I'm glad you've heard it where you live , Dude, as this is my understanding of the context and it's meaning.
The FA panel, made up purely of white English men, have seen fit to judge a word from a foreign language, from a foreign culture, used in the context of that foreign language and culture and decided that they are more informed than an individual for whom that language is his natural tongue and the culture one that he is most familiar with and additionally have tried to jemmy it into the English language and culture and judge it on those terms. I've yet to read or heard about that word being able to be used in a racist context. Apparently, it's no insulting than 'mate' or 'pal' when used it a sarcastic or ironic context to someone who obviousy isn't a friend of any sort.
By over sensitising rascism they undermined all the genuine cases of rascism and instead of becoming shocking we will find it becomes almost commonplace that it will eventually lose it's stigma.
Yet again we've had to provide the poster boy for one of the FA's initiatives and their 'intent to enforce it'. Let's see how quickly the enforcement novelty wears off. Probably starting with John Terry, where the FA will hide behind the legal system as a way of avoiding handing out due punishment for an offence that took place during a match under their jurisdiction and for which any criminal censure should only be in addition, not instead off.
spot on, in all the above points you make, Tes.
the three man FA committee comes across as pompous, ignorant and almost from another age. I picture them as not dissimilar to the old style British government officials or ambassadors that oversaw and ruled across Britain's colonies, when it used to have an empire across the world.
we will need to see the final written decision making process, when it is released, on this judgement.
but I have to wonder whether the FA had proper translations of the term, and it's context, when used in south america.
my feeling is that they have simply gone, regardless of advice from translators or not, as judging that any use of the word black is a big
NO NO.But as you say, by over-sententising us to racism, the thing then becomes ridiculous and eventually irrelevant. In the first world now, it is almost scary to use the word
BLACK in any context outside one's own home.
The FA have potentially ruined this lad's career.
And though he is yet to realise it yet, I suspect Evra has ruined his own career in England too. I think he will be a marked man now - both from crowds and from other players and managers. I would not be surprised to see him move this or next summer to a mainland Europe club.
But if I were the club and the players, I'd withdraw all my support and services to the FA. Liverpool can withdraw any pleasantries/invites to FA officials to Anfield and Melwood. The players can withdraw their services from England duty - both at full england level, but also at under 21 and youth level.
The players could make a helluva stand, especially with this being a Euro championship summer. Withdraw from all england squads for the rest of the season. That will help focus minds at the FA.
Liverpool as a club are way way too nice these past 20 years. This type of thing would never have got this far with John Smith or Peter Robinson in charge.
On a different tact. The Terry thing has yet to come up and it is far more serious than the Suarez incident. And also, the mockery and ridicule that the London media and others fire at people from the Liverpool area (put-downs of scousers and the stereotyping of them) now has to be addressed in a totally different light. The bar is now set so low, re abuse, that Liverpool (who have been the victims of this vitriol for decades) have now got very good reason to play the victim and go after their abusers.
The FA have made a rod for their own back. And I sure as hell would beat them with it.
