Even though Andrew Bolt lost his race discrimination case in the Federal Court this morning, who actually won?
The nine “fair-skinned Aborigines” took action against Bolt and the Herald Sun for stories and blog entries they claimed had offended them because the articles suggested they identified as Aborigines in order to gain career or other advantage.
Legally they win. But in going to court to enforce their rights in an area where free speech butts up hard against the Racial Discrimination Act, they have also succeeded in attracting a great deal of unfortunate attention that hardly helps their cause. And, given this verdict, will probably let too many racist views off the leash.
If today’s judgment turns Bolt into some kind of martyr — as it surely will among his coterie of like-minded supporters, including many in the populist media who will rally to him like moths to a flame — he may turn out to be the courtroom loser who wins the propaganda war.
The right legal decision may turn out to be really bad for the cause it attempts to serve.
That’s like telling a victim of the school bully that it’s better to shut up, keep your head down or he’ll make it a lot worse for you!
If we all did that the Bolts of this world would get louder and louder.
It may be so but it could also be a victory for ensuring that verifiable facts are necessary to put forward a news article or to be a journalist. It may mean that racists are let off the leash but it may be far harder for them to be published on the Bolt blog.
Absolutely disagree with your position. Aboriginal Australians and countless other non-white Australians endure racial marking, racial categorising, racial epithets, racial everything inside and outside the media … and when they take it up to the top and actually enact their right to be without being demonised,insulted and racialised by the likes of serial race baiters like Andrew Bolt, then according to ‘one comment’, ‘it’s really bad for the cause’ … who says?
well i say anyone who has experienced the effects of racialisation would heartily disagree with your comment. why? because it is both a symbolic victory against the race ideologues that populate the mainstream English media, and it is a material victory for people who actually believe the law exists to protect people from race discrimination …
with freedom of speech comes an ethics of responsibility … and if media opinionists can’t quite grasp that seemingly fair enough notion … then the law will prevail as it has … thank you Justice Bromberg for today …
[Legally they win. But in going to court to enforce their rights in an area where free speech butts up hard against the Racial Discrimination Act, they have also succeeded in attracting a great deal of unfortunate attention that hardly helps their cause.]
Not sure who in the Crikey bunker wrote that quoted tosh above, but they need to get out and smell the roses.
Let’s not upset the racists by actually enforcing the law eh?
I expect to read that sort of garbage from the minions of Mordor.
But not from Crikey. 🙁
It now needs the rest of us like-minded people, both in the media and outside, to make sure Bolt doesn’t get to turn it into a victory, surely that’s the key?