k-punk
Spectres of Mark
First it was the 'flying pigs' poster (which was NOT as it first appeared to a naive audience, a reference to the 'pigs might fly' verbal commonplace but a subliminal attempt to induce anti-semitism). Then the Michael Howard hypnotist post, which was NOT a reference to Little Britain but an anti-semitic attempt to present him as a 'sinister Faginesque figure.' Now the Evening Standard castigates Ken Livingstone for accusing a pushy Evening Standard reporter of being like 'a German war criminal.' This was NOT a reference to the idea that Nazi camp guards were 'just following orders' - a reference so familiar as to amount to a cliche* - but a 'racist attack'.
A bizarre re-definition of racism is being smuggled in here.
It is legitimate, so it seems, to interpret ANY attack or satire on a person of a certain racial group as 'racist' even if the attack makes no reference to their ethnic group. The fact that they are in such a group AND are under attack is sufficient to guarantee the charge of racism.
*Cliche it might have been but its import was lost on the poor Evening Standard journalist who pathetically bleated, 'I'm just doing my job.'
A bizarre re-definition of racism is being smuggled in here.
It is legitimate, so it seems, to interpret ANY attack or satire on a person of a certain racial group as 'racist' even if the attack makes no reference to their ethnic group. The fact that they are in such a group AND are under attack is sufficient to guarantee the charge of racism.
*Cliche it might have been but its import was lost on the poor Evening Standard journalist who pathetically bleated, 'I'm just doing my job.'