I actually find the UK ad to be offensive cos it treats the Racist the way the racist would treat the foreigner. It seems to be trying to shame the racist into stopping by public humiliating them. But since we all think that the racist is not a full person I guess that doesn’t matter [an attitude which I don't think helps change the racist - in fact it just confirms their own consideration of someone of a certain race is less than a person - after all if others can belittle them for their ideas why can't they belittle someone cos of their race]

Where as the AU ad makes the point that you may think nothing of fat jokes but they are just as hurtful as the others.

I’m not sure what to do with the fact that these are jokes made everyday all around this racist land. I agree that the racist and shapist person will probably just laugh it off, while the insensitive will stop and think. But the insensitive would miss the point too if it was too subtle.

I found it interesting that the very thing the ad was trying to stop – i.e. not seeing fat jokes as offensive – is the very thing that drove the comments by the two on the panel who were against the ad. To me their comments came from the place that does see the fat joke as being as offensive to the large person as the jewish joke would be to a jewish person. And so using those other joke was beyond the pale while the shape joke was not as bad.

I think it might have worked better if they just didn’t deliver the punch lines. [maybe deliver the fat joke punchline] By having us finish the joke in our heads that makes us much more personally involved and then when the point gets made it connects with us more.

As for why the SMH had no warnings … I think it is cos the ABC is full of politically correct bleeding heart lefty humanists and is going to embarrass the government as well as themselves so trys to be a bit more careful – where as the SMH will appreciate the page hits :)