The RFL investigating Featherstone player

[Hela Wigmen]

Ben Blackmore is being investigated by The RFL for an “inappropriate” comment on social media. Inappropriate is a bit light in all honesty.

I’ve been in two minds whether to post the link but I have because there will be some people wanting to see it or asking what it is. So I will post the link but anyone who doesn’t want to see it, don’t click below; 

https://mobile.twitter.com/johnnyddavidson/status/1372514577590673409/photo/1

 

[Tommygilf]

What a div, proper village idiot

[RigbyLuger]

3 hours ago, Tommygilf said:

What a div, proper village idiot

That's the point isn't it. They know not to post stuff like that, as much as they may think it's banter, but still do it.

Like Wagga dressing up as Koukash in blackface. Just banter.

[Tommygilf]

14 minutes ago, RigbyLuger said:

That's the point isn't it. They know not to post stuff like that, as much as they may think it's banter, but still do it.

Like Wagga dressing up as Koukash in blackface. Just banter.

Its just utterly stupid for a normal person to say, let alone when you represent a sports club.

Like honestly it screams village idiot

[Damien]

Its the stupidity that gets me. No matter what they may think surely they realise that this will get them in trouble and wont be tolerated?

[Mr Plow]

1 hour ago, RigbyLuger said:

That's the point isn't it. They know not to post stuff like that, as much as they may think it's banter, but still do it.

Like Wagga dressing up as Koukash in blackface. Just banter.

Words fail me sometimes. We all know things get said as a joke between friends where no one in the outside world can see but to post that on an open forum is utterly stupid

[Eddie]

What’s he said? It’s just something about Sheffield Eagles squad, unless I’m missing something obvious? 

[Tommygilf]

10 hours ago, Eddie said:

What’s he said? It’s just something about Sheffield Eagles squad, unless I’m missing something obvious? 

He suggested the black player was a "locked" character, as in on video games whereby locked characters are often silhouetted till the player has unlocked them.

Basically singling out the black player for "humourous derision" purely because of his skin colour.

[Dave T]

Let's see how seriously the RFL are about casual racism now eh? 

[Tommygilf]

Just now, Dave T said:

Let's see how seriously the RFL are about casual racism now eh? 

This is one of those clear issues where it isn't clouded by being a free speech issue or anything like that, but an obvious comment on a persons race purely for denigrating "humour" reasons.

Commenting it on a public forum like Facebook suggests he was wanting a funny reaction too. If, as suggested online, this isn't even the first occasion he's done something like this he should have the book thrown at him frankly. 

[gingerjon]

Just now, Tommygilf said:

This is one of those clear issues where it isn't clouded by being a free speech issue or anything like that, but an obvious comment on a persons race purely for denigrating "humour" reasons.

Commenting it on a public forum like Facebook suggests he was wanting a funny reaction too. If, as suggested online, this isn't even the first occasion he's done something like this he should have the book thrown at him frankly. 

Bantz. Free speech. Something about letting people who've done bad things play the game anyway so we can't do anything. Maybe something about just a joke. Plausible deniability that this wasn't deliberately racist. Something about being kind. Do we really want to be woke. Red wall. Working class.

Boom.

[Robthegasman]

I find this very confusing.I don’t understand what is meant by locked.

But I don’t do video games and as such don’t understand the language.

 I only understand English and the last time I checked the dictionary the word locked is not a racist word.Or is every word in the English language now racist or something.

I despair at this country and indeed the world today.

 And for the record I as a right winger politically I totally oppose racism and bigotry.

[Tommygilf]

Just now, gingerjon said:

Bantz. Free speech. Something about letting people who've done bad things play the game anyway so we can't do anything. Maybe something about just a joke. Plausible deniability that this wasn't deliberately racist. Something about being kind. Do we really want to be woke. Red wall. Working class.

Boom.

Nah I actually don't see much of those things happening here.

[gingerjon]

1 minute ago, Tommygilf said:

Nah I actually don't see much of those things happening here.

Sincerely hope not - not from anyone official.

I reckon at least one (former?) RL journalist would definitely think it.

And there's a few on here who might give it a go with a fair wind behind them.

[Tommygilf]

16 minutes ago, Robthegasman said:

I find this very confusing.I don’t understand what is meant by locked.

But I don’t do video games and as such don’t understand the language.

 I only understand English and the last time I checked the dictionary the word locked is not a racist word.Or is every word in the English language now racist or something.

I despair at this country and indeed the world today.

 And for the record I as a right winger politically I totally oppose racism and bigotry.

Most right wingers I know are very keen to stress context to most language, usually to show how some things they said aren't whatever "ism". On that I agree, context is vital to understanding, and nitpicking rarely serves any purpose beyond point scoring which is a plague on politics.

Here the context is that the black player, notably the only black player, was singled out by his race for a "humourous" comment at his expense by a fellow competitor in a public forum. Its at best tasteless.

[Robthegasman]

18 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

Most right wingers I know are very keen to stress context to most language, usually to show how some things they said aren't whatever "ism". On that I agree, context is vital to understanding, and nitpicking rarely serves any purpose beyond point scoring which is a plague on politics.

Here the context is that the black player, notably the only black player, was singled out by his race for a "humourous" comment at his expense by a fellow competitor in a public forum. Its at best tasteless.

It is still beyond my understanding.

Maybe I belong to a different era.

Maybe I belong to a different planet.

 And I seriously think that we are heading towards the day when every single word in the English language will be classed as racist.

I really do not understand the world we live in today.

[Tommygilf]

Just now, Robthegasman said:

It is still beyond my understanding.

Maybe I belong to a different era.

Maybe I belong to a different planet.

 And I seriously think that we are heading towards the day when every single word in the English language will be classed as racist.

I really do not understand the world we live in today.

No, its a comment that is racist and can literally only be said in a way with racist undertones. As you said, without prior knowledge of computer games you wouldn't make the comment as it simply means nothing.

Its a comment you simply cannot make from ignorance.

Most people accused of racism are desperate for context to be taken into account. In this case it was the context of a village idiot trying to get a few laughs on Facebook at the expense of a black players skin colour.

[Adelaide Tiger]

20 minutes ago, Robthegasman said:

It is still beyond my understanding.

Maybe I belong to a different era.

Maybe I belong to a different planet.

 And I seriously think that we are heading towards the day when every single word in the English language will be classed as racist.

I really do not understand the world we live in today.

Don’t worry Rob I didn’t understand the comment either.  The last time I played a video game was Crash Bandicoot with my daughter when she was about 5 years of age - over 20 years ago!  And I have never heard anyone say that word to me in the context of a video character.  But after reading the comments from others on here it is obvious that the comment by Blackmore was derogatory.

P.S. I cannot for the life of me understand why grown adults just sit in front of a screen playing games.  

[Dave T]

34 minutes ago, Robthegasman said:

It is still beyond my understanding.

Maybe I belong to a different era.

Maybe I belong to a different planet.

 And I seriously think that we are heading towards the day when every single word in the English language will be classed as racist.

I really do not understand the world we live in today.

Just because you don't understand the joke doesn't mean it's not racist. 

[John Drake]

Locking this before anyone on here ends up saying something they regret.

The matter is under investigation by the RFL.

Let's await the outcome.