Passive aggressive racism

Fantastically written piece in the Guardian today by Ronan Bennet about Islamaphobia, the author Martin Amis and our own responsibility for turning a blind eye to the kind of racism that would be considered unacceptable and abhorrent in any other context. Please do read.

"What do you make of the following statement: "Asians are gaining on us demographically at a huge rate. A quarter of humanity now and by 2025 they'll be a third. Italy's down to 1.1 child per woman. We're just going to be outnumbered." While we're at it, what do you think of this, incidentally from the same speaker: "The Black community will have to suffer until it gets its house in order." Or this, the same speaker again: "I just don't hear from moderate Judaism, do you?" And (yes, same speaker): "Strip-searching Irish people. Discriminatory stuff, until it hurts the whole Irish community and they start getting tough with their children."

Read the rest HERE

For my American friends...

Sorry, but I had to post this one:



Something tells me it probably has something to do with guys like this:

Yahoo! rebuke

I am somewhat heartened today to hear that Yahoo! has finally been reprimanded by Congress for revealing the names of journalists to the Chinese government. For myself as a journalist this was a particular disgusting affair and assault on the freedom of the press that I consider abhorrent and despicable.

This is how the Tom Lantos of the House Foreign Affairs committee described Yahoo!'s behaviour:

"While technologically and financially you [Yahoo!] are giants, morally you are pygmies"

Sadly Yahoo!'s apology for its actions from founder Jerry Yang is not going to get the two journalists, Shi Tao and Wang Xiaoning, out of jail, where they have been sentenced for the next 10 years.

Read more about the case HERE and HERE.

Please boycott Yahoo! wherever you can and support freedom of speach.
Scott