Racism is not a small issue
Australian cricket fans should be very ashamed of themselves...
British-Indian cricketeer Monty Panesar was verbally and racially abused in Sydney last Monday by some Australian spectators when England was playing against New South Wales. According to news reports, he was called "A stupid Indian" and was told "You can't speak English you stupid Indian, I'll have to say it in Indian. What are you doing playing in the English side, you're not English..." When the British Minister for Sport tried to raise this issue with the Australian authorities, they downplayed it and even had the audacity to question whether such a comment could indeed be called racist.
I just think it is utterly disgusting and outrageous that people can say such things and get away with it. It is really upsetting that such stupidity and lack of breeding and class still exists. What worries me even more is that there are other people out there who think that such comments should be treated lightly!! On Tim Dunlop's news blog, one guy commented:
"Well he is of indian decent, so really someone is just calling him stupid. Oh boo hoo. I can think of 10 names worse off the top of my head! If you don’t like it, quit! It’s part of the game." - "John of Sydney"
The worst part is, he is not the only one!! I think many people in this country need to educated on such issues. Such low class, boganism has to stop and there needs to be a campaign of some sort to put an end to all this.
John of Sydney and every other person out there who shares such sentiments - you will NEVER understand what it feels like to be subjected to racial abuse and taunts. When someone calls you a "Stupid Indian" that person is not merely saying you are "Stupid", they are also suggesting that there is a connection between you being "Indian" and "Stupid". Why could he not have said "Stupid Cricketeer" or "Stupid Man" or "Stupid Left-Arm Spinner"?!?! Calling him a "Stupid Indian" was deliberate and malicious.
This is definitely not an isolated incident. Australian sports fans seem to behave in this way all the time. When I watching a live World Cup match at University (between Australia and Japan), a large number of local Australian students who were there started yelling at a group of Japanese international students "Go Home! Get Out of here!"...just sickens me....*shudders*.
posted by Kartik Menon @ 6:48 AM
3 comments
3 Comments:
Kartik, racism is ubiquitous... yeah i do agree with u that those imbeciles are actually relating supidity with Indians..maybe he shld have given a slap to the Australian fellow... just go up to any Black and say " hey Negro" and the next moment is that 5 fingers marks will be imprinted on the face... coz the word "Negro" is refering to slavery... actually the british fellow was prudent. he could have actually lost his cool but he handled this matter tactfully...talking abt racism, i had my fair share as well...They are just a bunch of insensitive ppl and they will never understand how the minorities will feel coz they are not part of the minority groups... so they will have no freaking clue of how it feels like to be hurt with those sardonic remarks....but i am surprised that despite the issue being raised to the australian authorities, nothing was done...maybe i suggest that there shld be a revamp of australian social education.... heard of NE (National Education) inculcated into lessons and efforts being step up to promote social cohesion among the various groups? yeah i do agree with u that they need serious re education.... personally , in my humble opinion, i will strongly rebuk such scornful comments... but if a person don t wish to invite himself/herself to trouble then i suggest "ignorance is bliss"...Gosh! sorry wrote GP essay... :)
Well, not only were they shouting "Go home", etc, from what I remember they:
1) booed the Japanese national anthem, which I found quite reprehensible
2) made personal insults towards the Japanese players, most notably Alex, a Brazilian born, naturalised Japanese
3) shouted comments like "Who won the war???", which was completely unnecessary
And you can't blame it on alcohol (ala Mel Gibson) - drinking releases your inhibitions, which makes you lose, among other things, your sense of social consciousness / political correctness, so these guys were probably shouting what they REALLY think inside...*shudder*
And Kartik, perhaps try not to read the news.com.au blogs too much, as you said, the majority of posters are lowlife, ignorant bogans.
Hey Lalitha:
Yeah, perhaps they should introduce NE here...I wonder if it will actually make a difference though!
Andrew: How have you been dude? Not met up in ages...and you're 100% right...alcohol is never an excuse.
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