Super Mario in hot water over Instagram post

[pap]

Mario Balotelli is in the news today for posting this on Instagram:-

 

 

Apology already issued. Quite a bit of this being flagged up by the media at the moment.

 

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/dec/02/mario-balotelli-liverpool-apology-instagram

Edited 2 December, 2014 by pap

[OldNick]

it is getting ridiculous.

[Unbelievable Jeff]

I'm not sure how offensive this is personally, I'm not Jewish so I'm not really the target for finding this offensive (although I know you don't have to be of that race to find something offensive).

 

Social media is such a downfall for those in the public eye, I think they'd be better off without it full stop.

[KelvinsRightGlove]

When I first opened this thread, I could only see to Mario's feet and thought "why all the fuss?". Then I scrolled down.

 

FFS, just come on. Don't be so silly. If it wasn't for the bottom bit it would be fine. Silly boy.

[pap]

When I first opened this thread, I could only see to Mario's feet and thought "why all the fuss?". Then I scrolled down.

 

FFS, just come on. Don't be so silly. If it wasn't for the bottom bit it would be fine. Silly boy.

 

This is the second time in recent weeks that the issue of Jewish people and money has come up. Now I can understand why this might have been a HUGE problem in the context of the Weimar Republic, hyper-inflation, wheelbarrows full of money etc. A specific group that appears more prosperous than others is an easy scapegoat, especially if it is culturally set apart from less prosperous groups. Ignorance flourishes, bad shít happens.

 

However, I think it is worth putting into perspective for the modern age and this country in particular. Are we virulently anti-semitic as a nation? I'd say no. Speaking personally, I'm appalled by the actions of Israel, the Jewish state, but would physically put myself in harm's way if someone was being abused here on the grounds of ethnicity and/or religion, which would include Jewish people.

 

For me, this doesn't really constitute that. There are plenty of quips that allude to someone's background or ethnicity. Balotelli implied that white men can't jump (sorta), Irish people have a rep for being somewhat simple, which manifests itself in jokes (the Irish tell the best Irish jokes, btw) and perhaps most appropriately, Scots also have a reputation for being coin-grabbers and/or tight with money.

 

There are 5m Scots in the UK. The Jewish population is between 290K and 350K. Call a Scot tight and it's banter, but Jewish stereotypes are hate crimes and national news. Now I know that the holocaust plays a huge part in this, but I wonder if this reactionary exceptionalism isn't ultimately counter-productive.

[buctootim]

When I first opened this thread, I could only see to Mario's feet and thought "why all the fuss?". Then I scrolled down.

 

FFS, just come on. Don't be so silly. If it wasn't for the bottom bit it would be fine. Silly boy.

 

It looks like Balotelli has added the bottom two lines to a pic which was otherwise fine.

[Lighthouse]

It's a bit of a lazy stereotype but is it really that offensive? I guess it's down to specific individuals if they feel offended or not.

 

TV shows like Family Guy show stuff like this all the time. I saw an episode last night when they put a bomb in a Jew's wallet which detonated when he opened it. Two weeks later he was still alive.

 

I don't think there is any malice in stuff like this as it's not really meant to be serious.

[Smirking_Saint]

Again, for a celebrity in the public eye its misguided but in the whole it really isnt that offensive. This sorta crap flies around social media sites like wildfire.

[Hatch]

I work for an israeli company and can confirm they are tight bastards.

 

And I regularly tell them so.

[KelvinsRightGlove]

This is the second time in recent weeks that the issue of Jewish people and money has come up. Now I can understand why this might have been a HUGE problem in the context of the Weimar Republic, hyper-inflation, wheelbarrows full of money etc. A specific group that appears more prosperous than others is an easy scapegoat, especially if it is culturally set apart from less prosperous groups. Ignorance flourishes, bad shít happens.

 

However, I think it is worth putting into perspective for the modern age and this country in particular. Are we virulently anti-semitic as a nation? I'd say no. Speaking personally, I'm appalled by the actions of Israel, the Jewish state, but would physically put myself in harm's way if someone was being abused here on the grounds of ethnicity and/or religion, which would include Jewish people.

 

For me, this doesn't really constitute that. There are plenty of quips that allude to someone's background or ethnicity. Balotelli implied that white men can't jump (sorta), Irish people have a rep for being somewhat simple, which manifests itself in jokes (the Irish tell the best Irish jokes, btw) and perhaps most appropriately, Scots also have a reputation for being coin-grabbers and/or tight with money.

 

There are 5m Scots in the UK. The Jewish population is between 290K and 350K. Call a Scot tight and it's banter, but Jewish stereotypes are hate crimes and national news. Now I know that the holocaust plays a huge part in this, but I wonder if this reactionary exceptionalism isn't ultimately counter-productive.

 

5m Scots is still +10x the Jewish population in the UK. It possibly also helps that they are a nation(ish) on their own as well. Where as I guess Jewish people are seen more as 'outsiders' (this is awfully clunky terminology, sorry about that), which may make it seem a bit more hostile?

 

I don't know, I guess I would agree that there is some historical aspect to it. Jewish peoples have kind of been kicked from pillar to post, never really having their own homeland and often being portrayed as the untrustworthy outsider.

 

I also think the England/Scotland/Wales and to some extent Ireland stuff is almost more like a sibling rivalry (again, probably not the best way of framing it - apologies). There is a long history between the nations and much closer links than what is a relatively small Jewish community. Don't know whether that in itself is right or wrong, but can see why it would be treated like that?

 

To put it another way (also, a bit clunky) I say things to my mates and call them names that I would never say to anything else, or would never let 'random' people get away with. Is there something similar going on here, perhaps?

[KelvinsRightGlove]

It's a bit of a lazy stereotype but is it really that offensive? I guess it's down to specific individuals if they feel offended or not.

 

TV shows like Family Guy show stuff like this all the time. I saw an episode last night when they put a bomb in a Jew's wallet which detonated when he opened it. Two weeks later he was still alive.

 

I don't think there is any malice in stuff like this as it's not really meant to be serious.

 

I'm not sure, but I thought the writers were of Jewish descent? Not that that necessarily makes it ok, but it can be perceived as more acceptable?

 

Also, it's Family Guy, it is a Comedy show. These shows have to walk that tightrope of 'pushing the boundaries' (I hate that phrase, it is used to apologies for some really crappy stuff), whereas professional footballers/athletes are expected to be a bit more clean cut. Family Guy is aimed specifically at an adult audience, whereas Mario Balotelli is seen as role model for kids due to being a footballer. There's plenty of debate to be had about whether footballers should be role models or not, but that's probably why FG and MB aren't held to the same standards.

[Jonnyboy]

I bet Dave Whelan fell off his chair lolling at that!

[pap]

I'd say it's more about hypersensitivity and an avowed intent to keep anti-semitism in the news than anything else. Looking out for instances of anti-semitism is a full time job for people like Abe Foxman and organisations like the Anti-Defamation League. The film Defamation by Yoav Shamir goes inside these organisations and explores the motivation behind them. Don't know if you've ever heard the phrase "new anti-semitism", but that was an attempt to broaden what was anti-semitic, largely because most people aren't anti-semitic in the traditional sense. The political party I belong to would be considered an example of new anti-semitism, simply because we voted to support boycotts, divestments and sanctions.

 

Closer to home, cifwatch is a pretty interesting blog.

 

http://cifwatch.com/

 

At worst, Balotelli's case is stupid stereotyping. He is not about to put on an SS uniform and start opening camps.

[buctootim]

I'd say it's more about hypersensitivity and an avowed intent to keep anti-semitism in the news than anything else. Looking out for instances of anti-semitism is a full time job for people like Abe Foxman and organisations like the Anti-Defamation League. The film Defamation by Yoav Shamir goes inside these organisations and explores the motivation behind them. Don't know if you've ever heard the phrase "new anti-semitism", but that was an attempt to broaden what was anti-semitic, largely because most people aren't anti-semitic in the traditional sense. The political party I belong to would be considered an example of new anti-semitism, simply because we voted to support boycotts, divestments and sanctions.

 

Closer to home, cifwatch is a pretty interesting blog.

 

http://cifwatch.com/

 

At worst, Balotelli's case is stupid stereotyping. He is not about to put on an SS uniform and start opening camps.

 

What would you think if someone posted "thick like a African and stinky like a Pakistani"? Is it more acceptable if you change it a bit to "Thick like a yokel and stinky like the French" and if so why?

[Lighthouse]

There are double standards when it comes to Jewish jokes I feel. Nobody bat's an eyelid when someone makes an 'Americans are stupid/fat' joke or when Americans make an 'English people have dodgy cockney accents and terrible dentistry' joke. I don't see any real difference between than and saying Jews are tight b**tards.

 

There is a danger of 'boy who cried wolf' with this. If people keep becoming offended at relatively trivial issues then they are less likely to be taken seriously in the event of actual prejudice.

[Batman]

what about pompey people?

 

please dont tell me we will not be able to ridicule them?

[pap]

What would you think if someone posted "thick like a African and stinky like a Pakistani"? Is it more acceptable if you change it a bit to "Thick like a yokel and stinky like the French" and if so why?

 

I'd think that they were a racist simpleton and would call them out on it.

 

As for the comparator, I think that's wrong too. Probably all the time I've spent in the 'Pool. I love it when people sound off on scousers. Standard response is to get them to replace every instance of the word "scouse" with the word "black", and every instance of the word "Liverpool" with the word "Africa". They tend to realise what they're doing at that point.

[buctootim]

There are double standards when it comes to Jewish jokes I feel. Nobody bat's an eyelid when someone makes an 'Americans are stupid/fat' joke or when Americans make an 'English people have dodgy cockney accents and terrible dentistry' joke. I don't see any real difference between than and saying Jews are tight b**tards.

 

There is a danger of 'boy who cried wolf' with this. If people keep becoming offended at relatively trivial issues then they are less likely to be taken seriously in the event of actual prejudice.

 

 

There are double standards - and there should be. Jokes about a Texan starving will always be funnier than ones about an Eritrean.

 

Stereotypes and jokes between similar countries and groups which have no history of being discriminated against dont cause offence. Garlicky French, fat Americans, cowardly Italians, humourless Germans ho ho ho. Its different when there is a already a significant degree of prejudice against certain groups - making jokes about them can be seen as nasty prejudice instead of being good natured joshing between rivals / peers.

Edited 2 December, 2014 by buctootim

[KingdomCome]

This is the second time in recent weeks that the issue of Jewish people and money has come up. Now I can understand why this might have been a HUGE problem in the context of the Weimar Republic, hyper-inflation, wheelbarrows full of money etc. A specific group that appears more prosperous than others is an easy scapegoat, especially if it is culturally set apart from less prosperous groups. Ignorance flourishes, bad shít happens.

 

However, I think it is worth putting into perspective for the modern age and this country in particular. Are we virulently anti-semitic as a nation? I'd say no. Speaking personally, I'm appalled by the actions of Israel, the Jewish state, but would physically put myself in harm's way if someone was being abused here on the grounds of ethnicity and/or religion, which would include Jewish people.

 

For me, this doesn't really constitute that. There are plenty of quips that allude to someone's background or ethnicity. Balotelli implied that white men can't jump (sorta), Irish people have a rep for being somewhat simple, which manifests itself in jokes (the Irish tell the best Irish jokes, btw) and perhaps most appropriately, Scots also have a reputation for being coin-grabbers and/or tight with money.

 

There are 5m Scots in the UK. The Jewish population is between 290K and 350K. Call a Scot tight and it's banter, but Jewish stereotypes are hate crimes and national news. Now I know that the holocaust plays a huge part in this, but I wonder if this reactionary exceptionalism isn't ultimately counter-productive.

 

Agree with most of this but highlighted a point I felt particularly on point.

Comedy particularly finds furtive ground in the "shock" of saying what can't be said. So if a particular subject is a definite "no-no" on the Clapham omnibus, it will definitely be the subject of comedy.

 

There is also an element of resentment felt by other groups as a result of any special consideration (both perceived and real). This often breeds contempt.

[buctootim]

I'd think that they were a racist simpleton and would call them out on it.

 

As for the comparator, I think that's wrong too. Probably all the time I've spent in the 'Pool. I love it when people sound off on scousers. Standard response is to get them to replace every instance of the word "scouse" with the word "black", and every instance of the word "Liverpool" with the word "Africa". They tend to realise what they're doing at that point.

 

As I posted below what is funny / acceptable has a lot to do with how much prejudice the butt of the joke already experiences. Scousers do probably get it more than is funny.

[pap]

As I posted below what is funny / acceptable has a lot to do with how much prejudice the butt of the joke already experiences. Scousers do probably get it more than is funny.

 

That's the thing, though. I think Jewish people are amongst the most, if not the most, protected group of people in the Western world. How many other targets of prejudice have an entire industry devoted to seeking out and highlighting instances of prejudice, and more to the point, how many get the huge amount of column inches for such minor transgressions? Would people even care about anti-semitism if the likes of the ADL didn't keep telling us it was a huge problem?

 

Now I know that there are some extreme right-wingers out there that would genuinely like to cause harm or upset to the Jewish community. If you want a story of actual anti-semitism (not the new kind) in Liverpool, then this is significantly more serious than Balotelli suggesting that a specific group of people are good at acquiring wealth.

 

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/merseyside-neo-nazis-arrested-after-planning-8072355

 

Why isn't this national news? Probably because no-one gives a toss about what right-wing thick c**ts say or do, whereas Balotelli is box-office.

[Sour Mash]

As long as it isn't threats, incitement to violence, libel/slander, people should be able to say or write whatever they want, regardless of if anyone else is offended.

[Unbelievable Jeff]

That's the thing, though. I think Jewish people are amongst the most, if not the most, protected group of people in the Western world. How many other targets of prejudice have an entire industry devoted to seeking out and highlighting instances of prejudice, and more to the point, how many get the huge amount of column inches for such minor transgressions? Would people even care about anti-semitism if the likes of the ADL didn't keep telling us it was a huge problem?

 

Now I know that there are some extreme right-wingers out there that would genuinely like to cause harm or upset to the Jewish community. If you want a story of actual anti-semitism (not the new kind) in Liverpool, then this is significantly more serious than Balotelli suggesting that a specific group of people are good at acquiring wealth.

 

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/merseyside-neo-nazis-arrested-after-planning-8072355

 

Why isn't this national news? Probably because no-one gives a toss about what right-wing thick c**ts say or do, whereas Balotelli is box-office.

 

I assume this is cos they've got lots of money...

[Unbelievable Jeff]

As long as it isn't threats, incitement to violence, libel/slander, people should be able to say or write whatever they want, regardless of if anyone else is offended.

 

Yeah, you ****ing ****tish ****wit.

[buctootim]

That's the thing, though. I think Jewish people are amongst the most, if not the most, protected group of people in the Western world. How many other targets of prejudice have an entire industry devoted to seeking out and highlighting instances of prejudice, and more to the point, how many get the huge amount of column inches for such minor transgressions? Would people even care about anti-semitism if the likes of the ADL didn't keep telling us it was a huge problem?

 

Now I know that there are some extreme right-wingers out there that would genuinely like to cause harm or upset to the Jewish community. If you want a story of actual anti-semitism (not the new kind) in Liverpool, then this is significantly more serious than Balotelli suggesting that a specific group of people are good at acquiring wealth.

 

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/merseyside-neo-nazis-arrested-after-planning-8072355

 

Why isn't this national news? Probably because no-one gives a toss about what right-wing thick c**ts say or do, whereas Balotelli is box-office.

 

 

Two separate and distinct points there - prejudice and the moronic attitude of much of media to deciding what is 'newsworthy'.

 

Extreme action tends to build extreme reaction. You cant gas six million people within the lifetime of many people who are currently in positions of power and expect no response to ensuring it never happens again. I think policies of Israel towards its neighbours and Palestinians are frequently wrong, but more importantly, hugely counter productive. As Russia has shown, you dont increase your security by bullying your neighbours and ****ing off the world community. That said you can see why they do what they do.

 

The internet has killed most serious journalism - or at least given a much bigger platform to which shoes Kylie is wearing or what Mario has said compared to 1 billion hungry people.

[pap]

Two separate and distinct points there - prejudice and the moronic attitude of much of media to deciding what is 'newsworthy'.

 

Extreme action tends to build extreme reaction. You cant gas six million people within the lifetime of many people who are currently in positions of power and expect no response to ensuring it never happens again. I think policies of Israel towards its neighbours and Palestinians are frequently wrong, but more importantly, hugely counter productive. As Russia has shown, you dont increase your security by bullying your neighbours and ****ing off the world community. That said you can see why they do what they do.

 

The internet has killed most serious journalism - or at least given a much bigger platform to which shoes Kylie is wearing or what Mario has said compared to 1 billion hungry people.

 

You make the point about Russia. Hitler fancied killing 30 million of them to make room for lebensraum. His plans were contingent on the deaths of the civilian population. His actions eventually led to the deaths of at least 20 million Soviets. As we've gotten further away from the horrors of general war in the 1940s, most have moved on, including the former citizens of the Soviet Union.

 

We're allowed to say that Russia is homophobic based on their decision to ban the promotion of a homosexual lifestyle to minors, despite the fact that Hitler tried to eliminate them too.

 

No-one bats an eyelid when Balotelli talks about black people being able to jump, despite three hundred years of Africans being enslaved and deprived of their identities in the indentured service of whites.

 

However, it's not ok to suggest that Jews are great at acquiring wealth, despite evidence to the contrary. Said this in the Whelan chat, but Jewish people are the top-performing religious group in the US when it comes to per capita wealth.

 

The hyper-sensitivity and organised lobbying interests are why this is a story. The media should absolutely be plastering genuine cases of anti-semitic abuse in the national press, but if it does so, it needs to be even-handed and make prevention from prejudice a priority for all. This is cry wolf crap that'll ultimately lead to the Gentile population becoming disengaged with the genuine issues Jewish people face.

[Lighthouse]

Two separate and distinct points there - prejudice and the moronic attitude of much of media to deciding what is 'newsworthy'.

 

Extreme action tends to build extreme reaction. You cant gas six million people within the lifetime of many people who are currently in positions of power and expect no response to ensuring it never happens again. I think policies of Israel towards its neighbours and Palestinians are frequently wrong, but more importantly, hugely counter productive. As Russia has shown, you dont increase your security by bullying your neighbours and ****ing off the world community. That said you can see why they do what they do.

 

The internet has killed most serious journalism - or at least given a much bigger platform to which shoes Kylie is wearing or what Mario has said compared to 1 billion hungry people.

 

The joke posted by Mario (and the comments made by Dave Whelan) have nothing to do with the Holocaust. You can't use the gas chambers as an argument against Jews being money grabbers because the two are completely unrelated.

 

How many Englishman, Scotsman and Irishman jokes have you heard where the punchline is the Irishman saying or doing something a bit thick? Imagine if every time you said a joke like that, an Irishman said, 'oh you can't say that about the Irish... something about the IRA etc. etc.'

[buctootim]

You make the point about Russia. Hitler fancied killing 30 million of them to make room for lebensraum. His plans were contingent on the deaths of the civilian population. His actions eventually led to the deaths of at least 20 million Soviets. As we've gotten further away from the horrors of general war in the 1940s, most have moved on, including the former citizens of the Soviet Union.

 

We're allowed to say that Russia is homophobic based on their decision to ban the promotion of a homosexual lifestyle to minors, despite the fact that Hitler tried to eliminate them too.

 

No-one bats an eyelid when Balotelli talks about black people being able to jump, despite three hundred years of Africans being enslaved and deprived of their identities in the indentured service of whites.

 

However, it's not ok to suggest that Jews are great at acquiring wealth, despite evidence to the contrary. Said this in the Whelan chat, but Jewish people are the top-performing religious group in the US when it comes to per capita wealth.

 

The hyper-sensitivity and organised lobbying interests are why this is a story. The media should absolutely be plastering genuine cases of anti-semitic abuse in the national press, but if it does so, it needs to be even-handed and make prevention from prejudice a priority for all. This is cry wolf crap that'll ultimately lead to the Gentile population becoming disengaged with the genuine issues Jewish people face.

 

There's an obvious contradiction in your post. Yes Russia suffered a similar experience to the Jews at hands of the Nazis - and guess what? its lead to similar foreign policy to Israel's based on an obsessive concern about security and defence of the homeland.

[pap]

There's an obvious contradiction in your post. Yes Russia suffered a similar experience to the Jews at hands of the Nazis - and guess what? its lead to similar foreign policy to Israel's based on an obsessive concern about security and defence of the homeland.

 

There's no contradiction, and to equate Stalin's carve-up of post-WW2 Europe to the pre-traumatic stress disorder going on in Israel is nonsense. It was more a case of "we've won this war, the Red Army is already in Eastern Europe and who the f**k is going to stop us?".

 

Besides, you're allowed to say what you want about the Russians.

[Saint Mikey]

You make the point about Russia. Hitler fancied killing 30 million of them to make room for lebensraum. His plans were contingent on the deaths of the civilian population. His actions eventually led to the deaths of at least 20 million Soviets. As we've gotten further away from the horrors of general war in the 1940s, most have moved on, including the former citizens of the Soviet Union.

 

We're allowed to say that Russia is homophobic based on their decision to ban the promotion of a homosexual lifestyle to minors, despite the fact that Hitler tried to eliminate them too.

 

No-one bats an eyelid when Balotelli talks about black people being able to jump, despite three hundred years of Africans being enslaved and deprived of their identities in the indentured service of whites.

 

However, it's not ok to suggest that Jews are great at acquiring wealth, despite evidence to the contrary. Said this in the Whelan chat, but Jewish people are the top-performing religious group in the US when it comes to per capita wealth.

 

The hyper-sensitivity and organised lobbying interests are why this is a story. The media should absolutely be plastering genuine cases of anti-semitic abuse in the national press, but if it does so, it needs to be even-handed and make prevention from prejudice a priority for all. This is cry wolf crap that'll ultimately lead to the Gentile population becoming disengaged with the genuine issues Jewish people face.

 

This surely has more to do with the fact that this was a big part of Hitler's propaganda to blame the Jews in Germany for the economic problems at the time, helping him to turn Germans against Jewish Germans? The message was basically, you've got no money or businesses because the Jews have taken it all and we are going to take it all back and you will help us. Voicing this sort of opinion, when we know everything that happened in the aftermath of this, means people instantly link the two.

[mcjwills]

Can I be offended by the film title White Men can't Jump

[pap]

This surely has more to do with the fact that this was a big part of Hitler's propaganda to blame the Jews in Germany for the economic problems at the time, helping him to turn Germans against Jewish Germans? The message was basically, you've got no money or businesses because the Jews have taken it all and we are going to take it all back and you will help us. Voicing this sort of opinion, when we know everything that happened in the aftermath of this, means people instantly link the two.

 

Yeah, but how many governments do we have in power that would do the same things as Hitler's lot? The implication is that we've learned f**k all from our previous mistakes, when the evidence says that we have. There hasn't been a general war in Europe since 1945, and with political integration projects like the EU, that prospect gets even farther away. You could argue we've learned, at least on the "general war in Europe is a really bad thing, m'kay" front. Perhaps not so bright in other parts of the world.

 

Anyways, there are plenty of ethnic groups that are well-known for being flush with financial resource. How many people bought into the Fake Sheik idea because of their pre-existing prejudice that Arabs are oil-rich? Are they off the coast of Qatar, ready to exterminate the cash rich despots in the area? Of course not.

 

Hitler isn't around anymore and his ideas no longer hold any traction with the vast majority of the Western world, certainly not at the level where governments are ever going to encourage the active abuse of Jews because the stereotype says they've a bit more cash.

[pap]

Can I be offended by the film title White Men can't Jump

 

Are you offended by that film title?

 

I suspect you'll be about as offended as a black dude when a "racist" white girl assumes he has a big chopper.

[buctootim]

There's no contradiction, and to equate Stalin's carve-up of post-WW2 Europe to the pre-traumatic stress disorder going on in Israel is nonsense. It was more a case of "we've won this war, the Red Army is already in Eastern Europe and who the f**k is going to stop us?".

 

Besides, you're allowed to say what you want about the Russians.

 

 

Stalin has been dead for 60 years and wasn't Russian anyway. There is a real post traumatic stress disorder in Russia due to WW2 and Stalin's own purges . The fact we heard less about it than the holocaust is probably due to the secretive nature of communist governments. Genuine question. Did you know there was a famine in China 1959-1961 that killed between 25-40million people? I didn't until fairly recently. Why did this enormous event bypass the consciousness of most people?

 

We all know that what we are taught and what we read is selective, dependent on where we live and the interests of our teachers. That doesnt make the one we know more about a Jewish conspiracy.

[pap]

Stalin has been dead for 60 years and wasn't Russian anyway. There is a real post traumatic stress disorder in Russia due to WW2 and Stalin's own purges . The fact we heard less about it than the holocaust is probably due to the secretive nature of communist governments. Genuine question. Did you know there was a famine in China 1959-1961 that killed between 25-40million people? I didn't until fairly recently. Why did this enormous event bypass the consciousness of most people?

 

We all know that what we are taught and what we read is selective, dependent on where we live and the interests of our teachers. That doesnt make the one we know more about a Jewish conspiracy.

 

I knew about millions dying of starvation under Mao's reorganisation. Bit sketchy on dates; so honest answer without looking it up is "possibly".

 

No-one is talking about a Jewish conspiracy apart from you, mush. FWIW though, I certainly am not an advocate. My experience of Israelis in particular is that they don't give a f**k what they say or who they say it to. Hasbara is not a conspiracy; it's practiced in the open.

[Patrick Bateman]

Mario Balotelli is in the news today for posting this on Instagram:-

 

 

Apology already issued. Quite a bit of this being flagged up by the media at the moment.

 

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/dec/02/mario-balotelli-liverpool-apology-instagram

 

Simple answer; Never post anything on the internet and certainly not social media. Especially if you are more in the public eye.

[pap]

Simple answer; Never post anything on the internet and certainly not social media. Especially if you are more in the public eye.

 

Both myself and Sideshow Bob appreciate you posting on the Internet to make your point

[badgerx16]

Balotelli's foster mother is a Jewish descendant of holocaust survivors.

Not sure how this affects the perception of his message, but it might reflect on how he views it.

[pap]

Balotelli's foster mother is a Jewish descendant of holocaust survivors.

Not sure how this affects the perception of his message, but it might reflect on how he views it.

 

A fact he mentioned very soon afterwards. I'd be entirely unsurprised if Balotelli hadn't spent considerable time discussing both the external perception of blacks and Jews in Italy. Similarly, my grandfather is feted as having the best cache of Pakistani jokes going.

 

I was at the Comedy Store in London a few weeks ago. A Jewish comedian by the name of Ian Stone devoted about a third of his act to external perceptions of Muslims as terrorists. Baron Sacha Cohen did one movie where he denigrated Kazahkstan, and another where he played a tinpot Arab dictator. If a Kazakh-British or an Arab-British comedian did an entire film lampooning the stereotype of Jewish avarice, he'd probably be pulled up on hate charge crimes, like Deudonne was in France for having a pop at Zionism in his shows.

 

I think much of the reason anti-semitism still exists in the public consciousness is precisely because of organisations like the ADL and blogs like cifwatch. ADL in particular needs to be seen to be combating anti-semitism, so purposefully creates mountains out of molehills to justify itself to its backers. Hypothetically, if all anti-semitism genuinely ended tomorrow, what would the ADL do exactly?

[mcjwills]

Can I be offended by the film title White Men can't Jump

 

Are you offended by that film title?

 

I suspect you'll be about as offended as a black dude when a "racist" white girl assumes he has a big chopper.

 

I first read the jumps like a black man as a reference to the stereotypical basketball player.

[Patrick Bateman]

Both myself and Sideshow Bob appreciate you posting on the Internet to make your point

 

I do see the irony, but I can caveat it by saying that I'm not in the public eye, nor posting anything controversial

[Saint in Paradise]

I have read somewhere that "there is a difference between what many/most people might think and (UK) government

policy,following the Report of the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry in 1999, which defined a racist incident as "any incident

which is perceived to be racist by the victim or any other person."

 

Could this mean that anyone with a grudge against you could therefore "perceive" anything you say as being racist or

could claim to be offended even if they hear you talking to someone other than them. Most people have banter between

mates that they wouldn't dream of using against someone they didn't know very well but it appears to me that you could

still get into serious trouble.

 

A very slippery *path IF true.

 

*( I substituted my original word in case someone was offended even though I wasn't intending too ).

[pap]

If that is accurate, then it sounds dangerously subjective. Thing is, all has to be proven, and the burden of proof is "satisfied so that you are sure". If they're caught on camera and whatnot, and that footage convinces a jury, then fair enough. If it's one person's word against another, then it becomes more difficult. May not even get to a court.

 

Moving back to the specifics of the topic, I'm thinking Balotelli may have unwittingly done the world a bit of a favour. It's plain that he's no racist or anti-semite, so it puts the hysteria into a bit of context.

[Halo Stickman]

I suspect you'll be about as offended as a black dude when a "racist" white girl assumes he has a big chopper.

 

That young lady needs to open the following link:

 

http://small-penis-facts.com/?page_id=19

[pap]

Charged by the FA. Faces a maximum five game ban.

 

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/liverpool-fc-striker-mario-balotelli-8236631

 

It's an interesting outcome when compared with Nicolas Anelka's hounding out of the game. For starters, most had to have Anelka's transgression explained to them, whereas Balotelli's message was easier to see for the layman.

 

Balotelli said sorry immediately too. Gotta wonder whether that factors in.

[Crazy Diamond]

I'd like to point out that the post comes from 'the lad bible' - 'lad culture' needs to be stamped out or we risk another generation of young men acting like c*nts and thinking it's acceptable.

[pap]

I'd like to point out that the post comes from 'the lad bible' - 'lad culture' needs to be stamped out or we risk another generation of young men acting like c*nts and thinking it's acceptable.

 

Was the purple offensive stuff on the LADS bible?