The reaction from Liverpool to Luis Suarez's eight match ban for 'using insulting words about the colour of Manchester United's black defender Patrice Evra' is a confusion of mixed messages.
In a statement, they say that they are 'disappointed' with the 'extraordinary decision' to find Suarez guilty of aiming racist abuse at black player Patrice Evra. Manager Kenny Dalglish even tweeted that Suarez would get his full support while stating that Liverpool stand against any form of discrimination.
Suarez's defence was that he calle Evra 'negrito', Uruguayan for 'little black man' and that in Uruguay, it is not offensive.
Maybe if he had been in Uruguay when he said it he might have a defence but he was in England, where it is deeply offensive to call someone anything which may be interpreted in a racist way and it is never for the speaker to deem what is racist or not, that is dependent on the hearer and how they interpret it.
His claim that it was aimed at Evra in a friendly, amicable way further strains credibility as it came during the heat of battle between two fierce footballing rivals.
Facts are, despite what Kenny Dalglish and all the bone headed Liverpool fans are saying on the news boards, Suarez DID use insulting words about the colour of another player and admitted it himself so he is fully deserving of an eight match ban. To try and justify it or explain it away with cultural differences is nonsense and Dalglish is taking a risk in defending Suarez so vigorously and so frequently especially as he has now been found guilty of racist abuse.
If they, and Suarez, are serious about their claims they'll launch a civil case against Evra for defamation and slander and if not, then shut up, and stop backing someone who whispers racial slurs to black players on the football pitch. If he appeals, i hope it's extended.
Talking of which, I wonder how another premiership footballer is feeling on hearing this verdict. If Suarez got an eight match man when the only evidence you used racist language is one person's word, he must wonder what he is in for when the whole world has clearly seen you shouting it especially as 'I have many black friends so i can't be racist' is his latest defence.
15 comments:
Lucy wrote "and it is never for the speaker to deem what is racist or not, that is dependent on the hearer and how they interpret it."
I understand the sentiment, the rationale, and the history but is 50% tripe. That is not a standard. It is a dangerous, foolish overreaction.
50% of the burden is on the listener to prove intent, not just call it out. 50% is on the speaker to be aware, not just plead ignorance.
I’ve seen people admonished for refering to humans from Mexico as “Mexican”, “Hispanic”, “Latin”, “Latino” and “Latina”. So how do you make reference to people from a different culture or nation when every title is offensive to someone – no standard?
The condition you describe exists in the USA today and I cannot think of anything that is misused and abused more often. It empowers "listeners" with a chip on their shoulder, or an agenda, or with neuroses. It enables inactivity and excuses. It enables the far left and the far right. It favors government intervention over personal accountability.
Q
To me, it is always up to the recipient to decide if a comment is made in a light hearted manner or is intended to hurt or belittle. There is also the context in which it was said.
Seems a bit arrogant for us to decide for someone else what words can offend them or not.
If there is any chance that our words can be taken as racist or homophobic or sexist, then we choose other words, it really is that simple.
I think it was fairly obvious Suarez was going to be punished when it emerged that he wasn't contesting that he said the word, just that it means something slightly different where he comes from… That was lame beyond belief. It is simply not possible to play football in this country and NOT know that ANY reference to someone's race is strictly verboten. So if that was his defence he deserves a good slapping, and he's lucky it's just the FA doing it rather than the criminal justice system.
Bottom line = Never trust a man with no earlobes.
I liked the Daily Mash's conclusion: "In the meantime, it would be a lot easier if everyone just stuck to calling Patrice Evra an arsehole."
Amen!
As for Terry, this is more great news. He's been well-known for this behaviour, for many years... Rio Ferdinand's autobiography refers to a famous current England player who people who would be shocked to learn uses racist language a lot. Lots of people think that’s Terry. He definitely called Ledley King a "lippy black monkey" on the pitch a few years ago - this is well-known at Tottenham.
Of course he denies everything, but I’d say he's lying. But let's wait for the case to see for sure...
As an aside, aren't football players so incredibly dishonest these days? I blame Blair. He proved that there is NOTHING so blatant that you cannot deny it with a straight face. He basically got away with it, so the rest of society is now following his lead.
Cheezy,
are you really blaming Blair? he's the first leader to lie straight faced to the British people? really? society is following him? i thought half of the UK despised him (aka Lucy et al). so they copy him. are you posting from the pub again? this doesn't sound like you... don't tell me somebody from oz or somewhere hacked your password...
q
yeah lucy,
its that simple huh? no responsibility for the people that point the finger.
well i get what you mean. you called me arrogant. you are a man hater huh? sexist? or do you just hate old people? i'm 55 and you hate me so you call me arrogant - that gets thrown at my generation all the time. you are the arrogant one that hates old men. i bet you hate me because i'm white too. and you hate me because i'm american. hater. you hate old white American men. sexist, racist, anglophobe. there is no place for people like you in this world. hater.
where can i complain about this blog to the government? your blog needs to be shut down for many reasons. hater. in the US the FCC can shut you down but you need to be shut down in the UK too. hater.
q
and why do you hate people that have a Hispanic/Latino last name?
q
That is an outrageous slur q, some of my friends are white and both my parents are over 55 and i sent them both a Christmas card this year and my husband is male so therefore i refute all your claims and will be reporting you to the Football Asscoiation.
I have long noticed you refuse to use the letter u in some words, is this due to some long held hatred of vowels? Vowel-ism!! This will be included in my letter to the FA along with your bizzare inability to agree 100% with every single thing i say on this blog.
Q- I'll admit to a small amount of hyperbole in my last paragraph, perhaps. But Blair is definitely someone whose main contribution to public life has been to lower the standards - particularly the standards relating to honesty. And I believe that this lowering of the standards DOES have an effect upon the rest of society. It's nebulous and hard to measure, I know, but I think that when the rest of the population sees someone like that get away with lies and bloody murder, and there are no comebacks (certainly no admissions of culpability or fault), then it's just another nail in the coffin of accountability in a more general societal sense. Nobody admits to anything anymore. I think it was Clinton's people who coined the phrase 'plausible deniability', to refer to how overwhelming the proof had to be before you were forced to concede the point. And this turned out to be pegged at a very high level. Over here, ministerial responsibility, as a moral doctrine, is dead. They only go with they're absolutely forced to. There have been others apart from Blair, no doubt, you have a point there. But I maintain that he is the worst offender in living memory; certainly the worst over this side of the ditch. Therefore you can interpret my "I blame Blair" statement as meaning "I blame Blair (and other arseholes who have lowered the standards who are almost - but not quite - as brazen as he").
If you don't think he's that bad, then that's fine. More fool you :) My general point stands though.
@Lucy: 'Vowel-ism'...hahaha!
Give us back our U's! U can take our lives, but U will never take... our U's!
@Q: "don't tell me somebody from oz or somewhere hacked your password..."
You can assume that someone from oz has hacked my password when I start accusing you (yes, that's you personally) of wanting to take over the world and if there's anyone who doesn't agree with me then they must be indoctrinated.
lucy,
you wroung.
qu
cheezyu,
moustly everyboudy ouver huere liesu tu.
qu
lcy,
yor'e correct. i hate having a "u" in some words. call me a hater.
q
I thunk ewe are all underdone, pussed!
Happy Xmas anyway!
Baaaaaaaaaaaaah!
happy xmas
q
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