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?

[andy-hughes]

To return to AOG's original point -

It is a fact that black faces are hard to see in the dark - but that does not make that fact a suitable subject for a remark which may embarrass an employee of the event.

To be objective - this was a careless remark made without apparent intent to offend, and it should be viewed as such.

If the individual involved was not offended, and the remark was not intended to cause upset, then it should be taken as a simple lesson learned by Mr Gascoigne - a little thought before you express a thought into a microphone and therefore into the ears of an audience, is always a good tactic.

The idea that it is a 'hate crime' is really taking things much too far - it dilutes the power and effect of legislation if it is used to a sledgehammer to crack a nut - as it appears in this case.

[bazwillrun]

I m not sure but I think in those as usual verbose paragraphs AH might actually have made some sense....for once....just a shame our resident mod cant restrict himself to getting straight to the point...could have said the same in a short sentence...

and I shall be sure to vote for Tyson Fury ....for no other reason than it will hack some of you rabid PC mob off...

[andy-hughes]

bazwillrun - // m not sure but I think in those as usual verbose paragraphs AH might actually have made some sense....for once....just a shame our resident mod cant restrict himself to getting straight to the point...could have said the same in a short sentence... //

I am not a 'resident mod' - I am a moderator, one of several on the site, please try and keep your personal remarks to yourself.

Thank you.

[sp1814]

andy_hughes

Wholly agree with your post.

But the fact is, the OP is skewed. It's not stating the obvious. Paul Gascoigne's joke was about the security guard's teeth, not his skin.

But like you and I have both said - it ain't no 'hate crime'.

And when people report these acts to the police, they are being seriously over-sensitive and wasting everyone's time.

[andy-hughes]

sp1814 - //But the fact is, the OP is skewed. It's not stating the obvious. Paul Gascoigne's joke was about the security guard's teeth, not his skin. //

Exactly - a small but vital point that turns a dodgy remark into a racially sensitive one.

Hopefully this will not proceed - it benefits no-one and wastes valuable time and money. Someone needs to apply to some common sense here.

[zebo]

Had Gascoigne not been white, would there still be "offence" taken? The TV programme Citizen Khan makes many comments regarding race, is it OK because he is not white?

[andy-hughes]

zebo - //Had Gascoigne not been white, would there still be "offence" taken? The TV programme Citizen Khan makes many comments regarding race, is it OK because he is not white? //

The old defence that racially offensive comments made by one black person to another are devoid of offence if the comment comes from a black person used to be used by black comedians in the 1970's.

It used to work then, in more enlightened times, it doesn't hold water any more.

Looking for a reason why an offensive remark is diluted by comparable ethnicity is rather to miss the point of the offence given in the first place.

If I had been called a 'white ***' in the 1970's, the fact that the remark was made by a white person would not have meant my reaction was not to be offended, but to hold my sides and laugh.