Eddie's Fight Against Racism in Australia

[capcom]

As The Doors sang, "People are strange".  That's permanent.

An episode that stayed with me .... filled up the car at the "supposed" wrong side of SFO over the golden gate.  White people weren't exactly seen in that area.  Did it, couldn't get the pump back into the bowser properly.  African American attendant came out, showed me the ropes, I said thanks mate ... he smiled and said "you all squared away brother"?  I said "yep".

"OK, be cool" 

[ElwoodBlues1]

Indeed, but the way to address the problem is not to dilute concerns raised over the treatment of 1 group by demanding all evil be eliminated in one gigantic war against bigotry.

You want to discriminate against other sections of the community ie Greeks/Italians, Asians, Muslims etc etc by ignoring their problems then good luck trying to a get a complete buy in from the entire community. Every group will see themselves as a priority and you will get nowhere.
My wifes sister is married to a part first nations gentleman who is white, blue eyed and looks every bit of Anglo Saxo origin.
That didnt stop him during a workplace disagreement being called a "White Nigger" and when he complained to management he was told he wasnt black enough to take it further...

[Mav]

I’m certainly not advocating discriminating against any group but if the reaction to attempts to fight discrimination against 1 group is met with “What about X?”, there’ll never be progress on any front.

[PaulP]

I’m certainly not advocating discriminating against any group but if the reaction to attempts to fight discrimination against 1 group is met with “What about X?”, there’ll never be progress on any front.

Yes, I agree. There are degrees of racism, and there must be corresponding degrees of acknowledgment and recompense. There are major and significant differences between the way First Australians and European immigrants have been treated. I've never heard any indigenous person denying other races a voice, but their desire to be heard loud and strong is completely justified IMO.

[Mav]

Jewish people took an important lesson out of the Holocaust. Rather than just fighting anti-Semitism, they realised they needed to be allies to discriminated groups. In the Civil Rights unrest in the US in the 60s, Jewish lawyers with the ACLU were prominent supporters of black Americans’ fight for equality. Groups who have experienced discrimination in the past would do well to emulate that approach rather than bitch about past grievances. Unfortunately, the opposite tendency seems to be apparent: I got through the bigotry without much help, so now you should do the hard yards too.

[PaulP]

Jewish people took an important lesson out of the Holocaust. Rather than just fighting anti-Semitism, they realised they needed to be allies to discriminated groups. In the Civil Rights unrest in the US in the 60s, Jewish lawyers with the ACLU were prominent supporters of black Americans’ fight for equality. Groups who have experienced discrimination in the past would do well to emulate that approach rather than bitch about past grievances. Unfortunately, the opposite tendency seems to be apparent: I got through the bigotry without much help, so now you should do the hard yards too.

The politics of resentment is very strong unfortunately, manifesting itself as grievances against others' supposed preferential treatment to which they themselves have been denied.

[cookie2]

Maybe that support was temporarily forgotten in the case of Yankel Rosenbaum?

[capcom]

Yes, I agree. There are degrees of racism, and there must be corresponding degrees of acknowledgment and recompense. There are major and significant differences between the way First Australians and European immigrants have been treated. I've never heard any indigenous person denying other races a voice, but their desire to be heard loud and strong is completely justified IMO.

Why recompense?  Justify why the innocent must pay for something they never did!!

[Mav]

That highlights how laudable the helping hand extended by the Jewish community was. There is tension between the Jewish community and the black community, especially black Muslims. The lesson should be that we should be allies of those experiencing discrimination even if they are in some ways our enemies. If minorities only support those who share common interests with them, they might find they have little support when it’s their turn in the barrel.

Niemöller’s words are inscribed in the Holocaust Museum:

First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

[kruddler]

So then does that mean an act of racism fundamentally an act of hypocrisy?

Why?

It means if you don't see people in a different light, you can't attack them for being different (and vice versa).
If we see people as humans, rather than asians, africans, collingwood supporters (jokes, we know they're not human ) then there will be no prejudice and racism.