John Terry

a tad harsh i think, i don’t know the bloke so can;t really say what he’s like as a person, but if he instigated this investigation, maybe dafts the right word.

I’m guessing that Ferdinand has played often enough to know the difference between ‘just football’ and abuse.

I know women who are proud of being women but are at least mildly affronted if a statement is addressed even pleasantly to them as ‘woman’, e.g “Please put the kettle on while you’re in there, woman”. I think Ferdinand’s pride in being black (sharing a perspective on history with a group of people, not his actual skin shade) is probably part of the reason he was affronted: if a specifier is attached to an insult it becomes part of the insult, insulted by it so to speak.

The history of racism is overwhelmingly that black people have been portrayed as inherently inferior, but inferiority tends to be addressed as a subset of white rather than as a generic flaw. Similar to the way the term ‘woman driver’ is almost always meant negatively where as the term ‘man driver’ is rare.

Although lighter skinned people have used the law against racial abuse, if most cases involve darker skinned victims, does that mean that black people are more sensitive? That there are more actual instances of black people being racially abused? That it’s somehow different for black people than for white people? I hope that minds are open enough to find out rather than to simply let doubts carry the day.

I agree with f_pol that part of the problem is that offensive language is left unchallenged and that John Terry used other offensive words. That the swear word regarded as worst by many is a reference to a key female organ is something my inner conspiracy theorist can’t resist. However I don’t think abuse should always be taken on the chin. I don’t think it will stop if it’s not challenged.

The ‘card playing’ accusation seems to suggest that there is a get out of jail card for minorities. If criminal justice stats are anything to go by, it’s the worst card ever. And certainly the victims of racial, sexual and other abuse take the risks of boat-rockers everywhere of losing friends and goodwill. If someone is racially insulted, are they always playing a card when they say so?

Does using the system make Ferdinand a coward or low life scum? On the contrary civilisation depends on people doing just that, rather than turn to personal vengeance and vendetta. Ferdinand, as a public figure would have known that by making the complaint he risked public opprobrium. The CPS seems to think a case is there to be answered, I wonder what the answer will be . . . . .

@anc wrote:

OK, I have had enough of this racist stuff – can you ‘all’ STOP please?

ie. some of you have no idea what colour/religion I am – do I go on about it?! No need!

Although posters have mentioned their colour when relevant, or indicated it in photos, no one’s ‘gone on’ about their own colour or religion per se, but race and racism has been discussed in general.

As the thread is about the John Terry case, which is about racial abuse it’s a bit unreasonable not to expect posters to talk about race and racism, or racist stuff if you will.

It’s easy enough to avoid if you really have had enough of the subject. But I’m surprised that that you of all people would actually want to stop a discussion on here.

@terry wrote:

I don’t want to get personal and start exchanging insults – I’ll leave that to you as it’s something you seem to thrive on.

. . . . . . . . neither one of you has that much common sense to aid you in your contributions here.

Thank you Terry, I hope everyone else got the joke . . . it was a joke, right?