Comments on: Bigotry is alive and well in Brisbane http://www.darrylking.com.au/outline/misc/bigotry-is-alive-and-well-in-brisbane/ anecdotes, stories and insights on what ireckon! Wed, 18 Jan 2012 06:11:35 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: EarleyDaysYet http://www.darrylking.com.au/outline/misc/bigotry-is-alive-and-well-in-brisbane/comment-page-1/#comment-55651 EarleyDaysYet Wed, 16 Dec 2009 07:40:09 +0000 http://www.darrylking.com.au/?p=3771#comment-55651 Gay, fat, female, disabled, deaf, goth, Aboriginal, overtly religious ... if it's a visible difference, it is commented on. Straight healthy average white men will never "get" the discrimination inherent in being anything else, although you've inadvertently had a taste of it with this episode. I'm obese, & was in town with a gay friend a few months ago. As we sat on a bench on Ann St, on a Friday evening, talking & having a smoke, we were approached & jeered at by multiple groups of young men. The most persistent of these spent 20 minutes discussing loudly "why fag hags are always fat", how effeminate my friend was likely to be, how desperate I must be, how disgusting & offensive we were, separately & in tandem... eventually, just as my friend was being challenged to a fight ("bet you just squeal & bitch slap"), two police officers wandered by & the group lost interest. Why were we so offensive that a group of complete strangers would harangue us for no purpose? No idea. But yes, bigotry - of all shapes, colours & sizes - is well & truly alive in Brisbane. It is distressing & unnecessary. Gay, fat, female, disabled, deaf, goth, Aboriginal, overtly religious … if it’s a visible difference, it is commented on. Straight healthy average white men will never “get” the discrimination inherent in being anything else, although you’ve inadvertently had a taste of it with this episode.

I’m obese, & was in town with a gay friend a few months ago. As we sat on a bench on Ann St, on a Friday evening, talking & having a smoke, we were approached & jeered at by multiple groups of young men. The most persistent of these spent 20 minutes discussing loudly “why fag hags are always fat”, how effeminate my friend was likely to be, how desperate I must be, how disgusting & offensive we were, separately & in tandem… eventually, just as my friend was being challenged to a fight (“bet you just squeal & bitch slap”), two police officers wandered by & the group lost interest.

Why were we so offensive that a group of complete strangers would harangue us for no purpose? No idea. But yes, bigotry – of all shapes, colours & sizes – is well & truly alive in Brisbane. It is distressing & unnecessary.

]]> By: the ireckon amazing race wrap up #irace http://www.darrylking.com.au/outline/misc/bigotry-is-alive-and-well-in-brisbane/comment-page-1/#comment-55471 the ireckon amazing race wrap up #irace Sun, 13 Dec 2009 11:16:44 +0000 http://www.darrylking.com.au/?p=3771#comment-55471 [...] all I could hear was 4 blokes running. They had to put up with a whole lot of grief in another way (unfortunate bigotry) but gave it everything to try and [...] [...] all I could hear was 4 blokes running. They had to put up with a whole lot of grief in another way (unfortunate bigotry) but gave it everything to try and [...]

]]> By: Colin Burns http://www.darrylking.com.au/outline/misc/bigotry-is-alive-and-well-in-brisbane/comment-page-1/#comment-55445 Colin Burns Sun, 13 Dec 2009 08:10:54 +0000 http://www.darrylking.com.au/?p=3771#comment-55445 I whole heartedly agree with you on this. It is terrible to see/hear that these types of blatant stupidity continue to occur in this day and age. I know this may sounds a bit conceited but there is a educated portion of society who think about these things and a much, much large less educated majority of the population who don't give a s*%t what is what we believe/know is a basic human right. I know if I was working at ireckon I would have been in the team wearing the hot pink because as a 32 yo male with 2 kids and a lovely wife "hot pink" is my favorite colour :) Good on you for saying something, it is a pity that it happened in the first place though! Cheers, Colin I whole heartedly agree with you on this. It is terrible to see/hear that these types of blatant stupidity continue to occur in this day and age.

I know this may sounds a bit conceited but there is a educated portion of society who think about these things and a much, much large less educated majority of the population who don’t give a s*%t what is what we believe/know is a basic human right.

I know if I was working at ireckon I would have been in the team wearing the hot pink because as a 32 yo male with 2 kids and a lovely wife “hot pink” is my favorite colour :)

Good on you for saying something, it is a pity that it happened in the first place though!

Cheers,
Colin

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