Reactions to our ‘Most Racist Article of the Year’ award
by Toby, Survival
Time for a quick roundup of responses to Survival’s ‘Most Racist Article of the Year’ award. This year’s worthy recipient was Paraguay’s newspaper La Nacion for an editorial which compared Paraguayan Indians to a ‘dangerous cancer’ and described them as ‘filthy’.
The award triggered a firestorm of commentary at Ultima Hora, Paraguay’s largest daily newspaper website, currently running to six pages of heated discussion (in Spanish, of course).
The Independent’s Pandora noted the occasion…
Champagne flows and the awards season continues apace. Yesterday brought the Most Racist Article of the Year presentation. … Step forward (drum roll)… the Paraguayan paper La Nacion! I’d like to thank my parents, my editor…
… the award got an honourable mention at Racism Review, while over at IndyBlogs Jerome Bell cried foul:
Clearly the awards is a bit of a cheeky PR stunt by Survival but what the heck.
Cheeky PR stunts? Us?
Jerome wondered how the arrival of the award certificate would be received at La Nacion:
For their journalistic excellence the editors of La Nacion will be sent a certificate inscribed with a quotation from a Native American author who died in 1939. The inscription reads: “All the years of calling the Indian a savage has never made him one.”
I wish I could be a fly on the wall when the editor of La Nacion opens up that parcel.
Indeed.
And for your viewing pleasure, here’s the certificate that La Nacion will shortly be receiving:
Our news item is up on Digg and needs a bit of help, so please vote away.
April 2nd, 2008 at 4:16 pm
This is excellent! But in their ignorance they are likely to think this award is a good thing!
April 5th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
Thank you Survival international for calling attention to this kind of racist remarks in the mainstream media. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen this type of comments, specially throughout Latin America, and nobody had ever said anything about it. Thank you again and keep up the good work.
Kolaval
April 10th, 2008 at 7:34 am
I hope they feel ridicule upon receiving the ‘award’. Although I doubt someone with as closed a mind as the writer and publishers of this article (unable to even consider a situation reversal in regards to the set-up of the Indian camp, i.e. Europeans and outside interests invading, occupying and destroying native lives and lifestyles, rather than Indians occupying an artificial urban environment which, before urbanisation, would have most likely been free to roam) would do much more than blink at it.
I live in Australia and the ‘La Nacion’ article disgusts me and somehow surprises me, when I know and have heard the attitude of many, many non-indigenous Australians and know that a large majority would agree and have the same attitude as the writer of the article in reference to Australian Aborigines.
I am truly supportive of Survival’s work, and respect every anti-industry, pro-life effort they make, though more realisation needs to occur worldwide in regards to what is destroying tribal people, which is also destroying non-human life, which is also destroying oceans and ecosystems and ultimately the world itself, this force is civilization! And the world, let alone tribal people, will continue to be destroyed for as long as it exists, as is shown through it’s entire history.
This being said in all respectfulness – the fight to save tribal people would not be fragmented and forever ongoing if it was also a fight to end civilization – the real cause of the problem.
May 31st, 2008 at 8:32 pm
I am visiting this site for the first time. However, I am really impressed and amazed by the role of “Survival” in protecting the endangered tribals. Such humanitarian efforts are commendable.The so-called ” Most Racist Article of the Year Award” is a novel concept for me. I feel it is important to make such people realise that “Racism” is not tolerated in this present world, especially against the endangered tribals. “Survival” has to survive forever for the survival of the tribals.
June 5th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
I came across this video.
It points out exactly what’s going on with the Amazon rainforest.
A must see!
http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=x847jTAYG60
Kind regards,
Chan