National Interest

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but can nicknames ever hurt me? It's a debate which has raged for years in the Queensland town of Toowoomba over the name of a grandstand at the city sports ground. The stand was named after ES 'Nigger' Brown, a famous footballer and city councillor from the 1920s who acquired the ironic moniker as a result of his fair complexion. But when writer and academic Stephen Hagan took his family to watch a rugby match, he was shocked by the 'n-word' and set out to have it removed. The campaign, which took him to the High Court and the United Nations and, finally, the redevelopment of the sports ground, brought him victory. Many locals still argue that taking offence at a nickname is political correctness gone mad. Yet the campaign continues: Mr Hagan is questioning the makers of Coon cheese about the origin of the brand name.

Guests

Stephen Hagan
Academic and author

Further Information

Stephen Hagan's website

Dairy Farmers explanation of the Coon Cheese brand history

United States patent for ripening cheese

Publications

Title: The N Word: One Man's Stand
Magabala Books, 2005

Presenter

Peter Mares

Producer

James Panichi

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