Racist 'AdBusters' Targets Chinese Dubliners

by Brian Wed Aug 24, 2005 09:14

Does anyone know the rest of this poem? If I recall there were four verses.

by lkj - l;kj Tue Feb 03, 2004 15:16

I know a South American who worked in a Dublin petrol station
and each month got money taken from his wage because of
'theft'. This employer scam does seem to happen alot. Another
person I know, also from South America, was also falsely
accused of theft while working in a restaurant in Dublin and this
was used as an excuse to worsen his working conditions.

by emigrant Sun Feb 01, 2004 12:37

Oh were you the Iosaf Mc Diarmada I met so long ago,

In the bog below Belmullet, in the county of Mayo?

That long legged, freckled Iosafeen with the deep-set, wishful eyes,

That seemed to take their colour from those ever-changing skies.

That put his organ together as I sketched the distant scene,

And played me 'Planxty Kelly' and the 'Wakes of Inniskeen'.

That told me in the autumn he'd be sailin' to the west

To try and make his fortune and send money to the rest.

And would I draw a picture of the place where he was born,

And he'd hang it up, and look at it, and not feel so forlorn.

And when I had it finished, you got up from where you sat,

And you said, 'Well, you're the Divil, and I can't say more than that.'

Oh! If you're that Joe McDermott, you're fortune may be small,

But I'm thinking - thinking - Iosafeen, that I love you best of all;

And I never can forget you - though it's years and years ago -

In the bog below Belmullet, in the county of Mayo

by inextricablylinked Sun Feb 01, 2004 03:18

Anti racism is relevant in our current societies, north and south, because we have more and more people living here from other countries, enough of them now to start to lift their heads and expect something close to the equality and democracy this place claims to have. I live in the white north, we are only now looking at how we treat our guests, after a lot of suffering, if we can take this on and deal with it as it develops, we could be preventing the needless deaths of africans, chinese, eastern europeans etc that racists will target . The racists aren't loyalists who come down to Dublin to beat up black folk! you have your own, tralee for a start, Our loyalists ( in the worst extreme) have just moved from attacking catholics to immigrants because they reckon they are as inhuman low life as taigs and more vulnerable, easier targets. The taigs are too uppity now. finally our guests come from everywhere and are from, and go to, all layers in society, don't lump them up it is insulting.

by european Sat Jan 31, 2004 15:54

1. a thumping new folk mass in the afternoon.
2. free and open grass cultivation.
3. the caillín of whom I still dream.though she is a woman now, ledean bodies never change.
4. not risking melanoma's every time I'm in the open.
5. I don't really like anyone over here either.
6. mushrooms
7. a clay pipe. mo bhrón!
8. Dublin smells so edible in the morning.
9. at least there is only one type.

by european Sat Jan 31, 2004 15:48

the reasons were:-
1.a proper relation to the mass.
2.better drugs.
3.wider selection of grrrlies.
4.risking petty bourgois sun cancer.
5.i didn't really like anyone @ home anyway.
6.absinthe.
7.cheaper cigarettes.
8.it smells nicer on the mainland.
9.the police are generally nicer as well.
oh and the food too.
yum yum.

by an emigrant from erin's isle Sat Jan 31, 2004 14:19

I did.

The reason was to escape the Dickensian working conditions, the heavy taxation imposed to pay interest on a national debt contracted in my name by corrupt politicians, and of course the whole FF-land-speculator and builders mafia consortium which would have liked to have me mortgaged up to and beyond my neck for some little cardboard shoebox with crappy to non-existent public infrastructure .......

At first it wasn't easy ....... but today I'm glad I made the move .....

by Drbinoche Fri Jan 30, 2004 19:59

I know it was in celebration of the Chinese New Years, but what I actaully meant was could it not be organised a bit more often. I mean it was obviously popular as they sold quite alot of stuff. It was a fun and affordable time out of the main hub of the city. I was wondering would it not be possible to have it like the Liberties market near Thomas Street of the Vegetable market just up the road from the Four Courts. I know plpenty of people who would shop there rather than at Tescos or one of the other big name stores.

by petty-minded Fri Jan 30, 2004 19:18

Maybe it has something to do with the impeccable class pedigree of comrades ulyanov (lenin) and bronstein (trotsky) ......

as far as i recall from reading bronstein's autobiography, his father was a wealthy jewish landowner in tsarist russia ....

that may be why he looked down on the "petit bourgeois" ......

by 'pseudo-revolutionary' Fri Jan 30, 2004 19:00

There is nothing Leninist about the term petit-bourgeois but what is distinct to Leninists is the way they scatter-gun the term around to include those who certainly do not fit the term.

by Badman Fri Jan 30, 2004 18:58

It's not the term itself, it's how you use it. If you use it as an insult, then you are almost certainly a leninist. For example, Lenin, Trotsky and the boys used to routinely refer to anarchist ideas of individual freedom as 'petty bourgeois'. Some of them can still be observed referring to the anarchist movement like this. I don't think that shopkeepers were ever too prominent in the anarchist movement.

In general the translation into real-speak for this term is "somebody who thinks for herself and refuses to acknowledge the paramount authority of the bolshevik party as the collective brain of the working class" - as you can see nothing to do with the small capitalist class.

by academic Fri Jan 30, 2004 18:50

What's 'leninist' about the term petty bourgeios??

It's not just 'leninists' that can see there is a such thing as a small capitalist class

by Badman Fri Jan 30, 2004 18:47

I haven't hung around with the Sparts for a while, I really need a refresher course.

You chauvinist, counter-revolutionary, labourite, imperialist lap dog, you.

by 'pseudo-revolutionary' Fri Jan 30, 2004 18:28

"This will not not do!"
You have not developed the art of Leninist denunciation.
You have the use the term petit-bourgeois to have real effect.

by badman Fri Jan 30, 2004 17:42

Such terms as 'ultra-left' are ridiculous insults. They only have meaning if you subscribe to leninism. Outside of the leninist goldfish bowl, they are quite literally meaningless. That goldfish bowl is shrinking all the time, but some people seem to think that their little bowl is in fact the whole world. I suppose it's a good thing that their memories are so short, otherwise they might get depressed at that glass wall of dogma which seperates them from reality (and maybe that's why they have to remind us about the same faults of the LP/SF/whoever every time they are mentioned).

And while I'm at it, you are a Kerenskyite pseudo-revolutionary.

by Leon Fri Jan 30, 2004 15:59

I just think worrying about racism is sort of a waste of time, if people are racists they're racists, what are you going do beat up a load of grannies or something?

Incidentally immigrants have the same interests as the rest of the working class only if they are working class. Though most immigrants are.

So one has to be against racism, but lets not delude ourselves that because the Makhtoums are a rich healthy brown and not a pasty ill nourished white they are on our side.

We tend (I believe) to get alot of our thinking on race from the states and the dynamic is totally different there.

There is only one race the human race.

by as4 Fri Jan 30, 2004 15:48

I am not saying you are a racist, you are just a misguided ultra left.

by Leon Fri Jan 30, 2004 15:46

BUT:

When people come to live in a country and remain there clearly they have similar interests to the rest of the working class of that country.

I suppose we could do this all day.

Listen if you want to imagine that there I'm an ultra left racist I can't stop you.

by as4 Fri Jan 30, 2004 15:41

No it is not what you say -
LEON "In Ireland the situation is rather different, how does one radicalise a transient population middle class in its country of origin and returning there in 2 years"

You are saying that all of Ireland's migrant workers are only middle class transient workers that are here to earn a few quid for college. This may be the case with many but no way is it the case with the majority of these workers.

by Leon Fri Jan 30, 2004 15:38

What's bullshit that's what I just said.

by as4 Fri Jan 30, 2004 15:37

Bullshit there are workers from foreign countries that live and work here.

by Leon Fri Jan 30, 2004 15:34

When people come to live in a country and remain there clearly they have similar interests to the rest of the working class of that country.

In France, for example, white French, Black and Beur have the same interests. The poor are poor no matter the colour of their skin as of course are the rich, and in France race is used to divide or at any rate does divide worker from worker.

In Ireland the situation is rather different, how does one radicalise a transient population middle class in its country of origin and returning there in 2 years.

Did Irish students magically become working class when they spent the summer in a German factory?

Anyway "racism can and is being used to divide" divide who Chinaman from Chinaman?

by as4 Fri Jan 30, 2004 15:24

It is fact that in certian sectors of the economy there are many foreigners working. Racism can and is being used to divide the workers in these industries. It is essential that revolutionaries agitate among these workers on a class programme.

by Leon Fri Jan 30, 2004 15:18

As4 absolutely not:

without an awareness of the common interests which working class/underclass/petty bourgeois people have irrespective of their religion or where the 12th times great grandfather was from Gavin O'Reilly will never swing from that tree.

In the north that stuff is essential, difficult ,relevant and dare I say it revolutionary.

Anti racism down here is quite different.
It is easy pious and irrelevant.

by jeff Fri Jan 30, 2004 15:17

I understand redjades point in saying the sticker was "sophisticated."

Rscists are not just the stereotypical cretin bonehead, but can be seen through all walks of life. Racism is just a narrowed down form of misanthropy, thus there is always someone clever enough to invite sick enough stuff.

There is a good chance also, that the sticker was put up by some scummy loyalist who has come down south to do some bargain shopping.

It could be anyone.

If anyone finds out who they are, inform your local Kung Fu club. I'm sure a number of them will appear at this person's door, and politly ask them to desist.

I'm sure they would be extremly polite- Chinese people are, stereo typically, very polite.

I would love to see them stereotypicaly politley inject some physical honour onto this individual. High kicks through the air, screaming, manipulation of said individual's Chi, etc.

Then when some Oranga tang Garda arrives on the scene, the Chinese Martial Arts Masters could bow to the Gard. " Humble apologies, please".(like that Japanese fella did in that Simpsons' episode)
Hell, you could even have a big guy there, shaved head, handlebar moustache etc, on hand to bash a huge stereotypical cymbal to add to the display.

It would be great. I love seeing boneheads being smacked about for thinking their "race" is the best because they invented stuff like telly or microwaves or what have ye.

by as4 Fri Jan 30, 2004 15:12

So is putting forward a class alternative in opposition to sectarain division in the North a waste of time?

by Leon Fri Jan 30, 2004 15:10

this stuff might be relevant abroad, but anti racism is just liberal nonsense in this country.

How does it move us closer to killing the top ten thousand.

And as for me being ultra left I have no idea what your talking about.

by as4 Fri Jan 30, 2004 13:48

Leon, you are an ultra left fool. Anti racist work is imporatant for revolutionaries because the ruling class use race to divide workers. It is the duty of revolutionaries to counter act this with common class struggle.

by Leon Fri Jan 30, 2004 13:45

I have to disagree on Chinese New Year.

It was a commercialised, coralled, fenced off space which constructed itself deliberately to exclude the local community.

by Leon Fri Jan 30, 2004 13:41

redjade using the 'adbusters' name was totally legitimate.

I hadn't heard the expression culture jamming until 30 seconds ago-- anyway copyleft remember.


there are fewer organised racists then organised anarchists.

Anti Racism is a bit of a platitude anyway.

obviously you can't be a left wing racist.

let the chinese worry about it it isn't my problem.

what does anti racism have to do with killing michael o'leary.

lets stay focussed

by redjade Fri Jan 30, 2004 13:32

Yeah, I chose the AdBusters name purposely.

AdBusters is one my favorite reads and has always been an inspiration for me.

I used the AdBusters name as 'AdBusters' - if that makes any difference. Reason is, what I find disturbing about the sticker is its cleverness. This graffiti is not merely another racist half-illiterate scrawl found on the streets of Dublin - and there are many.

This sticker is amusing, almost funny and somewhat sophisticated in how it was used - used very much like an AdBuster activist would - minus the racism, of course.

So, I wonder, is racism in Dublin getting more sophisticated and clever? If so, I find this more scary than the usual moronic shite.

Perhaps people need to create their own creative response, AdBuster style, confronting racism in Dublin?

For inspiration....
http://adbusters.org/creativeresistance/jamgallery

by jeff Fri Jan 30, 2004 12:12

THE guys who put up that sticker are likely to be from that now defunct site nsrus.com

They were ignored, thus they have packed up and gone. They numbered no more than a handful of reprobates. One time, they had a feature on their s(h)ite about a protest they had in Limerick. Three girls in tracksuits and a hefty bloke, standing at some monument waving a nsrus.com banner, and the "say no to a black ireland." Underneath the photo, a caption;

"Where were you?"

Thus, I reckon this is the furthest they have been able to advance since then. Evolution indeed

by Joe Fri Jan 30, 2004 12:05

I've heard a number of stories recently about city centre resturants who employ workers from outside the EU stopping money out of their pay packets to cover 'theft'. The first time I heard such a story I thought this was simply arrogant management acting the wanker but I've heard a few now and I'm wondering is this is some sort of informal 'cheap labour' policy in the restaurant sector.

In one case this was going on for months and as the workers concerned pointed out if they really thought he was nicking stuff they'd have fired him and/or called the cops. In some cases these workers have no papers so they feel they can do nothing about this. But of course even if they do have papers their papers are for the particular job so they still feel powerless.

Anyone else heard similar stories?

by Wa Fri Jan 30, 2004 10:01

> I had decided to go up to the Chinatown Market in Smithfield. Its a pity that it is not a more frequent event.

This was for Chinese New Year. It happens once a year! Dont think you could have it more regularly!

by R Isible Fri Jan 30, 2004 01:33

"the guys who put up the stickers, should be invited to explain their views."

We already know what their views are and they don't look like they wait for invitations to express them. The only use behind such a move would to be able to identify them.

by soundmigration Fri Jan 30, 2004 01:22

an event to coincide with the 'strategic committee on immigration, frontiers and asylum' EU meeting at dublin castle 4-5march.. Belfast folks managed to get over 2000 on thier anti racism protest. time to get fingers out and get communicating with relevant NGO's community groups and whomever...is this a job for grassroots???

by Drbinoche Fri Jan 30, 2004 01:18

I must admit I missed it myself on Tuesday. I had decided to go up to the Chinatown Market in Smithfield. Its a pity that it is not a more frequent event. I know there is the market on Georges Street and the other store up in Christ Church, but I would like to see the market maybe become a fortnightly or once monthly thing. If even just for the stalls, I mean the food was gorgeous and unbelieveably affordable and the stuff to buy was reasonable and good.

As for the sticker, unfrotunately there are people in this country who are stupid and believe that the immigrant population coming to Irelanbd are here to do nothing. Which could not be further from the truth. But you see, its the same abroad. Whenever an immigrant breaks the law here or elsewhere, its reported on more than a domestic case. I am not saying it appropriate and it is certainly not indicative of the rest of the majority of the immigrants. Some immigrants have broken the law, everything from Burglary to Murder, but the reason they are known is because they are immigrants and the papers need a scapegoat.

Interesting, the majority of people I asked if they wanted to go to the Chinatown marekt who didn't even know it existed and are people I would consider to be fairly lively. It just was not properly postered or advertised.

Now it brings me back to the debate about the BNF. I don't agree with the guys who put up the sticker, I believe the Oriental people who have come to Ireland have flourished due to their hard work and ability to deal with alot of shit that most Irish would have kittens over, but the guys who put up the stickers, should be invited to explain their views. They probably wouldn't do it, but at leas offer it to em. If you want to stop the young people of Ireland, and I mean the really young 6-10 year olds from believing in this shit, then prove that the guys spouting it are full of shit. Get em out and about and make em prove that their beliefs are founded on nothing but pure hatred.

Good spotting by the person who saw the stickers, I must admit, I wouldn't have noticed!

by Our American Correspondent - International Indymedia News Gatherers Fri Jan 30, 2004 00:06

A piece on the "Marketplace" program carried on National Public Radio and Public Radio International was about the rise of racism in Ireland.

It made the point that the booming economy had attracted immigrants to a country that had traditionally exported people.

Interviews included a piece with a Filipino nurse who has been in Ireland for a while and notes that he no longer feels in such a minority and that there's more diversity and an interview with a taxi-driver who feels that the recent immigrants are doing jobs which Irish people won't do themselves and that the Irish have no business complaining when they've been in the same boat overseas.

There was no mention of the problem of employers (especially in the construction business) hiring workers under the table and not providing for their health insurance etc.

Still, nice to know that our racism is being internationally recognised.

By the way, did the photographer of the above pics leave the racists sticker in place?

by pernickity Thu Jan 29, 2004 20:43

Right on for spotting this piece of grubby racism but adbusters is the name of a canadian run magazine while culture jamming is the name of the practice although it also has many other names. I was hoping for some scandal about canadians targeting dublins chinese community for some bizarre reason and was much disappointed. Enough complaining by me, well spotted.