I Got Angry Yesterday

[panthro]

Just want to get this off my chest....

I went to Pall Mall yesterday to watch the start of the gumball 3000.

As you can imagine, there were quite a few people climbing up window ledges etc trying to get a closer look. A couple of Jewish children (not older than 13 I think and clearly Jewish as they were wearing Kippahs/skullcaps) had perched themselves on a pillar to get a decent view. One of the specially employed security staff shouted at them to get down, then as they were getting down one lad out of a group shouted "yeah you dirty ******* Jew get down" and then they all proceeded to laugh. The poor kid had an expression on his face that looked like he was trying to keep his tears from flowing, while trying to smile at the same time. He went over to his mum and dad who gave him a hug.

Mindless racist good for nothings are unfortunately all too common, but then I managed to catch a couple of the security guards laughing at the comment. At this point my blood was boiled, and I started to push my way over to the security guards. In the meantime, one of my friends, who is slightly less restrained than I am, walked up to the youth that said it and gave him a swift elbow to the head, which must have hurt because the little **** doubled up clutching his head. His friends didnt bother to help him and just stood there. As soon as that happened, the security guard walked over to our group and said that he saw what my friend did and that he could report us to the police and have us removed. So I said to him "you go and do that, and we will tell them how you encouraged racist behaviour by laughing at their racist comments. Our whole group saw it and I want to speak to your supervisor" (add a few swear words into that). The guard looked me in the eye as soon as I said that, then looked at the floor and then walked away to one of his colleagues and carried on with his job.

I was still in the mood to make a complaint about this guard, but it got busier and busier and I ended up not doing it which I have regretted. Someone like that does not deserved to be employed at all. He looked like they had just picked him up off the corner of Peckham high street and given him a uniform and badge.

I was firstly angry that people can behave like that in public, shouting racist comments for no reason, secondly for the guard to laugh at this kind of behaviour and thirdly that I did not report him for acting like that.

 

[panthro]

not that I condone the racist behaviour but are you and your mates much better for carrying out and condoning random acts of violence and more than the other guy and his mates for condoning racism,

IMO arrest both of you.

I see your point, but they would have nothing to arrest me for but I wasnt v pleased my friend did that. It wasnt a "random act of violence". I would have to say that we are much better than they are, and I disagree with you on that. I reckon the guys that shouted it were at least 18 if not older.

EDIT: Im not Jewish....probably would have been worse if I was.

 

[panthro]

I dont because that would suggest i believe the average thug on the street capable of assembling all the facts and carrying out summary retribution as justice. which i do not.

It doesnt matter what the crime is a vigilante style punsihment can never be justified because it just becomes a slippery slope, leading to "Well that guy deserved it so what about the guy that commited an only slightly less bad crime" etc.

You are right in what you are saying, as it is not possible for single person to act as judge, jury and prosecution on the street and take the law into their hands.....but I dont care because that kid got what was coming to him, and didnt get what he deserved by a long shot.

 

[panthro]

From when Ali G interviewed the activists trying to stop a road (or something similar) being built.

Random Guy: Violence solves nothing.

Ali G: Well it does

RG: Lets face it, it doesnt.

AG: Well it does

RG: In what kind of situation?

AG: In a violent one

 

[panthro]

It's great how you and your mate captain planet assault people in the fight against racism over a comment that isn't racist - it's anti-Semitic.

Ok then, tell me how one is worst (or better) than the other? Does it really make a difference? Would you like me to edit my post to change the word racist to anti-semitic?

 

[panthro]

So what you're telling us, is your friend lacks the communication 'skills' to talk/shout to the lad? Instead he resorts to violence.

Wow, I really admire him.

Im pretty sure that he doesnt care if you admire him or not.

I should have mentioned that before we did anything, we started shouting at them telling them that it was out of order, and we got back from them the usual "**** off you *****", etc.

I dont think violence was the answer either, but as I said before, he deserved it and I honestly dont regret my friend doing it. I wish I did report the guard to his superior though. Thats my biggest regret.

 

[panthro]

Oh that makes his actions perfectly sensible then.

There is no point in trying to be a smartass. I didnt say it was. It was a point which I missed out in my OP.

 

[panthro]

Fair enough. But by telling us they shouted at them, does it make them any worse or better?

It helped, because at least the kid knew why he was getting hit before it happened. So he couldnt tell anyone he got hit for no reason at all. At least all the people round could know that he was making racist/anti-semitic comments to children before it happened.

 

[panthro]

Goodness grief, keyboards at dawn eh?

I reckon it would be foolish to think that dealing out an elbow to the head of some yob is going to teach them a lesson... they are probably used to violence, and if anything it'll just increase fuel their racist behaviour, because that's the way those small-minded, pea-brained people work.

Yeah at the end of the day the scrote probably deserved a good kicking, but then again he's probably taken a good few over the years and lives in a culture of violence, so all your mate did by elbowing him in the head was act like a **** himself, and all you showed him once more is that violence works, and he'll take it out some poor and unlucky sod at some point in the future. If you or your friend think you have educated the yob in any way, shape or form about the finer points of how to treat ethnic minorite,s or increased his goodwill towards fellow man then you are deluding yourself. The elbow is far deadlier than the fist in close quarters, many martial arts use it with devestating effect but only when they want to REALLY hurt someone. Your mate is obviously as much a yob as they are and likes a good scrap.

Just my opinion.

Fair play, you are entitled to your opinion. Im not a yob, and neither is my friend. Your use of of words such as **** and yob I find offensive, but you can only go by from what you read in this thread. As I said, he is a lot less tolerant than myself but he is usually not a violent person. The look on that kids face hit a nerve with him, as it did with me. Havent felt that bad for someone in a long time. Just to emphasise, it wasnt a full on strike to the head, more of a walk past casually fairly hard knock. Still, I guess it doesnt make too much of a difference.

 

[panthro]

Regardless of what ive read in this thread, your mate must still be a tool for doing that, and he MUST have a liking for a scrap... that just wouldn't happen otherwise. You're biased because he's your mate, we're objective.

Of course Im going to be biased, I was there, I saw people verbally abusing children, my friend acted on instinct, gave him a swift knock to the head with his elbow.

He MUST have a liking for a scrap? How so, because he got angry at wrong doing? If he had a liking for a scrap, then he would actively go out seeking it, which he doesnt. If he did, then he would be in jail by now probably for all the scrapping he gets into.

What would you have done? Have stern words with them? Or stand there and not do anything? I dont care what you or anyone else thinks, because my friends and myself are not the kind of people to stand by and not doing anything while people abuse little children. Its just wrong and out of order.

 

[panthro]

You'd be surprised how many people say they are not "racist" yet in a certain situation will use racist comments as if it meant nothing. "Oh we were just having a laugh", yea well why not ******* have a laugh by using some jokes that arent offensive.

Honestly. Its not soo much blatant racists that get on my nerves anymore its people who claim not to be racist yet decide to use racist comments at times.

I guess it depends who you are saying it to, e.g your friends in jest. I dont, but I know a lot of people who always call one of my chinese friends chinky....but he uses the same word to replace the word chinese I still count that as a racist word.

 

[panthro]

Not saying that what the fella said was a nice thing because its not but to get elbowed by some chav who thinks hes the jewish saviour is a bit sad and pathetic.

Firstly, Im not a chav, my friend is not a chav, you dont know him so dont label him.

Secondly,

Anyways seems like a lot of people still feel sorry for the jews and what happened to them many yrs ago at the hands of Hitler...why in gods name are we still treading on egg shells with the jews when it comes to them??..

it sounds like you are some sort of holocaust denier with a comment like that. I wont be taking posts from you seriously ever again.

Erm....
Im pretty sure the OP didnt do this because he felt bad about what hitler did, and id imagine he woulda done the same thing if it was a little arab boy...

Thanks mate, I would have done it for anyone being racially abused.

who are you to tell them what's right and wrong. Yes, making 'racist' remarks isn't nice but they're not going to listen to you are they.

who am I to tell them whats right or wrong?? Someone who knows a racist comment when they hear it, thats who

People are going to act like idiots, but you have to learn to ignore it.

Yes, next time someone calls me a **** or my friends ******* I think I will ignore it, what a good idea, I will let people walk all over me and others while just lying there and taking it! Your a genius, I wish I thought of that!

I wonder if it'd been a group of stacked blokes that'd said it, if you'd have told them what to do and gone and hit one of them.

We are a group of stacked blokes so it doesnt matter and if they were bigger than us then I may have considered going to the police. It wouldnt have stopped me from speaking to the guards though.

Was speaking to my friend earlier today and he was saying that he should have handled the incident differently. Despite what people think, he isnt looking for fights and isnt a scrapper. Both my friend and myself (as well as other in my circle of friends) are coloured, and growing up where I lived, there were very few coloured people about so we know what it was like to get picked on and bullied at school. He just lost control of his emotions which is why he did what he did.

Violence is definitely not the answer in most cases, which is why I had words with security. I havent really tried to justify what my friend did, as I have repeatedly said he shouldnt have done it. I have no remorse for the kid on the receiving end though.

That said, I tip my hat to Panthro who managed to defuse the situation with some choice words rather than resorting to violence.

Thank you

 

[panthro]

Goodness grief... way to support the "we're not tools" argument.

That was a joke.

*cough* if he isn't a scrapper my name is Mildred Merkin. I've seen that sort of thing lots of times, you just don't walk up to someone and elbow them in the head unless you a) have a slight screw loose and b#) enjoy a ruck. Keep telling yourself otherwise though...

I will keep telling myself otherwise....or my friend might beat me up

 

[panthro]

No. You're the one who should take it to an authority who can deal with it. But fine, take it on yourself and if you go Policing every bad situation you see or hear you'll soon end up wishing you hadn't in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying people shouldn't stick up for themselves, by all means do, but I think it's wrong for people to get involved in situations like that when there were security gaurds (one may have been a moron but you could have approached the other one in a nicer manner. No need to stoop to his level) present who could have acted accordingly.



Yes, why not do that. Why say something back? That's what they want. They want you to say something hoping something kicks off. No point fighting fire with fire. Honestly, next time someone calls you a silly little name, try walking on by.



We are a gorup of stacked blokes who stick up for ourselves as long as it's little ***** kids we're elbowing in the head. Nice.

Like Mr Spew said, I dont leave it to the police to govern every single action I make. Re read the post, I didnt elbow anyone.

I will get you wrong because you have contradicted yourself:

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying people shouldn't stick up for themselves, by all means do,.

Yes, why not do that. Why say something back? That's what they want. They want you to say something hoping something kicks off. No point fighting fire with fire. Honestly, next time someone calls you a silly little name, try walking on by.

If someone calls me or anyone else a racist name, I will stand up. Its not my problem you are a doormat that will let people talk to you however they feel. You may be able to sit there and take abuse from people, but I wont. I had to endure it at school, and I am now at point of not tolerating it one bit.

There is a big difference in a silly name, and a name that incites racial hatred.

 

[panthro]

Erm probably becuase if a group of blokes had said the comment to the Jewish lad I can be pretty certain the thread starter and his mate wouldn't have got involved, but becuase it was some lad they did.

Dont be so sure of yourself. It wouldnt have made a blind bit of difference who said it. My main reaction was towards the security guard, a part which you seem to neglect. I still would have done what I did.

 

[panthro]

He said "a couple" so there were obviously more than two security gaurds for the whole of the Gumball and I already pointes out above about their behaviour, or "didn't you read that?".

If it was such a big deal, why didn't the lads mum and dad do something about it?

No I probably wouldn't. Maybe because I'm laid back and can't be doing with confrontation, I don't know. I just don't see why people have to get involved in such petty things that can then follow on to other, more serious things.

Like if I'm in town on a night out and someone is being an idiot, I'll go and get a bouncer or the Police. It doesn't matter if they're smaller than me, or bigger than me, I'm just not going to take matters into my own hands.

Just because people dont do what you think is right, it doesnt mean everyone else is wrong.

You dont like confrontation. Fair enough. Not everyone is you though.

 

[panthro]

snip

I dont know why you have to keep justifying yourself, because I couldnt care less what you think. Matters were solved, the guys being abusive walked off and the security guard got belittled by me.

If your happy to let people make racist comments to children and have it pass you by, then fine. Thats you. You might not think that the situation was not worth it, but what do you know anyway? I dont remember you being there.

I stand up for what I believe, and I stand against things that I do not believe. I dont believe that people should be allowed to get away with making comments like that to children.

Yes, there may have been other ways round it, like yours: I will just pretend it didnt happen. My way had more effect though.

 

[panthro]

How do you know your way had more effect when you didn't try "my way"?

because nothing would have happened!

 

[panthro]

Well. We'll never know.

thats true. But at least I will be able to go to sleep now, knowing that I didnt stand there and do nothing. Good night

 

[panthro]

But so were you when you started shouting at him, very yobbish
....

Yeah, I love acting like a yob when I shout at people for laughing at racist abuse.......

I cant stay away from this thread, I really need to go to bed. (poet).

Im not posting in here anymore. I have made my points, decisions etc, and I am happy with them.

Racism on any level is not right and should never be condoned. Dont stand by and let it happen. Do something about it.