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Anti Woke movement grows

I was very lucky a great aunt was married to a board member of pan books, so twice a year we got a tea chest of every new paperback title they published. I became a book hoover reading a novel in one sitting sometimes. Became big sci fi fan reading Heinlein , Bradbury, Asimov et al in bulk when 10 up. Also used to surreptitiously nick mums copies of Harold Robbins, red hot for a pre teen in 1973.

Our school had a junior fiction library in the first year block, consisting of books donated by parents and older pupils. Mostly it was the usual tame stuff, but one book, set in the Korean War, had a very raunchy sex-scene. The book would fall open at the relevant pages.

At Mrs H's school, 'Passion Flower Hotel' was the one that was passed around secretly.
 
"The Passion Flower Hotel" was a classic, also the sequel, "Passion Flowers in Italy." But from what I can remember nothing ever actually "happens." Tried re-reading the first when I was about 50, and found it had not aged well.
 
What would one call someone who opposes those goals, if not a racist?
For decades, mixing sport with politics was a bad habit attributed to the Soviets and its satellite states. It was shunned at. Nowadays we are all too happy to step in, in a similar way.

A lot of people experience or practice sport, and consider it relaxing. They love football for the game itself. Should they now be forced to show their commitment to a cause ? Or even be banned if they are in the stadium just for having some good time ?

I’ve written many times here, and I maintain that such actions are 100% useless and hypocritical bull. Remember how many people said during confinement that they’d never take the plane again for holidays ? Currently people are queuing up for tickets. Remember those who said they’d never buy vegetables at a supermarket again ? What I can confirm is that a few weeks ago I wanted to buy local asparagus, they are more or less twice the price but to us it’s a no-brainer (well my girlfriend is a farmer’s daughter…). Impossible to find, only stuff from Spain. At one place I asked the shop assistant, he told me he had stopped ordering them as they usually ended in the bin, being considered ‘too expensive’ by the customers. Hold on, how many times do we cook asparagus in a year, maybe twice ? For a family of four that would make an extra expense of at least £10 per year, consider this !!

All this to say once again what I think of lip service. And this is IMO a very woke thing.
 
For decades, mixing sport with politics was a bad habit attributed to the Soviets and its satellite states. It was shunned at. Nowadays we are all too happy to step in, in a similar way.

A lot of people experience or practice sport, and consider it relaxing. They love football for the game itself. Should they now be forced to show their commitment to a cause ? Or even be banned if they are in the stadium just for having some good time ?

I’ve written many times here, and I maintain that such actions are 100% useless and hypocritical bull. Remember how many people said during confinement that they’d never take the plane again for holidays ? Currently people are queuing up for tickets. Remember those who said they’d never buy vegetables at a supermarket again ? What I can confirm is that a few weeks ago I wanted to buy local asparagus, they are more or less twice the price but to us it’s a no-brainer (well my girlfriend is a farmer’s daughter…). Impossible to find, only stuff from Spain. At one place I asked the shop assistant, he told me he had stopped ordering them as they usually ended in the bin, being considered ‘too expensive’ by the customers. Hold on, how many times do we cook asparagus in a year, maybe twice ? For a family of four that would make an extra expense of at least £10 per year, consider this !!

All this to say once again what I think of lip service. And this is IMO a very woke thing.
But the question was, if those English Football fans who actively boo an explicitly anti racist gesture by the players, are not racist, then what are they?

What the price of asparagus has got to do with the question?
 
For decades, mixing sport with politics was a bad habit attributed to the Soviets and its satellite states. It was shunned at. Nowadays we are all too happy to step in, in a similar way.

A lot of people experience or practice sport, and consider it relaxing. They love football for the game itself. Should they now be forced to show their commitment to a cause ? Or even be banned if they are in the stadium just for having some good time ?

Sport, like music, is one of very few true meritocracies (at the playing level at least, still a long way to go in management) that exists in this world. Even in traditionally racist sports such as football black players regularly excel and as such have access to a public platform in a way they simply do not in other walks of life. Should they use it? Absolutely. If it makes white middle class people uncomfortable and spoils their afternoon, then good. I support the action 100% and I hugely respect all the other players, managers, advertisers etc who join them in an act of solidarity. This is an area where mass action and collective bargaining truly works. It needs to spread a heck of a lot further, certainly not be gagged by right-wing authoritarianism.
 
But the question was, if those English Football fans who actively boo an explicitly anti racist gesture by the players, are not racist, then what are they?
There are certainly racists among them, but by far not all. Some are there for football and want games to remain what they are: games. And If I were there, I’d probably not boo at the gesture as it’s a bit silly indeed, but inside myself I’d shake my head over such newly institutionalized anti-something gestures. Resolving the problem takes more than that.
 
There are certainly racists among them, but by far not all. Some are there for football and want games to remain what they are: games. And If I were there, I’d probably not boo at the gesture as it’s a bit silly indeed, but inside myself I’d shake my head over such newly institutionalized anti-something gestures. Resolving the problem takes more than that.

I guess resolving the problem (s) will mean that historical and current injustices will need to be acknowledged.

It is my view that because these injustices appear to have been ignored; swept aside or swept under the carpet, there's a great deal of resentment.

I feel it is best if these injustices are acknowledged in an open and transparent way. I'm not so sure this will happen any time soon as there seems to be a movement to politicise and divide people.
 
There are certainly racists among them, but by far not all. Some are there for football and want games to remain what they are: games. And If I were there, I’d probably not boo at the gesture as it’s a bit silly indeed, but inside myself I’d shake my head over such newly institutionalized anti-something gestures. Resolving the problem takes more than that.
Sorry, but I really don't get that. Why would you boo, or shake your head at an anti racist gesture? Yes, it is a gesture, and by the nature of gestures is unlikely to change anything on it's own, but it is a symbol of support for anti racism. Why would anyone object to supporting anti racism, if they're not anti anti-racism?
 
I'm not so sure this will happen any time soon as there seems to be a movement to politicise and divide people.

...and a movement to create political and cultural divide, that if the Guardian article is anything to go by, is creeping into Education
 
For decades, mixing sport with politics was a bad habit attributed to the Soviets and its satellite states. It was shunned at. Nowadays we are all too happy to step in, in a similar way.

A lot of people experience or practice sport, and consider it relaxing. They love football for the game itself. Should they now be forced to show their commitment to a cause ? Or even be banned if they are in the stadium just for having some good time ?

I’ve written many times here, and I maintain that such actions are 100% useless and hypocritical bull. Remember how many people said during confinement that they’d never take the plane again for holidays ? Currently people are queuing up for tickets. Remember those who said they’d never buy vegetables at a supermarket again ? What I can confirm is that a few weeks ago I wanted to buy local asparagus, they are more or less twice the price but to us it’s a no-brainer (well my girlfriend is a farmer’s daughter…). Impossible to find, only stuff from Spain. At one place I asked the shop assistant, he told me he had stopped ordering them as they usually ended in the bin, being considered ‘too expensive’ by the customers. Hold on, how many times do we cook asparagus in a year, maybe twice ? For a family of four that would make an extra expense of at least £10 per year, consider this !!

All this to say once again what I think of lip service. And this is IMO a very woke thing.

We cook asparagus every week, it is a staple veg here, been loving fresh asp season only local is so far as what Tesco supplies tho
 
Sorry, but I really don't get that. Why would you boo, or shake your head at an anti racist gesture? Yes, it is a gesture, and by the nature of gestures is unlikely to change anything on it's own, but it is a symbol of support for anti racism. Why would anyone object to supporting anti racism, if they're not anti anti-racism?
Let’s leave it at that, I say. We will have to agree to disagree, and what is written is not entirely untrue, also Tonys last post has some very good elements in it.

My recent messages were more about the woke thing, and for this end you can indeed use racism as well as asparagus as an example of how I view things.
 
The answer is in my last sentence.

All this to say once again what I think of lip service. And this is IMO a very woke thing

OK, but what we're talking about is the booing a gesture of support for anti racism. Why wouldn't you support a gesture of support for anti racism?

Even if you wish to dismiss it as "lip service" a gesture to support anti Racism, why shake your head and boo at those that do express their support in a gesture? If it's to sneer at people who you consider are not doing anything significant, what do you and your fellow head shakers and booers do that is significant?
 


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