The trouble with race is that it's an industry. There is a new race-related story in the media almost every day, and it's not happening by accident. It's happening because well-funded "pressure groups" are basically like American lobby groups, making money and increasing political clout by pushing an agenda, until the masses are bludgeoned into submission. Football is no more racist now than it has been for the past few years. The difference is that people are talking about it now, because of the agenda that's constantly being pushed. A quick glance at the BBC headlines each day will often show a race-related story given a disproportionately high position in the headlines, largely because of the cultural bias that exists within the BBC. So for example in the recent case of the Indian student who was shot dead in Salford, the BBC had decided it was a "hate crime" before they knew who the perpetrator was, or what their motives were. They made that judgement because they're basically paid to. It seems to me that football is at its least racist when no-one's talking about race. That's not to say there isn't a problem, or that any problems should be brushed under the carpet. But footballers and fans alike read the papers and watch the news. And if all they're ever hearing is "race race race", then it's not surprising that it should occasionally spill over onto the pitch and into the stands. Those fans that made the monkey gestures at Anfield and Old Trafford...would they have done it if race was not such a hot topic? If they're attention-seekers then, hey presto, they just got their 15 minutes with very little effort or imagination. Just like the guy who did the "racist women on public transport" mini-sketch-show videos. I also think there's a darker side to this obsession with race. There seem to be a number of white players and ex-players, mainly from London, who have nationalist and quite possibly racist tendencies. If race is constantly being talked about then it vindicates their beliefs, which they then take onto the pitch and it spreads into the stands. So far from decreasing racial aggravation, the anti-racists are actually increasing it by pushing a race-related agenda all the time. Wouldn't surprise me if the likes of Terry and Pearce are secret donors to the BNP, or have at the very least thought about it. So in summary - enough about race and let's get back to the football! It'll simmer down if we let it simmer down. But if we don't, then I fear there will be more incidents like this on a more regular basis, and not just from ****s like Suarez and attention whores like Evra.
Making a borderline libellous comment about two people who have nothing to do with the Suarez situation is hardly likely to help calm things down...
I wasn't writing only about the Suarez situation. To answer Alan's point, that's why I didn't put it in the existing thread. On reflection I take back the comment about Terry and Pearce. I exaggerated the point to illustrate it, but the point still stands. There will be racist footballers, and when the spotlight is on race then those beliefs will be at the forefront of such players' minds. They'll become aware that they have black team-mates again, where for years they may have been pretty much oblivious to the colour of their colleagues. That's how the whole thing spreads.
