Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Scousers And The Police State

Whatever they do, no matter how unpleasant and nasty, the people of Liverpool manage to claim victimhood and spend the next few decades wallowing in a vat of sloppy self-pity. Luis Suarez is found guilty of racially abusing an opponent and the Liverpool team and their manager appear at the next game wearing t-shirts proclaiming him to be the victim. How very Scouse!

On Saturday Suarez proved himself to be a Uruguayan who easily adapts to his adopted culture by refusing to shake hands with his victim,  Patrice Evra, despite Evra's civilised attempt to put the whole affair behind them. Suarez, once again claiming victim status. Did that famous whinger Dalglish condemn his player? No, he said any ill feeling at Saturday's game was nothing to do with Suarez. Both have since apologised as the non-Scouse owners of Liverpool FC, a couple of Americans, are obviously much more civilised and are thoroughly ashamed of the whole business. But is apologising because you are forced to really an apology? At least Evra can be grateful that Suarez didn't bite him on the face, which he did to an opponent when he played in Holland for Ajax.

Subversive-ban it!
So it's a mess. Then on Saturday up pops Greater Manchester plod in their size 12s to really prove what a mess we are in. A popular, and very enjoyable Manchester United fanzine, Red Issue, carried an image of a Ku Klux Klan style pointed hat with Suarez  Is Innocent, LFC on it. Football fans wind each other up, that's part of the fun. But plod decided some poor little Scouser might just possibly find said image offensive, so the magazines were confiscated and some people in posession of them were refused entry to the ground. Sellers were threatened with arrest.

I find The Guardian newspaper offensive with it's politically correct whining pap. Will Greater Manchester Police close it down? I find much of what the BBC broadcasts patronisingly offensive. Will GMP close the BBC down?  In fact on the grounds of 'might cause offence' just about every publication, TV programme, radio broadcast could offend some poor soul somewhere. Farewell satire. Farewell biting news programmes. Should they all be either closed by the police or maybe we should just bring in state censorship, you know like they have in Cuba, China and other totalitarian, freedom destroying dictatorships.

If you think the actions of the police on Saturday are nothing, it was only a little magazine produced by football fans, then you should be very worried. If they can do that to Red Issue, what will the next one be? It could be a magazine that you read.

Remember, with possibly offending somebody now bringing you to the attention of the police you need to be very careful. If I open the door for you and you don't acknowledge it I find it offensive and might just dial 999. Tell me a joke about a fat bald man and I might possibly take offence and dial 999. I find the Scouse accent deeply offensive. Actually......

Maybe GMP have actually saved us from another few decades of Scousers weeping and wailing and wallowing in self-pity because of offence caused by that image, or the fact that they could have been offended! But I doubt it, something else will happen soon to have them in an emotional state again.

5 comments:

Webmaster Gareth said...

I concur with your overall findings, we are on the verge of all manner of people being silenced for offending homosexuakls (a recent law, now used against "muslim extremists" and surely to be pointed at Catholics some time soon).

But, to sweeping label all Scousers as having a huge chip on their shoulder? Hmmm. Stereotypes rarely work acrioss the board.

And no, I'm not a Scouser. I am Welsh. I have put up with all the "sheep" jokes when working in England and (to a lesser extent) in Scotland. Water off a duck's back. But if some Welsh people did take offence I wouldn't want you to think that we are all so touchy.

I enjoy banter (eg between Cardiff and Swansea fans) but it cuts both ways. We should encourage that little rivalries that add spice to life (remember how the Hobbits thought folks from the othjer end of The Shire were 'a bit weird') without painting all Scousers as sulkers, all Scots as mean, or all Londoners as cold and materialist (or all French as arrogant, all Italians as cowards).

For comic effect - fine. But as part of a serious discussion? We should be a little more grown up.

Would love to write more, but I must open all these Valentines cards from "ewe know who").

Gregg said...

Although there are serious issues in this story I was also bringing a bit of the Manchester/Liverpool banter into the post. Stereotyping? Yes, in its place. I will call the French arrogant (implying every French man/woman) when I feel, although I spend as much time as I can in France. I will call the Mexicans lazy bastards (implying all of them too) although I have lived and worked in Mexico and loved them.
I fear that the lack of ability to descriminate between banter and being downright nasty when using stereotypes is a modern day problem, not necessarily political correctness but created by the fear caused by political correctness.
By the way, stereotype means 'across the board'.

Sean O'Hare said...

I find the Scouse accent deeply offensive. Actually......

Ah, that explains why you lost faith in UKIP! Paul Nuttall became deputy leader!

Gregg said...

Yes Sean, then when to show his love for him he started dressing a la Farage, in the PG Wodehouse mode, I decided two spivs at the top of the party was too much.

Daz Pearce said...

Saw Nuttall on TV last night - if that really is the second best thing UKIP have to offer then getting out was undeniably a good move...