Hmm, also impressed with this post from you gomarchin - as i have always found thats it not what you say but how you say it that matters. I work with people of all colours, sometimes i have been on a ship when i am the only white crew member, and we often say things to one another in jest that to an outsider may be construed to be very racist. We dont take offence as its just taking the mickey, and when push comes to shove we stick up for each other. I went into a bar in Texas a few years ago with another of the ships engineers, who was a black Jamaican lad, an excellent guy socially and very good at his job - when we walked in the regulars stopped talking and looked at us and the barman asked my side kick to leave. I said that if he wasnt good enough to drink in there then neither was i, when he heard me speaking in an English accent the barman relented and served us both. When we got talking to these guys they just didnt know any better and was amazed that in England i had locals in my pub who were not white ! After a few beers we were all best of mates and they thought my Jamaican mate was a top bloke, which he was. Incidently me and all the other guys regardless of colour are in the same union. I think that its a terrible idea if they form a black players only union, a real backward step.
I am totally with the eloquent and intelligent Jason Roberts in resepct of this argument. The "kick it out " campaign is a token nod towards political correctness and last season's incidents with John Terry and Luis Suarez and the resultant , inconcistant reaction of the FA to it is demonstrative that there is still a long way to go. The incident with Terry would never have gone to court had the FA acted swiftly and decisively in this fashion. Retaining him in the national squad (let alone the captaincy) has sent out the wrong message and the incident should have seen the immediate conclusion of his international career. Liverpool's reaction to the Suarez incident was, in anything, even worse and should have resulted in a heavy fine and points deduction. However, I feel that by concentrating on these two cases the wider issue has been entirely missed. I think that the racist attitude towards Asian players has shown that some things have not progressed since the 1970's. This is always overlooked and action must be taken to investigate why Asiam players (esepcially home-gronw talent) is routinely snubbed. Luckily the situation in the UK is largely better than places like Serbia where FIFA must take a very strong stand. Before we pat ourselves on the back, I think we also need to look at the sectarianism in Scotland which poisons the British game. Roberts is a player whose opinion I respect and someone the FA should listen to. I am glad he has taken a stand as his voice is a marked contrast to the likes of Ashley Cole or Rio Ferdinand whose input seems to trivialise an issue and seems aimed entirely at those reading either twitter or the low-quality tabloids. In this respect, I feel that some of these players deflect the real issue and to have someone of the stature and respect within the game as Roberts is suggestive that not enough has or is being done. If this involves a black players union coming into fruitition, it is largely because of the failings of soceity at large.
Not at all stupid, 20 years ago there were very few black players, I would be interested in knowing the % of black or mixed race players compared to white, and in another 20 years the whites could be the minority and then could a white union be made and would that be considered racist, which union could Yoshie and Lee join. The whole thing is getting silly
You are shocking people with your sensitivity to such profound matters Gomarchinin I am impressed.Sadly this could go wrong on Sunday after Bale has examined our back four and you return to your favourite subject of discecting the shortcomings of the said defence.However I am moved that people have seen another side to you and people maybe see you in a different light.
I may be wrong but is this not illegal anyway? Like the BNP were told in the courts that they HAD to let minorities be members? So a 'black players union' can be formed if they wish to do so however they would then have to open membership to whites yellows coffees and chocolates? My sons are in the coffee region being half casts of a half cast even though the wife's parents are both 'black' one of them looks white so......... I think I made my point and I'm not making up the bit about my kids or wife.
Why do you think they would want to exclude anyone? Most players are clearly still white. If in 20 years whites are in the minority (I doubt it) in the game they would still be the majority group in the general population, and their interests have been looked after for the entire history of the game, so no I don't think a whites union would be appropriate, and it's not really comparable at all. As for the point about different races, I think I answered that point in the bit you quoted, and other posts.
I really don't get you. I compliment you and your retort is a dig/insult that I have no idea what it's about.
Well because your first bit is completely patronising , so much so you sound like a schoolteacher . Why not write , I agree ? Why not write yes thats true ? Back handed compliment is ever there was one .
Because if not then why not campaign for the current union members to put pressure on their hierarchy. Why create another union set up to support one demographic and open the doors to all demographics. That's not going to happen. It's like asking the working class to vote for a party that will fight for middle England causes which....hang on bad example because that one worked I think the poster very realistically was meaning that in 20 years there may be a minority of white due to the omajority being mixed races of some percentage or another even if 1/16th black, 1/16th asian and the other 7/8ths of traditional British (i.e. mixed french, scandanavian, Italian, German as we are at the moment) Therefore there would not really be any minority anymore because future generations would be even more of a mix than the British are already
I won't bother giving you any then in future. oh and thanks for the advice on how to respond to posts; shame you don't heed your own advice. now put your hand down and sit still while I'm typing!
I disagree totally. If we are supposedly trying to remove racism why is this even being considered? If we tried having a whites only union it would be against the human rights laws so in the same boat would be a black union. To right the wrongs perpetrated is one thing but to go down this road could easily end up causing a whole heap of problems. The vast majority of our black players are worshipped just as much by the fans so what I think should happen is for more of them to find themselves taking positions in our current structure where they can have a useful say.
I think too much is being read into a response to the Kick It Out campaign and too little into what this proposed new union (or at least talk of it) hopes to achieve. KIO is seven people that promote a worthwhile message through banners/t-shirts. Nobody is saying that their sentiments aren't top notch. What they're saying is that they are demonstrably toothless. I agree with many opinions stated on here that racism is not at all prevalent in our game. What remains prevalent though is the authorities' ineffective and frankly insulting approach where racism is proven. Until there is genuine zero tolerance throughout the game at every level, why pay lip service to something that you know is toothless?
I'm a bit uncomfortable with it to be honest. The reason being is that if you take the last 3 pages as a general demographic, then it clearly is going to cause a **** storm in the country. In general the population (in my opinion) is not a very bright one. We are lucky to have what would appear, on the whole, to be an intelligent bunch on here and it is still contentious. I feel it may just add fuel to the fire for racists. You look at some comments like "if whites did it, would it be allowed?" and you worry because you don't need to be racist to come to that conclusion. It's a very easy one to jump to. It is a very true statement but obviously if you think about it a little more (as pointed out very eloquently by other posters), itâs not quite that simple, however if you are a racist then there really isnât any need for you to think any further than that. You have all the ammunition you want. It also hurts me to say it but I do feel there is an undercurrent of racism in this country, itâs just on the whole people know (fortunately) that it is not an acceptable viewpoint, so keep opinions behind closed doors but I listen to people and I sometimes feel like they spoiling for a fall out. For a reason to kick off and this is a great way of making it an "us against them" mentallity. So to summarise, reading back at what at times reads like incoherent rambling, it sounds like Iâm saying we should bury our heads in the sand and hope it all goes away... Iâm not. What the solution is... god only knows.
apparently owing to the recent treatment he's been subjected to, gomarchingin is forming a breakaway union. just rumours atm
I think we would start to see more honesty on race if we actually admitted multiculturalism was and is abject failure , it has created places in Oldham , Blackburn , Burnley , Birmingham and Bradford (I could name many others) where there is as much division there as there has ever been in Belfast or Montgomery . The thing is no mainstream political party will touch it as it's a hot potato so it's given free reign to the extreme parties and also the reactionary ones . We have to accept and celebrate the differences in us but also have unifying things in place that we all must respect Each other The Flag The Crown
I'm not saying it couldn't happen someday but in 20 years? You really think in one generation a country that is over 90% white could become predominantly mixed-race? Good maths though, fractions spot on
The issue really is the fact that a number of black (or non-white) players clearly feel there is an issue and there views / needs are being ignored. This is a fact (that they feel like this), therefore they are absolutely right to raise the issue and look t forming a body to deal with the issue - they are black and are feeling discriminated against. My personal view is there won't be a need for a new union, I think the talk one and the stand some of them made at the weekend, peacefully, will help to kick start a reform of the current situation with kick It out, the PFA and hopefully the FA. We live in hope.
