It’s not OK to be white, croon to the Rolling Stones or sing about kung-fu fighting
It’s not OK to be white because of Nazis. Labor senator Penny Wong, October 16:
(You can’t say ‘it’s OK to be white’ because this) … is a phrase created by white, right-wing extremist groups in the US … to help convert people to the cause of the neo-Nazis and … the Ku Klux Klan.
What it’s not OK to sing, Maeve McDermott, USA Today, April 12:
(It’s not OK to sing) Kung Fu Fighting by Carl Douglas, 1974 … (because) its lyrics about “funky Chinamen from funky Chinatown” with stereotypically Asian-sounding last names isn’t exactly a nuanced appreciation of the culture. Brown Sugar by the Rolling Stones, 1971 … the racism, misogyny and outright references to raping slaves make this a low point in the Stones’ discography. Under My Thumb by the Rolling Stones, 1966 … Another disgusting entry in the Stones’ songbook, the song … is an embarrassment for even existing. Ur So Gay by Katy Perry, 2007. Choice lyric: “I can’t believe I fell in love with someone that wears more makeup” … If Perry’s I Kissed A Girl was borderline gross for its exploitative take on same-sex experimentation, Ur So Gay crosses the line with its deeply immature … gay stereotypes, driven home by the use of the word as a slur …. Do They Know It’s Christmas? by the Band Aid choir, 1984 … Possibly the most culturally insensitive Christmas song of all time … a song that declares the entire continent of Africa is bereft of water, trees or joy.
Is Pauline a white supremacist? The Today Show, Channel 9, yesterday:
Host Karl Stefanovic: Are you a white supremacist?
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson: Definitely not … It’s absolutely ridiculous to connect me with that … What I said is (about) the deplorable rise of racism towards the whites, white society … protecting Western civilisation, and it’s OK to be white. If I’d … said … it’s OK to be black, there wouldn’t have been one word about it … People out there are pushing this feeling … (of being) sorry for what the whites have done to people in this nation. I think it’s disgusting … We’re all Australians together. And I’m fed up with it and so is the majority of Australians … It’s like climate change. If you say anything about climate change or are anti their agenda, you are held down and criticised … People have a right to have an opinion and have a say. That’s what … Western civilisation gives us. If we don’t speak up against this they will actually suppress us. I won’t let it happen.
Speaking of climate change, some Aussie finds dodgy data. Graham Lloyd, The Australian, October 15:
Britain’s Met Office has welcomed an audit from Australian researcher John McLean that claims to have identified serious errors in its HadCRUT global temperature record. The audit said the … record, the main global temperature set used by climate models, showed exaggerated warming and was not fit for global studies. “The HadCRUT dataset is being constantly updated,” a Met office spokesman told The Australian. “Any actual errors identified will be dealt with in the next major update.’’
What are they doing with the millions? Science blogger Jo Nova, joannenova.com.au, October 15:
Finally, the Hadley Met Centre team have replied to Graham Lloyd regarding John McLean’s audit … they acknowledge his previous notifications were useful in 2016, and promise “any errors will be fixed in the next update”. That’s nice to know, but begs the question of why a PhD student working from home can find mistakes that the £226 million institute with 2100 employees could not.
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