As I flip through channels, words like violence break the silence, they come crashing in, in to my little world via an Australian reporter being phone-interviewed on FOX news:

What we’ve seen here is that these locals are attacking anyone with a different color skin.

Shudder

Since FOX news helpfully changed the subject right after that incendiary quote, I am left to frantically type “Australia” and “race” in my Google toolbar. I’m dismayed by what I find; tensions between “local” Australians and those who are of Lebanese descent have exploded. Apparently a few of the Lebanese-Australians attacked innocent lifeguards on the beach and “locals” retaliated, much to the delight of Aussie Neo-Nazi retards.

Hordes of vigilantes who had marinated in sun and alcohol sought vengeance against the “Lebs” for this and other, more disturbing offences. No good can come of this revenge race. I cringe at the way “Middle Eastern appearance” is being tossed around, because I am just waiting for some brown person to get caught up in this tragic mix, since we look more “Middle Eastern” than, well, Middle Eastern people do.

Another thought strikes me– sure enough, you tipsters are on it. Mutineer Ananthan points me towards the following, massively disturbing words in the Sydney Morning Herald:

A BARE-CHESTED youth in Quiksilver boardshorts tore the headscarf off the girl’s head as she slithered down the Cronulla dune seeking safety on the beach from a thousand-strong baying mob.

Up on the road, Marcus “Carcass” Butcher, 28, a builder from Penrith, wearing workboots, war-camouflage shorts and black singlet bearing the words “Mahommid was a camel f—ing faggot” raised both arms to the sky. “F— off, Leb,” he cried victoriously.

Indeed, victory is yours, you idiot. Continue reading →

For years I’ve said that EVERYTHING sounds better in Italian. I might have to eat those words (with Arrabiata, preferably). Via Reuters:

Calling a foreigner a “dirty negro” in Italian is not necessarily a racist insult, Italy’s highest court has ruled.

The verdict, relating to a case where a group of Italian men punched and insulted some women from Colombia, caused deep unease at a time when Italy is struggling to contain racism.

Punched and insulted women? Not cool.

The court on Monday ruled in favor of one of the men, who argued he was not being racist when he launched the assault with the words: “Sporche negre — cosa ci fanno queste negre qua?” (“Dirty negroes — what are these negroes doing here?”)

Most Italians would have no doubt that calling someone a “dirty negro” was a racist insult. The term is seldom heard and is considered no more acceptable in Italy than it would be in Britain or the United States.

It took me a few reads to grok why the court ruled the way it did; apparently it’s not the “crime of racism” to just dislike or reject someone based on their ethnicity or faith, it’s only racist if hatred is involved. When I was younger, I had the N-bomb hurled at me often. If only I had known whether it was uttered out of hate or dislike, I might have wept less.

Bad PR is never molto bene, whether inspired by the shitty treatment of Marc Zoro or this “it’s-not-racist!” verdict:

Politicians across the political spectrum criticized the ruling and said it could not have come at a worse time.

Bear in mind however, that this is the same supreme court which ruled that grabbing a female coworker’s ass wasn’t harassment and that rape isn’t possible if the victim is in extra-snug jeans. Sigh. Continue reading →