Niggers

[Tuscan Chimaera]

Bad word?

Or just wong attitude?

[Tuscan Chimaera]

wrong. wrong. wrong. f-ing incompetent cnt.

[Thrash Harry]

Bad word?

Or just wong attitude?

Depends on whether you are one.

[Black Shuck]

I think it'll be a total disgrace if Ron Atkinson's career gets finished, and his reputation damaged, just because of one stupid comment.

Just cos you call someone a '[whoops, i did a racism]' in the middle of an angry rant, it doesn't mean you're racist.

I've had racist thoughts in the past ('bloody immigrants, stealing benefits from taxpayers' etc.), and I've said a few racist jokes in the past that I'm not proud of, but it doesn't mean I'm racist.


In the case of Big Ron, you must remember that he has spent his entire adult life, as a player and a manager, in a climate of extreme racism (ie the world of football)... it would be almost impossible for some of the language that he'll have heard 10,000 times in the terraces, dresing rooms etc. to have not rubbed off on him.

That's my two penneth worth, anyway... what do other Heartlanders think?

[markfiend]

"Big Ron from Old Swan signs on..."

I don't know much about the guy, but he doesn't seem racist from what I know about him. It's just that the silly cnut should have made sure his microphone was turned off. (Apparently he thought it was.)

It makes you wonder what other sorts of comments people come out with off-mike...

[Quiff Boy]

to me its not a word i would ever think of using. full stop. its just not appropriate.

the word was popularised to mean something derogatory, and whilst black people have "reclaimed" the word for themselves and use it mean something more akin to "brother", this does not entitle middleclass white people to start bandying it around.

ok, ron might have done a great deal to help the plight of black footballers in the 70s/80s but how do you reconcile that with the fact that he used this word?

its just not in my vocabulary. its obviously in his.

he waited until he thought he was off-air to say it, thus showing that somewhere in his addled mind he knew he was wrong to say it. otherwise he'd be using it left, right and center and thinking nothing of it.

he's used the argument that he was worked up. sorry, thats bullsh*t. no matter how furious i might get with someone, their race or skin colour (surely he's f**king french fer gods sake, not nigerian?!?) never enters into the equation.

nah, i think its a disgrace and he should be booted out of football indefenitely.

the sport has had enough of a bad time with racism over the years, the last thing it wants is for some senile old pundit to start calling black people derogatory, racist names and be seen to get away with it.

[Tuscan Chimaera]

I think Ron was a gift to the genre of commentary. A linguistic innovator in a room full of cardboard cut-outs. But he said he didn't even realise he'd said it. Talk about inveterate. He had to go.

Probably for a crafty massage at the boxing club.

[MrChris]

Well said. The 'lazy' part does unfortunately fit Desailly all too often, but the rest just shows contempt, and really is just a way of symbolically stamping on people who can't answer back. Big Ron sure reconnected his mouth and his brain when he realised he'd just blown a lucrative tv deal, didn't he? He has gone down in my estimation considerably.

[Padstar]

I have to go with Quiff, its a word that frankly makes me wince. I dont think Ron Atkinson is actually some huge racist etc, but some mistakes/slip-ups require action and at least he had the character to resign on the spot.

Yes, the loss of a man who is passionate about football and was a good commentator.... but he had to go.

Paddy.

[lizzy32]

The word is deplorable, and i think he's done the respectable thing by resigning, i can understand his feelings though, and i can understand how its happened we've all said things that we regret in the heat of the moment.. The stupid thing was leaving his mike on.

[markfiend]

Looking back at what I posted above; I think it almost looks as though I was saying "it's OK to use the word as long as no-one hears you" which is not what I meant at all.

But yeah, we've all said things we regret immediately after we've said them; just that Big Ron was unlucky or stupid enough to say such a thing in a context where it was inevitable that he'd have to resign.

It's not a word that I'd use, it's not a word that most people would use; it's a word that a lot of people find deeply offensive, and as a broadcaster, who is making a living from using words, he should have had better judgement about which words to use.

IIRC didn't a cricket commentator at the BBC have to resign many years ago for using the same word about the West Indian test-match team? It may have been either Fred Trueman or Geoff Boycott, but memory fails me.

On a side note:

surely he's f**king french fer gods sake, not nigerian?!?

I may be wrong, but I believe that the "N" word was originally a slang word for, or altered pronunciation of, "negro", rather than anything to do with Nigeria.

[Quiff Boy]

I may be wrong, but I believe that the "N" word was originally a slang word for, or altered pronunciation of, "negro", rather than anything to do with Nigeria.

fair point

[markfiend]

I may be wrong

*shrug*

[Loki]

'negro' = spanish for black

[Quiff Boy]

'negro' = spanish for black

ahh, thanks

[Thrash Harry]

use it mean something more akin to "brother"

I thought it was still used as a derogatory term cf Chris Rock's Blacks v. Niggers comedic rant.

middleclass white people

Ron Atkinson? Careful, you'll have a hoard of hooray Henrys after you.

[Tuscan Chimaera]

I may be wrong

Don't show any weakness. Sack Ron is such an easy bandwagon to jump on.

And very Esther Rantzen.

Consider.

Last night Big Ron called a black guy a [whoops, i did a racism] and later apologised.

Big deal.

Did anyone get hurt? Did anyone die?

Yesterday some Al Quaeda guys blew up a bunch of school kids in Basra and policemen.

The anti-racism stuff is out of all proportion to the 'crime'.

Taking an overly PC stand causes more 'race' problems than Big Ron - who in fact had a policy since the 1970's of playing black players on merit.

If you want a real villain, blame the Guardian or ITV. They employed the boy knowing full well that off air he used such phrases commonly. And only when broadcast do they throw their Ron out of their prams.

Guardian. Typical left wing hypocrisy.

[RicheyJames]

Don't show any weakness. Sack Ron is such an easy bandwagon to jump on.

And very Esther Rantzen.

Consider.

Last night Big Ron called a black guy a [whoops, i did a racism] and later apologised.

Big deal.

Did anyone get hurt? Did anyone die?

Yesterday some Al Quaeda guys blew up a bunch of school kids in Basra and policemen.

The anti-racism stuff is out of all proportion to the 'crime'.

Taking an overly PC stand causes more 'race' problems than Big Ron - who in fact had a policy since the 1970's of playing black players on merit.

If you want a real villain, blame the Guardian or ITV. They employed the boy knowing full well that off air he used such phrases commonly. And only when broadcast do they throw their Ron out of their prams.

Guardian. Typical left wing hypocrisy.

But he said he didn't even realise he'd said it. Talk about inveterate. He had to go.

i'll let the irony speak for itself....

[markfiend]

Taking an overly PC stand causes more 'race' problems than Big Ron

Evidence?

- who in fact had a policy since the 1970's of playing black players on merit.

If you want a real villain, blame the Guardian or ITV. They employed the boy knowing full well that off air he used such phrases commonly.

Evidence?

And only when broadcast do they throw their Ron out of their prams.

Guardian. Typical left wing hypocrisy.

Bull.

Trying to avoid offending people by the use of insulting words like "[whoops, i did a racism]" is not "an overly PC stand". It's common* courtesy to your fellow human beings.

* Well, I say "common"...

[rian]

Not a very nice word, no.

[Purple Light]

Yeah its not exactly the nicest of words...

I completely agree with Quiffy's rant further up (his first post). Sums it up for me.

I disagree with one thing that people seem to have agreed on though...
Big Ron, a good commentator!?!?! The guy's on a different planet!!!

Quotes like "If that was on target it would've gone in", & "He's hit that shot too well" (when the ball goes straight at the keeper) have had me rolling around for years!

[Tuscan Chimaera]

THAT'S MORE LIKE IT.

Complete about face AND failure to judge the prevailing mood of the fellow heartlanders.

Time to take up politics.

[paint it black]

good name for a dog,. loved the film

[Thrash Harry]

Time to take up politics.

I still think you're better suited to the Judiciary.

[6FeetOver]

Don't say it over here; you'll be taking your life into your hands...

Personally, I find the word incredibly offensive.