Sky_Blue_Dreamer
Well-Known Member
I don't get just abusing players (certainly your own) but I understand exasperation at individuals for mistakes and poor decisions, and even collectively booing of the team at full time for a poor performance.
Issues such as racism and sexism are still very much alive, though I do honestly believe they are changing slowly. The fact there is a long-standing joke about people squirming over granny/grandad's comments indicate to me it's slowly improving but has a long way to go. I don't doubt that a few generations from now our grandkids will be embarrassed by stuff we say as it's not deemed acceptable any more.
The advent of mobile phone cameras does allow it to be highlighted more in society and while I think overall incidents are reducing, more incidents are being shown than previously and those suffering the abuse feel more empowered to report it and that something might get done.
But neither do I think abuse of black players by white fans is necessarily racist in nature - often it's just because said player has been shit. Undoubtedly some of the abuse is racist in nature and those people should be made an example of, but I think it's a very dangerous idea to make the assumption a black player being booed by a white fan is automatically racism. I've seen black guys in pubs during England games abuse Rooney. When Beckham got sent off in the WC everyone in the place regardless of race was apoplectic at him - were the black people there doing it because they're racist? No.
We're still a massively white majority country so any racist incidents are far more likely to be white aggression on other minorities, but I very much doubt a similar mindset doesn't exist the other way round as well.
Issues such as racism and sexism are still very much alive, though I do honestly believe they are changing slowly. The fact there is a long-standing joke about people squirming over granny/grandad's comments indicate to me it's slowly improving but has a long way to go. I don't doubt that a few generations from now our grandkids will be embarrassed by stuff we say as it's not deemed acceptable any more.
The advent of mobile phone cameras does allow it to be highlighted more in society and while I think overall incidents are reducing, more incidents are being shown than previously and those suffering the abuse feel more empowered to report it and that something might get done.
But neither do I think abuse of black players by white fans is necessarily racist in nature - often it's just because said player has been shit. Undoubtedly some of the abuse is racist in nature and those people should be made an example of, but I think it's a very dangerous idea to make the assumption a black player being booed by a white fan is automatically racism. I've seen black guys in pubs during England games abuse Rooney. When Beckham got sent off in the WC everyone in the place regardless of race was apoplectic at him - were the black people there doing it because they're racist? No.
We're still a massively white majority country so any racist incidents are far more likely to be white aggression on other minorities, but I very much doubt a similar mindset doesn't exist the other way round as well.