John Terry

@jen_jen wrote:

How do you know that skin colour had anything to do with it? Maybe there were other reasons? Did they think someone else, a friend maybe, should have got the job for instance?

I remember, many years ago, a guy joining our office. He was truly obnoxious and rubbed everyone up the wrong way from the off with the result that hardly anyone talked to him unless they had to and he never got invited for an after-work drink. It obviously got to him then one day he exploded “why won’t any of you ignorant b@stards talk to me? It’s because I’m Asian isn’t it? isn’t it? come on admit it!”
The office went quiet and then a voice piped up “no, it’s because you’re an obnoxious little prick.” The guy who said it was our blind audio typist who didn’t know that he was Asian…

What you say is very true, although prejudice is not always obvious.

It took my father a few years, and a colleague taking him aside and pointing it out to him, to realise that he was on the wrong side of the Catholic /Protestant divide in his office. Nobody was abusive, in fact they were very civil, he just wasn’t looked after when it came to promotion. That was all solved instantly when he moved job, but he shouldn’t really have had to.

If what has been reported is true, John Terry combined the swear word with the reference to race. As I said in an earlier post, if someone says I am a Scot, it is merely a statement of fact, and if they call me a swear word I have probably just wound them up. If however they call me a “f**king Scottish ****” that is a totally different matter.

From what you said this guy was unpopular because of his behaviour. He wrongly assumed it was his race. If someone had called him “an Asian ****” it would have been pretty obvious that was an issue, just like calling someone a “fat ****” is different from just using a swear word. (Btw how did the blind audio typist know he was little? :lol:)

Despite lots of protests about political correctness, racism does happen. We have all experienced or witnessed it. Just because there are plenty of perfectly decent people out there, doesn’t mean that people are not excluded just because they are different.

But as your post pointed out, sometimes that difference is nothing to do with their background, race, disabilities, religion or sexual orientation – it’s just because they are a tosser.

In our house we sum it all up with the Ali G quote “Is it because I is black?” to which the appropriate non racist answer is “no, it’s because you is a twat”.

:shock: :o :lol:

@terry wrote:

John Terry has been acquitted.

Oooeeerr. I’m sure the judge was reading this thread and that informed his decision!

It would appear that Terry did actually say the words but said that he was quoting them rather than directing them at Ferdinand as abuse. As such Terry claimed to be responding to an accusation from Ferdinand that he [Terry] had just abused him [Ferdinand] using those very words – something he denied.

So basically the judge reckoned that it was possible that the whole thing was a misunderstanding (or possibly an accusation from Ferdinand about Terry being a racist, specifically to wind Terry up.) Given the serious nature of the case, and the potential effect on Terry’s public standing, this reasonable doubt meant Terry had to be found not guilty.

Defence evidence from a number of witnesses that Terry was not a racist was described by the judge as being unchallenged, but did not affect his decision in law.

I for one am pleased for English football and John Terry himself that the judge mentioned the unchallenged nature of the evidence that he was not a racist. From a judge in a case where there was considerable doubt over what actually happened, that is almost a vote of confidence.

Well thank goodness that’s all cleared up then.

:shock: :? :lol:

Excerpt from judges ruling

The Crown say that Mr Terry responded [to a fist pumping gesture by Ferdinand accompanied by abuse] by aiming the words “f*** off, f*** off, yeah, yeah and you f***ing black c***, f***ing k**bhead”, and possibly one or more other words, at Mr Ferdinand.

“In those circumstances, there being a doubt, the only verdict the court can record is one of not guilty.”

@sceptical guy wrote:

well, this case has kept me up nights, held me riveted to my seat days.

John Telboy is innocent..hurrah!

He was quoting racist abuse…

where from??

where else?

the football field!! where abuse racist and otherwise is common in a long-debased sport.

I don’t watch this silly professional game, don’t follow it, assume the worst takes place in it, wish it ill. Arrest the lot, say I

Yeah! ‘cos they aren’t as hunky as rugby players! :lol:

@momentaryloss wrote:

Hate to mention it, guys and gals, but it aint over yet.

The level of proof required in a court of law for a guilty verdict in this offence was not reached.

The FA enquiry however now restarts where he faces a number of charges including bringing the game into disrepute and ungentlemanly conduct. They suspended their enquiry when the legal case started but have chosen to restart it now that the legal case is over.

More sleepless nights scep.

:wink:

oh gawd…

this is momentary loss’s revenge for the last word thread