Explain: "to compliment Lukaku he used a metaphor that turned out to be racist"

StriderX · 16 Sep 2019 at 13:45

Basically calling the footballer stupid because of his colour, how is that difficult to understand?

Raymond Lin · 16 Sep 2019 at 13:45

FoxEye said:
Go on then, enlighten us. What did he mean.

Also I'm fairly certain that the word bananas in virtually any ~~sentence~~ combination of words involving Lukaku would have resulted in him being fired, whether it made sense or not. So it doesn't necessarily follow that it had to have made sense.

But I'm now curious as to what you think that sentence means. Does the weight of 10 bananas sitting in his stomach slow him down or something? Why is he eating them all at once? Most athletes eat bananas as it's easily absorbed for a quick energy hit.

So yeah, it can be insulting/perceived as much without making a whole heap of sense.

I don't speak Italian, he got fired for what he said in Italian.

It requires no translation. So there was nothing lost in the translation.

But even after translation it makes sense as above, not sure why you are struggling to understand it in English.

FoxEye · 16 Sep 2019 at 13:47

Thekwango said:
it makes perfect sense, give him 10 bananas to eat and he's going to be too busy with them to be much of a threat as a footballer.

It's pretty racist that you think Lukaku would behave like that if given some bananas in the middle of a football match

Joking aside, that could be what he meant, but I wouldn't bet my house on it.

Raymond Lin · 16 Sep 2019 at 13:48

FoxEye said:
It's pretty racist that you think Lukaku would behave like that if given some bananas in the middle of a football match

Joking aside, that could be what he meant, but I wouldn't bet my house on it.

That is what he meant, to think anything else you have been living under a rock.

Greebo · 16 Sep 2019 at 13:51

NVP said:
He complimented him by degrading him?

I understand what you are saying and that's cool you choose to see it that way, but I can't see how he said that sentence with anything other than contempt.

Well he has spent the previous minutes gushing over him, saying he was basically the best in the world, unbeatable etc. So he basically just ended his summary off by saying "for a black man" and then nullified all the compliments he had just made.

NVP · 16 Sep 2019 at 13:56

Greebo said:
Well he has spent the previous minutes gushing over him, saying he was basically the best in the world, unbeatable etc. So he basically just ended his summary off by saying "for a black man" and then nullified all the compliments he had just made.

Ah, this I did not know. It does make more sense with that context.

I've found more of the quote:

“I don't see in the Italian league a player like Lukaku in any team, not in AC Milan, Inter, Rome, Lazio,” Passirani said live on TV.

“He's one of the strongest and I like him a lot because he's one of the strongest, he's at least twice as strong as (Duvan) Zapata from Atalanta.

“These players have something more than the others, these are the guys who make the goals and drag the team.

“If they go one-on-one with you you're dead, you fall to the ground. You're alright if you have ten bananas to give him to eat, otherwise…”

I can now see why they have phrased it as a compliment, but the defence of his racist insult as mere generational commentary is quite ignorant to the underlying implication/meaning.

He's old so he says racist things without meaning them offensively...? Please.

robfosters · 16 Sep 2019 at 14:11

Lazy racism.

He hasn’t even put any effort into it.

NVP · 16 Sep 2019 at 14:14

Teach him how it's done

FoxEye · 16 Sep 2019 at 14:18

NVP said:
I can now see why they have phrased it as a compliment, but the defence of his racist insult as mere generational commentary is quite ignorant to the underlying implication/meaning.

He's old so he says racist things without meaning them offensively...? Please.

What do you want to do about it?

He already lost his job.

He might be a racist and if he is, is extremely unlikely to change at 80.

So he's been replaced by someone else.

So what more is there to do? Twitter storm? Facebook campaign?

He's gone, shouldn't that be the end of it? Or do we need a public enquiry as to how 80 year-olds could be somewhat racist.

NVP · 16 Sep 2019 at 14:22

...I'd like to discuss it, in a forum called General Discussion

neckbeardthethird · 16 Sep 2019 at 14:34

Raymond Lin said:
That is what he meant, to think anything else you have been living under a rock.

he lives in Cornwall, same difference

doodah · 16 Sep 2019 at 14:50

FoxEye said:
What do you want to do about it?

He already lost his job.

He might be a racist and if he is, is extremely unlikely to change at 80.

So he's been replaced by someone else.

So what more is there to do? Twitter storm? Facebook campaign?

He's gone, shouldn't that be the end of it? Or do we need a public enquiry as to how 80 year-olds could be somewhat racist.

A growing number of incidents and little to no action suggests a possible systemic issue, considering some of the tripe on GD - hard to see an issue with discussing it.

CREATIVE!11 · 16 Sep 2019 at 14:51

I always find the bananas / chimps jabs slightly amusing....(because it's dumb to say...)

We're all hairless apes regardless of skin colour.

But yes I wouldn't exactly say what he said.

FoxEye said:
What do you want to do about it?

He already lost his job.

He might be a racist and if he is, is extremely unlikely to change at 80.

So he's been replaced by someone else.

So what more is there to do? Twitter storm? Facebook campaign?

He's gone, shouldn't that be the end of it? Or do we need a public enquiry as to how 80 year-olds could be somewhat racist.

Yep.

He's gone so that's that really. Stupid thing to say but the guy is 80. Time to retire.

FoxEye · 16 Sep 2019 at 15:03

neckbeardthethird said:
he lives in Cornwall, same difference

Don't knock it. We don't have race wars down here like in some parts...

We do have (small, very) black and Asian minorities and everybody just seems to get along. Not bad for a bunch of rock dwellers, eh?

Thekwango · 16 Sep 2019 at 15:08

FoxEye said:
It's pretty racist that you think Lukaku would behave like that if given some bananas in the middle of a football match

Joking aside, that could be what he meant, but I wouldn't bet my house on it.

yea it is pretty damn racist isn't it. shame you're not a betting man.

Junglist · 16 Sep 2019 at 15:09

What's wrong with Cornwall? I never had any bad vibes there! Haven't been back to Charlestown in years though

Greebo · 16 Sep 2019 at 15:11

FoxEye said:
What do you want to do about it?

He already lost his job.

He might be a racist and if he is, is extremely unlikely to change at 80.

So he's been replaced by someone else.

So what more is there to do? Twitter storm? Facebook campaign?

He's gone, shouldn't that be the end of it? Or do we need a public enquiry as to how 80 year-olds could be somewhat racist.

i think its more a case of people are defending him and saying he shouldnt lose his job.

Nobody here has suggested that he needs more punishment than the one he has already received,

Dirk Diggler · 16 Sep 2019 at 18:16

NVP said:
I can now see why they have phrased it as a compliment, but the defence of his racist insult as mere generational commentary is quite ignorant to the underlying implication/meaning.

He's old so he says racist things without meaning them offensively...? Please.

He's been called out and dealt with adequately, simple as that. I can understand the process that led to his faux pas, and it doesn't offend me in the slightest. It's unfortunate, but it's come and gone.

Thread be dead.

Dis86 · 16 Sep 2019 at 18:18

String said:
It's unfortunate, but it's come and gone.

Thankfully like that generation's racist attitudes.

Angilion · 16 Sep 2019 at 20:54

Greebo said:
Well he has spent the previous minutes gushing over him, saying he was basically the best in the world, unbeatable etc. So he basically just ended his summary off by saying "for a black man" and then nullified all the compliments he had just made.

He did nothing of the kind. It's reasonable to criticise him for something he said, but making something up and claiming he said it isn't reasonable. You may as well claim that he basically just ended his summary off by saying "the earth is flat and ruled by alien lizards". That has about as much of a connection to what he actually said.

I notice that Cornwall has cropped up in this thread for some reason, so I'll go with that. Imagine a Cornish football player and this said about them:

“I don't see in the English league a player like Pascoe in any team, not in Liverpool, Arsenal, West Ham, Tottenham,” Passirani said live on TV.

“He's one of the strongest and I like him a lot because he's one of the strongest, he's at least twice as strong as (Duvan) Zapata from Atalanta.

“These players have something more than the others, these are the guys who make the goals and drag the team.

“If they go one-on-one with you you're dead, you fall to the ground. You're alright if you have ten pasties to give him to eat, otherwise…”

It's a stereotype. It's old. It's not marching around with a silly white robe on and a swastika tattoed on your forehead.

Is racism really so extremely rare nowadays that people have to react with such desperation to any bit of it?