Primitive thinking

Via others, I came across a some tweep called Nick Sowden tweeting some racist comments about Barack Obama on Thursday evening. (The interview between Kerry O’Brien and Barack Obama was concurrently being aired on ABC TV’s 7:30 Report when the tweets appeared.) His previous tweeting history suggest there’s not much humour in them, but malice and spite.

Maybe you might think that he was trying to be “funny”, but I fail to see what’s so funny about comparing Obama to a “monkey”.

For someone who would one day might have had a fairly public profile as a member of  the Young Liberal National Party, who has written for conservative think tank Menzies House, and is the secretary of the Griffith Rural Health Association, this sort of primitive bigoted thinking is just not acceptable. In no time at all, he learnt the hard way that it was a stupid and offensive thing to say.

Way to kill a political career before it starts.

UPDATE: A great critique of humour and racism.

Also, it really is a shame that the points raised in Obama’s interview with O’Brien has taken second place as this Nick Sowden takes the spotlight.

UPDATE:

Quite a lot of coverage in today’s media.

Brisbane Times.

Courier Mail.

News Ltd.

Ninemsn.

Crikey.

ABC News.

And it’s been on ABC Brisbane radio too.

Nick Sowden defends his comments with Latika Bourke on 2UE.

Just read on Twitter that it’s going to be on the 7:30 Report tonight.

More to come, possibly.

UPDATE:

Sowden apparently has a “list of indiscretions”, according to president of Qld Young LNP Rod Schneider.  The Age.

He is a former president of the Young Democrats and was expelled from the university’s Young Liberal National Party for sabotaging promotional material on campus.

Sowden immediately jumped ship to help campaign for the campus’ Labor Party at last year’s university elections.

“His views change like the weather,” Mr Schneider said.

UPDATE:

The Queensland Liberal National Party (LNP) has condemned the tweets, saying they would not tolerate such comments.

LNP state director Michael O’Dwyer told AAP the party did not tolerate such comments and would be looking into the matter.

“I’m disappointed when anybody from the LNP makes comments that put the party into disrepute and of such a personal nature,” Mr O’Dwyer said.

“As far as I’m aware he is just an ordinary party member – the party has standards and principles we stand by.”

From the Herald Sun. Whatever you do, don’t read the readers’ comments. Like this one from Steve of Melbourne:

why is ‘monkey’ racist? I interpret it as meaning something similar to ‘idiot’, ‘silly’ or ‘joker’. If I called a white guy a monkey, that’s how it would be interpreted.

UPDATE:

Defamer. Transcript of interview with Sowden and Latika Bourke on 2UE included.

UPDATE:

Nick Sowden defends himself on the Menzies House website. Nick says,

My twitter comments are meant to come across as facetious, as a joke on the Crazy right wing, fox news, tea party type goings on at the present.

Oh, I don’t know. Everything in his tweeting history (as above), his Facebook photos and even the groups he was a fan of on Facebook…

…seems to make his claims just a wee bit doubtful. And he’s a fan of Sarah Palin — you couldn’t get anymore crazy right wing than that. Sorry, Nick.

The Daily Telegraph vs Sex and Nudity (Again. Sort of.)

Clicked onto the Daily Tele’s website just now. First thing I see is feigned outrage about the third series of the Underbelly franchise, with the headline screaming DISGUSTED.

Oh what’s new, Tele?

Underneath, as you can see (I presume), the caption says:

VIOLENCE, sex and nudity – expect a double dose of it all when the raciest Underbelly series airs next year, and one of its stars has revealed why its raunchy scenes have made her feel disgusted.

Like the sucker I am, I immediately assume that the “star” is disgusted with the violence, sex and nudity that will be airing on our screens sometime next year. That’s strange, I think, why do an Underbelly series know for its violence, sex and nudity and then act like a bloody wowser about it?

Did I say I’m a sucker? I’m also a sucker for clicking on the “Read More” link. (Don’t click on that link.) (Sucker.)

“Doing the nude scenes in this one has made me feel a little dirtier,” the 27-year-old Perth-raised actress said.

“Playing a prostitute has given me a new-found respect for prostitution because there are days I go home and just feel dirty. I think I’ve come to terms with the fact I do feel a bit violated in this role and that’s fine because that is how she felt, so I just use it.”

Ah, it wasn’t the show itself she had issues with. Silly me. Sucked in big time, Bron. It’s the Telegraph — you should know better by now.

To be fair though, it was reasonable to assume that the Daily Telegraph were going on a bender about the rampant sex and nudity and whatever, because, you know, they’re our moral guardians while promoting trash like Tila Tequila.

And it would be reasonable to assume the the Daily Telegraph will do a few more “we’re outraged!” stories on Underbelly 3 before it airs and while it airs.

Wanna bet on that, sucker?