The PC and Perpetually Offended Brigade

[Eoin McLove]

Then again, allowing myself to be drawn into this pointless twitter nonsense is the point at which I need to take a breath, pull my head out of my hole and leave the various ideologues to their meaningless battles.

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

Of course, but anyone who is going to read that much into a funny pun needs to chill out, have a beer and get down off their high horse. Sometimes a joke is just a joke.

Totally agree, in the abstract. But that's not how the world works, and part of the responsibility you take on when you become head of a national sporting association is not to act publicly as you would privately down the pub with the lads. And yeah, even more so, aul ruddy-face really should be less tone deaf about things like BLM given that he's the head of basketball as opposed to, say, polo.

[Kurt Cocaine]

Ah the old offended by everything brigade. What dickheads.

[astfgyl]

TBH the thing I find most irritating about these sot of incidences is the shitty apologies that come after. Man the fuck up say something with a stem of honesty.. "It was a joke and I can see why some people might not like it but that was how it was meant so there you go" would do fine. Fair point that they should take a little time to think beforehand but once it's out don't just pander to the PC brigade with the grovelling shit.

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

And what if it's not "the PC brigade" he's "pandering to" but rather black Irish basketball players and coaches for whom "Black Lives Matter" is a genuinely serious issue and towards whom he also has a professional duty? [Spoiler: this is the reality of the situation.] It makes him come across as someone who has never had a conversation with a black person about the topic, despite their presence in the sport he presides over. It'd be like John Dennis, vice president of Hockey Ireland, publicly making a rape pun. Would you be as surprised if an apology was demanded of him? Or maybe rape is also too far removed from yizzers' sphere of concern for it to resonate.

If a mate of mine had made this joke to me in private, I'd have laughed at the play on words. I find it mind-boggling that ye refuse to see the difference between that and a publicly made statement by the head of a national sporting association. Persecution complexes indeed...

[Kurt Cocaine]

Comparing a diving football twat with the issue of rape is ridiculous, even for you.
Get off your high horse there cowboy.

[Emphyrio]

Imagine a joke requiring this much analysis. A joke....

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

Comparing a diving football twat with the issue of rape is ridiculous, even for you.
Get off your high horse there cowboy.

But comparing a diving football twat with the issue of innocent black people getting killed is fine. That's what you're saying?

I think if you run the point I was making through your head again, nice and slowly this time, you may just grasp what I was getting at.

[astfgyl]

black Irish basketball players and coaches for whom "Black Lives Matter" is a genuinely serious issue

Seriously?! Why? Are many of these black Irish getting murdered by da police?

It's a U.S. thing isn't it? As far as I know the vast majority of those shot by Gardai are white Irish. Anybody is perfectly entitled to support BLM by all means (and I can see the validity of the idea, people shouldn't be shot more often due to their race), but don't try to bring it over here as a thing when, to quote Jules from Pulp Fiction, it " ain't the same ballpark, it ain't the same league, it ain't even the same fuckin' sport".

Not even getting into the lunacy of comparing it to a rape joke.

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

Well, this is what it boils down to, isn't it? A bunch of white lads on a forum thinking they get to explain to black Irish people what they should and shouldn't be concerned about. Fair play to yiz, doing the lord's own work.

[Kurt Cocaine]

Comparing a diving football twat with the issue of rape is ridiculous, even for you.
Get off your high horse there cowboy.

But comparing a diving football twat with the issue of innocent black people getting killed is fine. That's what you're saying?

I think if you run the point I was making through your head again, nice and slowly this time, you may just grasp what I was getting at.

Knock the being a condescending prick on the head, yeah? Good lad...

[Carnage]

Well, this is what it boils down to, isn't it? A bunch of white lads on a forum thinking they get to explain to black Irish people what they should and shouldn't be concerned about. Fair play to us, doing the lord's own work.

Fixed that for you there, you're just as guilty, White Knight Carnage.

[astfgyl]

Well, this is what it boils down to, isn't it? A bunch of white lads on a forum thinking they get to explain to black Irish people what they should and shouldn't be concerned about. Fair play to yiz, doing the lord's own work.

Yeah, all the black people on here are up in arms at us explaining it to them. Just look at their reactions!

Bit of pot and kettle in that statement if you think about it. You are white and Irish and you seem to think you're doing the lord's work here campaigning on their behalf for their right to be offended. Do I get offended about the plight of the whites in South Africa? No I don't, it doesn't apply here and I know both brown and pink South Africans. Had a smoke with the brown South African lad a couple of weeks ago and nothing regarding race came anywhere near the conversation, same as every other time. Shouldn't he hate me or something because of my general pinkness? Most people aren't looking to be offended as their general thing and that applies to all colours.

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

Well, this is what it boils down to, isn't it? A bunch of white lads on a forum thinking they get to explain to black Irish people what they should and shouldn't be concerned about. Fair play to us, doing the lord's own work.

Fixed that for you there, you're just as guilty, White Knight Carnage.

You'd be right and that'd be fair enough, except that certain relevant black Irish have already expressed themselves on the subject, something I looked up before presuming to speak for them, since others were presuming this was just about the "PC brigade". Not so much white knighting as relaying a message you're all voluntarily deaf too:

"The comment comes in relation to such an important issue, which has dominated so many peoples' lives over the last three to four years in relation to racial discrimination and social justice. That's why people have reacted as strongly as they have and it's understandable.

"The incidents which occurred in America have affected the world regarding Black Lives Matter. It has seen us reflect on so many social injustices which are around around the world. It's unacceptable to make a comment which diminishes the importance of what has taken place." [Jerome Westbrooks, (black) former Ireland player and coach]

And from one of Ireland's best pro prospects, currently living in the US (where all the best basketball players, black or white, are most likely to end up, so, y'know...):
https://twitter.com/aidanigiehon/status/1413542890500988929

If you think white guy apologizing over this joke is an example of the PC brigade gone mad, it's just that ye don't give a shit about something black people clearly take extremely seriously. Yes, as seriously as women take rape. The comparison shocks you only because you don't get how seriously they take it. See? No, I know ye don't, but that's how it is.

[Carnage]

No, I am right since, by your own admission, you explicitly state that that's what you're doing.

Well, this is what it boils down to, isn't it? A bunch of white lads on a forum thinking they get to explain to black Irish people what they should and shouldn't be concerned about. Fair play to yiz, doing the lord's own work.

...

You'd be right and that'd be fair enough, except that certain relevant black Irish have already expressed themselves on the subject, something I looked up before presuming to speak for them, since others were presuming this was just about the "PC brigade"

Whether you looked it up or not is irrelevant, it's not your place to speak for them.

Living in that selfbuilt echo chamber must be deafening.