[Newsbot]

Title: Sun News host Ezra Levant issues rare apology for Roma �slurs'
Category: Political
Posted By: Zipperfish
Date: 2013-03-18 21:59:00
Canadian

[Zipperfish]

Forced to aplogize for on-air racism. Declares self an "anti-racism activist."

Well, another nail in the coffin for Sun News and their effort to suck off the public tit.

[xerxes]

I've never understood what people have against the Roma. For centuries they've had it almost as bad as the Jews (especially in Europe). It's bizarre.

[Gunnair]

xerxes xerxes:

I've never understood what people have against the Roma. For centuries they've had it almost as bad as the Jews (especially in Europe). It's bizarre.

Easy target.

Bullies like those.

[jeff744]

xerxes xerxes:

I've never understood what people have against the Roma. For centuries they've had it almost as bad as the Jews (especially in Europe). It's bizarre.

People like basing their opinions of entire groups on the actions of the few and sadly for the Roma, they get a lot of bad press which little good to balance it out just because nice news doesn't sell as well as bad news. They are also considered "different" for some reason, making them a common and easy target for lots of people. You see the same thing on a small scale all over the place, Roma just happen to be really spread out.

[martin14]

xerxes xerxes:

I've never understood what people have against the Roma. For centuries they've had it almost as bad as the Jews (especially in Europe). It's bizarre.

That's because 99.99% of Canadians have absolutely no idea what goes on in the real world.
We are so insulated geographically, economically, culturally, and historically,
the term naive doesn't begin to describe.


I understand Ezra needed to apologize for that one. As Canadians, we are far too
polite and sensitive and PC to what's happening around us, our own inexperience.

[Gunnair]

martin14 martin14:

xerxes xerxes:

I've never understood what people have against the Roma. For centuries they've had it almost as bad as the Jews (especially in Europe). It's bizarre.

That's because 99.99% of Canadians have absolutely no idea what goes on in the real world.
We are so insulated geographically, economically, culturally, and historically,
the term naive doesn't begin to describe.


I understand Ezra needed to apologize for that one. As Canadians, we are far too
polite and sensitive and PC to what's happening around us, our own inexperience.

Yeah. As a nation, we really should do a better job of stereotyping entire groups based on the actions of the minority.

Thoughts on Blacks and Jews?

[jj2424]

I have a Roma background..can someone tell me what race I am?

I always put a check mark next to caucasion.

I demand there be a new check box on all government forms!

Racist

[raydan]

I had little respect for Ezra before this, actually didn't believe I could have less... I was wrong.

[ShepherdsDog]

You'd get a similar POV from many of today's Europeans when it comes to the Roma....they and the Jews have been vilified in Europe for centuries. Oh, and Roma are originally from India not Romania.

[bootlegga]

xerxes xerxes:

I've never understood what people have against the Roma. For centuries they've had it almost as bad as the Jews (especially in Europe). It's bizarre.

I'd say just as bad - as many as 1.5 million were killed by the Final Solution - and there were far fewer Roma in Europe than there were Jews. And while Jews have had to suffer the occasional pogrom against them in this country or that country, the Roma have always been considered second-class.

This quote from a friend and founder of a Hungarian conservative party sounds like something from 1943, not 2013;

$1:

A significant part of the Roma are unfit for coexistence. They are not fit to live among people. These Roma are animals, and they behave like animals. When they meet with resistance, they commit murder. They are incapable of human communication. Inarticulate sounds pour out of their bestial skulls. At the same time, these Gypsies understand how to exploit the 'achievements' of the idiotic Western world. But one must retaliate rather than tolerate. These animals shouldn't be allowed to exist. In no way. That needs to be solved -- immediately and regardless of the method.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/eur ... 76887.html



I think the basic problem is that the Roma were slaves for so long (going back as far as the Byzantine empire) that most Europeans have simply stuck in thinking that they are some how subhuman.

That they have a different religion and worship different gods doesn't help either in Europe, which used to be almost entirely Christian (Protestant or Catholic).

[BartSimpson]

jj2424 jj2424:

I have a Roma background..can someone tell me what race I am?

According to the Roma I know from Bucharest the Roma are descendants of people who migrated out of India.

If you're truly curious as to your genetic history I'd suggest a DNA profile from a place like Family Tree DNA. I'm doing this right now due to some questions about my own ancestry that came up in the context of a health issue.

Lisa and I support Heart 2 Heart which is a missionary group that focuses on taking care of the Roma kids in the Romanian state orphanages. The way they are treated is despicable and that these kids often turn to crime to support themselves is the logical result of a highly racist culture and system that effectively marginalizes them and prevents them from obtaining proper educations and productive employment.

The Roma in Canada have no such excuse for such behavior other than that it's ingrained in them from their family experiences in Romania and Europe.

In the USA we don't have a problem with the Roma but we do have the Irish Travellers who are notorious for running construction scams across the country and they've been no less than a gang of criminals for over 100 years. They've no excuse for not assimilating.

If my shanty-Irish ancestors could assimilate then so can they.

[Jonny_C]

I did not see the original program where the slurs were made, but I watched the apology Levant (and his editor) made for the Roma slurs. I don't see how the apology could have been more complete.

I'm tempted to say that those who did not find the apology sufficient might do so just on the grounds of not liking Levant in the first place.

[Zipperfish]

ShepherdsDog ShepherdsDog:

You'd get a similar POV from many of today's Europeans when it comes to the Roma....they and the Jews have been vilified in Europe for centuries. Oh, and Roma are originally from India not Romania.

Hmm, I did not know that. thanks.

[Zipperfish]

Jonny_C Jonny_C:

I did not see the original program where the slurs were made, but I watched the apology Levant (and his editor) made for the Roma slurs. I don't see how the apology could have been more complete.

I'm tempted to say that those who did not find the apology sufficient might do so just on the grounds of not liking Levant in the first place.

Well, I'd argue that the best time to declare yourself an "anti-racist activist" is not when you are being forced to apologize for being a racist. And based on that, I'd further argue the same as you--if you actually think that apology was fulsome, then that could well be on the grounds that you like the guy to start with.