Madeline McCann - Racism in action (a new apartheid)

Speaking as a non-white male living in a predominantly white country I can't help but feel angry at the disproportionate news coverage, donations, celebrity support etc. that the Madeline McCann disappearance (now more likely murder) has received.

Her parents, white and blond, used the media like pass masters to capture and enthrall the world with their plight.

At first it all seemed fairly reasonable but it quickly escalated (in a matter of weeks) to a Europe wide, then global sensation. Powered by seemingly desperate parents, visits to adjacent countries took place, a meeting with the Pope, even world leaders got involved.

So what made this little girl's disappearance so special? Why did it deserve so much attention?

Many of the non-white community swallowed the indignation stirred up by the media coverage, $2million donations, gratuitous merchandising, celebrity endorsements, etc. The non-white community has been silenced since September 11th 2001. Labeled as Muslims, terrorist, black on black crime, gang culture, dysfunctional family units and much much more.

It's clear to me and others that had this little girl been black or brown, or any colour other than white, her disappearance would have been a minor news item after the main headlines.

Today Richard Branson has donated $200,000 to the McCann's legal battle. It now transpires that they are suspects and he has decided to come to their rescue.

What a sad day it is when you realise that the colour of your skin still dictates how society treats you. Worse still all our fears and secret anguish about skin colour seem to be completely borne out by the prism that is the disappearance of Madeline McCann.

We must speak out and be heard. Our children are just as important as Madeline McCann. We are just as human, as loving, as educated, as devoted as the McCann's are.

Here are some links to other articles that have reached a similar conclusion:

Missing Minorities
2 missing girls' cases show media disparity
Disparity Documented in Coverage of Missing - Greatest Gap Is Reporting on Hispanic Children
Media under fire for missing persons coverage - Uneven emphasis on attractive white girls, women criticized
And now the Pope prays for Madeleine

Today it's called being green

The other day whilst shopping in one of our splendid, mainstream, and clearly monopoly supermarkets, I noticed how expensive toilet rim blocks are (the liquid ones.)

My wife typically buys these things with no consideration of price, bullied by adverts of talking toilets shaming her into spending a disproportionate amount on bathroom hygiene.

When we came to the checkout, I discretely removed the offending items and decided to try a new strategy.

At home I noticed that the empty rim block was easily refillable using ordinary bleach (we like the citrus scented, orange coloured, stuff.) It took me all of 10 seconds to complete the task and I'd used about 10 cents of bleach versus buying 1 dollar's worth of refills (2 dollars for a standard twin pack.)

When my wife saw the end result she started calling me a miser, cheap skate, etc. I responded by saying that it was a greener alternative to buying refills. Immediately she was won over and I had all the kudos of a conquering hero.