Can silly people become wise people?

DAIR

DAIR

DAIR

Soldato
Joined
23 Jul 2009
Posts
8,920
Location
Cayman Islands
I've just read a story about a labour member being suspended. For comments he posted online... Over 10 years ago.

It seems really unfair to judge someone for comments made so long ago. Why should those comments / poor behaviour. Override the person they are today?

Just seems a bit much.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41738594
 
might be a bit more helpful if you provided some context here - like what were the comments etc... not everyone is going to have read the same news story
 
It's a conundrum. By doing this they're basically saying he must be the same person. Therefore by extension anyone released from prison is the same person and hasnt reformed so are still a danger. So why are we releasing dangerous people?

Or it could just be a retarded knee jerk reaction...
 
Not by playing xbox Kinect... :)

In context of the story (which I read this morning), this guy's online past has caught up to his current career. He was a wally. Is he still a wally? Thats to be proven. Should it be held against him [Being a wally 10 years ago?], no, but it probably will be.
 
A series of derogatory comments about women and gay men posted by O'Mara on websites about 15 years before he became an MP were revealed by the Guido Fawkes blog on 23 October 2017.[17][18] He commented about the Girls Aloud pop group, "I advise you to sack Sarah and the remaining four members (Nicola, Cheryl, Nadine and Kimberley) come have an orgy with me", and said that the 2003 winner of Pop Idol, Michelle McManus, had "only won because she was fat".[4][17][19]

He has also been accused of making homophobic comments including referring to gay men as "poofters" and "fudge packers" and referring to jazz musician Jamie Cullum as a "conceited ****" who should be "sodomised with his own piano".[4][20][21] O'Mara apologised "if his comments caused offence" and resigned from the Women and Equalities Select Committee.[4][21]
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jared_O'Mara
 
Obviously if you take a job which requires a good public image, you should be penalised for portraying a poor image. Especially so if it is your responsibility to strive for peoples equality and you have been associated with discriminating some demographics of society.

At the same time, dredging up irrelevant old comments to attack someones career 10 years later is petty, stupid and helps no one.

Should he be held responsible for those comments?
So i would not hold what he said 10 years ago against him if he was doing a satisfactory job now but if he showed signs of discriminating against one person or another, then his previous remarks should be taken into consideration when drawing up a conclusion on whether his character is fit for the job.
 
hmm so he was a bit of a "lad" in the past, aged 21. I don't think that is too bad as no doubt most people will have matured 15 years later. On the other hand it is the recent comments that are a bit ridiculous given his position - probs best he's not serving on the Commons equalities committee if he did refer to a woman as an ugly bitch in a nightclub!
 
dowie said:
hmm so he was a bit of a "lad" in the past, aged 21. I don't think that is too bad as no doubt most people will have matured 15 years later. On the other hand it is the recent comments that are a bit ridiculous given his position - probs best he's not serving on the Commons equalities committee if he did refer to a woman as an ugly bitch in a nightclub!
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I dunno, honesty in an mp is a rare thing!
 
The nightclub thing i think is irrelevant. Some woman accuses him of saying something, he denies it. It is also a private conversation with no context and in a nightclub, no doubt after a few drinks. I don't think anyone should lose their job over such a thing.
 
Can people learn from their mistakes and be remorseful.

Of course they can. The prison guard who became Nelson Mandela's best friend is a great example.

This particular guy, I don't know enough about him. He looks a bit smug but that's not a reason to cast judgement.
 
TBH if we threw everyone who looked smug out of the government, we would only be left with the grumpy, fat ones that looked like someone let half the air out of them

dowie said:
well it is good that sites like that exist tbh... dragging up dirt on public figures and calling them out on it is a useful function
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While i agree, i think the media capitalise on some dirt more than others depending on whatever hot topic is floating around the news and this ends up with some politicians getting the wrong end of the stick, while others seem to get a free pass as their story is eclipsed by something else
 
True, and I have held people to account for views they have held in the past.

Not necessarily when they were really young writing crap on the internet. Most people on this forum would have some sort of online history that could be used against them, even if they were jokey comments.
 
dowie said:
:D



well it is good that sites like that exist tbh... dragging up dirt on public figures and calling them out on it is a useful function
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I don't think I'm against calling people out. But at least give them the chance to say "yep... I was a donut. I'm a different person now". Instead it seems as though they're trying to end his career.
 
A few laddish comments 10 years ago... I expect he's matured by now and no longer even recalls these things - sadly, it's forever on the internet, and there are no end of people who will dig and dig and dig.
 
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