Why do 13 Coalition backbenchers need to racially offend and insult?
Today, the first sitting day of a new parliament, thirteen, yes thirteen coalition backbenchers defied their Prime Minister and called for an amendment to Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act that would see the words “insult” and “offend” removed.
Thirteen white Liberal backbenchers want to be legally permitted to racially offend and insult. So desperately do they want this that they have defied their Prime Minister and their Attorney-General, both of whom undertook to leave Section 18C as it is, and went to the election with this undertaking.
These thirteen backbenchers are fighting for the right to offend and insult specifically on the basis of race and ethnicity. They aren’t fighting for the right to offend and insult in general: that right isn’t under threat. They want to racially offend and insult. They are fighting to racially offend and insult. They are risking the cohesion of their party in order to be able to racially offend and insult.
Think about that.
This article was originally published on No Place For Sheep.
32 comments
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kerri -
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Miriam English -
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Terry2 -
Miriam English -
Sir ScotchMistery -
Freethinker -
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Freethinker -
Miriam English
Return to home pageGood commentary JW.
It also explains why there is a high probability there will be a leadership battle before the next election.
Thirteen who wish it known they support a change, and probably the rest of the party thinks the same but don’t want it to be known.
Is there a list of those nasty racists anywhere?
If we can spread around exactly who these threats to a peaceful society are we can shame them each publicly and make them back down.
Wow! Thirteen! That’s a lot of horrid racists in government. Holy moley!
Kerri, yes indeed I suspect this is at the core of the Section 18C uproar for the Liberals involved: there’s no chance of the legislation being amended but it’s a golden opportunity to cause division in the party.
Keitha, I think that’s accurate, I’m sure there are others who are keeping quiet.
There are seven more cross benchers also supporting Bernardi’s petition.
There’s a photo going round Twitter, I’ll try to track it down.
Why indeed would 13 of our supposedly civic -minded and inclusive-orientated representatives feel the need to threaten the stability of government and feel the need to express racist and hurtful hate? What fears are they playing to and what approbation are they seeking from the communities they represent? ( And note here, l am being generous in ascribing them that motive – because if they don’t have an ulterior motive, then they can be only described as being certifiably insane!).
Could it be that they are merely stooping below common standards of humanity to express solidarity with the basest instincts of their electorates, many of whom might be living in fear and bigotted prejudice?
Fear of lost job opportunities and lowered standards of living because of the inclusion of “strange”, “foreign”, and ” different” people who have come into their communities and society in general, and who then make initial calls of support on the common wealth?
Could it be that they are deliberately blind to the contributions that these new arrivals make to the economy, to the commencement of new business enterprises, the generation of job opportunities, and the enrichment of our society through diversification and more interactive skill sets, both locally and globally? And that that paradigm has powered Australia along in the world since Federation?
Or perhaps it is a case that, through fear, or greed, or bigottry, and perhaps all three, these elected representatives would prefer to wind the clock back to the insular, jingoistic, 1950’s, and just pretend that we are an island nation complete unto itself, without obligation, concern or indeed interaction with anyone else on the planet; we therefore have no need to raise the moral questions of needing to recognise outsiders as being of a common humanity – and just like us.
Well here’s some news for those representatives – they are us. And if we want to forfeit our right to live on this planet as a moral and compassionate country, to be held in any esteem by others in the world, then by all means let’s promote hate and hurt in our communities. By doing so we degrade ourselves and foster a bitterness and divisiveness that can only end in violence and disaster. But worst, by turning on others as scapegoats to salve our fears and anger at missed opportunities to prosper, we then no longer address the actions that are in fact needed to move Australia forward as a nation and seize the exciting new job opportunities that the rest of the world is embracing.
In short, disunity is death.
Len Botterill, superbly well expressed. Bravo!
Your last point is especially important. While selfishly pandering to ugly racism the problems that have generated those fears and uncertainties go unremedied.
Mind you, that may be the intention. The problems that are causing unrest are largely created by the antisocial right-wing extremists (kicking the sick and the poor, hollowing out the middle class, moving ever more wealth to the richest, shutting down services, increasing unemployment, increasing bankruptcy, etc). Racism is perhaps seen as a convenient distraction. Are they that smart, I wonder? Or are they merely knee-jerk, exploitative, simple-minded assholes who have no clue of what they’re doing?
they offend and insult just by wanting this amendment
it seems that those in the Bernardi camp – which includes the IPA and News Corporation – are pointing to the current QUT racial discrimination case to support their argument that 18C is being used to shut down free speech and fair comment.
In making these arguments they always ignore the qualifications to 18C contained in Section 18D of the Racial Discrimination Act which protect freedom of speech. 18D ensures that artistic works, scientific debate and fair comment on matters of public interest are exempt from section 18C, providing they are said or done reasonably and in good faith.
If the QUT case is decided in favour of the students and QUT (and against the plaintiff) based on the exemptions in 18D this will take the wind out of the sails of Bernardi and his group.
The bully culture is alive and well here in Australia and those politicians are its proud sponsors.
They shut down anti-bullying Safe Schools programs, thereby allowing kids be bullied literally to death, and they want to be able to bully vulnerable minorities. They appear to feed on strife and hate.
How shameful. How disgusting. These people should be stripped of their positions and privileges.
Miriam, as opined previously, more times than I can think of it at the moment, the politicians are us. WE elect them to “represent” us ergo, they are us.
Getting rid of the parties should be the daily meme here in “keyboard warrior” land. Those 13 are elected by people just like they are, remember.
The net effect of the 18c changes would be me saying that Cory Bernardii represents everything bad about Austrians or whatever wog country he is from.
Sinodinos is another wog name and also represents a group who came over here on ships, found they weren’t capable of doing a real job, so got into politics.
Abetz is the nephew of a Nazi war criminal. 18c says I’m okay Jack.
Being able to say those things is fine so long as you accept they can be said back to you.
I don’t think there should be a place for wogs in our parliament. And a lot of pommies have much to answer for as well.
Sir ScotchMisteryAugust 31, 2016 at 7:39 am
Miriam, as opined previously, more times than I can think of it at the moment, the politicians are us. WE elect them to “represent” us ergo, they are us.
I agree 100%, it is the reality and we the minority have to accept it.
Yes, Freethinker, I can’t argue with that, I have said the same many times before.
The progressive people lose to the punishing Bullies.
I don’t think we are the minority. Also, racism is a disease; healthy people can be infected with it and these 13 assholes want to spread it.
If we say we have to accept racism then we give up on the fight to stop an outbreak becoming a pandemic. There have been many times in history when a moderate, well-adjusted community failed to take action against such intolerance and became consumed by hysteria that immolated their society.
We need to innoculate against racism in children, treat racism wherever we find it, and isolate those attempting to spread the disease.
If we just accept it then it will win. It spreads far too easily, subverting normal, tolerant people to make them festering sores of hate that infect more people.
That number of 13 has gone up significantly. I believe it’s over 20 now and still all white.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CrGAzu2WYAECYgp.jpg
Sir ScotchMistery, not ENOUGH progressive Scandinavians came here… 🙂
Speaking of progressive Scandinavians, I see that the six Danish parliamentarians all set to visit Nauru for a fact finding mission on offshore detention, have called it off as only two of their group could get a visa.
Dutton triumphs again ?
Miriam English, perhaps I have expressed myself wrong, I am not saying that we have to accept racism I am saying that we have to accept the reality of how the society it is going.
And yes, we are the minority, people do not want refugees here even if the children in detention camps are subject to inhuman conditions, people are still voting for one Nation, and few other independent senators that support racism and bulling. Actually this politicians gain popularity.
It is sad really but is how we are heading and not only in Australia but world wide.
Maybe a majority don’t want refugees here. If so, that’s a triumph of the bullies over the fair go. I still don’t think a majority want the refugees tortured and degraded. Even the ones who don’t want refugees here often feel apologetic about it, excusing it by saying Australia doesn’t have enough resources to support more people, rather than pure racism. I really don’t think most Australians are racists.
Certainly a majority are not homophobes — homophobia is another aspect of this hateful intolerance being spread.
We must work to stop the spread of this disease before it tears holes in our society. And we must isolate those who spread it. Innoculate, heal, and quarantine.
Just two days ago i said “if you vote for the LNP you must be a sadist”.
And these people govern for us, WT.
Hey whats happening folks ? A Plebiscite over there, crazy haters over there, Bill Shorten is destroying the economy over there, Mrabbit looking strong NOT! over there, and more filibusters over there. the economy is in a mess and worsening no where to be heard of.
We have the worst government . since 1949 and it’s the LNP,……As the Australia Institute’s research in June found – across a broad range of economic measures, the Abbott/Turnbull government has performed the worst of any Australian government since 1949. Economist Jim Stanford’s report examines economic performance across 12 indicators – including GDP per capita, the unemployment rate, employment growth and the growth of real business investment and intellectual property investment …
Perhaps these 13 (or 20) dissidents are jut out to disrupt and divide. There are some of those in the Coalition at present. How much they care about 18c or fear they are losing the right to free speech is not clear. But as someone said, having 18c has not stopped them from speaking freely. Who is it they wish to insult and offend – and why? How much of their stance is not about the good of the nation but is about how they might achieve some personal gain?
It is said that these complainers are us; we voted them in. So is their stance on 18c the reason voters voted for them? Probably not. Most people are not in the business of setting out to insult and offend.
But there are people who do indulge in insult and offense. When they are attacked they reply in bullying, lecturing, hectoring and vilifying ways. It is their modus operandi.
So why do people vote for whom they vote? Numerous reasons. Because I always vote for them. Because I am fed up and looked elsewhere to someone who would listen. Or the person I voted for has my values. Or is a true Aussie. Or is persistent and genuine. Or i am afraid I will be blown up in the street. Or we are being overrun by sharia law. Or certain funding has been withdrawn…
What you find is that the reasons for voting certain ways is determine by single elements of policy which affect them personally. Ooh, I like that. I relate to that.
So they vote for that one element which they hope will be achieve for them by that candidate. How many do that? Who knows, but it is clear many do. They do not think far beyond their immediate situation. The broader view is not considered.
Any questioning of their personal view arouses anger and indignation. They are surprised an alterntive view exists. Or feel attacked by “political correctness” or bereft of “free speech”
Why is there this lack of awareness and this inability to discuss or debate fairly and reasonably? Why does so much of what goes as “debate” is really a sharing of ignorance or a stonewalling of prejudice or a screaming match of propaganda and and blind stubbornness?
It seems that big issues which might not really seem to be affecting us personally are not important to us or those who represent us, big issues such as Climate Change, debt, unemployment, international businesses avoiding tax, war… See how eaily they are brushed aside in our voting habits.
the war on blacks has resumed again this week.
bolt lost when he and his group of msm plead he is innocent of racial vilification. he wants the right to name people he thinks are ‘claiming’ Aboriginality.
Any involvement of the jewish lobby??
In the end, it must be a terrible insecurity that drives them to this neurosis over control.
At some point I think the medical community will wake up to the fact that it’s a disease. Sure, it is a disease of the mind being infected with a bad meme, but it is still an illness. It is communicable, it makes people sick. It can be inoculated against. If it spreads it can cause much misery and even death.
Miriam
Are you scaremongering or raising awareness and what’s your solution?
Cheers.
Harquebus, cute. You must have been itching to get that comment out. Pity you chose to make it in response to something I said that was not scaremongering and actually presented solutions. Perhaps you need to raise your levels of comprehension. Read it again more carefully.
I was pointing out that racism and similar forms of hate, such as homophobia can be characterised as a disease. That opens up ways to stop it. You can inoculate children against it, you can use quarantine to impede its spread, and I didn’t mention there, though I did further above, that it can be treated.
Being a disease, it’s not that some people are inherently evil, but that they could be good people who have been infected through no fault of their own.
Sorry Miriam.
I couldn’t resist.
HarquebusSeptember 1, 2016 at 11:33 am
Sorry Miriam.
I couldn’t resist.
Was that under the influence of the side effects after the happy hour?
just kidding…………..some times we need humor.
Harquebus, 🙂 no worries. Understandable. Forgiven. 🙂