What did Alister Stuart actually say?

[PGtipsplease]

I can’t find anything on google. He’s stepping down over judgement of errors on social media.

Any ideas? I really liked him.

The DM have covered it, with screenshots.

You might want to check your Google OP, it's quite easy to find.

Called a black twitter user an 'angry ape' using a quote from Shakespeare. I don't know the context but seriously, WTF!

I was going to say check the DM as they have covered it in detail!

But essentially yes, he tweeted a Shakespeare quote to a black guy he was having a disagreement with, which included the words 'angry ape'....

What a stupid thing to say.

Oh shit!!

And I did check out google - couldn’t see anything about from he was leaving but not what he said.

Terribly sad at this news, although its pretty serious, I wish ITV would look at the context of it, and weigh it against all of the good things he's done. After all, I think." Lorraine" is a tax fiddler,but she seems to have gotton away with that.

Alistair Stewart has used the same quotation previously, apparently, and not to a black man.

I have no idea about tax fiddlers, but the man made a publicly racist comment, ergo should be censured.

I think he’s used that quote before in discussions with people on Twitter. It obviously resonates with him. His mistake was not to notice his interlocutor was black.

Would you even know that somebody on twitter was black ?

@punknarwhal yes

but the man made a publicly racist comment, so we should ban Shakespeare now then? It wasn't a racist comment at all, he quoted from Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, a quotation about man, as in mankind, which he has done previously and the sky didn't fall in.

A quote from Shakespeare used the wrong way is racist. Use a more appropriate quote if you are aware of your audience.

This image shows the context in which Shakespeare used this quote (with modern language because it confuses me less!). My interpretation is that Alistair could have simply been referring to the Twitter user's behaviour as being primitive?

But saying that, if the Twitter user or anyone else took offence, then they are entitled to that feeling. It's difficult to convey tone and meaning through social media, so extra caution should always be taken with your words. Nobody should be made to feel they are being insulted based on their race through a misjudged quote. It's just a shame people don't have the opportunity to have a conversation and an attempt to resolve issues like these before it becomes national news.

Quoting from Shakespeare really doesn't automatically make things OK. There's some stuff in The Merchant of Venice that it would be pretty horrible to quote at Jewish people.

I expect I am alone but I feel sorry for Alastair Stewart. He has used that quotation before on twitter (to a white person) and how does anyone know the race of anyone they are talking to online? I seriously doubt he had any racist intent. Of course I can see why the recipient was offended but I wish AS had been allowed to apologise rather than lose his career.

I think there was some follow up when someone told him 'in a humourous' way, that his quote could be seen as racist and he replied with a smile

That is where he should have thought just a little bit

He’s used it before because the quote speaks to him I imagine. Shakespeare was talking about the behaviour of men (white) underneath their sophisticated manners - being ape-like. The Naked Ape and all that.

It’s got to the point where you can use that quote to a white man, as he has, and people will see only the message about stripping away the veneer but if you use it to a black man people will only see a racist jibe. It’s an odd place to be - I know how we got here but it’s not right in itself.

Storm
Teacup
Offence
None intended

It’s got to the point where you can use that quote to a white man, as he has, and people will see only the message about stripping away the veneer but if you use it to a black man people will only see a racist jibe. It’s an odd place to be - I know how we got here but it’s not right in itself.

How is this odd @Binterested
This is the type of crap to come from an ethnic majority.

He used a quote that he's used previously on twitter but because he didn't second guess himself is now presumed to be racist.

Personally I think it's fucking stupid.

It’s odd because it’s a commonplace concept (the naked ape) and a useful one. It applies to everyone. But you have to find another way to talk about this commonplace concept if you are talking about someone black.

He could have got away with saying it was an error of judgement, if he hadn't replied with the angel emoji when someone pointed out that it was a potentially offensive thing to say. He knew exactly what he was doing. Damn right he should quit.

The moral of this story is don’t engage in arguments on Twitter.
I really don’t know what Alistair’s intention was, but I can see why a black man who has probably faced racism in his life would be offended, particularly with all the xenophobia and racism around Brexit.
I do feel some sympathy with AS. He appears to be a decent man, However, when one is a position such as Alistair you have to be careful
Many of us are talking from a position of privilege and so it is easy for us to discredit the experiences of black and Asian people.
It’s sad that a distinguished career has come to an end in such a shambolic manner