Matt "Wilko" Wilkinson wears symbol of hate to the WSL banquet! Laughs ensues!
What is our world coming to? Far right/neofascist parties are riling Europe, Donald J. Trump’s message of ethnic purification is resonating in America and fun-loving goofyfooter Matt “Wilko” Wilkinson is bringing the KKK to Australia!
In case you missed it, Wilko dared pair a cowboy hat with with a bow tie and a pocket square at the World Surf League banquet a few days ago. And also a confederate flag belt buckle.
The confederate flag, which is really the Army of North Virginia’s battle banner, has become fraught with ugly in the United States. And do you not know your American history? Years ago this country told England to go to hell and strong, healthy slaves imported from Africa grew its mighty economy. They were put to work in the south, as the southern states had the plantations that required their labor. The years passed and good Christians in the northern part of the country thought, “Mmmmmmm. Slavery is maybe wrong.” And, of course this is all overly simplified, but it lead to a war between the states. The north vs. the south. The south flew the stars and bars over their military brigades and eventually lost the war.
For years the confederate flag was a symbol of southern pride, certainly laced with racism but widely accepted. Did you watch The Dukes of Hazzard? Do you remember the General Lee? There were no protests when Bo and Luke roared around Georgia. I can even recall some episodes where they had black friends.
Well, those days are over. These, the flag represents straight up racism, slavery, etc. to most and so the flag is being scrubbed. I am a westerner (Oregon/California) and white so have no emotional attachment to the thing but obviously get that it is a symbol of yuck and not a joke. Bubba Watson, southern golfer, actually owns one of the General Lees used in the television show and painted over its roof, telling reporters, “All my friends, nobody is offended by it, but now with all of the controversy going on, I felt like it was the right thing to do. Make a statement, make a gesture, whatever you want to call it.”
And Wilko? Was he tone deaf in his sartorial choice, blatantly racist, ironic, celebrating southern pride? No. And I don’t have time to think about it beyond that because far right/neofascist parties are really riling Europe and Donald J. Trump’s message of ethnic purification is really resonating in America. Strange times indeed and those wanting to gripe about a fun-loving Australian goofyfooter should maybe use their energy to house Syrian refugee families instead. Or to take the skinheads bowling.
The article was worth it for the last six words alone. Forgot about that song… Thanks
Rip Curl are pro slavery and wilko is their team rider!!!! Is there a connection?
A little accidental racism, but somehow I don’t think it will get the traction that “Tales of a Fucking Jew” got.
America is such a wonderful non-racist nation they allowed 10% of the native (‘Indian’) people to survive the white invasion, freed the slaves after 200 years, give charitable money & military hardware to dictators in other countries & even allow dual-national Israelis to run their government. Better still, once they became wealthy from the new American land, they decided to export their manufacturing industries to create jobs for foreigners in Asia. They altruistically sacrificed their middle & working class to pay $1 per day wages to Vietnamese, Chinese, Indonesians & Bangladeshis to make Quiksilver & other clothing. God bless non-racist America. As for this article about beautiful Wilko, it reminds me of my teenage years & how us emotional girls would bitch against each other. Has feminism lead to men behaving like us superficial nasty plastic women? Is Chas Smith expressing his plastic feminine side? Either my plastic brain does not work or the writers of this website are drug taking hippy bogans totally out of touch with social, economic & political reality. Yes. Unfortunately, right wing fascist parties are growing due to the non-racist foreign policy of the USA that generously provides support for ‘Jihadi’ proxy armies that create a flood of bogus refugees & some genuine refugees from Iraq, Libya, Syria and everywhere else America altruistically donates its money & support.
I’m not bitching about dear Wilko! I adore the man’s pluck!
“I traveled halfway around the world and all I got was this stupid belt buckle”. Wilko just spent a week in NYC, the home of shitty souvenirs
Make America Gnar again!
My little Country is at this very moment having a referendum on a new flag… The middle is the current and flanking that to the top and bottom are some newer trendier choices… Gotta thank you for the history lesson Chas! Regardless of how cheap the deal was from the States for 30 million of them, now that I know the back story on the Confederate flag I will definitely not be voting for it.
Hahaha! I’m glad I could help… And it might be a wise choice, long term, to avoid.
The butcher’s apron is easily responsible for more human suffering than all the others combined, man I am pretty drunk right now! All flags suck!
Those flag spin-offs down southern hemi way sure fail at putting the “post” into “postcolonial.”
Fuck, the TPP is rank for everyone everywhere…unless corporations are everyone…
Put in my 2c for red peak which I felt had a bit of mana. Keep the current one.
I’m all for the new flag. It’s high time we got rid of the Union Jack. By the way slavery had virtually nothing to do with the Union’s opposition to Southern Independence – it was just an add-on to ensure that anti-slavery Britain stayed on-side.
Hahaha NOPE
Not sure I’ve met/heard of/imagined the possibility of a Kiwi historian garnering fame based on rigor and/or credentials.
In other fun observations: several polls (at least one reputable…) show Trump voters still supporting slavery.
What Country is trying to steal the unions flag?
Aren’t Southern California and Oregon (off the I-5 corridor) two of the biggest white supremacist hubs in North America, cracker deep south included?
Those are Meth cartels posing as white supremacists because that’s how they operated in Folsom, etc.
Posing as a white supremacist and posing as an Inertia reader are kinda the same … it’s a dingle hair from being the real thing.
But without the scabbies and houses that become Superfund sites, right?
Oh completely. My hometown was a meth den but since there were no people of any color other than white, the supremacist stuff rang real hollow.
I was gonna try to be contrary, so I looked at the Marshfield HS Bucs wrestling team (weight class sport for the little guys & close to boxing in appeal…Latinos excel at it…)…not a Mexican on the team! Daaaaayyyyyuuuummmmmm! I guess it really is as white as you say.
We had one half black half white kid and one Mexican for half a year. Mono chromatic!
Where are you from in Oregon Chas? I’m from Charleston.
Haha. I went to marshfield. I think we had one black kid in the entire school.
Ate at a German restaurant on the bay today while at the coast. Not a single person of color in the entire Coquille Valley.
Oregon didn’t allow black people in the state until the early 20th century and Huntington Beach was the inspiration for American History X if I remember correctly.
Is that really the Confederate Flag or just something that looks similar. Come on, Chas…pay for color pictures. Anyway…who’s the lovely lass next to Wilko? THERE is your story.