Times journalist makes 'sick' joke; offends cyclists; apologises
- Thread starter Herbsman.
- Start date
Structaural
in Chatsubo
Lock&Light said:
quick wiki (my bold):
'He moved on to become correspondence secretary to Margaret Thatcher.
He served as the Conservative MP for the rural parliamentary constituency of West Derbyshire from 1979 until 1986. Competing prospective candidates for the seat included Peter Lilley and Michael Howard, later Conservative leader. The start of his career was overshadowed by a letter which he had written to a council tenant on behalf of Margaret Thatcher, which became featured in Labour Party election publications. As an MP he voiced his support for gay rights. Parris eventually left politics to pursue a career in journalism.'
Herbsman.
Nah Lotion, Pet, Nor Powder.
No my point is that its a fucking lame excuse. I'm black, I've had racist cunts give me abuse, but ffs I don't bring up slavery or the KKK lynchings every time someone calls me a nigger. It's not the history that makes racism wrong, it's the simple fact that I am a human being and deserve to be treated the same as anyone else regardless of skin colour.rutabowa said:
Just because cyclists may not have been the target of hate and violence for hundreds of years, doesn't mean it's any more acceptable to make them a target of hatred.
so you don't see any difference between racism/homophobia, and disliking cyclists? because to me they are way different. cyclists are not targets of "hate crimes". they (we) just sometimes piss people off (sometimes because of things they've actually done, soemtimes cos the driver (or whoever) is a bit of a nob)Herbsman. said:
Herbsman.
Nah Lotion, Pet, Nor Powder.
Did I actually write "I don't see any difference between racism/homophobia, and disliking cyclists"?rutabowa said:
BTW I think 'disliking' is the wrong word. People don't say 'this person deserves to be decapitated and I would take pleasure in seeing them hanged' about people they merely dislike.
kyser_soze
Hawking's Angry Eyebrow
A newspaper and a website that is open to public viewing are no different - they are both public forums where opinions are expressed (given that this article was an op-ed piece)
As with a blog, some lurkers/non-posters do take what people write seriously; we're all reaching an audience. If I were to write an op-ed piece and get paid for it, does that make me a professional journo? Of course not, but my POV will receive coverage in a newspaper, does that therefore mean that I have a higher duty of responsibility to restrain my opinions or what I write? Of course not - it's the editors decision to publish, just as it's the mods decision on a messageboard to edit offensive/libellous posts and suspend/ban posters for persistent bad behaviour.
This idea that websites where private citizens express opinions and a newspaper where 'professionals' are paid to do the same thing are somehow separate entities is, in the contemporary media landscape, an untenable idea AFAIC - if 100,000 people read the bollocks I write and agree with me, where's the difference?
kyser_sozeT said:
On a bulletin board like this where anyone can register and express an opinion, debate and disagree it is a different environment to a newspaper where people are employed specifically to write within an overarching editorial policy.
I agree that we've all got certain responsibilities over what we write, wherever we write it. But I think I have fewer responsibilities relating to what I commit to words on here compared with what I commit to words in relation to my job, precisely because it's my job and I'm paid to undertaken my work with a certain level of responsiblity.
gentlegreen
I hummus, therefore I am ...
I find that a brilliant programme to make me feel years younger.cybertect said:
kyser_soze
Hawking's Angry Eyebrow
8ball said:
Exactly.
8ball
As seen on TikTok
mauvais said:
That's the bit I'm not sure about - if it had been a really funny joke but had still involved decapitating cyclists I think it may have caused more rather than less offence, but due to where it was published rather than tastelessness or otherwise of content.
People who are the butt of a joke always seem to go mental if all their mates laugh at the joke.
david dissadent
New Member
Its all subjective, but if it were kinda funny you see it has having a purpose other than being a bit of a rant with unpleasant undertones.8ball said:
david dissadent
New Member
Replace the word 'cyclist' with 'Boris on his Bike' in the piece and you can see how context affects humour.
invisibleplanet
porter des cornes
I did that!david dissadent said:
The best apology Matthew Parris could make would be to write another article, this time, about the senseless car drivers who don't afford cyclists and pedestrians respect but treat them as unwanted obstacles to their destination. Hope you're listening, Matthew! Here's Herbsman's link to start you off: http://www.thebikezone.org.uk/motorcarnage/justice.html
Structaural
in Chatsubo
Herbsman. said:
fuck. That made me sick to my stomach. I had to go for a walk...
kyser_soze
Hawking's Angry Eyebrow
One of my Mum's best mates was killed in a H&R incident while riding a bike, driver wasn't even fined.
It's bollocks - they need to cut through the crap about 'dangerous driving' and create a law that is specific to vehicular homicide, with minimum/mandatory sentencing for cars hitting anyone; the whole 'due care and attention' bollocks only clouds the issues.
It's bollocks - they need to cut through the crap about 'dangerous driving' and create a law that is specific to vehicular homicide, with minimum/mandatory sentencing for cars hitting anyone; the whole 'due care and attention' bollocks only clouds the issues.
Urbanblues
Was that it, life?
Vlad the 'Impaler' (aka Dracula)?Herbsman. said:
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