Now *that's* embarrasing.

Either that, or it shows just how much of a mercenary Rupert Murdoch really is. From the Australian:


Reminds me distinctly of the shenanigans between Rupert and Andrew "If Sarah Palin can get a gig at Fox News, why can't I?" Bolt.

Selective outrage

All of a sudden, Australia is now considered a racist country (I'd have thought it was more to do to with anti-immigration hysteria, cronulla, camdem etc, but apparently not). It's due to a skit on Hey Hey it's Saturday, featuring five people dressed in blackface (and one in whiteface) portraying the Jackson5. Blackface, for the uninformed, is historically a highly racist form of humour using black stereotypes to grab some cheap laughs from the audience. In this case, of course, the outrage is laughable. Of course they're going to paint their faces black! They're pretending to be black singers! What are they supposed to do-go onstage in afros and pasty white skin? How crap would that look? Sometimes, it feels like Oz is adopting all the worst traits from all the other Western countries-the hard-right racism of the US, yet also the uptight-PCness of Britain. Gawd, now that's embarrasing.

And you know what? For all the outrage and horror, everybody seems to have missed this:



What's wrong? Not outragable enough?

My thoughts on THAT skit

In response to a sketch involving terminally ill children being forced to lower their standards of what they can wish for, the nation has unleashed its collective rage upon the Chaser. My response to the incident is "why is it that a somewhat tasteless sketch draws near-universal outrage, yet spectacular human rights abuses draw near-universal support? WHERE THE FUCK OUR PRIORITIES?? GET A COLLECTIVE LIFE, YOU CIRCLE-JERKING CUNTBAGS."* However, a much better response was in today's Age:

IN THE midst of near-universal condemnation of The Chaser team's skit, it might be worth considering a few things.

A friend who worked for years at the Children's Hospital once told me there were times when it was difficult to get work done — the Good Friday television appeal and the period immediately before an election were particularly worrying. Corridors, waiting areas and bedsides would be crammed with politicians, AFL footballers and media celebrities, along with the inevitable TV cameras, sound equipment and the rest.

Shortly after the Black Saturday fires, members of the Australian cricket team visited the affected areas and mingled with residents, relief workers and others. It was a lump-in-the-throat moment until it was later revealed that the cricketers had been instructed to wear the official team tracksuit, emblazoned with the names of sponsors. In other words, an occasion to bring comfort to victims was also an opportunity to fly the sponsors' flag.

Maybe the Chasers were attempting, in a ham-fisted way, to send up this cynical tendency to take advantage of people in traumatic situations.

An excellent point indeed.

*Hat tips to Sarah for her human rights archives and Club Wah for insult-inspiration.

UPDATE: How is the Make a Realistic Wish Foundation any worse than this? I could equally argue that the skit is a tasteless 'satire' of 21st century slavery; appalling working conditions in third world factories in which employees are often killed because of the lack of safety conditions whilst being paid pennies for their work. The only difference is that one sketch features cute, innocent-looking children.

UPDATE 2: Why is it that if lefties think something is crude and damnable, it's the self-righteous PC police intruding in on our lives, telling us what we can and cannot do, and they should all get a sense of humour-but if it's righties** thinking something is crude and damnable, that's perfectly OK?

**Yes, both lefties and righties have been outraged by the sketch. However, it does appear that more righties are outraged.

Lowly Private coins new word: takes world by storm.

From The Daily Leftist:

A young soldier, Private Tom, has coined a new term-'wisitwela.' The word, an acronym for 'what is it with teh left and...' was created to send up the soldiers currently fighting in Battalion Poison. The context in which wisitwela is used is this: upon meeting a fellow leftist, you ask "Wisitwela?" The friend responds with what venomous screed Battalion Poison has recently produced. If this is Captain Bolt, the answer commonly has something to do with leftists. If it is General Blair, it might be fat environmentalists. Lieutentant Akerman commonly launches verbal assaults against what he calls "tear'ists," although what "tear'ists" actually are (Muslims, leftists, Democrats, the ALP) depends on what columns he has produced.

Wisitwela (incidentaly, pronounced, 'wizzy-wellah') is already proving to be a great conversation starter, as leftists are normally unable to discuss anything outside hating America and the inevitable proletariat revolution. Lieutenant Reuben has contacted General Bron, requesting that Private Tom be given a taxpayer-funded arts grant to produce further words for the front line. The General refused, stating "Private Tom must learn to work without leeching of the taxpayer. I need the grant for, um, research into the effects of the overconsumption of red wine and Indian foods."

Private Tom refused to comment, instead sending out a press release, stating "I apologise for my reclusive habits. If I were to reveal my self in public, my incomprehendably brilliant mind would vapourise everybody's brains within a 5 kilometer radius."

Who's in charge of Australia? Not Labor, that's for sure.

Heard the news, boys and girls?

SENIOR Israeli diplomat Dan Gillerman has urged Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd not to send a delegation to a United Nations forum on racism, saying it will be used as a platform to bash Israel.

And Australia, being the sovereign multi-nation that would never kow-tow to the capricious whims of another country on matters which it has no authority to call the shots...has mindlessly obeyed Israel and has boycotted the summit. Even worse, America has shunned it too. Nice 'change' you got there, Obama.

Having read some of the stuff that went on 8 years ago, I do see some degree of antisemitism in the original forum in regards to the focus on the Middle East, whilst neglecting the rest of the world (Israel isn't the only country with race problems. Especially in '01).

However, that is a damn poor excuse for not attending this summit. What does Australia expect to gain from not attending? If there is no racism or antisemitism (Israeli paranoia notwithstanding), we will look like we have our collective heads up Israel's collective arses (we do anyway, but this would just highlight it further). And if there is genuine antisemitism at the conference, would we be more effective in trying to tone it down or walk out rather then not being there at all?

Bloody hell-I though one of the reasons why we voted Johnny out was because we were tired of other countries dictating what we did.

And on a final note-Age?

Get your friggin' act together.

News Limited is.

A local Hun story features Home and Away developing a lesbian plot line, thus angering conservative groups (Shouldn't this puff be left to the Green Guide?). What I always find hilarious is when ultracons hide their homophobia behind the Helen Lovejoy Fallacy.

"They (Home and Away) continue to market to kids and they continue to develop quite sexualised plot lines," Pro-Family Perspectives director Angela Conway said.

"The plot lines that young kids and teenagers should be presented with should be about really authentic relationships that are not just sexualised."

And in the letters:

We who have young kids do not want them polluted with homosexual ideas. I hope somebody will be sacked over this thing.
Gordon Smith.

Replace "sexual" with "phobic" and I'd heartily agree with you.

Our vulnerable teenager children, who are undergoing significant hormonal changes involving mixed sexual feeling, do not need homosexual relationships being normalised on Home and Away.
David Everard, Nunawading

Because if they see women kissing on a fictional TV show, they'll, umm...

And who can pass up the comedy gold that can be found on the comments?

OK if we are going to have shows that promote homosexuality (and they seem to be on the rise) why can't we have more shows that promote family values? Oh wait, they don't get good ratings. But seriously the guys at Channel 7, should be more sensitive towards what would be considered family viewing time and have script and shows that are more appropriate. Concerned parent

No, I didn't SNIP the ending. That's the full post.

Reading the comments below on could get the impression that our society is 85 % homosexual. Once again gay and lesbian lobby groups are in full flight promoting their odd lifestyle. However, Channel 7 should keep in mind that it is the majority who holds the family values dear to heir harts who will determine the ratings and the eventual success of your station. You are succumbing to the pressure of the minorities at your own peril.

Thankfully, not all Hun reader were frozen in the 1950's and thawed out last week. From the letters:

Excellent. Maybe soon they will have some non-Anglo characters and they can really start reflecting Aussie society rather then some white-bread Aryan fantasy.
Penny Smith, Melbourne.

And Brian la Ferlita of Melbourne from the comments:

Oh I have to laugh when we're allowed to watch (current) storylines concerning rape and heterosexual relationships on 'Home And Away' yet some so-called 'conservative groups' deem plotlines about homosexuality to not be authentic?! Here's a tip for the Christian groups outraged at gay storylines: Homosexuality is real. Homosexuality is not a disease or dysfunction. You cannot make some gay by showing them a TV show. You cannot cure a gay person by showing them 'God' or treating them!!!!

Remember: you heard it here 2nd, folks.

I no longer read newspapers.

I just read The Onion.

Here's why.

I'm Really Gonna Miss Systematically Destroying This Place

By George W. Bush
December 1, 2008

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Oh, America. Eight years went by so fast, didn't they? I feel like I hardly got to know you and methodically undermine everything you once stood for. But I guess all good things must come to an end, and even though you know I would love to stick around for another year or four—maybe privatize Social Security or get us into Iran—I'm afraid it's time to go. But before I leave, let me say, from the bottom of my heart: I can't think of another country I would've rather led to the brink of collapse.

Boy, oh boy, if these Oval Office walls could talk. Seems like it was only yesterday that I started my first term despite having actually lost to Al Gore by more than a half million votes. Hmm. We were all so young and peaceful then. Gosh, gas was still under $2 a gallon! On my watch it peaked at more than twice that. Never getting it up to $6 or ideally $7.50 will be one of my few regrets when I leave office.

It's just gonna be so hard packing up my things and heading off into the sunset come January. I wish I could go on forever giving massive and disastrous tax cuts to the wealthy, taking the country from a surplus to a deficit—nearly $500 billion this year, likely to pass $1 trillion next year, fingers crossed—and just generally doing irreparable damage to the very underpinnings of our economy, but, well, I'm afraid the Constitution says I can't. And not even I can overrule the Constitution. Though Lord knows I tried! Initiating blanket wiretaps without warrants, suspending habeas corpus for prisoners in Guantanamo, infiltrating an unknown number of nonviolent civilian antiwar groups without permission… such wonderful memories. I'm going to cherish them forever.

My fellow Americans, I only hope that every time you have your civil liberties encroached upon by the Patriot Act, you'll think of me.

Everywhere I look brings back memories. The Blue Room is where Laura and I put up our first White House Christmas tree. Down the hall, in the East Room, is where I concocted my favorite signing statement to circumvent the anti-torture guidelines of the Detainee Treatment Act of 2005, and—ooh!—right across the way is where Cheney and I decided to use the death of 3,000 Americans on 9/11 and the nation's subsequent fear of another attack as an excuse to carry out our long-standing plan to invade Iraq. I should really get a picture before I leave.

Speaking of pictures, whenever I look at the dusty old newspaper photos of those tortured prisoners at Abu Ghraib or the crumpled ruins of that bridge in Minnesota, I can hold my head up high knowing that I truly fucked this nation—physically and symbolically—beyond repair. I only wish I had the time to destroy a couple more major American cities.

And Cheney, I almost forgot about Cheney. What a guy, huh? I can't believe that in a few short weeks he's never going to talk to me again. The stories I could tell you about what went on in some of those back rooms—well, you wouldn't believe me if I declassified the memos. I don't know, maybe in 20 years, when the economy has rebounded and the people displaced by Katrina have rebuilt their lives from scratch with almost no federal assistance, Cheney and I can meet up again in the Rose Garden and reminisce over the good old days, when it seemed like there was no part of this great country we couldn't ruin forever.

What am I going to do once I'm no longer president? I've gotten so used to waking up every day, playing fetch with the dogs on the White House lawn, and then spending a lazy afternoon shredding every last bit of our good will abroad in a mind-boggling display of diplomatic incompetence.

The worst part about leaving is knowing I can never screw up anything this big again. Don't get me wrong, I'm only 62. I could still bankrupt an oil company, or become the next MLB commissioner and ruin baseball. But I'll never get the opportunity to fuck up on this massive of a scale again. Even if you put me back in charge for another term, I could only take the U.S. from a rapidly declining world power to not a world power at all. I don't mean to gloat, but I think it's safe to say that no one can ever unseat the American empire like I unseated the American empire.

Still, I have to admit, sometimes I think I could've dismantled so much more. The very fact that the environment still exists, that a mere 4,000 troops have died in Iraq, that there is still the slightest glimmer of hope for the future left in this nation—it's easy to feel like maybe I didn't do my job. But no, no, there's no use having any regret. I fucked everything up the best I could and that's good enough for me.

You know, I've got a few weeks left. I could still illegally fire some U.S. attorneys for political reasons, or finally get rid of that pesky separation between church and state. Or maybe I could just bomb a place. Like Russia. But this time, I would really savor it.

As long as I live, America, I'll never forget irreparably ruining you. Unless we all die in a nuclear war or calamitous environmental disaster brought on by my neglect. Either way, I'll see you all in heaven!