This is such a disappointment, on many levels...
[url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/25/london-2012-greece-racist-twitter ]Grauniad Linky[/url]
See ya Voula. 🙁
"With so many Africans in Greece, at least the mosquitoes of West Nile will eat [s]homemade food[/s] McDonalds and a refreshing Coke!"
Sorted.
/satire.
She should just have got John Terry to have a word. Job Done.
For the life of me, I fail to see how her comment was racist. I'd go further to suggest that anyone complaining couldn't explain it either.
This is why the PC brigade should be taken out and shot (in front of their families etc.).
Thing is, I'm not sure I get the point she was making 😕
Jamie, McDonalds and Coke are American foods...RACIST!
She wasn't making a point, she made a joke. Her country is suffering a plague of mosquitoes from Africa. She joked that now, with many people from Africa in her country, the mosquitos can feed on people from their own country.
Thing is, I'm not sure I get the point she was making
Also, having Greeks in the family, I have noticed things are often lost in translation depending on their level of English skills.
Personally, I do not think it's the cleverest thing to have said, but to be kicked out of the Olympics seems extraordinarily harsh.
As a wooly liberal I have to agree with this:
For the life of me, I fail to see how her comment was racist. I'd go further to suggest that anyone complaining couldn't explain it either.
Might just about be construed as xenophobic if you screw up your eyes and squint at it, but really, no worse than acceptable banter.
Seems to me that the medium adds huge significance to the comment.
Ah, I wasn't aware of the mosquitoes thing going on. Well, well...a plague on her house I say.
I think she could be pulled up for talking nonsensical gibberish, but Racism?
Maybe it was a clumsy attempt at an enigmatic and mysterious, Cantona-esque "When the seagulls follow the trawler....." remark
For the life of me, I fail to see how her comment was racist. I'd go further to suggest that anyone complaining couldn't explain it either.
She's whinging about Africans, and joking about them being eaten by mosquitoes, its not that difficult to see unless you choose to ignore it.
I'm not sure I get the point she was making
The point appears to be that according to her there are : [i]"so many Africans in Greece"[/i]
Bit of an over-reaction I think. The only possible racist connotation I can see would be if she was objecting to the presence of Africans in Greece which I don't see that she was.
She's better lookin' than Cantona though.
Agree with Jimmers, sometimes you just have to display a bit of common sense and consider the reaction to something you think might be harmless. I was looking forward to seeing her competing.
*strikes wimminz triple decker from list of things to watch*
Ill-judged comment, yes. Racist, no.
According to the BBC yesterday, its just the final straw in a list of similar activities and views expressed by her.
So what, shes an athlete not a polititian.
The point appears to be that according to her there are : "so many Africans in Greece"
Yes we get that (the quotes sort of give it away" but what is your point?
Not racist an attempt to be funny.
I'd go further to suggest that anyone complaining couldn't explain it either.
Yup.
She's whinging about Africans
She just says there as "so many Africans in Greece" - she doesn't say that is a bad thing.
Likewise I might say there are [i]so many Polish people round me[/i] - which is great cos they are polite, hard-working and the shops have all kinds of food I've never tried before. 😀
joking about them being eaten by mosquitoes
Likewise she didn't say she was [i]glad[/i] they were being eaten by mosquitoes. Or that they deserved it based on their race.
I'm sure most folk comment about midges in Scotland - that doesn't mean they are racists!
its not that difficult to see unless you choose to ignore it.
And it's not that difficult to construe offence from something that isn't offensive.
Shite joke. Send her home, I say (I say, I say)
Ill-judged comment, yes. Racist, no.
+1
I've noticed a sudden and dramatic up-turn in the comeliness of the female competitors in recent years - not like years ago when some had faces like blind cobblers thumbs.
Why did she bother apologising? They've sent her home, she's not going to fulfil her dream of competing in the Olympics, so she should've said "It was just a friggin joke you bunch of bastards" (or the Greek equivalent.)
I've noticed a sudden and dramatic up-turn in the comeliness of the female competitors in recent years - not like years ago when some had faces like blind cobblers thumbs.
That would be the return to natural levels of testosterone following improvements in drug testing.
FWIW I got the racist overtones immediately, not sure how others can't see it.
I would though.
FWIW I got the racist overtones immediately, not sure how others can't see it.
Can you explain it for the hard of thinking like me? or are the "overtones" saying more about you than her?
If the 'joke' was posted on here, what would the general reaction be supposing it was left undeleted long enough?
It's one of those comments where intent is everything. It's not outwardly or obviously racist or xenophobic, it at worst seems to be ill judged and something that she should have realised would go down like a lead balloon.
If her mindset was one of a deep seated distain for Africans or for Africans being in her country then the intent of the comment, I would argue, would have been one based on racist foundations. But I, and seemingly no one else has any idea what her mindset or opinion is on this matter so it's not particularly fair to make an assumption on the intent of her comment. A quiet word in her ear by someone and maybe an apology/explanation would have sufficed IMO.
That would be the return to natural levels of testosterone following improvements in drug testing.FWIW I got the racist overtones immediately, not sure how others can't see it.
I would though.
....choose your ism, you're allowed one so long as it's not racism. Or was it just a joke?
It's one of those comments where intent is everything. It's not outwardly or obviously racist or xenophobic
+1.
If, as someone suggested, she has a history of making other statements that [i]were[/i] obviously racist, then that changes the context of her comment - but I don't see anything in that comment itself that is racist.
Put it this way: if London was suffering a plague of Scottish midges on the Thames and someone on here commented that there were [i]"so many Scots around London that the midges were eating homemade food"[/i] then I wouldn't be remotely offended. Would you?
I'm going to open an African restaurant in London. With so many Africans in London they'll be able to eat homemade food. Racist old me.
Indeed, hard to see this as racist unless she's a known racist anyway?
Well I'm glad we sorted that out.
Just a shame that an athlete who has no doubt made great sacrifices and trained with great dedication now misses possibly her only opportunity to compete at the highest level.
Not only that but she is branded a racist and will have that to bear.
No doubt to the self satisfaction of many.
Humourous intent, but not sure it was an obvious -ism. If I was gay I might say (in jest) "I would" about a fit male athlete.
I didn't say I was a paragon of virtue anyway, just that I could see where the offence sprang from.
Is there some way we can petition for her to be reinstated? - the world's gone mad!
Have these people ever been in a school playground? They'd be calling for all the schools to be closed overnight!
Ridiculous!
Sounds like the Greek Olympic folk saw her as a bit of a fly in the woodpile...
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i think they are spoilsports.......... 😀
Just browsed the [url= http://www.****/news/article-2178836/London-2012-Olympics-Greek-athlete-Voula-Papachristou-banned-racist-joke-Twitter.html ]article talking about this on the Daily Fail website.[/url]
Never seen so many photos of an athlete published to illustrate one brief article.
I've just asked my South African friend In South Africa
. . . offended.
How do they get through the day? 🙄
How do they get through the day?
Quite nicely thanks for asking.
Well if a South African is offended we have no argument whatsoever. 🙄
Typical Greeks though eh?
😉
If her mindset was one of a deep seated distain for Africans or for Africans being in her country then the intent of the comment, I would argue, would have been one based on racist foundations. But I, and seemingly no one else has any idea what her mindset or opinion is on this matter so it's not particularly fair to make an assumption on the intent of her comment.
Well, she supports the Golden Dawn party who are a bunch of nasty racist thugs - so it's perhaps quite likely that she is a racist.
she looks racist, you can tell by the nose.
It seems like a severe reaction at first glance.
Context is everything though and no-one on here appears to know whether that comment would be considered beyond what is acceptable in Greek society. I don't know either. There has been an upsurge in popularity of far right views in Greece since the financial crisis and I 'imagine' that foreigners, particularly immigrants are feeling the brunt of it so perhaps it's related in some way to that.
