some ways more disturbing, have been the growing number of racist taunts that have since sullied international cricket grounds throughout the summer. Perhaps spurred on by the alarming images a week earlier in Cronulla, spectators at the first Test in Perth subjected some members of the South African cricketers to crude apartheid-era insults. Fast bowler Makhaya Ntini and several other players were called “kaffirs” and “kaffir boetie” (brother of blacks) by people in the Waca crowd. [Link]
<
p>And in some ways, the most surprising thing has been the incredulous reaction of most of Australia to protests by the South Africans – Much noise about harmless name calling has been the general refrain. Neil Manthorp explains:
Just over a month ago, between the second and third Test matches in Melbourne and Sydney, one of the country’s most prominent newspaper sports editors asked me to write a comment piece explaining what “all the fuss” was about.
To the majority of Australians being called a “kaffir” is no different to being called a “wanker” or a “prick”, said the editor. Could I please explain why the players were so ‘sensitive’ to a bit of ‘name calling…’ [Link]Later this month, when Sri Lanka’s cricketers arrive in the country to play in the VB one-day series, will sections of the crowd welcome them with Tsunami taunts?
[…] That’s the equivalent of what Graeme Smith and his players have been experiencing from time to time during this tour.
South Africa, too, has had its Tsunami but it began in 1948 and it was called Apartheid. And it was not a natural disaster, it was man-made and that makes it even worse. And like Sri Lanka’s Tsunami, it claimed many thousands of innocent lives but, just as in Sri Lanka, we can’t be sure how many because there are still people missing, buried in secret graves by an invisible force.
Nelson Mandela spent 27 years of his life in prison for fighting Apartheid and there would not have been a single day of that time when he wasn’t called a ‘kaffir’. [Link]
And here is Peter English chiming in on the controversy, rubbishing the theory that racism was confined to expatriate South Africans living in Australia.
“Don’t blame Australians for the racist remarks,” a reader wrote to Cricinfo’s feedback this week. “They were made by South Africans now living in Australia.” This popular comment misses the problem that has been pushed underground for decades.
A bay of supporters was decked in patriotic gold shirts at the SCG last summer to watch Australia play Pakistan. Closer inspection of their garb revealed a slogan including the words “Pakis” and “towelheads”. The year before Indian supporters were upset to be called “coolies” at Adelaide and in response to the Barmy Army’s 2002-03 chants the locals fans responded with “I’d rather be a Paki than a Pom”. [Link]Yesterday a sports-loving gentleman at a club morning tea wondered what all the fuss was about: “They’ve been called kaffirs all their life, why does it matter now?”… [Link]
And in the midst of all this, John Howard, the Australian Prime Minister is concerned about the offensive language on television shows.
Prime Minister John Howard says there has been a marked deterioration in good manners in Australia. [Link]
<
p>
And you thought the British were masters of understatement?
PS: I hate to be presumptuous, but am wondering if we can keep the comments focused more on racism and less on cricket…
TBH dhaavak, you won’t find many of those types in London – it’s a very cosmopolitan city and one of the few I can confidently say is truly mutilcultural and very well integrated. The English countryside can be lovely – and I really wouldn’t worry about getting beaten up wherever you wander – it’s probably less likely to occur than compared to most countries. It’s more the deprived and run-down parts of big cities in the north where I wouldn’t like to go.
Abysmal Socceroo,
Its not okay to call someone a “kaffir” here, and I realise that aussieindian hasn’t clarified much in stating that calling one another curry, wog etc. is perfectly acceptable in the wider community. It may be acceptable among friends but certainly not in public to those you aren’t familiar with. Aussieindian, are you sure you live in Aus because my Aus is nothing like yours??
” Is there a rising pressure in Australia for non-white migrants to have to say “Nah, calling me a curry [or whatever] isn’t racist, it’s fine, I enjoy it; in fact I call my other friends wogs and chinks too, etc”? “
Socceroo: There isn’t any pressure for me, that’s certain. I can’t speak for Aussieindian though. But i’ll be honest, I’m not offended when I’m called curry and I enjoy the harmless banter when its said to me in jest by my close friends. The portrayal of Aus in this post seems to reflect a country where racist terms must be accepted and endured by immigrants who in their desperation to fit in, belittle themselves and their communities. This isn’t the case. Far from it infact. There is an undercurrent of racism here, I accept that, but I won’t accept the assumption that the country is so racist that migrants have learnt to deal with and even enjoy it. Firstly, a large portion of the Australian population welcome immigration particularly with respect to skilled migration. Many of the government departments/agencies as well as Private companies have Desi’s and a range of folks from different cultures at the helm (see Neville Roach, Marie Bashir etc.). Secondly, if Aus really is as you describe it to be, I guarantee that I and many others would have left long ago.
Cheers,
Divya
” Is there a rising pressure in Australia for non-white migrants to have to say “Nah, calling me a curry [or whatever] isn’t racist, it’s fine, I enjoy it; in fact I call my other friends wogs and chinks too, etc”? “
Haw, haw.
No, and I second UnFacistDivya’s post. “Chink” is not acceptable at any level. Really.
Socceroo and Bong, just to clarify further, I wouldn’t make exceptions for the East Coast but agree that the racism exists in both regional and urban Australia, but the higher proportion of migrants in urban populations means there are more varied degrees of integration and racism. Further, the Cronulla riots, while indicative of the underlying racism in Australian society, may also have been a result of the peculiar demographics of Sydney. And as we dicussed on the Cronulla issue here at the Mutiny, the main difference between Aus and the UK/US is that the racism is more out in the open, as it were, since Aussies aren’t very PC. On the other hand, I think there is less institutionalised racism here than what I had gathered from the UK as there’s a strong meritocracy.
Socceroo>Because I notice this sentiment being expressed more and more in Howard’s Australia, and it gives me the creeps. It comes up every time someone raises a perfectly legitimate claim of racism, and calling people “kaffirs”, “curries”, etc, is very deeply racist indeed.
Every time someone raises a perfectly legitimate claim of racism, and I’ve stated several times above that they are perfectly legitimate, we do find ourselves having to deal with idea about of Australia that seem pretty extreme and unrelated to the Australia we live in every day. So instead of discussing the claim, we seem to end up trying to set the record – well, straighter. aussieindian isn’t exactly representative of South Asians here, as hard core racism isn’t representative of all Australians. And I’m glad it’s all come out, and post-Cronulla so we can actualyl deal with it. I suppose Aussie cricket fans can be likened to European soccer fans; a decidedly mixed bunch.
I’ve talked about the poor quality of debate here, and I think part of the problem is that that’s generally been the case here in public discourse. Compared to the quality of debate in the UK and the US, we’re pretty ordinary. At any other time, Cronulla would have meant many weeks of introspection and analysis rather than the two-three paltry weeks we had; the one TV debate; better, stronger leadership on the issues. Instead, even our PM refuses to acknowledge the racial nature of the riots. The statement Karthik quotes is indicative of the way things run here. I’m not placing all the blame squarely at the feet of the PM (clearly there has to be fuel for the fire), but it’s part of general trends, and some trends that seem common in other countries post 9/11.
Actually, I’m from Sydney. And I know there’s just as much racism in Mosman as there is in Orange or Dapto or wherever.
Also, I’ll have to confess my earlier question was rhetorical. Of course it’s not okay to call someone a “kaffir”! But for some reason “curry” and “wog”, etc, are fine. For the record, I think saying things like “Ha ha, yeah bro, me n my cuz from curryland and even some of my skip friends are all gonna be at the cricket tomorrow”, etc, is truly bloody horrible. I’m actually astonished by the number of “curries” who reckon they don’t mind. And I suspect the reason they don’t mind is that the last ten years (coincindentally, that has been the length of Howard’s term in office, and the time since the Pauline Hanson fiasco) have seen racist ideas gain a renewed currency across the population, migrants and all. Everyone’s falling over themselves to say they don’t really mind being racially vilified. I mean, at least we’re not in a detention centre in the desert… quick, get that flag out and fly it from the top of yer house before they look over at us!
Abysmal Socceroo (umm, nice nick although I admit they’re not that abysmal at the moment)
I think it is the younger generation that don’t mind. I too hate the term curry or even worse curry-muncher and I don’t like it when desis use those terms either, but I find it astonishing how frequently my young cousins use terms like ‘curry’, ‘chinku’, ‘lebo’, ‘refo’ and ‘abo’. It’s scandalous.
You’re right about this happening more frequently during Howard’s rule though, because these kinds of terms were absolutely not tolerated during the Labor Party glory days when I went through primary school in the late 80s and high school in the early 90s.
ah, bengali, the glory Labor & Keating years nostalgic sniffle
Socceroo and Bengali> It is a generational thing (“chinku” is new to me though. Ugh). But the sting went out of “curry” for me long ago, it’s offensiveness for me lies in context (you know, I can tell when someone’s being insulting). I don’t think it’s necessarily a capitulation.
“Also, I’ll have to confess my earlier question was rhetorical.”
I figured but was incensed nontheless 🙂 Let me assure most vehemently of my anti-flag waving, ohgodletmefitin credentials. What is more of a concern is how many groups have begun to differentiate btw themselves more than before: it seems to be open slather, post-Cronulla, towards the Aus-Lebanese community and Muslims generally, from desis and others alike.
“Everyone’s falling over themselves to say they don’t really mind being racially vilified”
Or at least being told to stop minding.
I’m anti-howard, but I’ll never be pro-keating, the man still needs to learn what the term economy means. He had good intentions but was clueless as to how to implement them../me stops herself from entering another economic argument.
I don’t think we can entirely blame governments for school-kids calling eachother ‘curry’ and ‘wog’ etc. I think that stems more from a breakdown of values in the home and in school. The world is becoming increasingly globalised, children have access to anything at any time, they’re sure to become more worldly. Of course this present government’s attitude to all people, dare I say it, un-white, has been appalling, they should definitely consider themselves partially responsibile for all race related incidents.
UFD> Keatings main nostalgic attraction lies in his social rhetoric. Compared to Howard it was statesman-like. Cf. recent Costello comments. “Robust tolerance” indeed.
His rhetoric is what got him elected, his failure to bring that dialogue into fruition is was his downfall…
Oh! An Aussie mutiny..
Sorry to go off topic but:
I think we can. Nowadays there are hardly any festivals, activities, programmes or marketing for multiculturalism (largely due to the government funding cuts for such programmes). In the 80s the word ‘multiculturism’ was the cool and ‘in’ word and virtually every month there’d be something multicultural happening, but nowadays it’s a horrid word to describe a horrid ideology. This is further perpetuated by Government official’s statements which thinly veil their “either become totally Australian or get the f*** outta here” stance.
Why oh why can’t there be a Paul Keating (social) and Peter Costello (economic) love child to run Australia? 🙂
bengali,
note: I don’t think we can entirely blame governments for school-kids calling eachother ‘curry’ and ‘wog’ etc We came to same conclusions as you did when commenting on the Rage Down Under post on SM after the cronulla riots. Totally agree with you on all accounts:)
UFD> I think the Big Picture statements also got a lot of people offside. I recall Ray Martin asking the public if they would prefer “someone who’s smart but arrogant or boring but honest” pre-election 1996. His 1992 election was largely due to fear about the GST at the time.
bengali>Well, we just had a two week multicultural festival here in Canberra 🙂 It feels as if the outward celebration of multiculti has almost disappeared. Or perhaps not as publicised as they used to be – a case of it all being a bit old hat or another symptom.
…apologies to the Mutiny 🙂
‘Honest’? Oh dear. That’s probably the last word in the dictionary I would use to describe Mr Howard.
I’ve got my issues with the kind of let’s-all-love-each-other multiculturalism expressed by Keating too, but from the point of view that eating each other’s food and going to each other’s festivals only takes us so far, when all the while it was actually Labor which began locking up refugees in the desert. Some real anti-racist leadership would be preferable to soft multiculturalism, in my view. Of course in the current climate even soft multiculturalists are being painted as pinko latte-drinkers, which is just depressing, frankly.
The objections to Keating’s economic management are also problematic, I think. It’s really quite mistaken to believe that Howard and Costello have personally delivered low interest rates, for example, when there have been more fundamental, structural reasons for recent economic conditions (which, again, began under Labor).
And I think we can blame the government for quite a lot, actually. They have set a tone throughout their term which has absolutely condoned racism, and just recently MP after MP has been putting his/her head up to tell migrants who don’t hold “Aussie values” to “go home”. Dana Vale was just scandalous in saying that abortion must be opposed because otherwise Muslims will outbreed “Australians”, for example. She really deserved to have her head (figuratively) kicked for that one, but no-one even raised an eyebrow. And the rest of us have just to go around listening to people telling us not to mind.
But yes, flygirl, the Canberra Multicultural Festival is really spectacular.
Socceroo:
But can you be an anti-racist leader without touting the benefits of multiculturalism?
I think the “let’s-all-love-each-other multiculturalism” is a good way to keep the middle class from being fearful of ‘different’ people. The pinkos will always be pinkos and the skinheads will always be skinheads, but espousing the virtues of multiculturalism is perhaps the best way to create harmony in the swinging middle class for both immigrants and ‘natives’ (to use the term loosely).
Having said that, things probably would have been rather different hadn’t 9/11 happened.
bengali: No, I mean, I’ll take a soft, liberal multiculturalism over this current Muslim/migrant-bashing any day. I just don’t think multiculturalism goes far enough (latte, anyone?). I do think policies of multiculturalism gave us something to build on (back in the day!), but it was an opportunity missed, and we know how things have gone since then. And the rot started well before 9/11, I reckon. The time of Pauline Hanson’s maiden speech, and the onslaught on “political correctness” which resulted, was nasty indeed. I’d just really love to hear someone more influential than the Greens say look, it’s gone too far, this is actually racism, pure and simple, and it’s not on.
IS IT THE BEER AGAIN ?
This just in from Canada: The Canadian dream apparently means offering your future CANADIAN-BORN children as a readily-identifiable cheap labor pool (see article posted below).
Do you think it’s any different in the US or Australia?
Actually, I know, the U.S. is the same. England is likely worse.
I don’t have the Aussie data yet, do you?
At least the Canadians admit what they are. Canadian Moulson must be a bit weaker brew than Foster’s (Australian for beer).
“Cheers curry mates! You’re more educated, and more productive, but make only 2/3rds of my salary. Because of you the economy is constantly fed a healthy diet of Asian/African food. On second thought, we’re glad you came.”
Job market unkind to Canada-born minorities: study Wed Feb 22, 7:06 PM ET TORONTO (Reuters) – Canadian-born visible minorities face more hurdles than any other groups when trying to get well-paid jobs, according to a study published on Wednesday.
The gap is not due to differences in skills and education, but to racial discrimination, said the study published by the Canadian Labour Congress.
Lower incomes, higher unemployment and precarious work status are prevalent among workers from visible minorities, and particularly for the second-generation of immigrants born in Canada.
Although they are more highly educated than average, this second generation has the most difficulty finding steady employment at decent wages, said Leslie Cheung, a graduate student in public policy at Simon Fraser University and author of the study.
Canadian-born workers from visible minorities are younger then the average worker, explaining part of the gap.
But they still lag behind when compared to white workers in the same age group, according to the study, which compared unemployment rates, income and representation in lower and higher skilled occupations.
Among other things, the study found Canadian-born visible minorities were over-represented in part-time and temporary jobs.
Visible minorities, who make up about 13 percent of the workforce, are concentrated in low level sales and clerical jobs, working under a glass ceiling that prevents them from climbing to more senior positions, the study found.
“Given that this group was born and educated in Canada, this gap is likely to reflect racial status to a greater degree than language abilities,” Cheung wrote in the study. “Foreign credentials, a barrier for many immigrant workers of color, are clearly not a factor.”
Annual earnings of Canadian-born visible minorities averaged C$21,983 in 2000, while immigrant workers earned C$25,205 and white Canadians earned C$30,141.
The unemployment rates for the same year for people aged 15 to 24 show comparable gaps — 15.5 percent for Canadian-born visible minorities and 13.3 per cent for Canadian-born whites.
The federal government has projected that by 2017 about 20 percent of Canadians will be members of a visible minority group, defined as non-white and non-aboriginal, with higher rates in large cities such as Toronto and Vancouver.
“With the young Canadian-born worker of color population now entering the work force in large numbers, and the ever increasing migration of people of color to Canada, the reality of racism must be confronted from all sectors of society, rather than denied,” according to the study, which was based on data from Statistics Canada’s 2001 census.
Laidback: the sarcasm isn’t working anymore, you might want to try something different, how about discussing something intellectually? just a suggestion of course…
Australia is quite different from the above in the sense that from what I’ve experienced, the labour market tends to be farily favourable to migrants. Infact, immigration via the Skilled Migration program tends to place people in an industry before they arrive, providing them with the contacts and know-how to find employment in their relevant industries. Ironically, in Australia, insititutions and departments tend to be very open to employees of all races, even in managerial positions. The Australian public at large however, have the notion that migrants are taking what should be “Aussie jobs”. However, the Australian labour market is a meritocracy at the worst of times because as an up and coming economy, it can’t afford a skilled labour shortage and without migrants, the economy would struggle to survive. In Australia these days, there is a catch-22 situation whereby many are opposed to immigration as they carry an outright dislike of migrants but are heavily dependent upon the migrant workforce whether it be in blue-collar factory/manufacturing industries or white-collar technical/professional industries. With a majority of second-generation Indians just entering the labour force now, it will be interesting to see what the actual figures are in ten years time.