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What did Alister Stuart actually say?

116 replies

PGtipsplease · 29/01/2020 18:47

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

Any ideas? I really liked him.

OP posts:
VinceNoirsHair · 30/01/2020 08:40

Did he actually use it towards the guy who QT'd it though? There's no username in the tweet.

Binterested · 30/01/2020 08:44

I think it was a response to him, yes. I think they were arguing about the civil list or something like that.

Oulu · 30/01/2020 08:50

It probably isn't the end of his career. He'll probably go on to get more relaxed presenting jobs on radio, speaking engagements etc, if he wants them. He's 67 and may have been looking to wind down anyway, hence the decision to go quietly.

Saucery · 30/01/2020 08:55

He’d probably still have his job if he’d said “never intended it like that, but can see how it could be misconstrued”. So either he did mean it like that or he doesn’t care that it could be interpreted that way. Digging in just made him look like a racist arse.

2020newme · 30/01/2020 08:58

Totally agree with chewchew

He has been exposed as a racist.

BeTheRabbit · 30/01/2020 08:58

I don't believe the quote was used in a racist spirit.

SophieSong · 30/01/2020 09:02

The follow-up halo thingy shows he knows what he was doing. It is definitely a version of 'innocent face' from Sally Bercow and she was found guilty of defamation for that. I don't have much sympathy, everyone who works in the media knows about using innuendo and inference and how you can't hide behind that - he's a veteran newsreader ffs. He knew what he was doing.

Bezalelle · 30/01/2020 09:03

Rich white man who thinks he's better/cleverer than everyone else.

Womenwotlunch · 30/01/2020 09:04

Definitely exhibited a lack of judgement imo.
I agree that he was probably looking to wind down and probably wanted to go down the Trevor McDonald route and focus on documentaries

Clawdy · 30/01/2020 09:10

The oddest thing to me is that he didn't think before tweeting it. Anyone in the public eye is scrutinised for everything they say online. I've always really liked him, and this is very surprising.

TheWernethWife · 30/01/2020 09:20

FFS - people should just step away from Twitter

GCAcademic · 30/01/2020 09:20

I honestly don't know why anyone with a career to lose is on Twitter at all. There are armies of "progressive" activists on there constantly baying for the blood and sacking of anyone for whom they can find a three year-old Tweet that they can impute a base motive to. Steer clear and leave it to the trolls and puritan moralists.

BIWI · 30/01/2020 09:23

How can anyone not see that this would be interpreted as a racist comment? Used as it was, out of context, and to a black man.

Yes, it's Shakespeare. That just means it's the highbrow equivalent of monkey chants at football matches.

All the faux (i.e. white privilege) comments about it having a higher meaning are just like those who refuse to understand the link between monkey chanting/banana skins and racism towards black footballers.

... along with those who refuse to believe that gollywogs are in any way offensive.

Binterested · 30/01/2020 09:23

I think that’s the right conclusion GC. It’s not a healthy environment on any level.

prh47bridge · 30/01/2020 09:29

The Twitter user concerned is being roundly condemned on Twitter and has very few defenders there. Those condemning him say that he regularly accuses people of racism and makes racist tweets himself aimed at white people and Muslims. I haven't read his tweets myself so I can't comment but I note that he referred Stewart's tweets to an organisation that combats anti-Muslim prejudice.

It seems the full quote Stewart used was:

But man, proud man,
Dress'd in a little brief authority,
Most ignorant of what he's most assur'd—
His glassy essence—like an angry ape
Plays such fantastic tricks before high heaven
As makes the angels weep; who, with our spleens,
Would all themselves laugh mortal.

The guy who complained cut off the quote after the first four lines and ignored the "man, proud man" bit to concentrate on the "angry ape". It seems they were having an argument about who pays for maintaining the royal palaces. I haven't seen the whole thread but someone else described this person as "indignantly misinformed" over his views on this subject.

if he hadn't replied with the angel emoji when someone pointed out that it was a potentially offensive thing to say

The tweet to which you are referring said, "Careful! You will be accused by the poorly educated "Shakespeare is irrelevant these days" brigade of being racist". That reads to me as a lighthearted comment. I do not see Stewart's response as doubling down on racism.

Personally, on the evidence I can see, I don't think this has "exposed" Alistair Stewart as racist as some on this thread claim.

loobyloo1234 · 30/01/2020 09:33

How can anyone not see that this would be interpreted as a racist comment?

Exactly this. Why would someone at his age and with his experience think it's acceptable. To the person that said 'storm in a teacup' - it really isn't. We are all responsible for what we post on SM these days, he is no different

I also have on good authority that Alastair Stewart is not as nice as he leads us all to believe so maybe ITV saw this as their opportunity to get rid

Greenwingmemories · 30/01/2020 09:33

So how come our PM is allowed to talk about Picanninies with watermelon smiles and bum boys and women being hot tatty and get away with it and someone who reads the news is hauled over the coals when he has used the quote before to a white person? Tbh I don't check the profiles of people I respond to on Twitter. I have to admit that he was stupid to put the emoji in though because it made it look like he used that quote deliberately, which I doubt was the case.

merrygoround51 · 30/01/2020 09:41

Yes Shakespeare was racist and anti Semitic and yes that reflected society then, but we know that is unacceptable now. So why on earth would we excuse using Shakespeare quotes against someone of colour or the Jewish religion? We shouldn’t , it’s nasty and people are absolutely right to push back hard on these type of comments, they have had enough rotten abuse directed at them for too long. We all agree that a football fan making an ape like movement should be banned and prosecuted so why does quoting Shakespeare make it ok. Even if he didn’t relate what he was quoting to Shakespeare, his judgement would still be very questionable so I think it’s right he’s gone. There is no place anywhere for racism. Full stop

merrygoround51 · 30/01/2020 09:44

Meant to be relate what’s quoted to racism!

Agree with others re Johnson but I just think that any racism even if it’s unintentional needs to be dealt with.

I understand there is more context to this and overall whole exchange was quite bad tempered.

BIWI · 30/01/2020 09:45

I have no idea how Boris Johnson gets away with it @Greenwingmemories. Probably because he's representing the views of a lot of people in this country, sadly. And he has no-one to take him into account, unlike AS.

LisBethSalander07 · 30/01/2020 09:47

I can't see how anyone uses Twitter.

It's akin to a meeting group for the clinically insane.

I feel sorry for him, it's a sad ending to his career as a newsreader.

EmmiJay · 30/01/2020 09:53

People need to watch what they say. He may not have meant it that wat but now look🤷🏾‍♀️

RoyalCorgi · 30/01/2020 09:53

So how come our PM is allowed to talk about Picanninies with watermelon smiles and bum boys and women being hot tatty and get away with it and someone who reads the news is hauled over the coals when he has used the quote before to a white person?

Who's going to sack Boris Johnson, though? Obviously his employers (Speccie, Telegraph) didn't care when he used offensive language. Obviously his Tory Party bosses don't care. And it seems the voters don't care either. On the other hand, Stewart's employers do care.

I doubt that Stewart intended the tweet in a racist way, because if he had seen the quote as racist, he'd have had the sense not to tweet it, I imagine. But I really don't think newsreaders, who are supposed to be impartial, should be getting into arguments with people on Twitter in the first place.

deydododatdodontdeydo · 30/01/2020 09:54

Yes, it's Shakespeare. That just means it's the highbrow equivalent of monkey chants at football matches.

Shakespeare wasn't referring to black people.

lowlandLucky · 30/01/2020 09:54

I have read and re-read the twitter spat and i cannot see where he directly call the guy an angry ape.