A beach you see
As a beach should be
The recent mass hysteria
On ‘racist’-type remarks
Was voiced by those I fear who are
The dimmest of dim sparks.
Except for those who got enraged
At that disgusting slime
Said Hitler tactics be engaged –
Now, that was just a crime.
But as for monkeys on the beach,
Comparison is fair,
Though monkey efforts seldom reach
The mess that they made there.
And crowds found in the UK, too,
Comprise white mobs of slobs –
Don’t try and tell me what they do
Is ‘giving cleaners jobs’!
It simply means, in public space,
Though purples, greens or pinks,
One has no right to trash the place –
Such chimp behaviour stinks.
Some monkeys constructively trashing
At party they are gate-crashing.
Delusions of entitlement
Are widely spread, indeed:
That lots of money can be spent
Without, of work, the need.
And free speech concept isn’t known,
The fuss made over that,
When stated, has most clearly shown
That Cliff had got it pat.
The latest bit of mental lack:
‘One mustn’t criticise
An institution mainly black –
Racism in disguise!’
If opposition also show
Exactly the same mix?
From blacks alone the crits must go?
From whites? – A racist fix!
The ‘Basic Education’ that
The ‘Minister’ should show?
Pronunciation of, off pat,
‘Epitome’ to know.
Yet when the president saw fit
To mock, in parliament,
‘Inkandhla’ as ‘said wrong’ a bit,
No ‘Racist!’ comments sent?
For all remarks that are just true,
A word, here, to the wise,
Ignore the ignorant to-do,
And don’t apologise.
I have just found this article which is saying a good deal of what I have expressed here, and gives a bit more background for those unfamiliar with all the nonsense which has given rise to the rhyme.
Colonialist's Blog 
Oh, jolly well said, Col! Chris for president. 🙂 Whilst we’re on the subject, I don’t see anything racist in the ‘Zuma must fall’ poster. The more fuss they make about it, the more publicity the campaign gets. 🙂
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Thank you.
The trouble is, of course, that the minute one states someone is unfit for office because they are unfit for office, the interpretation is jumped upon that it is because they are a particular race, colour or creed.
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Every time we open our mouths to say something, we run the risk that someone we aren’t even talking about will CHOOSE to mis-interpret our comments by viewing our words as a direct personal attack on them.
Does that make their hurt feelings our fault?
Should we keep our mouths clamped shut to avoid hurting the feelings of overly sensitive paranoid narcissists who view everything as relating to and revolving around them?
Are they (and their thin-skins) our responsibility?
No.
Great post, Col!
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And, of course, I’m not talking about obvious racial slurs . . . I’m talking about situations (as you noted below) “where offence is taken when obviously none was intended, [and] it is the interpretation placed by the receiver that is at fault and not that of the person using whatever term is found offensive.”
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You can delete this. Corrected version below.
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Spot on!
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Great poem, and link to an interesting article. I confess I didn’t know about all this going on in South Africa at the moment, so thanks for enlightening me😊
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I’m not sure anyone would really want such enlightenment! It tends to be bad for the blood pressure.
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You and the blog you referred to have inspired me to answer – click here. I do not affirm your view, though I hope I do not contradict the validity of how you feel, it took a whole post to express how I think those who “make a fuss” are indeed doing so rightly – the affect of ressentiment is real and needs to be better known. You are right in the above comment that ‘self-directed’ is part of it, but the place to direct the anger and distress is, basically, ‘all over the place’ – doesn’t make it less valid. Hope you read my post, as I value your many thoughts and comments.
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I think you have made some excellent points, but my main reservations are based on the view that where offence is taken when obviously none was intended, it is the interpretation placed by the receiver that is at fault and not that of the person using whatever term is found offensive. Coloureds are a distinct group in South Africa and are happy to be identified as such. So are the Kaffirs of Sri Lanka.
I have no patience with the holier-than-thou Politically Correct fanatics, who stir up the debates and who frequently create sensitivity where none existed before. So do a great number of people for political or self-promotion reasons. They are the ones who should be giving apologies.
The most effective way to desensitise any term is to accept or ignore it, and the antipathy will Pygmalion-likely go away.
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I do understand – personally I have mixed feelings and do wish that fuss would go away, as my daughter-in-law says, “suck it up”. The stirrers up , like all groups, can be constructive or destructive in their ways of operating. However, I have been convinced that when fuss happens, there is something in it to be learned, even if it makes me think of kids in a tantrum. I think I am in agreement that the actual ‘words’ don’t matter, it is looking for how they have made impact on someone. they offend when they are used along with unqueried assumption.
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Your poem and the reference article have hit the nail on the head.
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I hope a goodly number will agree!
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Well said. I got no fright when Chris was right.
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The reaction was totally absurd and no apology was due, indeed.
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This nonsense is gearing up to escalate into a right mess. Probably opening the gates for even more stringent legislation regarding whities. As I said on FB the other day – it will turn into a stick to beat us all with.
Loved this post Col 😉 As always, you’ve hit the nail on the head!
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And the more fuss that is made the more attention is drawn to it, and the more imaginary racist slurs emerge – which are then, actually , self-directed. Ironical.
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