Spiffy wrote:Not sure I've got this right, but it appears that Lee calls Marler a posh c**t and Marler calls Lee gypsy boy. Not sure of the sequence of who said what first. But one sounds about as bad as the other . You could well understand that these were snapped out spontaneously, probably without a lot of forethought, or alanysis of the actual content of the insult, or of its possible outcome, by a pair of het up props who were not thinking along politically correct lines at the time.
Marler seems to have come in for most flack since gypsies are regarded as a race in many (but not all) circles, and so his utterances are seen as racist.
On the other hand, posh c**ts (or even just plain c**ts) do not constitute a race, and so that epithet is not regarded as racist and therefore seems regarded as a lesser, and possibly acceptable insult, that is not appealable.
I can understand the point of view of those who think the whose business has got a little overblown and out of hand, and who believe the demand for further action/punishment is not necessary.
I actually do not like sledging between rugby players on the pitch. It seems to have taken off in recent years, is pointless and against the spirit of the game. Perhaps all verbal insults should be penalized by the ref with a penalty kick.
I'd also love to see penalties awarded against players who rub the head of an opponent who has just given away a penalty.
Absolutely.
I don't think anyone is particularly calling Marler racist, and (almost) certainly not knowingly so. I don't think anyone is saying that the insult was thought out beforehand and intended to hurt any more than any other insult.
However, one of the circles (but not all) in which gypsies are regarded as a race* is UK law.
You can insult someone as much as you like in public; but if you use a racial* slur, then you've stepped over a boundary; you haven't with words like "posh cu
nt" or "Saes bastard" etc etc. You've also done that whether or not you knew it was a racial* slur; whether or not you intended it that way; and whether or not you'd thought through your words before uttering them.
I think the issue of (most) of those calling for bans is NOT that we're offended on behalf of other people, it's that someone got away with using a racist insult on a rugby pitch, that was broadcast to millions - which is pretty much indisputable (there's room for disagreement that it SHOULD be considered racist, but not really that it IS)
A few years ago there was that hooker from South Africa who called Manu Tuilagi a "Paki" and claimed that he didn't think it was racist - he was wrong too.
Incidentally, I fully agree with your bit on sledging and provoking as well, and would happily see penalties etc reversed by such actions.
*Well, ethnicity IIRC