Racism in sport

[Toodles McGinty]

can't belive some of you are trivializing this. Should be ashamed of yourselves.

I think there's only one person trivialising it. Any right-minded person knows it is abhorrent.

But what is more abhorrent is that the authorities are allowing these countries (and in some cases, clubs) to continue in the competitions. UEFA's reaction was appalling. They should hit them where it hurts by suspending them from all competitions.

[birdbath]

When the president of the US and the PM of the UK along with other world leaders are openly racist, it makes the campaign against racism very difficult.
For instance, I wonder if BJ could explain the difference between black members of the England team and piccaninnies with watermelon smiles?

[gazaprop]

can't belive some of you are trivializing this. Should be ashamed of yourselves.

It's a fair point you make, I don't happen to agree with you but hey - vive la difference (pun intended).

I think it is essential to have a sense of perspective on this and not get upset by trivia.

TM made the point about a white person on this Forum claiming to have been a victim of racism. Subsequently some of us posted light hearted anecdotes about issues we had experienced.
I think that central to this, and I'm open to being corrected, is that we were highlighting the nonsense of comparing isolated incidents of lame xenophobia to being mocked as not quite human (monkey chants, bananas etc).

Our experiences boil down to 'I don't like you because you're not the same nationality - black people are abused because the abusers don't even consider them to be the same species - and that is a massive leap from nationalism.

[Alikado]

All peoples are the same on the inside, the racists are like that because of their own inadequacies, it is they who are inferior.

[gsgsgs]

Very true

[said]

It's a fair point you make, I don't happen to agree with you but hey - vive la difference (pun intended).

I think it is essential to have a sense of perspective on this and not get upset by trivia.

TM made the point about a white person on this Forum claiming to have been a victim of racism. Subsequently some of us posted light hearted anecdotes about issues we had experienced.
I think that central to this, and I'm open to being corrected, is that we were highlighting the nonsense of comparing isolated incidents of lame xenophobia to being mocked as not quite human (monkey chants, bananas etc).

Our experiences boil down to 'I don't like you because you're not the same nationality - black people are abused because the abusers don't even consider them to be the same species - and that is a massive leap from nationalism.

Is that your experience? Then what sort of people do you hang around with? 'Abusers do not even consider them to be the same species' Not in my book it isn't. I socialise with people according to their personality, not their skin colour! I have many friends who have darker skin than mine - (I tan in the summer, they get wind burn in the winter) but, one evening in a quiet pub, I was sitting on a bar stool minding my own business reading a paper. A black person came up behind me and shoved me, following that up with a punch to my kidneys. I stood up immediately and was about to return his greetings, when three other black men came up behind and pinned me back. I was given a hell of a beating for absolutely nothing. (I had a job interview the next day, and turned up with two black eyes) Are all black people the same? Or could the incident have involved other nationalities? It is part of life, no big deal!

[said]

When the president of the US and the PM of the UK along with other world leaders are openly racist, it makes the campaign against racism very difficult.
For instance, I wonder if BJ could explain the difference between black members of the England team and piccaninnies with watermelon smiles?

How about the mulattoes? Anyone care to pass an opinion? These are generally dark skinned natives from the Carribean, i.e. Dominican Republic with many found in South Africa, Colombia and Brazil. Are they also subjected to abuse?

[said]

Many years ago we were on holiday in Wales and we were ignored in a pub, after a while we asked to be served to be told 'our' pub was across the road!

Ha!Ha! I know the feeling! I have been to Wales many times and experienced similar attitudes. It is their way of protecting themselves from 'outsiders' The magic words to use are - greetings in the Welsh language and some attempt of asking for what you want in the Welsh language - it works wonders. Three of us were touring around Wales. We were hungry and stopped at a local Fish and Chip shop. We stood in a queue and waited patiently for our turn. The guy serving served each customer before us and then to the local customers behind us, addressing them by name. Very politely in Welsh we said excuse me - and gave our order. Next thing everyone in the queue was speaking to us in English, we had a great laugh with them and then left with masses of Fish and Chips. After that, we used our minuscule knowledge of the Welsh language in all the pubs and shops with no problem.

[said]

All peoples are the same on the inside, the racists are like that because of their own inadequacies, it is they who are inferior.

The term 'racist' has been introduced and promoted erroneously in the media. In nearly all cases it is misapplied. Everyone is racist! If you are in a gathering with a number of people of different nations - would you tend to group with people of foreign nations or with people who spoke your own language? If you are attending a football match having local white people versus foreign coloured people, who would you support? Anyone who uses the term is 'racist' themselves because by the very use of the term, they are considering themselves superior to those they are addressing - this is the very definition of 'racist'. The term is an umbrella term, it is applied to almost every social interaction. If the term is meant to be 'abuse' then refer to it as abuse. If it is meant as a discussion about a certain nation of people, then term it as a discussion. If it is used to discriminate one nation from another, then use the term discrimination.
Definition of racist: a person who shows or feels discrimination or prejudice against people of other races, or who believes that a particular race is superior to another.
The exact definition is 'to show or feel discrimination or prejudice' can that be proved? How could you differentiate between someone who is teasing people of another nation to obtain a reaction - against those who actually mean to intimidate someone of another nation on purpose?

[Toodles McGinty]

...and in the next instalment of 'things that never happened'...

[said]

No, you are wrong. It cannot become acceptable it must be stamped out and all clubs and International Bodies must be responsible for their own realm, if it occurs and nothing is done about it the club / body must be punished. it doesn't make any difference whether it occurs on Wembley or Meols Park action must be taken.

Football matches have been going on for hundreds of years. So why is this, as the media calls it 'racism' only occurring in the modern age? Abuse and name calling have been associated with football for as long as I can remember, and generally it is all in good spirit.

But - there are in all society, especially in social gatherings - a number of protagonists seeking to satisfy their own particular agenda and they have been very vocal at football matches. The Ultras travel around to various matches, they are fanatics, not necessarily boosting support for the game of football.

"The actions of ultras groups are occasionally extreme and may be influenced by political ideologies such as conservatism or socialism, or views on racism, ranging from avowed nationalists to anti-fascist.^[1] In some instances, this goes to the point where the passionate and loyal support of one's team becomes secondary to the theoretical ideology of the ultras phenomenon.^[2] In recent decades, the culture has become a focal point for the movement against the commercialisation of sports and football in particular" Wikipedia

[said]

...and in the next instalment of 'things that never happened'...

No wonder you are surprised when events happen - you don't see them coming, do you?

[gazaprop]

...and in the next instalment of 'things that never happened'...

Is there something wrong with him? How on earth did he arrive at those conclusions when responding to my points?

[Toodles McGinty]

Is there something wrong with him? How on earth did he arrive at those conclusions when responding to my points?

Goodness knows. No point in trying to understand. Just let him carry on until he tires himself out.

Works with my 2 year old grandsons.

[Lamparilla]

...and in the next instalment of 'things that never happened'...

I'm just waiting for the stories from North Korea