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Re: I'm with you on this - I don't think she wanted them to be bitten. DomA Send a noteboard - 27/07/2012 09:32:56 PM
It's still racist obviously, but not racist AND malevolent. To the extent racism can ever be non-malevolent, that is.


Hmmm... I'm not sure I agree it's racist. It's xenophobic.

I tend to agree she didn't meant it to be malevolent - I don't think she seriously thought Nile mosquitoes that everyone knows carry a deadly disease, would prefer to bite North Africans over Greeks. But that's still what the joke was - there's not a hundred ways to understand the joke: Nile mosquitoes might favour north african immigrants "from home" and thus satiated on "food from home" might spare Greek natives of the risk of a deadly disease and that's one good thing about having so many african immigrants in the country: to be food for deadly mosquitoes.

It's clearly xenophobic, if her xenophobia is fed on racism (it's probably given that she's apparently a Golden Dawn supporter) the joke itself doesn't say.

Then it's all about how tolerant someone is or isn't of that kind of edgy humour, and how tolerant one should be when an athlete who is supposed to uphold values of fraternity between nations, respect for all races and cultures publicly makes such a xenophobic joke.

My greek neighbours all seem to agree with the decision, though admitedly they're all the kind that if you mention the Golden Dawn you're up for a ten minutes rant about "fucking neo-nazis" in a mix of French and English peppered with tons of swearing in Greek (and you get something similar if you mention the extreme left.. not all too fond or approving of their homeland my neighbours these days!)
This message last edited by DomA on 27/07/2012 at 09:39:54 PM
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Am I the only one who thinks Voula Papachristou should not have been kicked out of the Olympics? - 25/07/2012 10:55:19 PM 1504 Views
Being on a country's Olympic team is a privilege, not a right - 25/07/2012 11:00:24 PM 975 Views
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So that excuses thought control? - 25/07/2012 11:49:58 PM 1055 Views
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Even worse. - 26/07/2012 12:08:05 AM 957 Views
Erm - 26/07/2012 12:29:32 AM 986 Views
I fail to see how the whole team would be thrown out. - 26/07/2012 12:41:16 AM 981 Views
Because the IOC throws them out if the national government interferes in the national committe. *NM* - 26/07/2012 12:43:39 AM 525 Views
Well, that's absurd. - 26/07/2012 01:09:41 AM 1055 Views
As with most things, I doubt the practice matches the theory - 26/07/2012 10:45:55 AM 952 Views
Africans != illegals - 25/07/2012 11:19:32 PM 1031 Views
Specious reasoning. - 26/07/2012 12:07:08 AM 891 Views
Who are you to decide that? - 26/07/2012 12:16:45 AM 1053 Views
I'm not the one deciding. - 26/07/2012 12:36:17 AM 895 Views
Essentially you're saying "there are lots of racists in Europe". - 26/07/2012 08:28:26 AM 1008 Views
That's an oversimplification. - 29/07/2012 03:13:14 AM 961 Views
You stated it as a fact. - 26/07/2012 07:49:58 PM 943 Views
I think any organisation should have the right to choose who represents them - 25/07/2012 11:20:36 PM 955 Views
Well, but that's not the end of it. - 26/07/2012 12:12:09 AM 1015 Views
It is for me - 26/07/2012 12:26:25 AM 935 Views
So...conformity ahead? *NM* - 26/07/2012 12:40:03 AM 454 Views
Is that all that happened? - 25/07/2012 11:28:17 PM 916 Views
That and some pro-Golden Dawn statements. - 26/07/2012 12:14:25 AM 1107 Views
For me it is more than enough - 26/07/2012 12:32:35 AM 864 Views
It's not what happened to her that I typically waver on. - 27/07/2012 03:08:45 PM 906 Views
It's not a matter of freedom of expression - 26/07/2012 09:49:59 PM 1108 Views
This. *NM* - 26/07/2012 10:26:37 PM 472 Views
I oppose censorship even if it is not comng from the government - 26/07/2012 10:16:30 PM 945 Views
How is it censorship? - 27/07/2012 02:33:30 AM 1055 Views
try looking up the word censorship and ask yourself would their actions supress speech - 27/07/2012 02:59:11 AM 1165 Views
I know the definition thank you. How exactly was her communication suppressed? - 27/07/2012 05:54:39 PM 1081 Views
you are right public punishment of political expression could never been seen as suppression - 27/07/2012 06:20:15 PM 1177 Views
Well - 27/07/2012 07:20:27 PM 976 Views
Where did she ever imply she wanted them to be bitten? *NM* - 27/07/2012 08:03:05 PM 539 Views
Hello earth.... "food from home". - 27/07/2012 08:26:15 PM 905 Views
OK I repeat my question: Where did she she WANTED them to be bit? - 30/07/2012 09:07:01 PM 1225 Views
Um, she referred to them as food? - 27/07/2012 08:38:22 PM 980 Views
No what is silly is inferring that she hoped they would be bitten *NM* - 30/07/2012 09:09:18 PM 589 Views
No what is silly is inferring that she hoped they would be bitten *NM* - 30/07/2012 09:09:27 PM 504 Views
I'm with you on this - I don't think she wanted them to be bitten. - 27/07/2012 09:02:05 PM 975 Views
Re: I'm with you on this - I don't think she wanted them to be bitten. - 27/07/2012 09:32:56 PM 1033 Views
It was insensitive at best - 30/07/2012 09:25:06 PM 1527 Views
One problem. - 27/07/2012 04:54:52 AM 943 Views
Exactly - 27/07/2012 12:05:14 PM 937 Views
I know you said it but do you actually believe it? - 27/07/2012 01:56:35 PM 946 Views
It's a good question, but yes, I do. - 27/07/2012 02:42:28 PM 971 Views
Are going to ban everyone and everyone country who says something about anyone else? - 27/07/2012 04:47:51 PM 883 Views
Yes, that is clearly exactly what I said. - 27/07/2012 05:10:37 PM 927 Views
i have a feeling you are being influenced by that pic they run with all the articles about her? - 27/07/2012 02:14:13 PM 936 Views
Surely you don't think... - 27/07/2012 02:57:47 PM 841 Views
Heh. - 27/07/2012 05:53:07 PM 1092 Views
Typo? There are limits to our credulity... or to mine, anyway. - 27/07/2012 06:27:44 PM 966 Views
Looks like Voula Papachristou agrees with Tom - 27/07/2012 07:09:30 PM 1015 Views
Quite understandable. But so's the Greek OC's decision. - 27/07/2012 07:11:31 PM 979 Views
And now a Swiss footabller has gone as well - 30/07/2012 08:22:45 PM 973 Views
That's just poor sportsmanship. *NM* - 30/07/2012 08:53:53 PM 625 Views
And an Australian athlete has been sent home now - 04/08/2012 10:12:12 AM 806 Views

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