Australia is most comfortably racist, says Daily Show presenter

Australia has been described as "comfortably racist" by popular American satirical current affairs program, The Daily Show.

John Oliver, a long-serving presenter with the series, described the country as a "a coastal paradise surrounding a rocky hell" after filming here last week, reports Mumbrella website.

In his Bugle podcast, he said: "Australia turns out to be a sensational place, albeit one of the most comfortably racist places I've ever been in. They've really settled into their intolerance like an old resentful slipper."

Oliver said he noticed that much vitriol was reserved for Australians of Lebanese origin.
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"You can say what you like about Australian racism; it is undeniably specific," he said.

"I had a couple of Australians – more than one – complain to me about all the 'Lebos' in the country, referring apparently to the Lebanese. Who the f--- is annoyed by Lebanese people?

"In a way you have to admire the attention to detail. Not just all those Arabs, but the Lebanese. That's like saying 'You know who I can't stand? Sri Lankans. Malaysians not a problem. Bangladeshis, lovely people, but Sri Lankans – I've got no time for them, Jose.'

"How many Lebanese people can there actually be in Australia? There's only just over four million of these people in f---ing Lebanon.

"The one thing Australia cannot argue is: 'There's no room here in this country', because that land is f---ing gigantic. That aside: fantastic place, can't wait to go back."

Oliver also interviewed former prime minister John Howard, describing the encounter as "an experience he didn't seem to enjoy to his maximum capacity".

His comments sparked a flurry on social media.

"John Oliver nails it," one user tweeted.

"Oh he speaks such truth," wrote another.

But another said: "John Oliver visits western Sydney and meets racist people – shocking I know."

Other tweets included: "I'm pretty sure John Oliver could find just as many racist people anywhere he went in the world" and "Where did you go in Aus? On the Bugle it sounded like you only met bogans and John Howard. No wonder you think we're racists!"

In the United States, The Daily Show attracts mostly young and well-educated viewers. Some commentators believe it is a primary source of news for these audiences, who are less likely to watch traditional news bulletins.

www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/australia-is-most-comfortably-racist-says-daily-show-presenter-20130416-2hxg5.html

It's been my experience that, by and large, the vast majority of Australians are not racist.

But the minority who are, are very vocal.

I don't know if greens has seen this show, but it is a comedy and a very funny one at that.

Yeah the racists are the loud ones

SOB

Why is it 'racist' to criticise criminality, when it is the social commentator who notices that the criminality which is being referred to, is occurring among a certain ethnic or 'religious' group ?

It isn't, imo.







But imo, many, many social commentators [pseudo journalists] in this country are comfortably deceitful people.

And imo, they are people who are lily livered moral blancmanges, who should not be afforded the privilege of being employed in the media sector.

They are just career 'blancmanges'.

Not journalists.






In the media sector, we need more [investigative?] journalists.

And less lily livered moral blancmanges, pretending to be.

But i'm not holding my breath.

Quote:

#Why is it 'racist' to criticise criminality, when it is the social commentator who notices that the criminality which is being referred to, is occurring among a certain ethnic or 'religious' group ? It isn't, imo.

That's because you're a racist Yadda.

Grey wrote on Apr 16^th, 2013 at 3:09pm:

Quote: #Why is it 'racist' to criticise criminality, when it is the social commentator who notices that the criminality which is being referred to, is occurring among a certain ethnic or 'religious' group ? It isn't, imo. That's because you're a racist Yadda.

grey,

Oh i see.

A racist, is a person who criticises wrong doing and criminality.

And the fact that the wrong doing and criminality is occurring among a certain ethnic or 'religious' group is the clincher!





Well grey, one day, you and yours will 'get yours'.

And no one will come to relieve or rescue you and yours.

I don't think that you understand moral attractors, and how they work.

You do not see, that criminality should be condemned,
.....even if it is a 'racist act' to condemn such wrong doing.i
Isaiah 57:21
There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.





p.s.
sorry about the formatting.             :P

We had a racist incident at the footy on the weekend. Some bloke in the crowd mouthed of at this rotten black prick after he was reported for kicking….


Oh no you di-ent….

Kat wrote on Apr 16^th, 2013 at 2:11pm:

It's been my experience that, by and large, the vast majority of Australians are not racist. But the minority who are, are very vocal.

it's my experience almost everyone is racist.

This douche has come out here and met a few people and now every australian is racist. How silly.

Kat wrote on Apr 16^th, 2013 at 2:11pm:

It's been my experience that, by and large, the vast majority of Australians are not racist. But the minority who are, are very vocal.

Interesting topic, this one. And I find myself agreeing with the comments above.

Has anyone else here seen the show "Dumb, Drunk and Racist", hosted by Joe Hilderbrand around the middle of last year on the ABC? As a response to the Indian student bashings that resulted in quite scathing commentary about 'racist' Australians in Indian newspapers, Hilderbrand hosted four Indians of various backgrounds around various Australian cities and towns. In this program he presented the before and after opinions of these people, and exposed them to some quite confronting situations. Their comments at the end of the programme mirrored those already expressed above.

When approaching topics such as this, it must be remembered that good-news stories don't result in much media space and that it is always easy to point out the obvious. One should also consider the fact that since Australia has become such a 'successful multicultural' society, that we are now also host to attitudes and opinions that are relatively new to our society. Old prejudices and societal mores are not necessarily extinguished by new-found citizenship.

To hope that we can achieve a truly egalitarian society in this, or any, country, is a utopian nonsense.

'Racism' is merely one of the nastier synonyms of discrimination, another is the appreciation of difference.

What we should never forget is that, in Homo Sapiens, our so-called 'civilisation' is merely a thin veneer over our limbic system.

remarking about the specificity of australian racism and its fixation on lebanese people when you spent  all your time here in western sydney?!?!? pointed insight there!

JC Denton wrote on Apr 16^th, 2013 at 6:47pm:

remarking about the specificity of australian racism and its fixation on lebanese people when you spent  all your time here in western sydney?!?!? pointed insight there!

Yeah, what about cosmopolitan Melbourne? Because we don't have redneck surfies, we don't have beach fights and we don't have Muslims criticising us for our women's bikinis and exposed/revealed skin. Melbourne women dress more modestly compared to Sydney women.

In my experience the term racist is used quite inappropriately on most occasions.

miketrees wrote on Apr 16^th, 2013 at 10:15pm:

In my experience the term racist is used quite inappropriately on most occasions.

That's just your opinion! And if it's a majority opinion - it's discriminatory and therefore 'racist'.

See, a lose-lose situation.  :D

Yadda wrote on Apr 16^th, 2013 at 3:03pm:

Why is it 'racist' to criticise criminality, when it is the social commentator who notices that the criminality which is being referred to, is occurring among a certain ethnic or 'religious' group ? It isn't, imo. But imo, many, many social commentators [pseudo journalists] in this country are comfortably deceitful people. And imo, they are people who are lily livered moral blancmanges, who should not be afforded the privilege of being employed in the media sector. They are just career 'blancmanges'. Not journalists. In the media sector, we need more [investigative?] journalists. And less lily livered moral blancmanges, pretending to be. But i'm not holding my breath.

Take a good look at Yadda's post. Now it's problematic I know to use Yadda as an example because he has such a scattological style at the best of times. But it's symptomatic that he's unable to seperate criminality from race. That's the main problem and it is a problem, and it is evident in other comments here.

Say there's a bout of shop lifting going on. Now I would posit that the incidence of shoplifting is fairly low in any ethnicity. The vast majority of people are honest. Now you might have ten members of class X get caught on the trot, (and five might be the same person), but if you start viewing all members of class X as shoplifters what do you think will happen? There's nothing that puts peoples backs up like being falsely accused. You make class X angry, depressed and alienated and then you will certainly reap what you sow. Racism is stupid because those that practice it have absolutely nothing to gain from it.

Grey wrote on Apr 17^th, 2013 at 1:08am:

You make class X angry, depressed and alienated and then you will certainly reap what you sow. Racism is stupid because those that practice it have absolutely nothing to gain from it.

I don't agree that people don't "gain" from "racism." It depends on the time and place. Back in the USA during the 1960s, people did gain something from racism, or rather they held back the socio-economic conditions of an entire group of people because of it. People tend not to gain from "racist comments" because they are usually not in a position to actually discriminate against that group and therefore affect their socio-economic status. They can say as many hateful things as they like and not actually do any damage. They're doing nothing more than airing polemic. That's especially true for people in Australia because we're not as divided by class as people in the USA.

We definitely have "political racism" in Australia, but far less "socio-economic racism."

RACIST, or racisim its a question of your attitude, If you think your better than everyone else your a Racist.

Sprintcyclist wrote on Apr 16^th, 2013 at 5:28pm:

Kat wrote on Apr 16th, 2013 at 2:11pm: It's been my experience that, by and large, the vast majority of Australians are not racist. But the minority who are, are very vocal. it's my experience almost everyone is racist.

Perhaps you need to hang in a different environment

SOB