Copa

.... of British descent.

This Friday I’m participating in a naked winter solstice charity swim to raise money for a cancer charity. It will be in a lake in the centre of the city. I’ve raised quite a bit of money so far which I’m quite happy about. The weather forecast says it will be -3 degrees when I dive in totally starkers with up to 100 other naked fools. And no, I’ve never done this type of fitness before. I figure it will raise a bunch of money that otherwise would not be raised, so I’m happy to get my kit off to raise some money for those who are really suffering.

We have laws against that sort of thing in my country!

Poutine! It’s a big improvement on the chips and gravy you find in the north of England.

I’ve made justifiable complaints regarding how indigenous Australians are treated and how some view people with black skin in my community. This seems to have annoyed you. You are now asking for my view on a Monty Python skit and its portrayal of people in your community. As I appreciate these things can be nuanced, for me to form a view I need your clearly highly informed local insight. You have the stage, educate us all about how the black and white minstrel show is comparable to a Monty Python skit.

I’m asking you, a local, to explain it to me from a local perspective. I think that’s very important for me to understand. So why is the Monty Python skit as bad as the Black and White Minstrel show? I want to know your local view.

You’re asking me the view something about a group of people I’ve never met in a part of the world I know little about. Does the skit upset you? Why does it upset you? Put your case forward for consideration as I’m keen to know more. Who is on the protected list you refer to? From the context of the thread it seems that you think people with black skin are unfairly protected from racism. Is that an accurate understanding of your position? My Sister in law has married into a big Roma family in the UK. You can ask me about them. Although I’ll have to point out I now know enough to realise I know very little. I suspect they wish they were on your protected list at times.

I’ve never seen it. Who is on the protected list you refer to?

Do tell. Who is on the protected list?

I actually used to live elsewhere in the world where women would “white up” because they thought white skin was beautiful. Like the reverse of some white people who think a heavy tan is gorgeous. Some people always want what they can’t have! The blacking up you refer to was always done to mock black people for a laugh. It became an industry. Huge red lips, singing and dancing like a pi$$ take caricature of the people on the bottom of the economic ladder.

Jordan Turner!

We had one a few years ago who made the match day list as 18th man quite a few times but never actually played first grade. He eventually went back to SL. His name escapes me at the moment...

Ricky Stuart has said if and Raiders player has slight injuries they won’t be released for representative duty so the CI may not get what they want. The Raiders currently have some quality players out injured and they don’t want to risk the club’s season.

Not unusual..... unfortunately. Up on the Central Coast of NSW some people still have small statues of indigenous people in their front yards to make their native plant gardens look “better”. On the Central Coast people still fish for “ni@@er fish” too. “Just caught meself some ni@@ers” is not considered unusual conversation in many circles up there. The Black and White Minstrel show used to be considered family entertainment on Australian TV when I was younger. If indigenous people complain some will rant that they should really be complaining about “real issues”. “Real issues” being some arbitrary list of issues a non-indigenous person has in their head. We were also taught, at school (!) and through the wider community, the words for “ Eenie meenie miney mo” as being: “Eenie meenie miney mo, catch a ni@@er by the toe, if he squeals let him go, Eenie meenie miney mo”. Yes, little kids used to sing that regularly. I heard it all the time as a child. I think you’d really enjoy this famous short film about Indigenous Australians taking over a country populated by white Australians. It’s quite old now but used to be used to educate police officers.