You've no need to apologise Jedi, there were two articles posted by Ipswich newspapers on the NewsNow site and they both led with the headline "Ipswich fan prosecuted for racist post on NCFC facebook !" JWM likes to find something to be offended by, as if he didn't already possess a shed load of reasons!
Unless they happen to be a good footballer worth a few million then a Ban and fine should be enough....
One of the things that the Internet shows is how skin deep a lot of people see the social mores that some of us would consider fundimental. Personally I don't have to engage my brain not to be racist, I'm really good at it, I just sit here not being racist. It's a interesting statement because it implies that basically the only reason he isn't consistently accidentally racist is with concentration. Now too an extent I'm joking, I know what his lawyer meant and it very much want that. However I like the way he put it because I think that is how a deceptivly large groups if people feel. Society has shifted very quickly and as the people who struggle with racial itergration became outnumbered the seesaw of what was acceptable to say in public moved. This left many people feeling out of place and uncomfortable in "their" society as they felt their view were no longer considered. It this sort of feeling that has given rise to UKIP, people who didn't want to change, felt it was forced on them and that they weren't allowed to speak openly about going back to when they were confortable. The Internet is a very odd place. Very few of you know my actual name, we've all likely walked past each other at somepoint and not known it, and in that sense the Internet is anonymous. This feeling promotes a freedom to express your views more honestly than you feel would generally be acceptable when tagged with your own identity. The reality is that the Internet is nearly as anonymous as it seems, and as a result offensive statements are hard to get away from. The Internet is also fairly permanent, were I to utter a racial slur in a crowded street, some people may hear me but the moment is lost, on the Internet the evidence stays. And so the question remains of what should happen to this chap, education is a great tool in certain circumstances, however I'm sure he knew he should have said it and why. I also think it sounds scarily like brainwashing and I get images of a 1984 style "reeducation" I'm also not really sure that the exclusion from football helps, surely we're just introducing more reasons to feel an antipathy to society. Not to mention that this only really moves the problem rather than addresses it, are we happy that someone goes off to exercise there racism elsewhere so long as it's not in football. We should look at the society wide and address the root cause. So what would I do? Personally I think we need to slow our efforts and wholesale integration down and actually make sure we really are building the society we think we are. We should stop patting ourselves on the back for being so "multi-cultural" and actually enter a national debate, one where people can openly speak their minds so everybody can be brought along, not allowing people to quietly habour intolerances because it will eventually come to a head. I think too many people see this an issue of legislation not opinions and that needs to change to move forward. Sorry for the essay, I have two final footnotes: - I'm aware I probably move away from the football fan who was just angry and no doubt a harmless idiot. I'm not saying he fundamental racist. - this could read as an apologist type peice, I'm very much not defending people holding racist views, more looking at given there are people who do, how should we react?
Before being let near a computer all people should abide by the following rulebook: http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html
Never mind the net, if only people could be like that in real life too. Unfortunitely rule two lets in far to much bad behavior on the net! Bah!
In africa, everyday I'm called a Toubab, which has various historic meanings, but basically it means I'm identified by my skin colour. Therefore I have certain attributes such as wealth education etc and am easily identified as a person. People judge me and my family before they know us because of our skin colour. Even though my wife and son are black, or blackish. It's extremely unpleasant being judged on your skin colour before someone knows what sort of person you are. That's just my view being prejudged on what I or my family are because they are paler than other people.
In Mainland China you're a Laowai (alien) or wàiguórén (foreigner) and in Hong Kong a Gweilo (where Gwei is devil and Lo a chap). When I lived there it was used by expats to describe each other, and of course by the local population to describe me. Depending how it is said (and Cantonese is not the most melodious of languages and has the timbre of gravel in a lawnmower) it can sound pretty foul.
