It’s not just political correctness that inspires pompous indignation. The self-consciously dim-witted pannelist from QI made some vaguely derisive comments on a little-heard podcast about Liverpool F.C.’s tradition of not playing on the anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster. A lot of their fans have reacted with more fury than the homeless man whose ear he once bit. He was wrong, perhaps – and I’m all for people criticising his opinion – but he didn’t take mock the victims and his characterisation of Dalglish as a “tight-mouthed, furious, frowning, leaning-forward, bitter Glaswegian” was, in my view, quite charitable. Yet, as well as a storm of death threats, he’s faced with things like this…
Spokeswoman Sheila Coleman said: “It was insensitive, particularly coming this week.in the run-up to the 23rd anniversary.
“I’ve spoken to people in our group who are hurt by what he has said.” He’s apologised, but it would be good if he could educate himself as to why it’s caused so much offence.”
If you’re hurt by comments that had no personal relevance to you and weren’t of any real-world consequence the biggest problem is not the supposed insensitivity of the person who voiced them but the acuteness of your sensitivities. I mean, what’s the problem with Davies’ accusers? That he said things that were wrong? The man’s career is based on saying things that are wrong. He’s not the President of the Royal Society, he’s Stephen Fry’s whipping boy. That he was rude? If, as a fan of Liverpool football club, you don’t want to hear people being rude about your side you shouldn’t listen to an Arsenal-themed podcast. It’s like a Christian wandering into a Synagogue and being surprised to hear a less than devotional account of the life of Jesus Christ.
In a lot of cases I suspect this is dislike masquerading as abhorrence and distress for the purposes of magnifying self-righteousness and that’s unpleasant whether the subject is football or foreign policy. Others, though, seem genuinely disturbed and while it’s their right to feel whatever might occur to them it’s a sign of dangerous immaturity to be an unable to manage knowing that people exist who don’t share the beliefs and ideals one holds as sacrosanct. And, besides, it’s just boring.
April 11, 2012 at 9:01 am
So you do understand something about football.
That “educate himself as to why it’s caused so much offence” line is eerily familiar.
Wrong sort of love in Miami
April 11, 2012 at 4:53 pm
What kind of masochist hired a friend of Hugo Chavez to work in Miami? That’s asking for more trouble than someone who leaves a bottle of MCAT next to their short-sighted, weak-hearted grandparent’s bed.
April 14, 2012 at 8:47 am
Ben, with respect, this falls way short of your usual high standards of writing.
Even casual research would have shown that Sheila Coleman is an academic with over twenty years’ experience of researching the Hillsborough Disaster and supporting the families of the 96 victims in their ongoing legal battle to find out what happened. She is perhaps uniquely qualified to speak out on these events.
For some insight as to why sensitivities might be heightened, you could take a look at how South Yorkshire Police behaved after the disaster. Notebooks tampered with, inquests lied to, the officers responsible allowed to retire early due to the ‘stress’ they suffered that day. Meanwhile just as the families get closer to finding out the real truth – via the release of classified Cabinet papers – up pops useful idiot Davies to remind everyone that Liverpool fans are just a bunch of whingers who can’t let a little matter like the ‘accidental’ deaths of nearly 100 people go.
It almost seems beside the point to mention the fact that the FA could have avoided a clash had they allowed the Everton v Liverpool game to be played in the north while the southern teams played at Wembley on the same day. Their insistance that both matches be played in London, to maximise their profit from the stadium, essential to fund the massive debt they took out to build it has created a lot of the bad feeling.
As with most stories, there are wheels within wheels. Believing the ‘rabid Scousers go for loveable dense fop’ headlines is easily done, but I’d expect better from someone with your talent for looking beyond the obvious.
Cheers,
Jo
April 14, 2012 at 1:44 pm
Hi Jo,
Thanks for your thoughtful comment.
I appreciate the feelings of Liverpool fans regarding the disaster and the shameful response to it. As little as I know about football I don’t see the problem with 15th of April tradition, either.
But my point is that Davies, as coarsely as his perhaps ignorant opinion was expressed, is a minor comedian and was holding forth on a platform that was even less exalted than the ones he’s used to. (Indeed, had people not reacted so emotionalistically his words would have gone largely unheard and most of the people we’re told they affected would never have been exposed to them.) If people were sincerely hurt by his spouting off they have my sympathy – and, perhaps, that’s a natural, inevitable reaction – but it’s only to their own and society’s detriment because (a) they’ve had a part of their all too short existences spoiled by a floppy-haired minor comedian and (b) that floppy-haired minor comedian is a more prominent news item than, say, the Hillsborough justice campaign. (That’s without even mentioning the death threats and abuse a minority of fans have been aiming at Davies – which, I’d propose, is more offensive than his initial comments.) It’s the criticism I have a problem with, it’s the emotionalism. Even if it’s inevitable it’s counterproductive.
Perhaps the crack at Dalglish was gratuitous but I can only promise that I’d say exactly the same about Ferguson…
April 14, 2012 at 4:35 pm
Hi Ben,
I am sorry that this is another epic comment but thanks for taking the time to respond! I completely agree about the death threats. Perhaps a reasoned argument could have changed Davies’ opinion or educated others – we lost that argument the second we became monsters ourselves.
But please understand – you write so well about conspiracy theories, here is one that potentially goes all the way to the top (we won’t know until the full Cabinet papers are released in the autumn) – over the years the families have been lied to by judges, police officers, MPs, the Government and when they campaign about it, told that their relatives were part of the problem. There are those who sing ‘you killed your own fans’ at us still.
And so people ARE emotional about it. I don’t think they should have to apologise for that – it is a raw wound – especially at this time of year. Many suffered from undiagnosed and untreated PTSD after the events they witnessed, for example, ambulances were denied access to the ground and so fans had to try to resusitate the dying. There have been a number of suicides, including one of a Nottingham Forest fan who was in the opposite stand. A third of the victims were children, the youngest was 11, one man’s two teenage daughters were killed. On one day Kenny Dalglish attended four funerals.
My point being, if it’s not acceptable to react with emotion in these circumstances, when would it be?
And Davies may indeed be a ‘minor’ figure but he’s on the BBC regularly, he has a platform and he’s at the right hand of certified National Treasure (TM) Stephen Fry. A lot of people listen to him. Maybe he looked at Frankie Boyle and thought ‘what my listening figures need is a dose of controversy. Disability has been done by Gervais, I’ll try LFC.’ Perhaps he just blundered into it unthinkingly in the manner of his dopey professional persona. But I will wager a lot more than I just lost on the Grand National that a guy who has had a successful media career of a couple of decades is way more savvy than he lets on… or do I need a tinfoil hat for even thinking that?
April 15, 2012 at 2:21 am
Hi Jo,
I have to admit – I didn’t know the events that have followed the disaster were as interesting as you say. I’ll have to educate myself.
A fair point, but it’s the disaster and the neglectful/disingenuous official response that seem worthy of peoples’ attention rather than Davies. Let’s take the not entirely dissimilar example of 9/11. Thousands died and mysteries remain, ensuring that it’s an event that demands emotional responses – but does that mean people should get worked up over Jimmy Carr making bad jokes related to it? No. His words, aside from the passion they react to them with, are of no consequence and their emotion would be better targeted elsewhere. Obviously people can’t make rational decisions as to when, where and why they’re going to get worked up but my point is that emotions would be more fruitfully channeled if these controversies aren’t allowed to grow.
No – it’s plausible. But let’s remember that this is a man who once bit a tramp…
April 15, 2012 at 2:33 am
None of this means people shouldn’t criticise the opinions of others, of course, as that could be productive in as much as it could educate them or people who might have otherwise adopted their opinions.
(For example, your criticism of this post taught me about Hillsborough. But if an alternative Liverpool fan had come in here and mouthed off or demanded an apology I’d have been more liable to get the hump, forget the subject and, perhaps, begrudge Andy Carroll his return to form.)
April 15, 2012 at 3:18 am
[...] last night, while researching some of the points I make here, I had a frank but well-reasoned exchange of views on the subject with a writer I very much admire, B…. In the comments below the post, Ben echoes this article by Times journalist Tony Evans, noting [...]
April 15, 2012 at 7:20 am
Think this has been great, I wish I could have as good an exchange with everyone about the subject.
I wrote a (perhaps overlong) post on http://10mh.net for today – it includes links to lots of additional sources if you’d like to find out more.
This discussion has helped me too – it’s made me realise that maybe we do have to let comments by idiots go sometimes to keep our focus on the real battle. It’s a problem that so many lies have been told that people find it difficult to react rationally. A calmer discussion of what’s going on, the story behind the headlines, is always going to do more to help the cause than a rant and no-one should be making death threats, of course. But if we shrug our shoulders and ignore it, especially as time moves on, will those who don’t remember the disaster think that there’s something in what he says?
(And wasn’t that goal a cracker? Worth every penny!)
April 17, 2012 at 3:21 pm
Great post, Jo. I’d have said that over at your place but it won’t let me comment – starts insisting that I log in.
April 20, 2012 at 12:59 am
Thanks for saying so.
(It shouldn’t do that if you’re logged into your WordPress account and then you go to 10mh by the way.)