Conversation with a racist

I was watching an episode of Judge Judy recently on YouTube. (Judge Judy is an American reality TV show in which real life plaintiffs take a case to court) The defendants were two black teenagers and they were found guilty of stealing a bag. The following conversation took place in the comments page between myself (MrMijagi1980) and SIOSpawn.

SIOSpawn:  typical black male, its not stereotypical its the facts.

MrMijagi1980: How do you know it's the facts? Seems like you are prejudiced against black males. Do you just turn a blind eye to the stupid, bad white males?

SIOSpawn: just in case you havent heard of google before, heres the research: In 2008 the breakdown for adults under correctional control was as follows: one out of 18 men, one in 89 women, one in 11 African-Americans (9.2 percent), one in 27 Latinos (3.7 percent), and one in 45 Caucasians (2.2 percent). Crime rates have declined by about 25 percent from 1988-2008.[15] 70% of prisoners in the United States are non-whites.

SIOSpawn: silly boy, im going to go ahead and assume that you assume im not a black male

MrMijagi1980: you're talking about the typical criminial, which is different from the typical male. your research would only back up your 'typical black male' opinion if it stated that the majority of black males are in prison. 9.2% is not a flattering statistic but it does not represent the majority.

SIOSpawn: ok take four blacks males, sayy......the 4 in this video , all 4 commited a crime, so right now we are at 100%, now add the black males from the audience i see 2, then of course the baliff, thats 3, so 4 out of 7 black males involved n this case are criminals...that = majority. and you argument is invalid about criminals vs non criminals because if the werent criminals then they wouldnt be in jail or n prison, beside every adult and most minors are criminals in the US.

MrMijagi1980: your argument does not make any sense. you can't take this isolated case and apply it to the general population of black males. the majority of black males are not in prison. you provided the stats yourself: 9.2% or 1 out of 11, not 4 out of 7. like I said 9.2% is not a good stat but 9.2% is not the majority, so your argument that the idiots in this video are 'typical black males' is untenable.

SIOSpawn: cool story, but we are not talking about the majority here, but since you brought it up, go around random neighborhoods and gather 10 black males, i bet more than half have committed a crime within the last week, now go gather your white neighbors, i bet the harshest crime they've commited that week would be speeding lol

MrMijagi1980: we are indeed talking about the majority here because you were talking about the 'typical black male'. by using the word 'typical' you are indicating that most black males are dumb and criminal, which I think is a crude prejudice.

SIOSpawn: you cannot just assume that all the rest are not criminals who have not yet been caught. what proof do you have to say that most black males are not criminals?

MrMijagi1980: you didn't answer my question - what proof do you have to say that most black males are criminals? neither of us can assume anything because we just don't know. innocent until proven guilty.

I didn't get a reply from SIOSpawn. Maybe he realised he was talking rubbish.

Bat For Lashes

The last time I had been to the O2 ABC venue in Glasgow was to watch the late great Bert Jansch play a live acoustic set. Bat For Lashes, the stage name for the multi-talented Natasha Khan, has not acquired the legendary status of Jansch yet but she is growing in stature and acclaim with each new album. It's fair to say that I was really looking forward to seeing her play live. The evening started well, with the bar at the ABC serving Gaymers cider, which is one of my favourites. A roadie must have been over enthusiatic with the smoke machine as I almost got lost when taking a wander across the standing area infront of the stage. I somehow navigated my way to the stage without the help of a Sherpa guide and after a brief wait the support act for the evening arrived. Sylver Tongue are an alternative electro pop outfit and proved to be better than your average support act. They had an interesting sound, largely synth driven, with the lead singer used her guitar skills to good effect on a few of their songs. When they finished their set I refuelled at the bar and then jostled my way to the front of the crowd. I watched the techies and roadies dismantling and then assembling equipment on the stage, like they were setting the scene for a new story to be told. Bat For Lashes and her bandmembers came onstage to raptorious applause from the few hundred fans who had gathered in anticipation. She was wearing a black and grey lycra body suit for some reason. I don't know if it was purely fashion or it had something to do with the themes of her new album but she looked great all the same. She turned out to be a very natural and expressive live performer, really in tune with her songs and the energy of the crowd. Although a multi-instrumentalist she only played the piano on a few occassions, prefering to stand alone with the microphone. I wonder if this was a conscious decision to expose her voice. It certainly worked and I came away from the gig with a new appreciation of her vocal skills, she really is a very good singer. Her band were excellent, professional to a man, and one woman. As expected half of the playlist were tracks from her new album, but she delved into her impressive back catalogue and stirred up the crowd with songs such as 'Daniel' and 'Horse And I'. Her best performance of the night was probably 'Laura', delivered with real emotion and conviction. The ABC venue was perfect for her, being just about the right size and offering an excellent sound system. Everything sounded clear and balanced. I hope she chooses the same venue next time around. All in all a great concert.

The way forward for Scottish football

                                                  John Collins

Scottish football might be coming to something of a crossroads. For years we have being talking the talk. Get back to basics, ie teaching kids how to pass and control the ball properly. But it's been all talk. The evidence was in front of me this evening as I watched Belgium tear apart Scotland. We only lost 2-0 but it could have been 4 or 5. This result leaves us bottom of the table in our qualifying group for Brasil 2014. If we finish the campaign bottom of the group then two things might happen. 1) Craig Levin, our current manager, will get the sack and be made a scapegoat for our dismal performances and results. 2) We will realise that we are at the bottom of the group because we don't produce good enough players and this will prove to be a catalyst for real and lasting change. Former Celtic and Scotland player John Collins is currently the director of football operations at Livingston FC, a lower league Scottish team, and he is determined to bring through young players who think and play football in the right way. Collins has enforced a policy of one touch football with the Livingston youngsters, and made it clear that he wants them to play this way regardless of results. It's a long term project and if it succeeds then it will surely inspire other clubs to go down the same path. I applaud Collins for his vision and determination. If the SFA (Scottish Football Association) don't pull their finger out then it could be the only way that Scotish football will move forward.

Ed Miliband and David Cameron

                                             Ed Milliband

For the sake of my sanity and nerves I usually give politics a wide bearth but in the last week two politicians have boiled my blood to such an extent that I have to vent some of my disgust and annoyance. First head on the chopping block is Labour leader Ed Milliband as I had the misfortune of catching some of Labour's Political Party Broadcast on the tv. There were two strands to the broadcast. Firstly Millband trying to ingratiate himself with the working class people of Britain by harping on about his school days at his comprehensive. Secondly he dredged up some former Harvard pupils and comprehensive schoolmates to sing his praises. It was all terribly sycophantic and cringeworthy. It wasn't quite as awful as listening to Tony Blair speak but it had the same shades of insincerity and falseness. Ed, just come on tv, drop the act and tell us why we should vote for you in a direct and meaningful way.
Second head on the chopping block is Prime Minister David Cameron. During his big address at the Conservative Party conference he said "There is only one real route out of poverty and it is work." Having a good work ethic is really important and can indeed be a route out of poverty, I don't deny that, but it's a much more complex reality that what the PM would like us to believe. I am born and bred in a working class area of Glasgow and I doubt very much that any of the young men and women of my area have been given all the advantages, privileges and help that Cameron has himself enjoyed since his youth. Many of the poor need a helping hand to lift themselves out of poverty - social issues such as poor education, broken homes and the negative influence of peers can seriously hold back people in their pursuit of a better life. So his statement is a gross oversimplification. There is a further irony in that Cameron demands the poor to work themselves out of poverty at a time of high unemployment. What planet are you living on David?