Liam Neeson

[Wales-Bales]

Has set the internet on fire :facepalm:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-47117177

[Trigger]

Sounds like one of his films.

[MacAdder]

Idiot

[Wales-Bales]

Some thoughts are better left inside one's head.

[Croesy Blue]

Reading the interview he’s completely f*cked himself. He apologises because revenge and killing are bad, he doesn’t seem to realise the fact that any black person would do is the real issue here.

[NYCBlue]

Some thoughts are better left inside one's head.

Exactly.

[Wales-Bales]

Reading the interview he’s completely f*cked himself. He apologises because revenge and killing are bad, he doesn’t seem to realise the fact that any black person would do is the real issue here.
Yes, a spectacular own goal, he obviously isn't familiar with the law of holes.

[Heathblue]

Has set the internet on fire :facepalm:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-47117177

Qui-Gon Jinn has been lured to the Dark Side, fkin idiot.

[surge]

Stupid example to give but it does seem to be wrapped up in a comparison to The Troubles in Northern Ireland too which is perhaps being missed in response to his comments.

[J R Hartley]

Not like the internet to take his words out of context

[Croesy Blue]

Not like the internet to take his words out of context
Really? Don’t want to be a knob but what am I missing out of this:


“But my immediate reaction was... I asked, did she know who it was? No. What colour were they? She said it was a black person.”

This

“I went up and down areas with a cosh, hoping I'd be approached by somebody - I'm ashamed to say that - and I did it for maybe a week, hoping some [uses air quotes with fingers] 'black bastard' would come out of a pub and have a go at me about something, you know? So that I could kill him."

And this

"It was horrible, horrible, when I think back, that I did that. And I've never admitted that, and I'm saying it to a journalist. God forbid.
"It's awful. But I did learn a lesson from it."

"I knew a couple of guys that died on hunger strike, and I had acquaintances who were very caught up in the Troubles, and I understand that need for revenge, but it just leads to more revenge, to more killing and more killing, and Northern Ireland's proof of that.“

[Croesy Blue]

Stupid example to give but it does seem to be wrapped up in a comparison to The Troubles in Northern Ireland too which is perhaps being missed in response to his comments.
I must be missing something then because I don’t understand how that would justify it.

[life on mars]

I did find the "what colour ,was he " question , very strange.

Sound like an old man losing the plot , or perhaps slightly inebriated at the time of the interview , these actors/actresses at times , do let there egos run away with them.

[J R Hartley]

Really? Don’t want to be a knob but what am I missing out of this:


“But my immediate reaction was... I asked, did she know who it was? No. What colour were they? She said it was a black person.”

This

“I went up and down areas with a cosh, hoping I'd be approached by somebody - I'm ashamed to say that - and I did it for maybe a week, hoping some [uses air quotes with fingers] 'black bastard' would come out of a pub and have a go at me about something, you know? So that I could kill him."

And this

"It was horrible, horrible, when I think back, that I did that. And I've never admitted that, and I'm saying it to a journalist. God forbid.
"It's awful. But I did learn a lesson from it."

"I knew a couple of guys that died on hunger strike, and I had acquaintances who were very caught up in the Troubles, and I understand that need for revenge, but it just leads to more revenge, to more killing and more killing, and Northern Ireland's proof of that.“

He is a 67 year old man talking about a previous time / era, one where certain prejudices were more commonplacd, and one in which he acknowledges it was wrong hence him says he is ashamed and learned lessons from it.

[Croesy Blue]

See I don’t think he does say that but I can see why it could be interpreted that way.

As for a different era I’m not sure it’s an excuse to want to kill any black guy because of the actions of another.

[William Treseder]

I am in no way trying to justify Neesons actions or attitude at the time in question, but he could have kept that to himself, and nobody would Have been any the wiser.
It has probably bothered his consience all these yrs, and he’s obviously embarrassed and disgusted with himself.

[Croesy Blue]

That’s the thing and maybe he got the apology part of it a bit wrong.

I think people are so up in arms about it because the whole blame a whole race because of the actions of one is a bad thing to do that keeps happening.

[A Quiet Monkfish]

Twitter, facebook, etc. People spend their lives on there and 'celebrities' are the worst. What sad lives they have behind the public facade..

[blue matt]

He is a 67 year old man talking about a previous time / era, one where certain prejudices were more commonplacd, and one in which he acknowledges it was wrong hence him says he is ashamed and learned lessons from it.

agreed, different times, back then different things were acceptable to some people

Sounds like Liam is repenting, he is Catholic isnt he

this made me chuckle though, I find Romesh funny as hell

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Liam Neeson just asked to meet me down the park. Buzzing.</p>&mdash; Romesh Ranganathan (@RomeshRanga) <a href="https://twitter.com/RomeshRanga/status/1092473629563068416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">4 February 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Croesy Blue]

The different time thing is a bollocks excuse surely, it’s never been ok to want to go out and murder a random black man because someone has raped one of your friends.

Are people reading a different interview to me? He’s “repenting” about wanting revenge not about the fact he wanted to kill a black man isn’t he?

[stevo]

Liam Neeson is a brave man. He's admitted to something in his past that he's not proud of. That much is clear if you read the whole interview. Why can't people take it for what it is?

Anyway, we're all guilty of prejudice - Unconscious Bias and Implicit Stereotyping. It's in all of us. It's part of our evolution and therefore in our genes.

[the other bob wilson]

Liam Neeson is a brave man. He's admitted to something in his past that he's not proud of. That much is clear if you read the whole interview. Why can't people take it for what it is?

Anyway, we're all guilty of prejudice - Unconscious Bias and Implicit Stereotyping. It's in all of us. It's part of our evolution and therefore in our genes.

Must admit that what you say in your first paragraph is what I thought on first hearing this story.

Agree with your second paragraph as well.

[Croesy Blue]

Liam Neeson is a brave man. He's admitted to something in his past that he's not proud of. That much is clear if you read the whole interview. Why can't people take it for what it is?

Anyway, we're all guilty of prejudice - Unconscious Bias and Implicit Stereotyping. It's in all of us. It's part of our evolution and therefore in our genes.
The first part is what I want to see it as, but reading the interview that way that’s not how it’s come across at all. I think he can be giving the benefit of the doubt and maybe he didn’t get his point across properly.

The second point I think we are all guilty of bias and stereotyping. But I don’t think going out to kill any black man after someone has raped a friend falls into that.

[stevo]

The second point I think we are all guilty of bias and stereotyping. But I don’t think going out to kill any black man after someone has raped a friend falls into that.

No, it doesn't - and just to be clear I'm not saying it is the same thing. But if we are all fundamentally biased, it's now wonder the world is in the state it's in.

[Croesy Blue]

No, it doesn't - and just to be clear I'm not saying it is the same thing. But if we are all fundamentally biased, it's now wonder the world is in the state it's in.

Yeah I completely agree, I think it’s important to know that and to try and get over the unconcious bias where’s possible.

[bluemoon]

im walking up and down with a cosh waiting for liam neeson to come out of a pub... :hehe:

[life on mars]

Lesson to be learnt in this era :
Avoid honesty.

[Wales-Bales]

Liam Neeson is a brave man. He's admitted to something in his past that he's not proud of. That much is clear if you read the whole interview. Why can't people take it for what it is?

Anyway, we're all guilty of prejudice - Unconscious Bias and Implicit Stereotyping. It's in all of us. It's part of our evolution and therefore in our genes.
But he is confessing in 2019. He should have known better being a high profile person, that he would get shredded by media commentators and the internet hordes. Claiming any action as being historic is no longer a valid defense. Lives can be destroyed by a mere allegation these days. I'm not saying it's right or wrong, but that's just the way it is. We are now living in a highly politicised world where change takes precedence over all else. Any indiscretions past or present will be punished, even if they only exist in people's imaginations.

[the other bob wilson]

But he is confessing in 2019. He should have known better being a high profile person, that he would get shredded by media commentators and the internet hordes. Claiming any action as being historic is no longer a valid defense. Lives can be destroyed by a mere allegation these days. I'm not saying it's right or wrong, but that's just the way it is. We are now living in a highly politicised world where change takes precedence over all else.

You are, I'm not sure we all are though - maybe we should pay less attention to "media commentators and the internet hordes"?

[Croesy Blue]

Again the easiest way to avoid this sort of backlash is not being racist. I don’t think it being 30 or 40 years ago is a valid excuse for this.

I find it weird that so many people rush to defend people in these instances. He’s in the wrong, even if you think his apology was a valid one.

Yes some people have been shamed when they shouldn’t have been, I don’t think this is one of those instances.

[CardiffIrish2]

The one thing about this is that he’s not said this years ago and for some reason it’s been disclosed by an unknown person with him having to make a retrospective apology.

He’s been honest in that due to a horrific violent assault on someone he cared about he was filled with a primeval rage and his thought process was shaken. He had abhorrent thoughts on which he relflected on and thought ‘nah this was totally out of order and I’m ashamed’

Liked him before this, like him even more for his honesty, humanity and humility.

[life on mars]

I tell you what although the highly political world exits in the media ,it's certainly doesn't exist in the outside social environment .

[Wales-Bales]

Again the easiest way to avoid this sort of backlash is not being racist. I don’t think it being 30 or 40 years ago is a valid excuse for this.

I find it weird that so many people rush to defend people in these instances. He’s in the wrong, even if you think his apology was a valid one.

Yes some people have been shamed when they shouldn’t have been, I don’t think this is one of those instances.
Racism was common at football matches in the 70’s, but it wasn't viewed in the same way as it is now. The police didn't go around arresting everybody. Same with humour about sexual identity and mother-in-law jokes, acceptable then but taboo now. Times change, and mostly for the better, but should we be judging historical events by today's standards? Sure, you can say it was wrong, but our social history is littered with behaviour that wouldn't be acceptable today.

[Croesy Blue]

Racism was common at football matches in the 70’s, but it wasn't viewed in the same way as it is now. Same with humour about sexual identity and mother-in-law jokes, acceptable then but taboo now. Times change, and mostly for the better, but should we be judging historical events by today's standards? Sure, you can say it was wrong, but our social history is littered with behaviour that wouldn't be acceptable today.

I completely get where you’re coming from but I think walking about looking to kill someone is a step above any of that.

I laughed at and made plenty of racist jokes when I was a kid. Well into my 20s I was in the “it’s only a joke how can that be an issue” mindset.

Maybe he didn’t get his apology across right in the interview but still I think he’s rightly getting a lot of stick for this.

[fingers]

im walking up and down with a cosh waiting for liam neeson to come out of a pub... :hehe:

Or anyone called Liam really...

[blue matt]

Racism was common at football matches in the 70’s, but it wasn't viewed in the same way as it is now. The police didn't go around arresting everybody. Same with humour about sexual identity and mother-in-law jokes, acceptable then but taboo now. Times change, and mostly for the better, but should we be judging historical events by today's standards? Sure, you can say it was wrong, but our social history is littered with behaviour that wouldn't be acceptable today.

^^ this

Different times , different social standards ( though it was never acceptable to kill someone ) but back then racism was the norm to some

[blue matt]

Or anyone called Liam really...

Gallagher ???

[bluemoon]

deffo lol

[stevo]

Racism was common at football matches in the 70’s, but it wasn't viewed in the same way as it is now. The police didn't go around arresting everybody. Same with humour about sexual identity and mother-in-law jokes, acceptable then but taboo now. Times change, and mostly for the better, but should we be judging historical events by today's standards? Sure, you can say it was wrong, but our social history is littered with behaviour that wouldn't be acceptable today.

Yup. This ^^^^. Just look at the #MeToo movement.

[Duggie]

Interesting my, John Barnes has said in an interview that Neeson should get a medal for what he said. Said we are ALL racist to some degree.

[J R Hartley]

I completely get where you’re coming from but I think walking about looking to kill someone is a step above any of that.

I laughed at and made plenty of racist jokes when I was a kid. Well into my 20s I was in the “it’s only a joke how can that be an issue” mindset.

Maybe he didn’t get his apology across right in the interview but still I think he’s rightly getting a lot of stick for this.

Saying you want to kill someone and actually meaning it or going through with it are two completely different things.

I think he’s over egged it to try and demonstrate how angry he felt but it’s come out all wrong.

[Wales-Bales]

Saying you want to kill someone and actually meaning it or going through with it are two completely different things.

I think he’s over egged it to try and demonstrate how angry he felt but it’s come out all wrong.
Wasn't he also promoting a film that had a similar theme about revenge?

[Duggie]

Wasn't he also promoting a film that had a similar theme about revenge?

Isn’t that the plot for all his films ?

[Croesy Blue]

Saying you want to kill someone and actually meaning it or going through with it are two completely different things.

I think he’s over egged it to try and demonstrate how angry he felt but it’s come out all wrong.

I think people are missing the issue here, his friend was raped so he went looking for any black person.

The issue here isn’t the rage it’s that he went looking for any black person. If his friend had said a white person had done it what we he had done?

If we heard a Muslim or a black person say “I was hoping for any white bastard to attack me so I could kill them” would we be patting them on the back for being brave?

[Croesy Blue]

Just read this on it, and think it’s a good summary of the whole thing:

https://amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/feb/05/liam-neeson-interview-black-people-actor-racism?__twitter_impression=true

[lardy]

I think people are missing the issue here, his friend was raped so he went looking for any black person.

The issue here isn’t the rage it’s that he went looking for any black person. If his friend had said a white person had done it what we he had done?

If we heard a Muslim or a black person say “I was hoping for any white bastard to attack me so I could kill them” would we be patting them on the back for being brave?

I'm pretty sure there'd be a lot less empathy if a Muslim had said he'd spent a week (a week!) looking for any white person to get revenge on.

Having said that, it's been overblown and I do think he deserves some credit for honesty.

[J R Hartley]

I think people are missing the issue here, his friend was raped so he went looking for any black person.

The issue here isn’t the rage it’s that he went looking for any black person. If his friend had said a white person had done it what we he had done?

If we heard a Muslim or a black person say “I was hoping for any white bastard to attack me so I could kill them” would we be patting them on the back for being brave?

Yes.

[Croesy Blue]

I'm pretty sure there'd be a lot less empathy if a Muslim had said he'd spent a week (a week!) looking for any white person to get revenge on.

Having said that, it's been overblown and I do think he deserves some credit for honesty.

I think he does deserve some credit and it has been overblown.

But at the same time there’s no way the same people would be rushing to the “it was a different time” defence if the races were reversed.

[J R Hartley]

https://twitter.com/skynews/status/1092747754881929216?s=21

Well John Barnes has launched a very passionate defence of Neeson.

The same John Barnes who, as a young black man, experienced the kind of racial hatred and discrimination which none of us white men on this thread could even begin to understand.

[Wales-Bales]

Liam Neeson says he's 'not racist' after controversial interview

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-47133868

[blue matt]

I'm pretty sure there'd be a lot less empathy if a Muslim had said he'd spent a week (a week!) looking for any white person to get revenge on.



Abu Hamza seemed to do ok and he said that for years

[lardy]

Abu Hamza seemed to do ok and he said that for years

Do you know what empathy means? That's probably the worst example you could have chosen.

[Croesy Blue]

Abu Hamza seemed to do ok and he said that for years
Yeah he did fine, on trial since 2004 and in a high security US prison for life :hehe:

Who had empathy with him? He is one of the most hated men around.

[blue matt]

Do you know what empathy means? That's probably the worst example you could have chosen.

yes thanks, I do know what empathy means, even if i didnt, i might have googled the big words you tend to use

my reply was meant to be a extreme and tongue-in-cheek

though as a side note, his followers certainly showed empathy with him did they not ? ?

[Croesy Blue]

I don’t think it’s a valid comparison tbh. A white man today has come out today and said he wanted to kill any black man because his friend was raped and has faced some criticism with the majority of people sticking up for him.

Then when someone said a Muslim wouldn’t have got the same reaction you said despised hate preacher and in prison for life Abu hamza for an example.

[lardy]

yes thanks, I do know what empathy means, even if i didnt, i might have googled the big words you tend to use

my reply was meant to be a extreme and tongue-in-cheek

though as a side note, his followers certainly showed empathy with him did they not ? ?

Yes because they're his followers. Maybe the reply worked better in your head, but if there was a thread called Abu Hamza, I'm sure there wouldn't be half a dozen people on it making excuses for him to downplay what he said.

[SuisseBluebird]

Just reminds me of the Ted talk I saw here https://youtu.be/SSH5EY-W5oM where a white supremacist gives an insight into his upbringing and how his views became so extreme. He is commended for his honesty not lambasted for his past.

Neeson is clearly trying to convey that he is ashamed of his initial reaction to learning that his friend was raped and that he wanted to know the colour of the assailant and then kill a person of that colour. However the risk nowadays is that people are unwilling to see beyond your past, especially if your life is in the public eye. James Gunn director of Guardians of the Galaxy had his contact thrown out for tweets sent years ago, Kevin Hart has been blocked from hosting the Oscars for tweets he sent years ago. And now you have Neeson. The difference here is as opposed to a tweet, he voluntarily admitted to an event in his past that he obviously regrets in an interview. His agent must be spitting feathers because the issue in this day and age is the media, particularly social media, is unwilling to look beyond the statement in order to pursue an opportunity to engage in discussion. They are more content with focusing on said statement and then seeking that as clarification that this individual needs to be censored. And that's what we are seeing with Neeson. Future public engagements will be cancelled, there'll be fewer screenings of his new film that he is currently promoting and there'll be less interest for him to be approached for future film projects.

People just don't want to talk and listen these days, they would rather choose to be upset and decline your right to be involved in the conversation.

[Croesy Blue]

Poor Liam Neeson who’ll get fewer screenings of his film because he admitted he grouped every single black person together for the actions of one.

From what I can see he’s being patted on the back for if and getting called brave more than anything else.

The right action is somewhere in the middle should he be completely written off despite his apology? no he’s definitely shown some remorse.

Should he be criticised because of his reaction to a friend being raped was any black person to kill will do? Of course especially when you listen to his actual apology and see even he doesn’t realise what the issue with his reaction was.

[thehumblegringo]

I don't even need to add to this thread other than to say John Barnes sums it all up brilliantly.

[NYCBlue]

He is a 67 year old man talking about a previous time / era, one where certain prejudices were more commonplacd, and one in which he acknowledges it was wrong hence him says he is ashamed and learned lessons from it.

Why does he feel the need to say anything though? Just keep it to yourself Liam. Carry that weight. This is a prime example of white/rich priviledge. He's unburdening himself. At the expense of others. "some black bastard". WTF?

[Organ Morgan.]

Another celebrity, Macaulay Culkin of Home Alone fame, recently made some explosive accusations about Satanic kid fiddlers in Hollywood. His allegations could be questioned or dismissed because he has a long background of drug addiction. What might give them more substance is that they were publicised at websites but were swiftly removed.

- The Home Alone star has exposed movie business execs as “Satanic pedophiles” who “ritually abuse children in the industry.” Culkin claims he only got out alive because he was a “smart and suspicious kid” who “got too famous to be killed like some of the other kids.””You learn very early to recognize which of them want to abuse you, and which of them have even darker tastes,” Macaulay Culkin said, explaining that “the worst of them wear shoes made out of the skin of children that they ritually murdered.” Culkin dropped the huge truth bomb during a radio interview in Paris, France. -

More: https://danielsolis.cz/macaulay-culkin-satanic-hollywood-elites-murder-children-during-rituals/amp/?__twitter_impression=true&fbclid=IwAR3hsbrT-sSB2xv1spidAiJJGEOJrT_YRGzrFuoOOR_-kritrfCr9RKDrOU

https://danielsolis.cz/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/macauley-culkin-satanic-hollywood-2.jpg

[NYCBlue]

Another celebrity, Macaulay Culkin of Home Alone fame, recently made some explosive accusations about Satanic kid fiddlers in Hollywood. His allegations could be questioned or dismissed because he has a long background of drug addiction. What might give them more substance is that they were publicised at websites but were swiftly removed.

- The Home Alone star has exposed movie business execs as “Satanic pedophiles” who “ritually abuse children in the industry.” Culkin claims he only got out alive because he was a “smart and suspicious kid” who “got too famous to be killed like some of the other kids.””You learn very early to recognize which of them want to abuse you, and which of them have even darker tastes,” Macaulay Culkin said, explaining that “the worst of them wear shoes made out of the skin of children that they ritually murdered.” Culkin dropped the huge truth bomb during a radio interview in Paris, France. -

More: https://danielsolis.cz/macaulay-culkin-satanic-hollywood-elites-murder-children-during-rituals/amp/?__twitter_impression=true&fbclid=IwAR3hsbrT-sSB2xv1spidAiJJGEOJrT_YRGzrFuoOOR_-kritrfCr9RKDrOU

https://danielsolis.cz/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/macauley-culkin-satanic-hollywood-2.jpg

Yet he said Michael Jackson never touched him.

[splott parker]

Yet he said Michael Jackson never touched him.

F*ck me, looking at that, would you?😂😂

[NYCBlue]

F*ck me, looking at that, would you?����

:hehe:

[waynekerr55]

I can't believe that this thread is 3 pages long, yet nobody has blamed Dave Jones for ruining another career :hehe:

[Wales-Bales]

Liam Neeson replaced as US chat show guest

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-47155727

[life on mars]

Liam Neeson replaced as US chat show guest

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-47155727

Its was always going to happen anyway with that very poor hair dye job and an age of 67 ,that colour hair and age group Is surely not for the modern age of HDTV .

[TheMightyBluebirds]

Liam Neeson was stupid to say what he did, but I don't see how it's racist (since racism is more of a long-term viewpoint?). Silly to see the red carpet be pulled and his guest slow cancelled over it tbh.

[lardy]

Liam Neeson was stupid to say what he did, but I don't see how it's racist (since racism is more of a long-term viewpoint?). Silly to see the red carpet be pulled and his guest slow cancelled over it tbh.

Racist thought, racist act, racist attack - of course single events can be racist.

[life on mars]

Racist thought, racist act, racist attack - of course single events can be racist.

He should have said "I went out in anger looking for any person to hit to exact revenge "

A violent thought and act , but he didn't actually back it up , perhaps , understandable , when faced with anger, in a fight or flight situation.

What worries me is why say it now ?? did he actually do that walk ,or is this some flowered up statement ?? where he is foolishly seeking self publicity of his film ,if yes , what a shallow nasty, greedy little man he is and a first rate plonker dont feel sorry for him he's loaded, and self opponiated.

[lardy]

He should have said "I went out in anger looking for any person to hit to exact revenge "

A violent thought and act , but he didn't actually back it up , perhaps , understandable , when faced with anger, in a fight or flight situation.

What worries me is why say it now ?? did he actually do that walk ,or is this some flowered up statement ?? where he is foolishly seeking self publicity of his film ,if yes , what a shallow nasty, greedy little man he is and a first rate plonker dont feel sorry for him he's loaded, and self opponiated.

I'm not sure that's really much better. He'd have been better off saying nothing. Like you, I can't understand why he shared it. I guess he didn't think ahead as to how it could come across.

Cancelling his shows now is not going to achieve much other than to save face for those associated with the shows. He's not flavour of the month at the moment but that will pass.

I just don't know how someone can say it's not racist. It seems to tick all the boxes.

[Fulham traveller]

Some thoughts are better left inside one's head.

Very much so, 40 years ago my mind has changed a lot, and opinions changed, if I put my thoughts down now from 40 years ago, I could be locked up, and now they will make a witch hunt against him, 20 years I thought the world will be better with no chelsea fans on the planet, I now realized I was right

[Rjk]

I don't know whether he should have kept it to himself, or it is better that he owns it and admits his past.

A great many people of his generation and older especially will have at some point expressed views that would seem racist today (although the vast majority not anything like as extreme as this). Is it healthier for society for people to be able to admit their mistakes? It might lead someone still harbouring similar views into the light?