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We need to talk about the stupid white bastard. Not the person, the words. They've been in the news lately, sparking a fresh culture war and generating a torrent of nonsense.
Before we go further, it should go on the record that over the years I've been all three. Stupid and bastard, I've had some say in. White? There's nothing I can do about that.
It should also be placed on the record that, to the best of my recollection, I've never chundered in the back of a taxi because I've drunk too much. (Rose bushes, front lawns, back alleys are another matter.) Nor am I a fantastically wealthy global role model and brand ambassador.
I've used "stupid bastard" too often to count. I've hissed the words in anger but never added a colour to those words, although to my shame have used other descriptors like "old", "young" and "rich" to spice up my contempt.
The term has also been deployed with great affection, usually at a mate who's said something I wished I'd thought of first or someone who's pranked me. A friend wins the meat tray at the club? "Lucky bastard." Someone cuts you off in traffic? "You bastard."
Like throwing up in cabs, the use of the word bastard seems peculiarly Australian. So it's interesting that the national hero in the centre of this very silly storm is now reportedly claiming she didn't use the words "stupid white bastard" but rather "stupid white cop". Does that suggest "bastard" is worse than "stupid white" in Blighty?
But, more important, have the culture warriors been barking up the wrong tree as they agonise over whether someone of colour can or can't be racist?
Forget all that for a moment. And put aside the bizarre length of time it's taken to press charges and the fragility of the copper who felt threatened by the alleged language. To me, the bigger issue is the alleged spewing in the back of a cab, then arguing over the cost of cleaning it up. Bad enough when it's an ordinary drunk. Unforgivable when it's a world famous and eye-wateringly rich football hero. Talk about a power imbalance.
We didn't cut Barnaby Joyce slack when he fell off the planter box in Canberra. We didn't rush to the defence of Adam Reynolds and Pat Carrigan, the two NRL players filmed in a drunken beer garden wrestle ahead of the Las Vegas season opener.
Yet for some reason there's a rush to defend, even lionise, a player who from the police account behaved appallingly in the back of a cab before abusing a police officer called upon to mediate. Public figures have weighed in. Politicians too. For a while there, it felt like The Adventures of Barry McKenzie.
The fuss reveals more about ourselves than it does about the person at the centre of the scandal, who we've elevated to goddess-like stature. We've rushed to the culture war barricades. We've revealed our double standards and a fragility when a national hero is cast in a poor light.
We'd readily condemn any other person of privilege vomiting in the back of a cab and quarrelling over paying to clean it up. But not, it seems, our Sam.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Is "stupid white bastard" or "stupid white cop" racist abuse? If you throw up in the back of a cab, should you agree to pay for the clean-up? Are there double standards at play in the Sam Kerr saga? Email us: echidna@theechidna.com.au
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- It has been confirmed that a mass coral bleaching event is unfolding across the vast swathes of the Great Barrier Reef, alarming environmental groups and leading Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek to say it is going through a "tough time".
- The headmaster of an elite Sydney boys' school has resigned after failing to disclose alleged "extremely concerning" conduct of a teacher to the school council. Cranbrook School Council president Geoff Lovell informed the school community there had been "an irrevocable breakdown of trust" between headmaster Nicholas Sampson and the school council.
- A second electric car maker has resigned in protest from Australia's automotive industry group, saying it may have "irrevocably damaged consumer perception and trust" in fuel-efficiency standards with its misleading statements. Polestar revealed its decision to withdraw from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) on Friday, just one day after Tesla slammed the organisation for making "false and misleading" comments about the impact of the government's proposed New Vehicle Efficiency Standard.
THEY SAID IT: "The best thing I did was to choose the right heroes." - Warren Buffett
YOU SAID IT: Garry argues that people who own potentially lethal dogs like pit bulls and rottweilers should be licensed.
"You did not mention how many of those breeds end up in the pound," writes Sandra. "I can't help looking at the pictures and feel so sad. Some have loving eyes and just want a safe home and some training. They are always young and probably needed more exercise than the small brained human could cope with."
Peter writes: "There are countless dogs to choose from, without the need for killer breeds. Pit bulls should be banned and bred out of extinction, also rottweilers could go. The owners of all dangerous breeds should have to pay higher fees to keep such animals and should have to attend classes on animal welfare before owning such animals."
"Have you considered the relationship between owners of poodles and pyramid schemes or the desire of dachshund owners to hijack planes?" asks Col. "Yes, there should be a licencing and registration scheme for dog (and cat) owners and maybe a universal dog, a bit like a Toyota Corolla dog, inoffensive and all in one colour."
Macca defends the rottweiler: "You forgot to mention that no matter the breed of dog, the RSPCA recommends that the number one rule of children and any dog breed should be supervision. All your article does is demean certain breeds of dogs. And that isn't fair. I own an 18-month old rottweiler and my son also has a four-year-old rottweiler. I also have a Jack Russell. And guess what. The Jack Russell puts it all over my rotty every day. My Jack Russell eats first while he waits for his turn. If they get a treat he knows that Billy is the boss and he picks his first. You will not find a more intelligent, caring and obedient breed of dog than a rotty."
Ilia writes: "My initial reaction on reading this morning's first paragraph, was to assume you were peering over the fence at my highly anxious Jack Russell cross. The description was perfect! Fortunately, I have a high gate and signs to protect our poor postie from his enraged torrent of abuse each time he drops by. I walk him alone at 3am when I know he is less likely to have anxiety driven tantrums. Like his owner, he struggles socialising. Given all of that, I absolutely agree with you - my old Tibetan spaniel, Fluffy had his jaw viciously snapped when he was three months and ran up to welcome a ferocious staffy dragging his testosterone driven (or perhaps deprived - who knows) owner along the path. My poor pooch's screams of agony as I carried him home in my arms bleeding still haunt me 20 years later."
Four decades in the media, working in print and television. Formerly editor of the South Coast Register and Milton Ulladulla Times. Based on the South Coast of NSW.
Four decades in the media, working in print and television. Formerly editor of the South Coast Register and Milton Ulladulla Times. Based on the South Coast of NSW.
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