While what happened was racist, Fulani doesn’t comes out of it well at all. It’s a great pity because she could have used it to educate people and reduce racism, but instead she’s used it to push her own agenda and polarised people’s views in the process, which is the last thing that’s needed.
Just as people are asking whether Hussey would have pushed Fulani about where she came from had Fulani been white, it’s just as reasonable to ask whether Fulani would have raised the complaint had Hussey been a working class woman. It’s also perfectly reasonable to question how Fulani’s been able to give such a detailed account of what Hussey supposedly said, especially as I understand she claimed everything “was a blur”; and, of course, we only have Fulani’s version of events.
As I said before, context is everything. My understanding is that Hussey has asked to meet Fulani to apologise, which I hope is the case; and, if so, I also hope that Fulani has it in her to accept this was an 83 year-old woman who most likely had no idea that what she was doing and saying was racist. For all that Hussey was at fault for doing and saying what she did, so too was Fulani for blatantly using it to push an agenda, which smacks of political opportunism.
Finally, Siderite, if I’m referring to any of your comments I do my best to say so. Otherwise I’m just making a general point — you do take things very personally when they’re not aimed at you at all.
