Dec. 21st 2011
Being of mixed ancestry or having friends of different races means nothing
If I were a Liverpool fan – and I thank God every single day that I am not – I would be thoroughly ashamed of my LFC’s statement which followed the FA’s decision to ban Luis Suarez for eight matches. However, there is one paragraph in particular which I find absolutely pathetic and also an indication of guilt:
Luis himself is of a mixed race family background as his grandfather was black. He has played with black players and mixed with their families whilst with the Uruguay national side and was Captain at Ajax Amsterdam of a team with a proud multi-cultural profile, many of whom became good friends. It seems incredible to us that a player of mixed heritage should be accused and found guilty in the way he has based on the evidence presented.
Bitch, please!
The fact that his grandfather was black and that he has black friends means absolutely nothing. It has no bearing whatsoever as to whether he abused Patrice Evra and it certainly does not give him permission to do so.
I have heard members of the Chinese diaspora complain, and make racist comments, about fellow Chinese people from other countries. I have heard Indians complain about, and make racist remarks, about Indians who have a different nationality. And I have heard people who have gay relatives abuse gay people at work.
In fact, a former colleague of mine had a gay uncle with whom he was very close and whom loved very much, but he himself was overheard bitching about an (unpopular) gay colleague with all sorts of derogatory comments and jokes about gays. When this was leaked to the HR department by one person, his defence was, of course, that he had a gay uncle and that he would “never in a million years” say something derogatory about gays. Nobody backed up the allegations, as he was a well-liked guy and HR could not sack him as it was only the testimony of one person against his. The case was closed.
The point is, human beings will always make derogatory comments about other human beings who are different. Even amongst the same race, but different nationalities! I can’t even repeat some of the things I’ve read and heard people from England, Scotland and Ireland say to each other.
So please, Liverpool, don’t play the “his grand daddy’s black and he has black friends card.” Luis Suarez is not black. He said what he said, because he is not and because Evra is. Evra was obviously riled and disturbed by what he had said and made it immediately clear to the ref.
