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General News Liam Neeson's "racist" remark

Discussion in 'Current Events, World News, & LGBT News' started by ECMember, Feb 9, 2019.

  1. ECMember

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    https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-47117177

    I heard about this recently. Bascially Liam was interviwed by a magazine and he mentioned a story about in the 70s, he heard from a female family member that she had been raped by a black man. And Liam wanted to kill that black guy, but he stacked out areas in his town for a black guy. He didn't ask her if she knew the guy's name or if he was fat or skinny, or his age, or if he was bald or had hair, or if he had glasses.

    Liam later said he is not a racist but he did reveal a bit about his upbringing of growing up in "The Troubles"(some of our friends from Ireland/UK area may know about this history than me since I am from the US) and knew family and friends that died during that time and had been exposed to that violence. I mean there is a difference between growing up in a war-torn region and having a family member being raped. I mean its difficult to put an opinion on Liam. I have seen three of his movies(Taken 1 and 2 and Cold Pursuit that just came out).

    But before all this stuff came out, can you all cite anything in the past of him saying the N word or anything of him mocking Asians or Hispanics or any non-White groups.
     
  2. I'mStillStanding

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    I’ve been following this story. He was not looking for the guy, just a “black b******” (his words). Anyone who would come up to him and could be provoked into an altercation. He wanted just to kill anyone that was a black male. Now I don’t think him sharing this story means he’s a racist now, necessarily. An idiot, yes! This was not on anyone’s radar. No one would have dug this up. He shared it to promote a movie about revenge. That shows he is at the very less insensitive to what this story demonstrates, and what POC still face in today’s society. Seeing how this past week would have been Trayvon Martin’s 24th birthday had he not been murdered by a vigilante who was not punished... or that the 5th was the 20th anniversary of the murder of Amadou Diallo who was shot 41 time by four police officers when he was reaching for his wallet for his identification. They also were found not guilty. It was horrible timing for it to be all over the place when those wounds were going to be reopened. This story isn’t something that use to happen. It still does, so people’s reaction to it is totally understandable. Just because you’ve never heard someone say something racist, or seen them mock another race, or do something disparaging doesn’t mean they aren’t. It just means they’ve not shown that side of themselves... or we just missed it. Again I’m not saying he is, I’m saying I understand how it could be interrupted that way. Promoting his new movie mattered more than considering how POC would feel seeing a story about someone a lot of people respected wanted to do the same thing that has claimed the lives of so many and still is today.
     
  3. Devil Dave

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    What angers me is the reaction of that cunt Piers Morgan, who basically compared Neeson to the KKK.

    The whole point of this is that Liam Neeson admitted to once having a prejudice, and now he is over it. That's what matters to me.

    I know lots of people, including members of my own family, who used to be homophobic. And now they aren't. I don't dwell on the fact that people I love and care about used to have nasty thoughts and said nasty things about people they were prejudiced against. It gives me hope. There are still lots of people around who have those kind of nasty hateful thoughts, but if the people I know overcame their prejudices, then so can some of these people. That's why we have our pride events, and that's why we see a lot of TV shows with diverse cast members, to reduce prejudices and promote more positive attitudes towards diversity.

    If Neeson had murdered an innocent person, then yes, he should have been punished for it, but I'm not going to condemn a respected actor over a "what if?" scenario. Because we're all capable of coming close to doing things that we're not proud of.
     
  4. KyleD

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    He definitely WAS a racist because he wanted to take revenge on any black person. If the perp was a white man he wouldn't have had that reaction. Not gonna lie but his statement definitely made my blood curl.
     
  5. Destin

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    This has nothing to do with racism. He wanted to kill a black guy because a black guy raped someone he knew. If a white guy or a latino did it instead, he would have gone white-guy or latino hunting instead. He was really stupid for admitting this and clearly had anger issues, but it's not racism to want to hurt someone that looks like a person that harmed you or your friends, just revenge on the most similar looking person you can find.
     
    #5 Destin, Feb 10, 2019
    Last edited: Feb 10, 2019
  6. Isaacsolomon

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    "This had nothing to do with racism." Gonna have to disagree here Destin. I do not mean to malign you but a) Neeson asked his friend for the race of the perpetrator straightaway and b) went looking for a random person *who happened to be of the same race* to kill him. Wanting to punish, never mind KILL, someone of the same race as someone who did a bad thing is almost the dictionary definition of racism. It's making the many culpable for the wrongdoings of one. It was a racist impulse he had, and I'm not sure he understands that even now, although that's another story. People can internalise racist ideas. They even might unlearn those ideas (not saying Neeson either has or hasn't). But it's denial to say it has 'nothing to do with racism'. I also very much doubt he would go after a white guy if the perpetrator had been white.
     
  7. I'mStillStanding

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    There is something to be said about admitting our wrong doings. But you have to always take into account when, where, and how you admit them. Was he doing this because he had some enlightened moment on racism? Is he ready to address the underlying issues that were the root cause of it, because living with this as a secret and never sharing it with anyone means they’ve not been addressed completely. Or was he doing it as a way to promote a movie about revenge? The dangerous primal instinct that takes over... I think it’s the later. I mean since he used those words. Which means he’s using it for his advantage and not really understanding the seriousness of the actions he took and the meaning of saying them aloud now. The hurt he is going to remind an entire community that they have experienced for centuries. POC are still profiled and killed today for no reason. This isn’t a, remember when scenario... it’s still happening. And it wasn’t really a what if thing... he did it. Or said he did. He strolled the streets, like a serial killer, looking for a very specific type for his victim that he wasn’t able to find.

    @Destin I agree with @Isaacsolomon on this one. It was definitely motivated by racism. And this thinking still happens today. And is still geared toward POC. Which is crazy considering all of the sexual assaults that’s coming to light from prominent white communities.

    I also don’t understand this idea of... well they said sorry we should forgive them and move on. I’m all about forgiveness! But, and maybe this is because of where and how I was raise, I also know that when we do something wrong we have to pay a price. No matter how many apologies we offer. I hate apologies because I find them often very fake! I’d rather a person just say, “you know what... I did that and it is what it is.” I’ll accept it, forgive them not forget who they are at their core and move on. There’s no action behind the words I’m sorry most of the time. They are used as a get out of jail free card. In these cases, how can one prove they are no longer prejudice, racist, sexist, homophonic, xenophobic, etc.? By offering some restorative justice! Spend sometime volunteering with the people you targeted, get educated on them and their life. Education is the cure for ignorance. Then you have only two choices... embrace your prejudices more or be truley apologetic for them which will be something everyone can see.
     
  8. KyleD

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    You have written some ridiculous stuff in the past but this has got to be among the worst. You very well know if the perpetrator was white he would NOT have gone hunting any white man to kill. It is racism to target someone for the sole reason that they are a particular race. He basically wanted an excuse to kill a black person and if you don't see that then you have racist tendencies as well.
     
  9. Destin

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    It was in Ireland. There were, and still are, barely any black people in all of Ireland. So he probably figured he had a decent chance of getting the right person based solely off skin color. The fact he was able to walk around actively looking for a black person to attack for an entire week and never found one is proof of how high his chances were of getting the right person if he did see one in that town. That's probably what he was thinking.

    If it were a white person, he probably would have been more specific like the same hair color, height etc. but yes I still believe he would have gone after a white person too if the rapist were white.
     
    #9 Destin, Feb 11, 2019
    Last edited: Feb 11, 2019
  10. KyleD

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    Having been to places in which I was the only black person that type of thinking makes me extremely uncomfortable. So you are essentially saying that in such a situation my life could be justifiably taken away. It just takes one crazy person like that to decide whether I live or die because I'm the wrong skin colour.

    You know very well he wouldn't have cared if the perpetrator was white. Black people do not all look the same but he just wanted to kill any black person because he had so much hatred for the entire race.
     
    #10 KyleD, Feb 11, 2019
    Last edited: Feb 11, 2019
  11. Nordland

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  12. smurf

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    A random black person almost got the shit beat out of them. There are so many people like Liam Neeson walking around right now looking for a random black person to take their anger out on, but you guys think that no one should be outrage by that? If you were black shit like this gets to you because this has been your whole life. You know so many other white people out there who just WANT to beat you up, but no one believes you. Then here comes a white guy admitting that he just wanted to KILL a random black guy and all the white people just can't wait to defend him.

    Lets pretend for a second that you believe this. That its understandable because he had a good chance of killing the "right" black man.

    If that is true then you are believing that white people should take justice on their own. Not go to the police or go through the justice system, but that they should just go out there and kill the person who they think might be guilty of rape. Does this not sound familiar to you? Do you know how many black men were lynched around the world because they were believed of raping white women?! Its like you are blind to the history of black people in this world.

    But let me guess, you hate illegals for braking the law, black lives matter for destroying property, and you believe Brett kavanaugh should be forgiven for his previous rape case...... but you are okay with people wanting to kill any random black guy? Interesting.
     
  13. Joe2001

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    This was nothing other than racism, let's not pretend that it isn't. The fact that he was targeting random people for the sole reason that they were black is disgusting. I get that he was upset at what had happened, but how can he just assume that because a guy is black that he was involved?

    I respect the fact that he had admitted to it and hopefully no longer has such beliefs, but you can't say it isn't racism.
     
  14. Joe2001

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    Sorry Destin, I've got to disagree here. You can't just hurt someone because they look similar to the person who harmed your loved ones. That is just targeting someone because of their race. If he somehow knew what the guy looked like in more detail, I could maybe buy your argument but what you are saying does make it sound as if you are justifying that he was wanting to target someone specifically for being black.

    Also, as a Brit, I know that countries in Europe do have plenty of black people. Obviously more today than in the 70's, but to suggest that there are/were such small numbers of them in Ireland that whoever he saw must have been the right guy is nonsense.
     
    #14 Joe2001, Feb 12, 2019
    Last edited: Feb 12, 2019
  15. Lin1

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    Lol when is the last time you have been to Ireland?

    And let's imagine your theory was actually right (it's not) and he had found a black guy and killed him, do you think that's okay? Do you actually support killing a random person because he is "likely"to have raped someone even though he would have no way to confirm it's him as he has never seen the agressor himself? Should everyone take justice into their own hands? I am sure you consider black people who are (rightfully) angry at white people for the past as unreasonable/violent and even dare I say it, racist. Yet, according to your theory, black people should be entitled to rape and murder white people on the basis of past crimes, yet Iam sure you would find the random lynching of white men/women much more problematic than the one of black individuals, why is that, Destin?

    Unless you would genuinely come here and vocally support a black guy killing a totally random white dude (who could very well be you) in revenge for somebody's rape. Trying to brush something you would have a problem with if it was reverse as something totally cool and okay is laughable.

    It was racism and you know it, and if you don't, I suggest you read about your own history and the history of lynching in America (instead of spreading false facts about ireland).

    If you are willing to pay for the crime of other random white dudes do leave a pancard at your door, I am sure plenty would take you up on it, in the meantime don't expect black people to take it and see it as reasonable.
     
    #15 Lin1, Feb 12, 2019
    Last edited: Feb 12, 2019
  16. Destin

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    I never said what he did was justifiable/understandable/right etc. just that it's entirely possible racism had nothing to do with it. Obviously killing random people on the street is wrong, and trying to hunt someone down for vigilante justice is wrong, but those things aren't necessarily driven by racism.

    To be perfectly honest, police are useless. They often never catch the person they're looking for, and even when they do they sometimes mess up the evidence somehow and a shady lawyer is able to set the guy free anyway. My apartment was broken into months ago, along with a bunch of other apartments in the area. The police still have 0 leads and one of them straight up told me and I quote "We only catch the stupid ones who leave behind fingerprints and evidence, we never find any of the others."

    I also witnessed a hit and run in front of my apartment where one car totally demolished the side of a parked car as they were pulling out of a parking spot. I submitted a police report on it since I was the only witness including the car make and model, license plate number, descriptions of both the driver and passenger, and told them where the cameras in the parking lot are that might have it recorded. Big surprise, a few months later now and they still have 0 leads. I know because they leave me voicemails occasionally on the "status of my investigations."
     
    #16 Destin, Feb 12, 2019
    Last edited: Feb 12, 2019
  17. Destin

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    The quotes in the last post got messed up somehow. The first one was supposed to be Kyle not Joe.


    According to the 2006 Irish census black people were only 1% of the population, and that's after a dramatic increase over the last few decades. In the 70's it was far lower than that, and according to forum posts from Irish people I've seen on the topic, they basically never, ever saw any black people unless it was a British soldier way back then since most towns had less than 5 black people in the entire town, often one family. It's different in modern times, but 1% still isn't very much, it's about 40,000 people.
     
  18. smurf

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    I would invite you to think about why its more insulting to you that he could be a racist than just a crazy person who wants to kill a black random person when he is mad.

    All your energy is going to defending why wanting to kill a random black person is not racist instead of being concerned about all the black people who feel they could one day be the random black person that will get killed.

    If you are appalled at his words and actions then be appalled. If you look into your posts you never mention once how disgusted you are that a human being could easily kill an innocent person on the street. You aren't concerned that people are going around towns just to be able to kill someone. Why do you spend all your time trying to defend this person, who you have no idea who he is, whether he is racist or not? Maybe if you were a scholar in race theory or had some example as to how his actions are not based on the racist trope that we must defend white women from black men.

    For some reason you are more offended at people "using the race card" than someone out there trying to kill random black people.
     
    #18 smurf, Feb 12, 2019
    Last edited: Feb 12, 2019
  19. KyleD

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    I couldn't have said it better. I really can't understand how wanting to kill a random black guy for the sole reason he is black can be considered anything but racist.
     
  20. Destin

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    Because accusations of racism (and sexism) are so over-used at this point that the word has become meaningless. Everything is supposedly racist these days. You can open almost any news story, go the comments, and find hundreds of people saying whatever happened is for racist reasons despite most of the stories having nothing to do with race. If as a white person you say anything even remotely critical of a non-white person, you're automatically labeled a racist. If you don't want to be around someone because they're an idiot, but they also happen to not be white, you're suddenly racist for not wanting to be around them even though it has nothing to do with race. It grates on me that just about anything my race does is called racist in one way or another, so I make it a point to push back against all racism accusations against anyone to balance it out a little instead of everything on the internet being an echo chamber of "omg racist!" "wow so racist!" etc. (unless it's an obvious thing with no other answer, like the KKK lynching black people just for being black with no other scenario involved type of stuff).

    I've been accused of racism so many times on here (and other majority liberal websites, although interestingly it almost never happens on conservative sites even though I post the same way) when I know I'm not racist, so I'll gladly defend anyone else against racism accusations if I can since I know how it feels to be constantly falsely accused of something that isn't true online.

    I don't feel the need to comment on the "murder is bad" parts because that's pretty standard and there's really no point in saying it when everybody already knows it. I've never seen someone be like "oh yeah murder is cool, let's murder everybody, murder is great" so what would be the point of writing a post saying it's wrong, when nobody disagrees with that to begin with.
     
    #20 Destin, Feb 12, 2019
    Last edited: Feb 12, 2019