The Brown Note

Trans actor Hunter Schafer - most famous for the TV show Euphoria - has come out and stated she no longer wants to play trans roles and that's all she gets offered. It feels like a watershed moment that hasn't quite hit yet. A look at the numerous elements around what roles, what actors are allowed to play, including the impact of only allowing trans actors to play trans roles - which I went through a couple of years back on another post - combined with the hypocrisy of celebrating the recasting of other roles, based on gender, race or sexuality, but only if it's the right way round.

Even though it was remarkably obvious to the entire world, who carried out the recent Moscow concert hall terror attack, Russian state media has continued to push the lie that Ukraine were responsible- and there's an obvious reason why.

John Howard did what Margaret Thatcher did in the UK - reshaped the country for worse forever, the awful impact of his terrible economic and cultural legacy shapes us to this day.

Posted in response to Greg Jericho's excellent article on the evil of this man - https://www.theguardian.com/business/grogonomics/2024/mar/26/blaming-john-howard-is-easy-but-his-government-helped-shape-the-world-we-live-in-now-and-for-future-generations

Ex Australian state leader, Dan Andrews, is a hero of mine, no-one has stuck their middle finger up to the Murdoch press and the populist right quite like Dan. They never landed a blow on him through years of abuse, he just laughed in their faces. Unfortunately he shares the Achilles heel of UK and Australian Labor parties, by being an beholden to the Israel lobby. Him going to a back slapping business trip to Israel in the middle of the Gaza war and what many are calling genocide, is an utter, unconscionable disgrace.

Having posted many times about seeking peace and not just piling arms into this conflict, I again find myself on the same side as the Pope (?!) but this time Ukraine has a terrifying window of opportunity, with an American election only half a year away, and the prospect of a Putin loving puppet in the White House, the strength of their hand is shrinking rapidly.

Even FIFA don't seem quite as hypocritical as The Eurovision Song Contest - the most preachy of all major events when it comes to exclusivity for all, tolerance and promoting rights. They took a "principled" stand and immediately banned Russia from competing, to uphold "ideals of democracy" but maintain they are non-political (I guess upholding democracy isnt political?!) and wont ban Israel, because it's different. I guess the Palestinians have enough democracy? No-one is buying this, but Eurovision has deservedly set itself up for the biggest global protest against Israels mass-murder in Gaza yet. And Eurovision, stop waving that rainbow flag in my face whilst you enable genocide.

Exactly what it says on the tin.

The Australian women's soccer captain, Sam Kerr, has been arrested and charged, in London, for allegedly racially abusing a white police officer. Mindblowingly, ex-mens player, and now major pundit, the universally respected Craig Forster, who has spent years publicly speaking out about racism, didn't even understand the difference between racism towards black people and white people. Here is my no doubt soon to be universally praised answer to the question - can you be racist towards white people?

Last week I posted that the Australian opposition leader, Peter "Potato" Dutton, was the most unelectable in twenty years, this week he lost an election. A small election with a swing towards him, but a fragment of what he needs, and now he's turning to nuclear power as a pivot. The lack of understanding the man has, let alone his lack of charisma is a rolled gold election win for Labor. I have already banked the money two years out, it's over - my biggest long term call ever.

Sorry populist right, but the leader of the Australian opposition Liberal party, is the least electable since Mark Latham, twenty years ago. But keep doing what you're doing :)