Geoff Stephens, a community warden in Dymnchurch Kent , originally from Adelaide but who has lived in the U.K. for 26 years is on a cocktail of anti depressants because of the constant abuse which he claims will “eventually kill him”.
The racist comments that he has to endure, almost on a daily basis,include “Is your g/f called Sheila”, jokes about kangaroos and being greeted with “G’Day sport”.
This is an actual news item ,not a joke .
Now personally I’ve always thought that Australians don’t bathe enough, often look at me in “a funny way” and NEVER buy a fucking round when its their turn.
But being serious,this whinging pom would like to hear Aussies opinions about this.
If this actually was racism does this mean that Geordies and Brummies can bring court cases?
How about Scousers?
Its well known that they never use toilet paper.
And the Welsh…
That’s because they are all working behind the bar. Seriously, nobody needs to hear constant abuse, but this guy’s situation sounds like there’s other things going on.
It depends, I mean I can kinda understand where this guy is coming from. If it’s once in a while when making a few jokes, however, constant harrassment he has had may of been a way in which to bully him or shut him up, I know I’ve had situations where people would latch onto a particular word about you and then repeatedly use it to hurt you for enjoyment.
I didn’t like getting called rat, or ratface, or rat features, and this was by my ‘friends’ who took delight in the way in which it hurt me.
Well I think the guy is an idiot however I am sort of a Pom. I was born in England and although I have lived in Australia since I was 2 I only have a British passport. When I went to live in London for a couple of years in the 70s I fancied that I was going home to revisit my roots. I would tell people (luckily not the real estate guy) that although I sound like an Aussie I was born in Yorkshire.
Then an endless tirade of slinging off about Aussies and Australia would begin. I would sit there quietly thinking, “how can these angry, chronically depressed bastards think they are better or better off than Aussies?” I became so sick of it that I stopped considering myself anything other than 100% Australian and never mentioned my birthplace again.
If being addressed as “G’day sport” is the worst thing that’s happened to him, then this expat Aussie thinks Mr Stephens has led a very sheltered life.
“Yes your honor we intend to prove our that implying the claimant has sexual relations with Kangaroos is not abusive speech, by proving beyond the shadow of a doubt that Aussies are, indeed, Kangaroo Fuckers”
Racism isn’t defined as purely prejudice based on race and frankly I am fed up of people claiming otherwise in a handy way to wave away racism.
Seeing as we are talking about the UK, it might be useful to know that the Race Relations Act of 1976 defines “racial grounds”, in the purpose of defining “racial discrimination” as:
Thus, in UK law “race” isn’t used purely as a biological classification. Nationality is very much part of it.
