Blades Against Racism

[Steve Mackan]

They do.

We, after calling them out in the stands at Bradford away, only for them to continue (albeit slightly reduces ferocity), reported someone... They were later dealt with and banned.

What's the app?

 

[yorkshirecoast]

For me. This is a moment. All of you - raging & frothing about Black Lives Matter, taking the knee, fist salutes. The players and club by their actions have given the rest of us permission, space, courage to say, simply, you're wrong. You're on a different side of a line to us, & I've got Jack O'Connell on my side. Who the fuck have you got? A moment.

I can’t tell if you are being serious or not but if you honestly believe that all the players support BLM then you are wrong. This is a Premier League initiative supported by a media frenzy and it would take an extremely brave player to openly oppose it.

And suggesting that those Blades fans who support tackling racism but disagree with much of what BLM stands for are on a different side/page to the club we all love is pathetic and as bonkers as some of BLM’s stated aims.

 

[metalblade]

I've been on this Forum for a long long time and I have read some right shite over the years but recently the shite has got to a whole new level. How many have actually done the research into what BLM really stands for? How many of the players each match day really are only taking the knee because they are scared of the inevitable abuse they and their families will get if the are not SEEN to be supporting the latest thing the Marxist left have picked up on? How many posters on this thread think they must be SEEN to be supporting BLM? It seems to me if you are not SEEN to be supporting BLM then as one poster put it you must be a Brexit voting bigot or as others see it you are most likely a white, fat, bald, ugly, misogynistic knuckle dragging thug and probably a Neo Nazi as well. What a load of shite. We have had years of this Marxist shit over brexit, then it was climate change now it is racism or anything else they can attach themselves to to cause chaos and bring down capitalism. Does pulling down, defacing statues or rewriting history really do anything for equality and reducing racism? .............. No. Does attacking the Police and rioting actually do anything to reduce racism? ............ No if anything it just reinforces it, I will never understand how looting and burning down shops and business' in your own community will ever make your life better. Strange times.

 

[Steve Mackan]

There is - or should be - a difference between thinking that black lives matter as an idea, I agree btw, and supporting Black Lives Matter as an organisation which has some very dodgy views lurking behind that slogan.

It reminds me of Stop the War. Lots of people who were opposed to the war were sucked into what was basically an SWP front, far more than the SWP could ever get on board by calling themselves by their name. How many people in the U.K. saying/posting/wearing ‘Black Lives Matter’ know that that organisation wants to abolish prisons?

This is an important point. People - me included - don't feel duped by some spurious links to Marxism. It's a moment. If we want to debate the merits of theories of surplus value in late capitalism, then we're not going to find much of that in the BLM hashtags. Because, to most people, BLM is not and has never been about Marxism.

 

[pommpey]

pommpey
From what you've seen & heard (for eg the Original Post, the Sheffield Star article, Wilder's interview) from & about the Blades Against Racism "campaign", how would you describe yourself? For? Against? Undecided? How strongly?

Think I have made it very clear Phil. With regard your mission to rid football (and life) of racism, completely behind, without reservation.

Anything involving taking a knee, pointless gesture politics. Anything involving supremacy symbology, inflammatory gesture politics. Anything involving Black Lives Matter dangerous, naive virtue signalling.

Note the distinct difference between the two. One is an ongoing 'way of life' system, the other is fraught with ruining everything we do.

pommpey

 

[Ball_Sup (Phil)]

I can’t tell if you are being serious or not but if you honestly believe that all the players support BLM then you are wrong. This is a Premier League initiative supported by a media frenzy and it would take an extremely brave player to openly oppose it.

And suggesting that those Blades fans who support tackling racism but disagree with much of what BLM stands for are on a different side/page to the club we all love is pathetic and as bonkers as some of BLM’s stated aims.

I'm being serious. I honestly believe all players have Black Lives Matter logos on their shirts. And I honestly believe that is being seen by the worldwide TV audience. I don't believe they are all being forced to do it by the media. I'm not complicating it - you can see the logos, you can see the knee.

 

[true99blade]

I've been on this Forum for a long long time and I have read some right shite over the years but recently the shite has got to a whole new level.

The irony.

 

[Steve Mackan]

I've been on this Forum for a long long time and I have read some right shite over the years but recently the shite has got to a whole new level. How many have actually done the research into what BLM really stands for? How many of the players each match day really are only taking the knee because they are scared of the inevitable abuse they and their families will get if the are not SEEN to be supporting the latest thing the Marxist left have picked up on? How many posters on this thread think they must be SEEN to be supporting BLM? It seems to me if you are not SEEN to be supporting BLM then as one poster put it you must be a Brexit voting bigot or as others see it you are most likely a white, fat, bald, ugly, misogynistic knuckle dragging thug and probably a Neo Nazi as well. What a load of shite. We have had years of this Marxist shit over brexit, then it was climate change now it is racism or anything else they can attach themselves to to cause chaos and bring down capitalism. Does pulling down, defacing statues or rewriting history really do anything for equality and reducing racism? .............. No. Does attacking the Police and rioting actually do anything to reduce racism? ............ No if anything it just reinforces it, I will never understand how looting and burning down shops and business' in your own community will ever make your life better. Strange times.

You going to boo when they take the knee when we're back in the stands?

 

[Dkc]

A study published at the end of last month (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/53226508) showed a marked difference between the language used to describe the play and personal characteristics of players with lighter skin tones (intelligence, work ethic) and players with darker skin tones (pace, power, aggression). That simple football cliché is barely noticeable to those of us privileged enough for it not to affect us, but it isn't that much of a leap to suggest a link between language which doesn't recognise black players as intelligent and a lack of black players moving into roles such as management, where intelligence might be seen as a desirable characteristic.

I spotted that study. I wasn't sure that it demonstrated subconscious racism on the part of commentators and whether it demonstrated any relevance to the perceived lack of black managers in the top divisions. I thought maybe commentators were describing certain players as being pacy and powerful because they are.

It is obvious that we have lots of players in the PL whose origins are different. Apart from the obvious skin tone differences, there are other physical differences between players. Players with Asian origins, for example, tend not to be as tall and stocky as Scandinavian players, who tend to be tall and strong. Spanish and Italian players tend to be slightly shorter and less stocky. There are exceptions, but it is a fact that people of different origins tend to have physical differences.

Sportsmen with origins in West Africa - Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Ghana etc - are often tall, strong and fast. It's a fact. Think Pogba, Antonio, Balotelli, Drogba. However, such traits cannot and are not applied to all "black" players. If a player's origins are from East Africa, they are often physically shorter and not as stocky. They are thus less likely to be described as "powerful" or "aggressive".

A lot of British and French players with origins in West Africa are playing in our top divisions, as well as players from West Africa itself. And most who become pros do tend to be tall and stocky, with pace and power. Saying this isn't racism, it's a fact. Obviously it doesn't apply to all players with origins in W Africa, but the fastest, toughest players will be in demand regardless of skin tone, as such traits are condusive to being a good footballer

Certainly, not all white players are "intelligent" or are described that way. If a player makes an intelligent pass it is described as such regardless of his skin tone. And if a player is fast and powerful, that's how he is described.

The fact is that we have many black players in the English leagues that are tall and powerful. Should they not be described as such if they are?

 

[him behind you]

To be clear.

It would not surprise me one jot if the majority (not all) of genuine racists live in or around the London area. That a higher overall percentage of that particular population are racist.

I could be wrong !!

UTB

You only need to look at where the EDF and their mates were holding their rallies last year to see that it's not just London. Bradford, Rotherham, Burnley, Oldham, rochdale etc. etc. suggests to me that there are loads of problems in the North too mate.

 

[FleaPitBlade]

"Black Lives Matter" is just three words.

It can be anything the speaker of it wants or needs it to be. Just like I say and support the concept of "Up The Blades" despite the fact there as people within that umbrella I wholeheartedly disagree with about a whole myriad of things.

There are undoubtedly some nob heads who have jumped on the cause for their own, entirely seperate, ends across the whole political and societal spectrums. They've achieved nothing but raising a question mark over the movement. That was probably their aim. Don't buy it.

 

[bladesmanluke]

Had thought of this.

I'm sure some software could be created where special words and phrases would be picked up with an alert system with all else deleted.

So saying the 'n word' would automatically flash up, then stewards remove you then information passed onto the police.

In 10 years time there'd be someone on here advocating for swear words to be added to the database of trigger words along with the sound of booing

 

[pommpey]

Because, to most people, BLM is not and has never been about Marxism.

But it IS about Marxism. As I have said, if the National Front was funding Cancer Research , would you wear their badges on your football shirt and do a Nazi salute? BLM want the capitalist system demolished (god knows to be replaced by what) and the law enforcing and upholding system dismantled and prisons emptied. What kind of madness is this? Capitalism may impoverish a substantial amount of individuals but in the same breath, it has provenly lifted many more out of poverty and provided economic growth. The system itself, because of it's inherent meritocratic construct provides more opportunities than say socialism or communism for every individual and their families to move through social boundaries and also - key to recent times - be resilient to economic hardship and national crises. They want that gone, and anyone who knows a scintilla of Karl Marx's well-intended, observationally sound and seemingly brilliant ideas they are perfectly sound, if your population is a non-aspirational, inhuman set of compliant robots, content with remaining at the behest of a giant inflexible and inherently corruptible system. Show me a successful Marxist or Leninist political country. Show me how it has worked and how it's people have prospered, and get this, for it to even theoretically work, the whole fucking planet has to be levelled to the same standard. You won't do that without it eventually resulting in nuclear annihilation.

So align yourself with BLM, align yourself with the politics and bolster the racists numbers. Want to stop racism? Get off your fucking knees, stop holding your millionaire fists in the air and help deny the bastards who think black people are subhuman their bandwidth and freedoms.

pommpey

 

[Ball_Sup (Phil)]

FFS. Is that it? Is that what we've got? The players don't really mean it. They're doing it because it helps their careers. They're doing it because they have to. Someone's subconsciously forcing them. Take that argument to the players themselves. It just sounds right out there in the place with clouds & cuckoos to me. Is that it?

 

[metalblade]

You going to boo when they take the knee when we're back in the stands?

Back at yer, will you be going out pulling down statues or on the next riot?

 

[Worksop II]

You going to boo when they take the knee when we're back in the stands?

You know one day it is gonna stop, you going to jeer then ?

 

[Ball_Sup (Phil)]

Back at yer, will you be going out pulling down statues or on the next riot?

I'm a Blades fan. On a Blades Forum. I support a team whose players are wearing the Black Lives Matter logo. Whose players are taking the knee. I fully accept that others may disagree with those players. I do feel they should just honestly come out & say The Players Are Wrong. Rather than hide behind The Players Are Too Thick To Know What They're Doing. I won't be booing when the players take a knee. But, I'll tell you what, if Utd wear Tear Down The Statutes logos. I'll nice & calmly say - I don't agree with that. If Utd wear Next Riot Now logos. I'll nice and calmly say - I don't agree with that. But, tomorrow, they'll be wearing BLM logos. So I'll stay on that.

 

[Jan Age]

We are all human beings flying around on a massive rock in the middle of a vast expanse. We, eat, breath and shot just like everyone else. We have one world that we all share and if we, as a race, cannot get along now despite all our intelligence we are fucked

 

[metalblade]

You know one day it is gonna stop, you going to jeer then ?

See the inference is if you don't take the knee or support a clearly Marxist movement you are a racist, it is pathetic.

 

[Ball_Sup (Phil)]

You going to boo when they take the knee when we're back in the stands?

Dear Mr Mackan
I find that a challenging question. I wonder whether that was your intention. I myself will not be booing. But, if other readers are so incensed by the knee, they will have a difficult choice to make. Openly boo their team or be somehow complicit in an apparent Marxist Organisation. I wonder which they will choose.
I doubt my comments will help them in their dilemma.
Yours respectfully, etc

 

[Worksop II]

See the inference is if you don't take the knee or support a clearly Marxist movement you are a racist, it is pathetic.

I dont think we are quite there yet on this thread, but we are close .........

 

[Rodley]

I think it’s just some players saying “please don’t be racist”. I’m not sure Didzy has a well thumbed copy of Das Kapital in his glovebox. I think most just view it as that and are wholly supportive.

 

[west_yorks_blade]

I dont think we are quite there yet on this thread, but we are close .........

Quite - And people here scoff at the pigs North Korea Talk.
Don’t actively participate in groupthink and you are therefore in the opposition Camp.
it’s what extremists on both sides want. I’ll choose to support what I want in the way I think is appropriate.

 

[Dkc]

For me. This is a moment. All of you - raging & frothing about Black Lives Matter, taking the knee, fist salutes. The players and club by their actions have given the rest of us permission, space, courage to say, simply, you're wrong. You're on a different side of a line to us,

I don't think anyone is "raging & frothing about Black Lives Matter". There are plenty of worthy causes in the UK and anti racism is certainly one of them. But, it seems, we can't have an intelligent debate about whether taking the knee before every game, getting rid of names on shirts in favour of the phrase, "Black Lives Matter" etc etc is perhaps a little disproportionate.

I've got Jack O'Connell on my side. Who the fuck have you got?

Your attempt to depict this debate as an "us and them" scenario is divisive. It implies that we either wholeheartedly support taking the knee, getting rid of names on shirts etc, or we oppose BLM and are thus "part of the problem" (in other words we support the racists).

Seriously, neither JOC or any other player is going to refuse to take the knee or object to his name being removed from his shirt to make a point of principle on gesture politics that is unrelated to racism. In the current climate, he would risk being accused of not supporting Black Lives Matter and crucified on social media. It would be akin to not wearing the poppy.

The BLM "manifesto" is quite radical and doesn't only deal with racism, which is an important point. But more than that, it's the idea that supporting worthy causes (in this case anti racism) should have such a visible impact on our game, week after week, and no one is seemingly allowed to question it all.

 

[Ball_Sup (Phil)]

I dont think we are quite there yet on this thread, but we are close .........

I am very happy to continue to state my position. If you do not agree with players wearing BLM logos. If you do not agree with players taking the knee. If you do not agree with players using the fist salute. I do not think you are a Racist. I will however, nudge you, you're out of step with the players & club. You're on a different side of a line to the players & club. They've made it clear - they support wearing the Logo, taking the knee, saluting the salute. Maybe they're right. Maybe you're right. But you can't both be right.

 

[Freddy Dunning-Kruger]

For me. This is a moment. All of you - raging & frothing about Black Lives Matter, taking the knee, fist salutes. The players and club by their actions have given the rest of us permission, space, courage to say, simply, you're wrong. You're on a different side of a line to us, & I've got Jack O'Connell on my side. Who the fuck have you got? A moment.

Are we playing Top Trumps? Do we decide which side is right or wrong based on who would win a fist fight? You've made your position clear, others take a different view - going back and forth on here isn't actually going to change anyone's mind about BLM. Not that it matters, but I've got Thomas Sowell on my side - and that's good enough for me.

 

[FMBlade1]

In 10 years time there'd be someone on here advocating for swear words to be added to the database of trigger words along with the sound of booing

Perhaps. Perhaps the list of 'banned words and phrases' could be compiled by the fans group on a mutually agreed basis?

 

[Dkc]

.I support a team whose players are wearing the Black Lives Matter logo. But, I'll tell you what, if Utd wear Tear Down The Statutes logos. I'll nice & calmly say - I don't agree with that.

The BLM movement supports tearing down statues.

 

[yorkshirecoast]

I'm being serious. I honestly believe all players have Black Lives Matter logos on their shirts. And I honestly believe that is being seen by the worldwide TV audience. I don't believe they are all being forced to do it by the media. I'm not complicating it - you can see the logos, you can see the knee.

The reaction on a wide range of social media would suggest the majority of people support tackling racism but don’t agree with much of what BLM stands for. Footballers taking the knee or wearing logos won’t change that. And as I said previously, many footballers will be uncomfortable with it anyway.

I do think some on the extreme left of politics are trying to hijack this though. However, as with the recent election I think they will ultimately be very disappointed. Good.

I think I’ve said my bit on this now so I’ll leave it to you to have the final say...

 

[Davalon]

Tackling racism should be about sensible productive approaches that have more chance of garnering lasting results.

I don't see enough of that in MSM.

And as this thread shows, too many want to support their political views whilst doing it when that is not only not required, it's also potentially divisive.

People need to stop trying to prove their politics are better than others and be happy to find a productive way to reduce racist mindsets.

If we really want progress then some people need to accept that their approach needs to be tempered.

Instead of, 'if you can't see that......' it should be about being happy to do whatever is required to get the best result.