Multi-thread!

[Andrew.C]

I thought that seeing as how it’s difficult to get a discussion flowing on any one particular topic I would put a couple together in this one topic. Those topics being: The Henson art debate/incident where he got children to take their clothes off so’s he could photograph them (not as dirty as it sounds, I swear), and the flaming racism of the Camden residence with their refusal to let anyone into their town lacking a special kind of ignorance that appears to be inbred into their populace, e.g. the Muslim school thing. There, two topics.

[Nick]

To miss quote the late (Possibly) great Darrel Strawberry, "I have never read anything about this, but these people sicken me". I really hope there is some sort of actually reason they are not letting that school be built like, zoning issues or problems with public transport. I doubt that is the case and this decision is probably based on religion, and it makes me ashamed to be from this hick country.

[MRac MC]

1) wut

2) The residents have opposed all kinds of developments. Also, if this was a Christian school we'd be happy to have it banned.

[Andrew.C]

In case you were confused, Marc has pointed out I should have written "Camden residents", so, now you're not confused.

[Groove Champion]

I'd like to see all religious schools banned so I consider this a small step towards utopia.

[Andrew.C]

I think I feel the same. Though these people seemed to be more about the general rascism, and not wanting them there because they were Middle Easte - well, just foreign. I don't mind foriegners, as I'm sure you don't either, but I would also like to see those schools gone.

[Groove Champion]

The white trash of Camden have opposed other developments in the area too. They stopped a Maccas being built there so they could have stopped this and still claimed they weren't being racist but then they actually said they didn't want middle eastern people in the area. Kinda killed the whole 'we're not racist' arguement.

[Andrew.C]

Yeah, true. I will try and clarify what I said in the previous post though, and that is that although I only heard racist comments from those interviewed on T.V they probably only showed those interviews where people were being overtly racist, so maybe I can't draw too much from that.

Also, in concern of the other topic of this forum, apparently Henson has been 'cleared' of all potential charges or something i.e. he's not a dirty pedophile, which seemed rather obvious.
One of the articles covering it is below. There's no need to read it but I put it there anyways. A couple of things from it I thought were interesting (if they're true...): first, how the police seized all the paintings because of only 3 complaints, and how the woman who first complained is continuing with this:

"It doesn't change anything, it just makes us more determined than ever, [...] This is a picture of a naked 13-year-old child. We are just handing our children on a bloody plate to pedophiles."

;second, how our Prime Minister, KRudd, stands by his statements about the photos being 'absolutely revoltin', though he did say that was just his opinion or something.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/arts/henson-in-clear-prosecution-scrapped/2008/06/06/1212259050571.html?page=2

[MRac MC]

Haha, "handing them on a bloody plate."

Yeah, because taking a tasteful photograph of the human form is the same as driving a truckload of drugged 8-year-olds into a pedophile's garage.

[Andrew.C]

Man, it took me ages to sift through the crud bucket pile to find this topic again... but success! (I like the crud-bucket).

So, remember these guys? Camden was crapping on about how they didn't want a muslim school simply because of traffic problems and other such things - but certainly not rascism.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/catholics-welcome-muslims-not/2008/09/08/1220857456711.html

This just came out in the news. Now they're building a catholic school there instead.

[Simmo!]

first, how the police seized all the paintings because of only 3 complaints

Wasn't Henson being investigated though? If there was an investigation then police can seize the paintings as exhibits. It's not like it's a censorship thing, more like a legal thing.

Onto the Camden issue... a quote from Andy's link above:

Why is that racist? Why is it discriminatory? It's very simple: people like some things but don't like other things. Some of us like blondes, some of us like brunettes. Some of us like Fords, some of us like Holdens. Why is it xenophobic just because I want to make a choice?

This is so epic I nearly wet my pants. I'm gonna throw this out there, and let the multi thread continue:

All opinion, whether it be racist, discriminatory, positive, negative, or pretty much anything else, is a product of choice. A lot of emotion is based on choice. People consciously choose what they are offended by.

It's like he continued to say. [paraphrased because I'm lazy] "If I want to like someone, and not like someone else, that's my choice". This is exactly the issue, and it ties in with our tolerance discussion before. The point is, it doesn't matter if you like someone or hate them, just don't take action it. If you hate middle eastern people, that's fine, just keep it to yourself, for fucks sake. You can't have an intolerant thought, only an intolerant action.

[Tom]

I have nothing against the police acting against a suspected petofile. I don't personally think that he was, but i also don't think that what he did was all that tasteful nor was it all that great.

The second argument. - it is no secret how i feel about islam. I support the decision not to have an islamic school anywhere in australia let alone Camden. Islam doesn't mesh with our culture, and it is our culture. I don't think that it is intollerant to say that respecting a woman's right to be a person is a good thing.

[Simmo!]

I don't think that it is intollerant to say

See: Spelling that confuses and infuriates me

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