When Can Stating The Obvious Ever Be Construed A Hate Crime?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3358047/Paul-Gascoigne-faces-police-probe-racist-joke-stage-not-able-black-security-guard-poor-light.html

It is a fact that black faces are hard to see in the dark, why else would troops black up their faces etc. when they wish to camouflage themselves?

[Old_Geezer]

Not the wisest of acts, to state that observation. But he has a point. Like many males if I see a lassie across the street I often glance to see how pretty she is. Cheers up my day no end. With 'white' lasses it is easy to see, unless they opt to look away which they seem to have an instinct for :-) but it is with regret that the darker lasses are not so easy to distinguish. sigh :-( So there is truth in the statement that darker folk are more difficult to distinguish from a distance even in the daylight, let alone the dark.

[bazwillrun]

especially at nightime..............

[retrocop]

And on AB we have someone regularly criticising the Tory Government and police cut backs.
It would seem that West Midland's Police have too much time on their hands or not enough pro active policing to do.
Not a good case for the police to complain they are struggling due to cut backs.
The alleged complainant should be told there is NO evidence,stop wasting police time and pursue a private proscution if they are offended.

[tonyav]

Plenty of cut backs.

http://www.expressandstar.com/news/2015/12/12/west-midlands-police-front-desks-down-from-48-to-10/

[sp1814]

Old_Geezer

But the joke doesn't make any sense!

[sp1814]

divebuddy

Skin colour jokes are a 70s thing, like Alsatian dogs and Wendy Craig.

But Gascoigne's joke doesn't actually make sense (as reported).

[sp1814]

No...as I said before that post - it doesn't make any sense.

It's a joke, yes. A skin colour based joke from the 70s.

But it's a joke that doesn't make any sense.

[seadogg]

neither is any joke relying on differences in personal appearance. Sticky out ears, spotty faces and other features not visible fully clothed.

[sp1814]

divebuddy

But what it hangs on doesn't make sense...if it's what I think it is.

But I suppose there is a positive thing we can take away from this.

It gives people who are addicted to being outraged once a day to stomp about and make noises.

The anti-racists can castigate Gascoigne, and the anti-PC brigade can castigate the anti-racist brigade, whilst the rest of us wonder who the hell would pay money to see Paul Gascoigne speaking for an evening.

Odd.

[sp1814]

divebuddy

The clarify - the reason I said his joke made no sense was in response to AOG asserting that Paul Gascoigne was 'stating the obvious'.

He wasn't stating the obvious.

What he said made no sense...even if it were framed as a joke.

Anyway, I personally think that whoever reported this is a time-waster and overreacted badly.

If I were the 'victim', and I felt embarrassed by this little quip, I would would wait until the show was over...

...and buy him a drink.

(As a joke).

[-Talbot-]

But at least after 40 posts I think we can all agree ... what a waste of bloody police time! (well maybe Corby wants to see the police take this further, you can never tell with his posts)