No excuses for the racists who shame their generation
SHOULD pessimism and gloom threaten to overwhelm you at the start of a new decade, simply look to the youth of today. And know that the kids are truly all right. This is certainly the case when it comes to the recurring scourge of racism at football. Ask a random 20-year-old and they’ll be absolutely astounded that anyone should fall back on racially inappropriate language as an automatic reaction to an opposing player getting under their skin. For those raised with a more complete understanding of what is and isn’t offensive to those on the receiving end, it beggars belief that this is still an issue.
Sadly, barely a month goes by without fresh allegations and accusations of footballers being abused for having the ‘wrong’ skin colour, country of origin or religious background. It doesn’t matter that, in many of those cases, the perpetrators will flat-out deny being actual bona fide racists. Stopping just short of the ‘but I have lots of black friends…’ defence, they’ll point to supporting players of colour in their own team as self-evident proof of, well, something or other. Their argument roughly breaks down as: ‘Because I don’t abuse all black players, only those who play for our rivals, I can’t possibly be prejudiced.’ Right.
Then there’s the sub-set who hide behind the banter excuse. They don’t really mean anything by it, honest. It’s just that they’ve grown up watching the Black And White Minstrel Show, Alf Garnett and Love Thy Neighbour… and that kind of deep, cultural baggage doesn’t shift easily. Those lessons learned in front of the gogglebox, they occasionally come creeping back to the surface in moments of weakness. The problem with this logic? Simply admitting that middle-aged white men are inherently prone to stupid and unfeeling insensitivity, typified by slipping into casual misogyny, homophobia or even racism, isn’t good enough. Guys, listen up. As a demographic, we’re still reaping the rewards of structures put in place in a far less enlightened age. Take a look at parliament or the upper echelons of every major industry for confirmation of that. In exchange, being asked to keep a constant check on our most distasteful instincts — basically just not using horribly offensive language at the drop of a hat or the blowing of a kiss — isn’t a bad deal. At least until the next generation, more diverse, more sensitive and far more deserving of the honour, can elbow us out of the way and build a better world.