I've made a few errors of judgment in my time, Some of them big, some of them small:
The other day I did a short journey on my bike - it was drizzling but I didn't bother with my waterproofs - and I ended up getting soaked. Or, I was depressed in my work for several years thinking it was too late to make a career change - then it was forced on me and now I regret not doing it earlier. Both these things were errors of judgement. That is to say I thought about what I was doing, made a decision and in good faith, got it wrong.
However I didn't send a series of misogyist emails (like Football boss Richard Scudamore) or recite a racist nursery rhyme on TV (like Jeremy Clarkson) or misuse public office for private gain (like my own local Labour mayor Sheila Peacock). And yet all these people within the past few days have claimed to make an 'error of judgment'.
Let's get it right. These people fucked up. They didn't have the misfortune to make a wrong decision in good faith. Their dark and deep-seated arsehole-ness was just publicly revealed for all to see .
2 comments:
The outrage against the people who used the offending word has been well expressed and the BBC reacted quickly to the latest 'mistake' from the Devon DJ. It is a victory for the left. End of.
Some people are saying that the race card is being over played, certainly by the mainstream media who report closely on any racial offence. Same in the US, where I have been examining how the race narrative has supplanted other forms of political discourse. So I am looking very eagerly toward the mass event called for on the 4th July, where members of the US black Christian communities and the (evil, if you swallow BBC shit) Tea Party, plus many old style anti racist Republicans, and others, will gather to celebrate what they see as One Nation Under God, against racism, and the race narrative pursued by the media. That event will not be reported by the media here - as it would clash with dominant left account of the race issue in the US.
As a cynical anarchist I am beginning to applaud the stand against the dominant left's devaluation of racism, and I hope the black people of the US will show the way. Perhaps it is a question of whether to attack racism or stick with the rather tired agenda of tradition leftists who
Apologies for appearing to hog the discussion, but thinking about your post I thought the case mentioned in this link would test the interpretations of the notorious eeny meeny rhyme. Something I have raised with students, you might find it worth discussing with your students
http://ca10.washburnlaw.edu/cases/2005/08/04-3109.htm
ttp://ca10.washburnlaw.edu/cases/2005/08/04-3109.htmh.
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