Mike’s “Malice in the Heart” Test for Racism
Wednesday, March 17th, 2010Some things are funny; Some things are racism; Some things fall in that middle zone. That zone where one person with one experience might say it’s funny while another person with another experience might say it’s racism.
It’s that grey area in the centre where it’s hard to find the line.
You know how I tell if something is racism or not? I say
“It’s racism if there is malice in the heart of the perpetrator.”
Sometimes the word “Pom” can be funny; sometimes it can be racist. Sometimes (not nearly as often) the word “Boong” can be funny; sometimes it can be racist. You must look inside the heart of the person using the word in order to tell.
Is this image Racist? (click to enlarge)
In a discussion on Saturday night, someone brought this photo to my attention. I’ve added the yellow comments. See if I have drawn the line correctly; the line where the photo crosses from funny to racism.
Some people have yet to learn that the comments they leave online in public places reveals so much about them.
Mike Fitzsimon
mike.fitzsimon
@MikeFitzAU
