that girl who died running the marathon

[fred quimby]

oh please. She was on the front of every newspaper and the lead story on every news channel.

I'd say 99.9% of people who donated knew the colour of her skin and quite a lot about her life story. Dont be absurd.

[eFestivals]

His statement was a little crass is all.

what, crasser than the racism it's drawing attention to? PMSL.

Maybe if a black/asian/whatever girl dies next year then we can compare monies raised and see which is true.

Black people die in tragically sad circumstances all the time, just as white people do.

The fact that no black person dying in tragically sad circumstances has never yet made the same impact gets to prove my point as true.

We've no need to wait for another black death to know that there's a very large dollop of racism at work here.

[russycarps]

take that poor 5 year old girl in Stockwell who got shot and paralysed.

If that had been a 5 year old middle class pretty white girl the public would have raised £10million for her by now.

[fred quimby]

take that poor 5 year old girl in Stockwell who got shot and paralysed.

If that had been a 5 year old middle class pretty white girl the public would have raised £10million for her by now.

[fred quimby]

I knew a girl had died during the marathon.. I didn't know what colour she was. Possibly because I listen to the radio more than I watch the tele

[eFestivals]

I think it IS possible that some, maybe many, of the people who donated would have done if it was a black girl too

Oh, I'm sure some of the same people would have, if everything about it had been exactly the same. But the same number of people to the same amount of money? Not a chance.

And that's of course when everything was identical. The sad fact is that not everything would have been identical, because the papers wouldn't have given the same profile to a black girl.

[russycarps]

How many black people have died during the London marathon in the past ?

Maybe if there was some fucking president to these ridiculous claims we could take you seriously...

[lost]

I seem to remember the epilepsy foundation did ok after flo Jo dropped dead?

[The Nal]

Your point seems to be that the majority of people donating money would not do so if this person was black... Something that can easily be said but never backed up with any facts...

[LondonTom]

And that's of course when everything was identical. The sad fact is that not everything would have been identical, because the papers wouldn't have given the same profile to a black girl.

[rexclark]

The fact she was white cetainly got the story more coverage but also the fact she was a pretty and popular girl. According to the media it's always that little bit more tragic when someone dies and they're good looking rather being fat or ugly.

[sonny]

also the fact she was a pretty and popular girl. According to the media it's always that little bit more tragic when someone dies and they're good looking rather being fat or ugly.

[russycarps]

This! I dont think her colour made the story so prolific I think it was the fact she was young and gorgeous.

Edited April 30, 2012 by russycarps

[sonny]

ah yes, but you only think she was gorgeous because she was white

you horrific racist!

[fred quimby]

This! I dont think her colour made the story so prolific I think it was the fact she was young and gorgeous.

[eFestivals]

How many black people have died during the London marathon in the past ?

Maybe if there was some fucking president to these ridiculous claims we could take you seriously...

Only one woman has died doing the London marathon, so there's no precedents for the marathon.

But there's plenty for everything else, and white young and pretty is the criteria for a media frenzy; black young and pretty doesn't make the grade.... and there's a hatful of evidence to back it up.

[eFestivals]

Surely it says more about the Media being racist than the sheep who latch onto every appeal they launch?

Oh the media play a very big part in it, I'm not swerving that part of things, I've included that side from the off. And it's certainly the case with some that the media is their main trigger for acting.

All the same, the same people aren't all triggered whether or not there's a media frenzy around a non-white person ... quite probably the same people who would say there's no media racism, and would say there's nothing racist with the donating of huge sums over the sad death of a white girl.

[eFestivals]

This! I dont think her colour made the story so prolific I think it was the fact she was young and gorgeous.

There's lots of instances where the public get motivated over a white person, pretty or not.

I can't think of any instance where the public have got similarly motivated over the death of a black person, no matter how stunning she might be.

So there you have the facts. It would take some major stupidity for anyone to deny that attitudes to race aren't very strongly in the mix of that difference.

So.... cue Barry Fish for some major stupidity. Post away Barry.

[sifi]

Whitney?

[The Nal]

Whitney?

[lost]

Michael Jackson did well over here.

[The Nal]

Michael Jackson did well over here.

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

Racism isn't confined to caucasians.

[fred quimby]

I can't think of any instance

So there you have the facts.

[eFestivals]

I of course hear what you are trying to say, just I feel there is probably more at play than just everyone who donated being racist.

You don't hear me at all, because nowhere have I said anything about "everyone who donated being racist".

But, just trigger some thoughts, most racist acts and actions are thought by the person doing those acts and actions as not racist. Just because a person is unable to recognise their motivations doesn't change what is motivating them. The vast majority of people who like to think of themselves as not racist are racist (if only at times, and not necessarily with deliberate intent) - and I'm not excluding myself from that generalisation.

There's a great Monbiot article on the Guardian website today, about how "international law" is the new imperialism - something that I recognised myself a long time ago (along with other 'worthy' things which are used to help keep those 'less worthy' races "in their place", such as the world's economic system). These things are driven by racism, and are racist - tho most people don't recognise these facts, showing how blind people are to racism.

The racism behind the donations that have been made following the sad death of this girl is proven by the fact that similar things do not happen when the death or tragedy is a non-white person. There's no getting away from that certain fact.