Paid Members Carbomb Posted February 5, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted February 5, 2019 I've been trying to find full versions of the interview, but so far, all I've found is what's been posted on here. If that's all there is to it, it's not coming across well. Even though he's admitted to the thought process that took him there, he doesn't sound particularly contrite for it - more that he's trying to mitigate it through the lens of the Troubles. And he doesn't directly discuss the actual racism of that thought process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Factotum Posted February 5, 2019 Share Posted February 5, 2019 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-47133868 So he's clarified his comments a bit, as much as one can. He's pretty open about it and the shame he feels at what he was planning to do. He's stating he was massively wrong and gave into something horrible which he was shocked to find he had within him. Its quite a startling admission. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Posted February 5, 2019 Share Posted February 5, 2019 36 minutes ago, Devon Malcolm said: Similar thing is happening here with John Barnes. A whole lot of white people agreeing with him and taking the opportunity to defend Liam Neeson's comments, shielded by Barnes' views on it. Those types aren't much better than the white folk who are telling Barnes he's getting racism all wrong. Whichever way you slice it up, it'll be white people who are found at either end of the spectrum, and also in between, climbing over each other to show everyone how progressive and un-racist they are. Meanwhile, at the back of the room you'll find a few black folk just chilling out, saying "yeah, an old white dude said racist shit. What else is new?" Edit: I should also add that among the white people will be the closet and upfront racists, but that should go without saying really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Carbomb Posted February 5, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted February 5, 2019 The more I read about this issue, the more divisive it seems to have become. An excellent piece by Gary Younge here. The very last paragraph sums up my view on it: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/feb/05/liam-neeson-interview-black-people-actor-racism?CMP=fb_cif&fbclid=IwAR1zCJIxdJ29pjaxYwHrLExm1pBv32sNoVOyCMeLWK1UNFh0NyMXXhauV0k Liam Neeson’s interview shows that for some, black people are still not fully human Gary Younge When an actor admits to looking for a black man to murder, racism is not some historical problem. We are still fair game "When I was coming up in Mississippi I never knew it was against the law to kill a black man,” the late Buford Posey told me when he was 79. “I learned that when I went in the army. I was 17 years old. When they told me I thought they were joking.” I was grateful for his candour. Back in the day they used to call it “nigger hunting”. A posse of “good ol’ boys” would head out in search of a black man to pay the price for his melanin and their inadequacies. It was a relief to have a white person offer an honest reflection on the racial mores of the time. So following Liam Neeson’s recent interview we should, at the very least, admire him for his candour. For all the talk of a post-racial society and Enlightenment values, here’s a white man who admits he literally went out for a week or more looking for a black man to murder. It seems the bad old days of Buford Posey’s youth aren’t as distant a memory as some would like to think. When it comes to race and racism we are not simply far from the place many thought we were; we are not even where even more still pretend to be. The next time someone asks me why I have a chip on my shoulder, I need no longer brush the question away with disdain. I can say, with all sincerity: “Because there may well be an Oscar-nominated actor out there who wants to kill me, so I have to be alert at all times.” It is difficult to know where to start with the Neeson interview, so I guess we should start at the beginning and keep going. While promoting his film Cold Pursuit, which centres on a man’s desire for revenge, Neeson reveals his own experience of seeking vengeance. Someone close to him was raped. “My immediate reaction was …” Neeson told the Independent. “I asked, did she know who it was? No.” From here on, we are no longer talking about the woman or sexual violence. Her trauma has become a cypher for Neeson’s desire for retribution. “What colour were they?” he asked. This is an odd question. When I’ve spoken to friends who have been sexually assaulted it has never occurred to me to ask this. How does it inform your understanding of a rape or comfort the survivor if you know the race of the rapist? I cannot speak to Neeson’s motivation. I cannot tell you why he has not asked about the colour of her attacker’s eyes, his approximate age or height. But it is possible to speak to the centuries-old role that black male sexuality plays in the justification of racism in general and lynching in particular. The threat of the violation of white women by black men – both real and, more often, imagined – has long stood at the core of racist tropes and atrocities. It would make sense if the police asked the question because, along with other identifying information, it might help them find the perpetrator. But Neeson, as we soon find out, isn’t asking so he can actually bring someone to justice. Quite the opposite. “She said it was a black person.” At this point one has to wonder what would have happened if the answer had been a white person. Would Neeson have gone out looking for a “white bastard” to kill? Or would he just have killed himself? Is the race of the attacker only relevant if they are black? Or can we share this bigotry around? Neeson continues. “I went up and down areas with a cosh, hoping I’d be approached by somebody – I’m ashamed to say that – and I did it for maybe a week, hoping some ‘black bastard’ would come out of a pub and have a go at me about something, you know? So that I could … kill him.” So there it is. Neeson is angry and upset and decides to invest his rage in the collective punishment of a group of people based on the colour of their skin. It is perhaps now clearer to some why the early 21st century needed a movement called Black Lives Matter. Because the man who performed a tender love scene with Viola Davis is the same man who fantasised about killing her husband or stepson or anyone else who looked like them. Because the sanctity of black life has yet to be settled. When some white people look at us they see anything from a misplaced grievance to a cautionary tale. What they do not see are human beings. We are still fair game. This is not some historical problem. It is a lived reality. There was Gregory Alan Bush, in October, who allegedly told a witness: “Whites don’t shoot whites” after shooting two black people at a Kentucky grocery store, having first tried to gain entry to a black church; the black security guard in Chicago shot dead by police in November while doing his job; the Nashville police officer indicted last month for fatally shooting a man in the back as he ran away. We should, of course, not ignore Neeson’s shame in this. We all do things we regret. We are all fragile. It takes courage to admit the things that we are most ashamed of. Indeed from his point of view that’s the whole point of the story. “It was horrible, horrible, when I think back, that I did that,” he says. “It’s awful. And I’ve never admitted that, and I’m saying it to a journalist. God forbid.” Luckily for Neeson, the journalist was forgiving to a fault. “Is it possible to hear that said out loud or to read those words and not judge?” she asked. “Then again, think of the circumstance – he had learnt someone close to him had been raped. No one would ever want to have to confront that in their own life. Do other people react that way?” Look into your hearts and tell me who among you has not had racially motivated homicidal urges. Which of us has not been there? From here on, the focus of concern strays from the rape survivor, beyond the intended victims of his week-long racial pathology, to Neeson himself. He is the real victim here. Spare a thought for the poor fellow. It’s hard being a white guy and harbouring all this rage. There are several problems with this narrative, but for now let’s focus on just a couple. The first is that it ignores the very low bar that has been set. Since when did people get credit for confessing that they once thought about killing innocent people on the basis of their race and have since thought better of it? And second, the path to redemption storyline only works if Neeson learns something. But in his own words the moral of his story is this: “I did learn a lesson from it, when I eventually thought, ‘What the fuck are you doing,’ you know?”. That’s it? No we don’t know, Neeson. Buford Posey, I later learned, became a lifelong committed anti-racist. What the fuck are you doing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Posted February 5, 2019 Share Posted February 5, 2019 The only issue I'd take up with that article is that the headline says "Liam Neeson’s interview shows that for some, black people are still not fully human." The incident Neeson is talking about happened 40 years ago, not recently. He was in his mid-20's and it was most likely the 70's. So, I don't understand how the headline can claim that "for some, black people are still not fully human." This suggests that Neeson still thinks that way today, which it would seem isn't the case. The most mind-boggling thing about all of this is why Neeson even mentioned it? He must have known, in this day & age, that regardless of how he meant it to sound, or any good intentions he had behind talking about how he, a public figure, was so fucking wrong and on the verge of making the biggest mistake a person can make by taking an innocent life, he must have known how it would play out. You don't get to come back from that kind of thing. You'll never show enough remorse or apologise enough for any kind of positive message you hoped to put out there to work. He'll now be known as Liam Neeson the guy who wanted to kill a random black guy, Liam Neeson the guy who made it all about him, and so on. The learning from it, the possibly becoming a better person from seeking the help he said he sought out and moving past that part of his life will take a back seat to the click bait titles and social media rage. If there's a lesson to be learned, it's keep your fucking mouth shut and leave it be. Let some other schmuck talk openly about mistakes they've made and how you can learn from them and try to improve yourself. Absolute fucking madness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Carbomb Posted February 5, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted February 5, 2019 I don't think that's entirely correct - whilst Gary Younge is not the representative of all POC, he's pointed out how a racist can come back, even cited an example for reference, and, if you look at a lot of the commentary regarding this issue, there's enough of a consensus, though not a monolithic, decisive one, that it is possible to do so if it's done with honesty, good faith, and action. At the moment, Neeson's dug himself a hole. Whether or not he climbs out of it remains to be seen, and I hope he does. More than seeing a racist set down, shamed and discredited, I'd rather see a former racist earn his way back to become a strong ally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members chokeout Posted February 5, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted February 5, 2019 "Bring me my Dapper Laughs public apology clothes" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Chest Rockwell Posted February 5, 2019 Moderators Share Posted February 5, 2019 😂 Amazing. He has donned the black polar neck of contrition! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Your Fight Site Posted February 5, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted February 5, 2019 I wonder how long he spent looking for one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Factotum Posted February 5, 2019 Share Posted February 5, 2019 He's missing the black rimmed glasses Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Posted February 5, 2019 Share Posted February 5, 2019 2 hours ago, Carbomb said: I don't think that's entirely correct - whilst Gary Younge is not the representative of all POC, he's pointed out how a racist can come back, even cited an example for reference, and, if you look at a lot of the commentary regarding this issue, there's enough of a consensus, though not a monolithic, decisive one, that it is possible to do so if it's done with honesty, good faith, and action. He's also pointed out that the next time someone asks him why he has a chip on his shoulder he can tell them "with all sincerity" it's because “there may well be an Oscar-nominated actor out there who wants to kill me, so I have to be alert at all times.” That's an absolutely ridiculous thing to say. Younge then asks "At this point one has to wonder what would have happened if the answer had been a white person." Well, Neeson answered that question when he said "If she had said an Irish or a Scot or a Brit or a Lithuanian it would - I know it would - have had the same effect. "I was trying to show honour, to stand up for my dear friend in this terribly medieval fashion." So not only is he racist, but he hates the fucking Scots as well! The next time someone asks why I'm being careful on a night out I'll answer that "it's because there may well be an Oscar-nominated actor out there who wants to kill me, so I have to be alert at all times.” Younge then goes on to say "We should, of course, not ignore Neeson’s shame in this. We all do things we regret. We are all fragile. It takes courage to admit the things that we are most ashamed of. Indeed from his point of view that’s the whole point of the story. “It was horrible, horrible, when I think back, that I did that,” he says. “It’s awful. And I’ve never admitted that, and I’m saying it to a journalist. God forbid.” At which point he then goes on to thoroughly ignore Neeson's shame and mock him, before finishing up by telling us that another nasty white racist became a committed, lifelong anti-racist, while all Neeson has done is recognise and admit his own fault. Clearly that's not enough for Younge. The article is terrible. 2 hours ago, Carbomb said: At the moment, Neeson's dug himself a hole. Whether or not he climbs out of it remains to be seen, and I hope he does. More than seeing a racist set down, shamed and discredited, I'd rather see a former racist earn his way back to become a strong ally. I doubt he will in all honesty, because I don't think there's anything he can really do that will make much of a difference in many people's eyes. We're already seeing the matter being discussed as if it wasn't 40 years ago, as if he wasn't a younger, more foolish, less mature person. As if he hasn't admitted he was wrong and has been thoroughly disgusted with himself since the time it happened. Neeson later said that what he'd hoped would come from his interview was that it would help people "To talk. To open up. "We all pretend we're politically correct in this country...in mine, too. You sometimes just scratch the surface and you discover this racism and bigotry and it's there." Sadly, if anything, it'll just encourage people to keep their mouths shut. In the era of debate and discussion taking place in 280 characters or less and with accompanying hashtags there's not really much scope for serious discussion about matters as sensitive as this. You'd hope that if even one person out there, maybe a younger person who was feeling the same way for whatever reason about something similar, saw the guy from the cool movies saying this that it would maybe make them stop and think for a second, make them second guess their own attitude, it would be worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Maestro Posted February 5, 2019 Share Posted February 5, 2019 I wonder if he thought about coshing himself when he starred in Darkman? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Bellenda Carlisle Posted February 5, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted February 5, 2019 57 minutes ago, The Maestro said: I wonder if he thought about coshing himself when he starred in Darkman? Die Darkman Die Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members ColinBollocks Posted February 5, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted February 5, 2019 On 2/4/2019 at 6:44 PM, ColinBollocks said: Never thought of rebooting Death Wish as a documentary. Genius. All lovely and that, but no likes for this. You cunts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Carbomb Posted February 6, 2019 Paid Members Share Posted February 6, 2019 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.