Stevie Thommo

[cher1]

As someone in similar circumstances but a bit older than you, I fully understand what you are saying. I have three daughters and a granddaughter, and really welcome this progress. My concern is that some want to see an overnight change in attitudes, and that just isn't going to happen. When extreme examples get rammed down people's throats it can have the opposite effect. An example I mean is that a basically decent principle like political correctness has become a dirty word because extremes have been used to belittle it.

The thing is though Elite, racism and s e xism have been going on for centuries, so I don't think anyone who has faced these issues is even vaguely expecting an overnight change. It doesn't seem unreasonable to want it though.

Just as those of us who are white can't understand what racism must feel like, men will never know what s e xism is like to be on the receiving end of.

Agree that using ridiculous examples only diminishes this really serious issue. Going back to Thommo though, the multiple examples of what he actually said, rather than the initial headline, seem to me to be out of step with how society is changing. It's refreshing that some men on here can see that.

[Elite_Pie]

I'm not sure I feel that I want to take moral guidance from a generation that spawns Big Brother, Love Island, trolls others on the internet, is happier with blind dating someone they've met on the internet than someone who's tried to chat them up on the bus, rave around town on a Friday night having fueled themselves up on cheap cider wearing barely enough to cover themselves and want to party in the midst of a Covid lockdown.

That seemed a reasonable post until you mocked cheap cider. Not only that, but you restricted it to Friday nights.

You old buggers need to lighten up a bit.

[Elite_Pie]

The thing is though Elite, racism and s e xism have been going on for centuries, so I don't think anyone who has faced these issues is even vaguely expecting an overnight change. It doesn't seem unreasonable to want it though.

Just as those of us who are white can't understand what racism must feel like, men will never know what s e xism is like to be on the receiving end of.

Agree that using ridiculous examples only diminishes this really serious issue. Going back to Thommo though, the multiple examples of what he actually said, rather than the initial headline, seem to me to be out of step with how society is changing. It's refreshing that some men on here can see that.

You are correct, because in my life I've never suffered any sort of abuse due to my skin colour, gender, or s exual orientation. I realise that's because I'm a white heteros exual male, and from your posting history on here, I would guess you tick two of those three boxes. The box I think you don't tick is probably the relevant one on this thread, but it's a subject that still matters to me. I agree that the sooner it's tackled the better, but I think highlighting cases like this one (and to be honest I don't know the full story) might do more harm than good.

It's similar to what I alluding to before about political correctness becoming a term that's so loathed in general. It really is a sh!tty term, in fact what does political correctness even mean? If it had been called something sensible like 'respect and tolerance', would people be saying "here we go again, the bloody RAT brigade going round expecting us to be respectful and tolerant"?

[applepie]

It's similar to what I alluding to before about political correctness becoming a term that's so loathed in general. It really is a sh!tty term, in fact what does political correctness even mean? If it had been called something sensible like 'respect and tolerance', would people be saying "here we go again, the bloody RAT brigade going round expecting us to be respectful and tolerant"?

It would be interesting to find out who invented the term and why. I agree it’s not a very helpful one. The trouble is, whatever you call something, there are those who will turn it into a term of abuse, given the chance. “Special needs” springs to mind as an example of that - chanted in a playground.

[applepie]

Another example is “do gooders”. You would think people trying to do good would be a positive thing, but it’s used in a very negative way.

[lunaspie]

And do YOU know that the word 'religion' could be considered offensive to certain atheists?

That's often how I feel,but I never Mecca song and dance about it.

[magpie_mania]

And do YOU know that the word 'religion' could be considered offensive to certain atheists?

Why is that an offensive word? Never heard that before.

[Elite_Pie]

Why is that an offensive word? Never heard that before.

I'm not sure he was being entirely serious!

[cher1]

You are correct, because in my life I've never suffered any sort of abuse due to my skin colour, gender, or s exual orientation. I realise that's because I'm a white heteros exual male, and from your posting history on here, I would guess you tick two of those three boxes. The box I think you don't tick is probably the relevant one on this thread, but it's a subject that still matters to me. I agree that the sooner it's tackled the better, but I think highlighting cases like this one (and to be honest I don't know the full story) might do more harm than good.

It's similar to what I alluding to before about political correctness becoming a term that's so loathed in general. It really is a sh!tty term, in fact what does political correctness even mean? If it had been called something sensible like 'respect and tolerance', would people be saying "here we go again, the bloody RAT brigade going round expecting us to be respectful and tolerant"?

I completely agree about the term PC, it's a lazy and sometimes ignorant, way of dismissing a different viewpoint whilst avoiding debating the actual issues. Confess I'm a bit confused about not ticking the 'relevant' box, being female, and we're talking about s e xism, but I could be misunderstanding your post (still got a bit of a post covid foggy brain at times).

Re what started as one minor comment, it appears he actually made three ***ist remarks in 20 mins, had a previous warning 2 years ago, the BBC were responding to complaints from listeners, and he hasn't been sacked, just won't be covering games until the new year. That's slightly different to the first version of the story. You're probably not, understandably, aware of the effect of endless lower level comments like Tommo's. There's no need for it. And changing day to day language is a small step on the way to changing women's and girls' lives for the better.

As I said before, it is heartening that some (including you) want things to change.

[ForeignLegion]

Just as those of us who are white can't understand what racism must feel like, men will never know what s e xism is like to be on the receiving end of.

Well,us whitefellas over here are referred to by a percentage of the the indigenous population as ''white c***ts" for, I assume, transgressions committed during and after colonisation. I don't think anyone condones some of the disgraceful actions committed against them but, for all intents and purposes, does that not constitute racism?