Hypocrisy of the middle class media about racism.

Uncle Joe | 26.01.2007 00:10 | Analysis | Anti-racism

An executive of Standard Life Pensions has used a vile racist comment during a speech, yet Indymedia and the rest of the middle class press are completely silent.

Trevor Matthews used the comment at a meeting, and the BBC reported this issue without quoting the said comment.

The report is here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/6298041.stm

Why are Indymedia up-in-arms about mixed race Jade Goody making some immature remarks about an obnoxious Indian princess without reporting the hatred of the ruling class?

You decide.....

Uncle Joe

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Wrong premises

26.01.2007 07:43

"Why are Indymedia up-in-arms about mixed race Jade Goody making some immature remarks about an obnoxious Indian princess without reporting the hatred of the ruling class?"

He didn't say it on television, it is now reported on Indymedia, and 'Indymedia' isn't up in arms about Ms. Baddie - just some of the people who use the open newswire are.

bored shitless

Eh?

26.01.2007 09:45

I wasn't aware that we had been "up in arms" about Big Brother. In fact, aside from a few postings which haven't stayed up for long, Indymedia has been blissfully Big Brother free. Long may it continue. As regards this bloke from Standard Life, have you any idea what he actually said? The BBC article that you quoted doesn't actually say.

Bob

bored

26.01.2007 09:53

A few people here commented on CBB. I hardly see that as a classist agenda.

Auntie Class

How serious is it?

26.01.2007 10:16

http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1998895,00.html

"Mr Matthews, the head of Standard Life's life and pension business, blurted out the words while addressing staff about controversial changes to the company's pension scheme. An employee asked why the plans to change the scheme from final salary to career average were at the back of a document last year detailing the company's demutualisation. "That's the nigger in the woodpile," he said at the presentation on Monday."

Sounds more like indifference to being PC and/or insensitivity than any genuine racist attack. Still a stupid fuckwit, but it's hardly an overt and pointed race hate remark specifically directed at black people and their value to society. If he had said "Niggers are ruining this country and should be deported!", I'd want his arse on a court bench. It makes me wonder about his attitudes, but as it stands It's hardly Enoch Powell material is it?

I think John Reid and David Blunkett have said worse without using any non-PC words. They have attacked Muslims and asylum seekers in a sustained fashion.

He needs a hard slap on the wrist and an eye kept on his behaviour for sure, but he isn't guilty of systematic racial abuse on the basis of some distasteful phrase used abstractly.

Elvis

Not covered

26.01.2007 13:43

Are you kidding?One post got more comments than i ever saw on Indy.

https://www0.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/01/360563.html

Differentbob

Differentbob+

26.01.2007 14:39

Apart from the author of that post it was mostly two people commenting. And most of it had little to do with attacking Jade or CBB. So, yeah, the assertion is hollow.

Elvis

Colorblind James Experience

26.01.2007 16:46

Um...my article was making the point racism isn't exclusively a working class problem, much like yours is. If I'd heard about Matthews comment I would've been happy to add the Standard Life bloke to that thread but it was getting a bit long as you'd pointed out, and had strayed off subject as Elvis says. I think Matthews comment is more serious than either Jades or Lucys simply because he is a man of power and if he can think to say that in front of his staff then he almost certainly says much worse in private. Not owning any Standard Life shares myself I can't do much about it. I could graffiti his offices, but so could you and I've enough work for the time being. I can't find his home address but will keep looking for it if you are serious about wanting to do something about it.

My baby was talking in her sleep
She said Bob
I said what ?
She said Bob
I said I'm Bob
She said No, I mean a different Bob

dp

27.01.2007 02:44

what a pompous arse

vxcvvvvvvvvvvvxxv

Dear differentbob

27.01.2007 02:51

Whilst not wishing to appear arrogant, and I know some posts have achieved over 100 replies, I humbly ask you to observe my post from many moons ago!

https://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2005/12/330656.html?c=all

41 comments isn't much, when dp did nearly half herself...!!!

Uncle Joe

bomb scare

27.01.2007 12:57

Here's some photos of the Standard Life board in case anyone wants to remonstrate with them.

http://ukgroup.standardlife.com/html/about/directors.html#Trevor%20Matthews

Their offices are on Lothian Road just by the Western Approach Road and would be pretty easy to block or monitor. They'd be a good Mayday target too, a block would bring travel chaos to the town as that's a busy route, the 'financial district' also full of tourists milling around so plenty of cover. Didn't someone hit them on the G8 ?

Remember that female artist who caused chaos in London by leaving a few rucksacks lying around in different locations ? I'm surprised it doesn't happen more often, although Edinburgh airport was shut down this way last week. A charity shop rucksack (with Matthews name on it), a few back of flour, a few wires sticking out, and suddenly the company has lost millions of pounds in lost work and business.

Have any of you lot got any unused 'Car Bomb' stickers that Negativland distributed a few years back ?

Joe - you decide...do something and publish it here and I'll try and do something bigger. Otherwise you can stick the hypocracy charge.

vxcvvvvvvvvvvvxxv -
As for pompous, well the opinion of an arrogant inactive middle-class drunk doesn't bother me much any more than the incoherent snarling of any pathetic Glaswegian jakey - especially since I've since found Matthews address and no one else has. Still proud of regularly shitting your pants every time you disrupt the 'wire with your snarlin petty Friday/Saturday night rants ? What a man. What a failure.

When I get my hands on some money
I'll kiss it's green skin
And I'll ask it's dirty face
"Where the hell have you been?"
"I am the fuel that fires the engine
of failure."

I'll be old and broken down
I'll forget who and where I am
I'll be senile or forgotten
But I'll remember and understand
You can bank your hard-earned money
on failure

I saw my father crying
I saw my mother break her hand
On a wall that wouldn't weep
But that certainly held in
The mechanical moans of a dying man
Who was a failure

My back hurts me when I bend
Because I carry a load
My brain hurts me like a knife-hole
Because I've yet to be shown
How to pull myself out from
The sucking quicksand
of failure

Some people live in hell
Many bastards succeed
But I. I've learned nothing
I can't even elegantly bleed
Out the poison blood
of failure

Racism

27.01.2007 22:41

No doubt he would have ruffled fewer feathers had he said "that's the kaffir in the kerosene"...or "that's the colored in the coal bin".....or "that's the fuzzy-wuzzy in the fuel supply".....what drivel......this sort of political correct posturing makes my arse want to chew tobacco

Armigerous
mail e-mail: armigerous@earthlink.net

Chew away

28.01.2007 09:41

What is almost more appalling than all the other racists comments is when pseudo-activists think they can repeat this hateful shite here and expect to get away with it under the false banner of opposing political correctness. Fuck you you white middleclass scum, anymore overt racism here and you'll be hanging from a lamppost like your heroes. And yes, I do know where you live.

the politically correct brigade

dp

28.01.2007 09:49

eh?????

vxcvvvvvvvvvvvxxv

This is not a class war issue

15.03.2007 22:32

Of course it was a stupid and offensive thing to say. He has realised that, and apologised. But do you *really* believe that this evidences "the hatred of the ruling class"?
For one thing, he was using a figure of speech - a very bad choice of figure, to be sure, but a careless comment out of context isn't enough to damn a man for racial hatred. Not in any society I want to be part of, anyway. (Remember the farce a few years ago over the word "niggardly"?)
And for another, he is an Australian for heaven's sake - the most classless people in the world - and has only been in the UK for 2 years or so. Ruling class? - don't be ridiculous.
Drafting his error into *your* class war is, itself, offensive.

Malocao

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This site: Relevance 0.0%

15.03.2007 22:44

Wandered into this thread and took a look around the site ...
Sparts of the UK, I salute you.
Your enemy is called Thatcher, and she took a hike 16 years ago. Since then we don't do class war any more - each of us found something useful to occupy our time instead. Except for you lot, of course.
If you ever feel like looking up someone from the 21st Century, don't call me. You'd all be much too boring for my taste.

Laughing at you all

Your double standards are showing

15.03.2007 22:52

While I'm about it ... "mixed race Jade Goody making some immature remarks about an obnoxious Indian princess"
What, exactly, do you mean by this?
Jade, because she's not 100% white, is allowed to commit racial abuse?
Or Shilpa, because she's rich, doesn't deserve racial tolerance?
Playing the race card, then taking it back in the same breath - amazing cynicism, amazing inconsistency. Keep this stuff coming, I could do with a laugh.

Malocao

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