https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-57807264 "In a private message to her colleagues, Ms Elphicke said: "They lost - would it be ungenerous to suggest Rashford should have spent more time perfecting his game and less time playing politics." Maybe it's this poxy Tory government who need to perfect THEIR game rather than being called out by a young footballer? What an utterly vile bunch we have running our country right now.
And it's so interesting that WhatsApp message came from her...after all she just inherited her jailed husband's seat. Gives you lots of hope for the electorate to wake up, doesn't it? Unfortunately largely voting has become something people do while they sleepwalk, casting it the same way because that's all they know or their imagination allows them to. At least it was heartening to see some decent support for the greens in the local elections.
Far to easy to blame everything on football, this is a whole society problem, being encouraged by populist right wing governments. At my club, the most loved player of the last 20 years is a black man, our songs for him are still sung at every game, many boasting of how much better he was, when compared to his white counterparts at other clubs.
How can you lie there and think of England When you don't even know who's in the team
The thing is, as my black son in law points out … nowadays most people are savvy enough to hide their racism most of the time, but many are still racists … they’re just not so easy to spot, but if you’re black you can feel it’s there.
The pretence of supporting football gives racists a platform for their vile behaviour … and while we say, ‘oh that’s just football’ we are proving that the majority of us aren’t prepared to stand up and be counted … we’re prepared to tolerate it because it doesn’t really affect the majority of us, does it … it only affects black people … so that’s ok then, eh?
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
The Fabians also just published this report on made up culture wars aka distraction tactics from real issues. Worth a read...even if it runs to 89 pages https://fabians.org.uk/publication/counter-culture/
I think you all know my thoughts on Boris and this bunch in power at the moment.
I dislike certain cultures immensely (does that make me racist?) - but, as with all humans, I've liked and disliked (mostly liked) people from within those cultures. Each person is an individual and should be judged and treated as such. They are not their culture. But, but, but - people are judged that way aren't they if they belong to a culture has a visible representation? We ALL judge others on appearance - skinheads, goths, punks, hippies, people with tattoos, people with piercings, men (not Shauns) with pony tails (added in one of my pet dislikes), people wearing hoodies.... I bet all of us, if walking down a dark a road alone, would look at someone coming towards us and make a judgement about what they are by how they appear. So we equate good and bad traits with appearance.
If Boris had written that article and had compared the Klan's outfit in the same way he would have been largely applauded. In this country, there was a wide spread back lash against anyone (black,white,yellow or brown) wearing hoodies and covering their heads/faces. They were banned from some shopping centres weren't they? Was that right or wrong then? IF you decide that covering your face is wrong than it's wrong irrespective isn't it?
There was an article on the BBC way back where the police were testing face recognition cameras, and a man walked past and covered his face and got fined (not sure if this is the same event, but it covers a similar incident https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/facial-recognition-cameras-technology-london-trial-met-police-face-cover-man-fined-a8756936.html). In this culture, is it then right or wrong to cover your face? And if you comment on other cultures then covering their faces within this culture, is that then right or wrong? Is it racist to fine a person for covering their face while allowing another person to? Would it be racist to force a person wearing a cultural face covering to remove it?
As for taking the knee. That loses me a bit. Booing it (and booing national anthems) I think is wrong (but is then boo'ing a team right? Is that racist?). I'm not sure what effect taking the knee has - it had 'some' impact on me the first couple of times. I would say - given what has been happening - that taking the knee does not stop racists being racist at all. It is a gesture that loses impact the more it's done. Much like the footballers wearing a badge saying 'Respect' on their sleeves and then going onto the pitch and totally disrespecting the officials. It's a nonsense. What is that respect? And doesn't Respect cover being against racism? You can't have respect if you're racist can you?
Interesting position on page 50 of that report...which we can see echoed in our public life currently and how we talk about race without anyone putting a true alternative position.
Do you think football racists cheer when a black person from their team scores? Do you think that there are also racist players - which then leads to, do you think that racists have also been taking the knee?
Posts
"In a private message to her colleagues, Ms Elphicke said: "They lost - would it be ungenerous to suggest Rashford should have spent more time perfecting his game and less time playing politics."
Maybe it's this poxy Tory government who need to perfect THEIR game rather than being called out by a young footballer?
What an utterly vile bunch we have running our country right now.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jul/13/southgate-showed-us-a-new-england-but-the-old-one-hasnt-gone-away
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
At my club, the most loved player of the last 20 years is a black man, our songs for him are still sung at every game, many boasting of how much better he was, when compared to his white counterparts at other clubs.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
https://fabians.org.uk/publication/counter-culture/
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.