On Racism
This’ll probably be the end of this site. Who the hell lets a Chelsea fan write on their Spurs blog, anyway? Well put the flaming torches and pitch forks away, folks. This one cometh in peace and he’s here to save the world. One person at a time. Trailer Trash’s Harry Thompson talks racism…
This being a Spurs site, and I, ahem, being a Chelsea supporter, I understand the absurdity of the task writing for an audience that already hates me. With this in mind, allow me to bring you doom heaped upon gloom. Football, you see, has a rotten and troublesome core. I’m not talking about the 22 men kicking hopeful balls into nets – the exoskeleton principle of the game remains pure. Here’s a clue: it’s tried to be stamped out, kicked-out, and shown the red card. I am, of course, talking about racism (not Scott Parker’s head).
Some of us find it hard to believe John Terry could have shouted a racist slur on such a heavily multicultural pitch without being heard. If anyone could crunch the statistics of non-Caucasians per m² in that stadium and the sonic range of his loathsome, ignorant voice, it’s likely he’d be heard by another player, right? Is this some top-flight Omertà – silence compounded by weak players with too much to lose? Liverpool and their pro-Suarez T-shirt PR stunt after the player had been charged with using ‘n*****’ repeatedly, with machinegun frequency would suggest it is.
Please don’t tell me Liverpool’s black players accepted Suarez’s ‘lost in translation’ defence without club interference or pressure. Or maybe I’m underestimating their squad’s skewed penchant for the absurd.
I, for one, survey the street I’m standing in with wide-eyed apprehension before uttering the word ‘black’, even when it’s not apropos of race, such is my fear the political correctness police will take me away.
The whole effort to rid, or at least deter racism in football has been undermined by these two high profile incidents. That John Terry still captains England and Chelsea, despite clear video evidence of him screaming racist abuse, says more about England’s interest in a successful Euro 2012 tournament this summer than any convincing attempts by the FA to create a more tolerant football community.
The irony now is John Terry’s a mascot for everything wrong with white people. It’s only a matter of time before supporters invade the field mid-game to lynch him with their football scarves. Indeed, I have a dream everyone will join in, all clubs, creeds, and races alike – united in one cause.
**If he can handle the abuse and dog turds in the post, (sorry, that one was me) Harry is going to be writing a weekly guest column on here- about football in general. I’m also looking for other contributors, if anyone feels it could be their bag-I know they’re plenty of smart-writer types among you and I’d be delighted to hear your thoughts. Meanwhile, I’ll be back in the morning for some delicious pre-Watford waffles. Crispy.**
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