Everything can be construed as racist if it is delivered in a hurtful manner.

I thought this would be a DeMarcus Cousins post. Which wasn't racist, just an unfortunate coincidence.
In this case, yes, it is racist.

Yeah in that context, its racism. The Kings thing still has me scratching my head though, it can be deemed racist, or it can be deemed culturally insensitive towards the Chinese aswell. Like someone else said, you can probably turn anything into racism if you really twist it how you see it. But that fan needs to be ejected and not return.

I hadn't heard about the Demarcus thing until just now. He overreacted and completely ignored the context of the word "monkey" in the way it was being used. Whether it is Black History Month or not, it wasn't being used to denigrate him or other black people..

Yes, it's racist.

Some Terrible sadning ignorance in this thread, not even worth trying to explain why dehumanizing remarks derived from beliefs that inspired genoside are inappropriate in any context.

Hard to tell what's trolling and what's just ignorance in here :-/

My folks called me a white topped gibbon when I was a kid (blonde locks and liked climbing trees). Were they racist - obviously not. Context is everything.

"My folks called me a white topped gibbon when I was a kid (blonde locks and liked climbing trees). Were they racist - obviously not. Context is everything."

Say for example your grandparents were slaughtered with a licence legally obtained by people that considered them less than human, as did the government of the time (happened prolifically in this country 60years ago) I think your parents mite be less likely to think calling you a monkey is endeering.

Yes, in certain contexts 'monkey' extremely racist & reminiscent of hideous actions.

ROFL, did they LOL after they said it?

Kobe24, I hope so. A good lol makes everything better.
I've been enjoying the lols at the insipid 6ers for years! Bless!

Wouldn't call them insipid, that's odd thing to say about a team that has competed ok and at worst made the numbers up in the playoffs not on the outside. Odd dig lol

Classic ROFLcopter I'd say Kobe ;)

I cant compete with someone who talks about themselves in the third person ;)

I used to play Under 12's cricket at Karoonda (actually more of an amalgamation of Booragoon and Brentwood).
I guess Monkey was more into winter sports. Don't remember seeing him.

I used to live across the road from Karoonda but do not remember any obvious racism coming from the oval.

Damien Monkhorst is a monkey too

Well done Dazz for contacting the Wildcats about this.

Context is everything. But even something that is not intended to be racist can be racially offensive to the person receiving it.

In the context here, it is at best a culturally insensitive and unthinking slur from a person ignorant of the deep historical and offensive implications of the word.

No let's keep it going. Provide some examples of Cats fans acting like absolute pigs to "anyone and everyone."

Yes, context is import, hence my opening comment about Monkey Brennan.
If a white player swung on the hoop and was called a monkey, that wouldn't be racist.
Calling Prather a Monkey when he did it was at the very least insensitive. Calling Childress a Monkey, when shooting F/T's (and not any other Kings player) I feel is racist.

There were some pissed-off fans at the last game, annoyed I feel at the crap served up. Connelly has no admirers in that crowd and many were making fun of Ben Knight, etc. But that's not racist.

If a white player swung on the hoop and was called a monkey, that wouldn't be racist.
Calling Prather a Monkey when he did it was at the very least insensitive.

Good move contacting the Wildcats but did you text the number that they show on the screen and mention on game night regarding offensive behaviour. Security could of moved in then and removed the idiot.
The number is on the screen regularly, this was mentioned by people the last time you brought this subject up, text the number on the night.

When fans heckle they are _trying_ to be offensive.

When people insult other people they are _trying_ to be offensive.

I don't get the current obsession with "That is not a PC insult". I mean seriously, WTF is meant to be PC about an insult?

The intent is not "I want this person to know that they are part of a race I've decided I don't like", it is simply "You are an outsider, I/we don't like you, here's some differences between you and me/us that I've noticed".

Are you serious?

So go the whole way then.

Tell people they aren't allowed to insult people at all in public entertainment venues. They can cheer and boo and hiss and clap and make other random noise. But if you deride any individual you can be asked to leave.

Seriously, why is it okay to call someone an SOB (ie a dog)? Why is it okay to call some people a monkey, but not other people?

"Everyone has to be inclusive and politically correct, even when they are insulting people" is logically inconsistent. An insult by definition is exclusive and politically incorrect.

I don't see why telling someone you think they're bad at their job is politically incorrect.

""Everyone has to be inclusive and politically correct, even when they are insulting people" is logically inconsistent. An insult by definition is exclusive and politically incorrect"

Thats fine, so if you choose to refrain from throwing any insults, good for you.

But to try and justify racist slurs with "no, its not racism, I'm just trying to hurt your feelings because you're different" is very bizarre.

I get that we don't want a society saturated with political correctness but this isn't the example to be using to fight against it.

Facepalm.

If I call a whole team a bunch of monkeys and only half the team are white....am I only being racist to the other half?

This PC thing has got way out of control. When did calling someone a monkey or an ape even become a racist comment anyway. If i see a guy thats slow and kinda has a dopey face and I call him a sloth....is that racist if he happens to be black.

Wow.

Just.... yeah.

I'm no fan of political correctness either, but that has nothing to do with calling a black person a monkey in a derogatory way.

That's my reaction when I hear that calling people a monkey is now racist. I don't see it as racist what so ever...well i never use to anyway. Mind you I would think twice about using that word in public now that it has been tagged.

I'm glad we've got so many white people in this thread to tell black people what is and isn't offensive to them.

Why would you presume to know my, or anyone elses, skin colour?

I type white.

A completely asinine comment from Koberulz there.

But why is the term monkey considered racist now? It never used to be.
When did it change? Is it because monkey's have dark skin underneath their hair?
I'm not trying to be sarcastic...its a serious question. Why the hell is it deemed racist?

http://theconversation.com/the-ape-insult-a-short-history-of-a-racist-idea-14808

Here's a suggestion.

Its not racist *now*, you just may not have been aware of it before. Google it.

Interesting read.....I don't exactly live under a rock but the first I had ever heard of it was when the whole Adam Goodes sage unravelled. But then again theres probably those out there that didn't know that the word gay was originally another word for happy and fags were a type of candy shaped like cigarettes lol

To put it simply, the notion is that black people are less evolved, ie closer to monkeys than white people.

But to me, the issue is singling out.
Somebody mentioned the waiving of the stuffed animal, but from what I could tell that was for any Kings' player attempting F/T's. Whereas the Monkey comment was reserved solely for Childress. That's what turns an almost innocent word into a racial slur.

I'm white. Not going to pretend I'm not.

Was on the receiving end for several years when going to school in a predominantly aboriginal mining town though. Race is merely one of the many ways that people marginalize and/or insult other people. If I'd been an aboriginal from somewhere else instead of white kid I'd simply have been a black C instead of a white C to most of the local kids from the most populous extended families in town.

I just don't get the weird standards around insults. Why is it seemingly okay to call someone an F'ing soft C, or I say that you're a SOB (implying you and your mother are dogs). But you call someone a monkey, or imply their sexual tendencies don't match your own, or that their gender contributes to their recent show of incompetence etc that's suddenly crossing some line.

Its just like the school yard. If you bite on people's insults and show that they are getting to you, they'll keep doing it. If you get on with it and don't place any value in the opinions/words of strangers/enemies, then they stop, or enough other people around them get sick of hearing it and collectively tell them to shut their mouth.

I always took being insulted in the sporting arena to be a compliment. "That guys playing well, lets hope he's mentally weak enough that we can put him off his game with words."

That's related but not the issue at hand.

You're essentially saying "You shouldn't insult anyone at all". Which I agree with. People shouldn't, but they do.

The issue through most of the thread is "Should racist insults be treated differently to other insults?"

I'll be teaching my kids that they shouldn't insult anyone. But, hand in hand with that I'll teach them why insults are stupid, usually spoken out of ignorance, and not things to take to heart.

I'm white. Not going to pretend I'm not.

Why is it seemingly okay to call someone an F'ing soft C, or I say that you're a SOB (implying you and your mother are dogs). But you call someone a monkey, or imply their sexual tendencies don't match your own, or that their gender contributes to their recent show of incompetence etc that's suddenly crossing some line.

Sorry but as a white person calling someone a monkey isn't racist to me.

The assumptions in this thread are everyone should know it is due to history but the slave trade didn't involve every white nation, you know.

Apologies for misreading your post earlier KR

Why is it seemingly okay to call someone an F'ing soft C, or I say that you're a SOB (implying you and your mother are dogs)

Why is any form of abuse OK? That's what I don't get. I thought Nathan Buckley summed it up best for me during the whole Adam Goodes saga last year - cheer for your team as loud and as passionately as you want but never, EVER, abuse the opposition.

Is it really that hard to leave the abuse out of it regardless of what type of abuse it is???

Because there isn't a history of systemic abuse of soft people or people descended from dogs.

As a white person you get absolutely no say whatsoever in what is racist to others.

Last paragraph should read:

My main point is still the same. "Your insults are not okay because they target PC-flavour-of-the-moment" is not the real issue. The issue is that people shouldn't be abusive to people period.

Whilst people focus on one particular form of insult/slur/whatever people continue to be asshats using a different insult/slur.

"Either we're all descended from monkeys. Or, we all aren't. Are you really asserting that only some people are descended from monkeys?"

He is saying that while we have all descended from monkeys, the inference is that black people are less removed from them, hence the slur.

Oh dear.

As for their not being a history of systemic abuse of soft people. What school(s) did you go to? Bullying is a form of abuse is it not?

Congratulations Isaac, you have a forum contributor who has just solved racism!! You've practically got one hand on the Nobel Peace Prize.

The stupid is hurting my brain

Systemic abuse: Failure to recognise, provide or attempt to provide adequate or appropriate services, including services that are appropriate to that person's age, gender, culture, needs or preferences.

That's not my definition of the term "systemic abuse", and maybe that's not what you meant when you used it. But that's what I meant when I replied.

Sometimes the word "racist" gets used incorrectly, when "ignorant" would be better. Let me use it in a sentence.

There are a stunning amount of ignorant people posting in this thread.

"The slave trade was predominantly run by England/USA other coastal European nations."

The slave trade was predominantly run by Africans, the other nations became customers to an existing trade, which still exists today in Africa.

The whole argument of "systemic" discrimination tends to come from a narrow view of world history that ignores anything that doesn't fit the black/white narrative.

And on the actual topic, yes, it's racist if you are aware of the history of the insult.

Sure, you can argue people should stop taking offence to it because it's a nonsensical insult, but that's the decision for the people involved, not anyone else.

And on the actual topic, yes, it's racist if you are aware of the history of the insult.

The whole argument of "systemic" discrimination tends to come from a narrow view of world history that ignores anything that doesn't fit the black/white narrative.

It's more that the slave trade operated in Africa long before Europeans etc got involved (and Europe had its own slave trade long before that too) and continued to operate once they were no longer customers.

That doesn't make any of it better or worse, it just shows slavery as a whole doesn't fit the black-white narrative.


"It's racist whether the speaker is aware of it or not."

I would say it would be offensive in that case, but if the speaker isn't discriminating on the basis of race then their comments can't be racist by its very definition.


"If we were talking about people in Africa, that might be relevant, but we aren't."

This is a good example of the narrow view I was talking about, trying to isolate examples that suit a certain argument while ignoring what has happened all around the world.

It's this narrow view that allows some people to justify highly-bigoted comments like "As a white person you get absolutely no say whatsoever in what is racist to others".

Great point paul *paraphrases paul's point to try and show I understand what he wrote*

I though Jack Toft had this topic covered in his first post, wow the history lessons are amazing...