Would there be this backlash if he had said the rapist he was referring to was white, or sky blue with pink dots, I think not!
He was talking about wanting to take revenge and how little control one has over ones feelings when in the grips of it.
The professor of Black Studies from Birmingham City University Dr. Kehinde Andrews, was on tv to put his point of view across. However, for me, the complete opposite happened. I felt he was starting to use his own context on the matter; referring to Neeson wanting to lynch a black man.
Neeson to my knowledge never used the word lynch (which Dan the presenter reiterates more than once) but the professor kept saying it didn't matter, that what Neeson was referring to was wanting to go and lynch a black man!
The definition of lynch in case you want to know is "an extrajudicial execution carried out by a mob, often by hanging or other ways of execution" If Neeson in this instance was acting alone, he was not a mob so can he be accused of wanting to lynch someone?
Get a grip professor, you didn't put anything into context and I felt, your comments were bordering on inflammatory and more likely to incite further backlash.
The also played comments by John Barnes, who did put it into context and I felt was getting slightly exasperated by the whole thing. He referred to Neesons comments about the feeling of revenge in certain circumstances and how one deals with those feelings, not only at the time, but years later on. Well said John.
Great post, I agree. A couple of things strike me about what Liam Neeson said, though - firstly, why did he ask his relative what colour the rapist was? What did it matter, a rapist is a rapist regardless of what nationality they are. But possibly he felt it was relevant because of the racist culture at the time (Enoch Powell era?). And as these feelings were all in his head at the time, i.e. he didn't actually kill anyone, nothing came of it - I do wonder why he felt the need to tell the story to the whole world so many years later...I bet he now wishes he didn't. If he wanted to illustrate feelings of revenge, he could have just said who among us hasn't wanted to kill or hurt someone after a terrible crime has been committed against someone we love. I do think it's all being blown out of proportion, Liam Neeson is one of my favourite actors and I'm not going to boycott his films just because of something he's said that lots (if not most) of us can identify with, whether we would admit to it or not.
ReplyDeleteDepends on where it took place possibly, whether it was a Latino, White, black neighbourhood, don’t know.
DeleteI just wish the media would stop inviting Dr. Andrews to give his view point! Can't stand the man. No wonder we have snowflakes at universities if that is the kind of viewpoint he is instilling into them.
ReplyDeleteHad to look up the context of snowflake, interesting.
DeleteI agree with what you've said. I think anyone affected closely in those circumstances would feel the same anger/sadness/rage/frustration - no matter what colour skin!
ReplyDeleteI think it a natural response, can’t say what I would do, or feel like doing if DS got harmed.
DeleteWhat's happening now is that so much of a person's public past can be trolled and taken from a whole, no one seems to believe in growth, change and/or redemption. Make one mistake in your life and somewhere someone will tell you that your past is all that have. But in actuality, some people, world over, have used personal experiences to promote self-examination, growth, empathy and reparation. It's going to bite us if this keeps on. I'll bet, listening to Liam's experience that hundreds, maybe thousands saw their OWN feelings, but since they never admitted those feelings to anyone, they feel better than someone who did. Liam's courage to share is admirable. Too bad too many are too narrow minded to appreciate the lesson.
ReplyDeleteThanks and I for one still want to buy man sized tissues!
DeleteGreat post. I feel very sorry for those in the public eye who have their every word looked at and turned upside down for scandal and to give someone else their two minutes in the spotlight.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
It must be difficult and I am glad I am not famous.
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