I think this whole Yid Army thing is getting ridiculous, I have spoken to a few Jewish people i know, one a Spurs fan and i learned it was a way of allowing early banter, ala you cant take the mic cos we're doing it do, a classic defensive mechanism. I dont think it is racist in the slightest and this whole new thing that everyone in football is a racist is just mental, a problem conjured up by the press, so we buy their products. For me it is like how a black person is allowed to call another black person a 'Nig***' but a white person cant, naturally. The whole football world is getting so politically correct, and is far too involved in current affairs! Ofcourse, I am totally against racism, and believe it should be eliminated properly, but that has to be done by those at the top, FIFA, the fact they fine people more for advertising than racism shows what they think. The Serbia game disgusted me and needs to be sorted properly, not getting rid of some chant thats been used for atleast 40 years. I for one am sick of the daily mail and sun deciding they are now the best thing since sliced bread, on their mission to clean up football by telling us what is wrong, and we can all join their bandwagon by buying papers to help support the cause. But most importantly for me, LETS KEEP IT ABOUT THE FOOTBALL PEOPLE!
Here we go again. Blah blah blah political correctness gone mad blah blah. No one has said that everyone in football is racist, but if a few people are then it's going to become an issue and rightly so. Millions of people watch the game on a regular basis and many of those are children. They shouldn't be exposed to vile, racist twats on the pitch or in the stands. This is a very misguided comparison. Firstly, 95% of Spurs fans are not even Jewish, let alone Yiddish, and secondly it's not a judgement that you are in a position to make. If there are Jewish people who consider the chant to be offensive or anti-Semitic, then who are you to tell them it isn't? (Unless of course you're Jewish in which case fair enough). The long and short of it is that you're simply sick of hearing about it, and so am I, but that's not a good enough reason to suggest that the media should shut up about it. It's a legitimate issue that concerns a lot of people. Also I think it's hilarious that you complain about the Mail, but then by whining about political correctness you sound just like them.
Joe, my main point is that i want the football to be kept about football, unless it warrants otherwise. I know i am just another one of these people now so may seem ironic, but in reality it is just getting stupid. To the point that, i heard john barnes say chairmen were racist for not hiring him as a manager. and i thought to myself, thats almost certainly from your **** track record at tranmere pal not your skin colour, you were a top player, not neccesarily a top manager. And i am not Jewish and have no allegiance to any religion, but i did ask a Jewish friend, and he said it was a bit of a non issue, yes its one jewish person and granted they wernt yiddish. And sounding like the daily mail?! They create the problems that are wrong, then tell us how to fix them (much like glossy magazines with their super thin women) I'm just expressing that i hate all this non issue current affairs malarky. And i agree it is a stupid chant, and i never really got it. But as you rightly say if it does offend people, they should stop, but it has been going on for well over the length of my life (20 years) so why wouldnt people make an issue of it then, rather than now?
Oh so do I, but I also realise that it currently does warrant otherwise. Like I said, football is on the forefront of a lot of people's attention. Kids are watching. Kids being indoctrinated with racism is a big deal, and kids looking up to racist footballers is a big deal. Offensiveness is a difficult issue, because to some extent there is a case to be said that people shouldn't be totally protected from being offended. We all have the right to insult each other and we're all capable of dealing with it, and like you say some people complain of racism where there is none, but there clearly is some here and we can all see it clear as day. Your Jewish friend is probably not alone in thinking it's not a big deal, but there are others who do think it is a big deal, as David Baddiel has made quite clear. http://www.independent.co.uk/voices...ed-racism-out-of-english-football-614251.html The Mail often do devise non-issues as you say, but this isn't one of those times. This issue is just as prevalent in the more respectable papers. And to answer your final question, if humanity is moving forward all the time then we should be better people now than 20 years ago.
It's the fact that the terms are used to differentiate and in the main used as a form of abuse. I live in Brighton and went to the Amex stadium on a couple of occasions last season. Now clearly Poyet was the most distasteful thing there, but running in a close second was the rampant homophobia from the away fans. Now I'm hardly a shrinking violet and really don't get offended often at all, but you can't say racism/anti-semitism is not allowed, but homophobia is alright. Or even the old Irish jokes come to that. Fact of the matter is, using something that differentiates a person from yourself as a form of abuse, from a birthmark through to sexuality, via race or religion, in a progressive society is wrong.
Ok, guess I might aswell throw my 2 pence worth in. I am actually Jewish and know a number of people from within the Jewish community. This is really a complete non-issue. Seems that this is just being dragged through the media due to either jorno's with nothing better to write about or higher authorities wanting to be seen to be doing something on a "racist" issue. I dont know. The difference between the chants from the Spurs fans and other issues mentioned on here is actually pretty clear cut, for example, the homophobic chanting at Brighton fans, the reason that should and will be punished is because it is chanting purely aimed at inciting and offending Brighton fans. The Yid chant is not offensive to anyone. And before someone starts quoting people in the media who have claimed to be offended by it, they are purely after column inches and publicity. Not one Jewish person I have encoutered is offended or actually in the main even cares about this. The reason the Spurs fans chant the way they do is because it is a part of the history of their club. Because we are a multi-cultural society should we stop our chants about "saints" walking in as to not offend other religions? No we should not. It really is a complete nonsense. I wont open the can of worms in terms of the freedom of speech arguement but if you ask me if someone wants to chant something that is non-offensive then why the hell shouldnt they? And if a couple of particularly touchy and defensive people get offended then they should do one of 2 things; either look into why the chant is done and its history or barring that simply grow a thicker skin, there really are larger problems in the world then this! I can understand RLSGM's frustration with the media on this one.
