You’d like that but, instead, please give me some contemporary examples of ‘piccaninnie’ used in a proper non-racist context, and in your own words compare and contrast them with Johnson’s own usage. I’ll wait.
No, we are going to agree that you’re wrong.
draxen
5274
If you’ve read the article then you should already know that it was satirical in nature.
magnet
5275
Even in context it sounds racist.
It is said that the Queen has come to love the Commonwealth, partly because it supplies her with regular cheering crowds of flag-waving piccaninnies; and one can imagine that Blair, twice victor abroad but enmired at home, is similarly seduced by foreign politeness.
They say he is shortly off to the Congo. No doubt the AK47s will fall silent, and the pangas will stop their hacking of human flesh, and the tribal warriors will all break out in watermelon smiles to see the big white chief touch down in his big white British taxpayer-funded bird.
draxen
5276
If that’s all you guys require as evidence of racism then fair enough. I require more than some sentences from a satirical article, taken out of context, written years ago.
Are you under the impression that something cannot be both satirical and racist? If I used an ethnic slur in satire, would that make it less racist? What is the particular source of Johnson’s choice to use ‘watermelon smiles’?
Also, where are those examples I asked for?
Has he ever gone to bat for minorities, immigrants, the poor and disadvantaged? I mean - really put himself out there on a limb for them? Or even - a little bit?
See here’s the thing. If you’re in any political position you represent EVERYONE. Not just rich ethnic + rich white people, or white everyone else. You also represent poor minorities, and people of alternate religious backgrounds.
I do agree he is not even 5% as outwardly racist as Trump. But that is setting the lowest bar in the history of civilization. It’s like saying he’s not as murderous as Hitler or Stalin. But I’d like you to answer the question I posited before; where-in he did not chose people for his cabinet that are looking out for people of all walks of life - instead of people who reinforce the rich white nationalist ideology or the xenophobic, racist masses.
I will gladly change my mind about Boris if it comes to pass, but right now his appointments are a savvy “look my policies that destroy poor minorities and embolden hate against foreigners can’t be evil cause I have a diverse cabinet”.
You’re smart Draxen - can you not admit this was a savvy political move, instead of an altruistic one?
draxen
5280
I think that you’re angry and you’re just baiting me. If you engage in good faith then I’d be happy to debate with you. If not, go ahead and vent man. Knock yourself out :)
Me? I’m not angry at all. In my last post there’s no anger or bad tone at all. Though in my post much further up I may have been a little irritated :)
@scottagibson engaged you in good faith and you ignored his request. Because you can’t answer him without looking like more of a fool. So why would we trust you?
That’s rhetorical.
You say he’s a thug just because he agreed to help have a man beaten up (even if the beating never happened), and a liar just because he’s been fired for making things up in his journalism, and a cad just because of his serial affairs, and a racist just because of his ethic slurs.
Me, I require more evidence before I judge the character of this man.
Aceris
5285
Boris is a liar and a cad, and at least a little bit racist. I deeply regret that he is PM (while finding the prospect of a leader with actual political sense and strategy rather refreshing)
Note that Boris never arranged for a man to be beaten up - Collier was never beaten up, if he had been it wouldn’t have been Boris who arranged it, and if you believe Boris to be a liar you in fact have no good evidence that he ever intended to assist Guppy at all. It always surprises me that those so critical of those with whom they disagree shading the truth are so willing to do it themselves
@draxen - if you believe in Brexit then I can understand why you are keen about Boris - but there’s plenty of evidence out there of how flawed he is. I agree that the racist thing is the weakest critique of him - but his ineptitude as foreign secretary, reputation for disloyalty and dishonesty, and the large pool of people who have made up their mind about him negatively makes him a poor choice of PM by any measure.
draxen
5286
Good post. Thanks.
I am a supporter of Leave and Boris’s policy is to Leave. So I’m a supporter of the policy rather than the individual.
It does appear that Boris has many flaws. However, I’ve seen no evidence to suggest that racism is one of them. This large pool of people that have a negative opinion of him has little bearing on me - although I do note the fact. As I said in an earlier post, we’re in the midst of a nasty political battle and Boris is being hammered in the press as a consequence.
Regardless of Boris’s possible flaws I’m happy to take a wait and see approach. He’s only been PM for what… 5 days. I’m going to wait a while and see how he does before passing judgement.
Absolutely, I agree. That said, both the 2016 US Presidential election and the Brexit vote were close enough that, without Russian influence, Clinton would almost certainly have won and the Brexit vote would have gone in favor of those who wished to stay in the EU.
Fair enough. I don’t know how best to summarise the unflattering and disturbing phone call recording. “He’s recorded agreeing to help get someone beaten up” seems closer to the truth? But I’ll edit. It was a hyperbolic post in many respects. I’m frustrated with the idea Boris Johnson is an unknown quantity.
Defending Johnson ffs. Why not pop into a Trump thread and argue the point on the minuatae of what he’s said and defend him too.
At this point Johnsons supporters/defenders/enablers are standing at a Nuremeberg rally insisting its all about train timetables.
Aceris
5291
There is absolutely no evidence that Russian influence was on the scale required to make a difference in the Brexit vote. That would be a huge difference - and anyone who believes that Russian influence can make that much of a difference should also say the Tories should have a larger majority, as the Russians would certainly have backed Corbyn! Or does Russian influence only matter when it’s deployed counter to your aims?
The US election was a couple of orders of magnitude tighter.
