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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Liam Neeson

296 replies

PatricksRum · 04/02/2019 13:12

www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/liam-neeson-rape-black-man-attack-cosh-cold-pursuit-sexual-assault-interview-a8760866.html

Why is The Independent acting so casual towards this blatant act of racism?

OP posts:
Mountainsoutofmolehills · 04/02/2019 15:19

it's racist

PositivelyPERF · 04/02/2019 15:21

Actually, he said that he hoped a black man would come out of a pub and start with him, although that thinking is completely out of order too, he wasn’t stalking the streets looking for a peaceful man, but a trouble maker.

Yes, his thinking was horribly racist, but the fact that he was the one that brought it up, shows how ashamed he is. Only he knew about what he did. He had no need to say anything about it, but chose to talk about it, to show how wrong his behaviour and thinking was.

NotDavidTennant · 04/02/2019 15:24

A little bit more responsible reporting that this is a man admitting to racism, rather than some hero who was upset over a friend's rape.

I think you're a bit naive if you think a mainstream media outlet is going to write a news article explicitly accusing Liam Neeson of racism. It leaves them too open to being sued.

They are not reporting these comments because they think it makes Neeson look like a hero. They very fact they've made a story out of this reflects the fact that they know how controversial these comments are.

MrsTerryPratcett · 04/02/2019 15:25

The racism is one thing. The drive towards violence towards Black men is a step further down a very bad road.

I had a friend years ago who was mugged three times in London during a short period by young Black men. She started getting nervous in the street around young Black men. She felt horrible about herself, hated racism but saw that it was racism. Had it been three young white men, she knew that she would have felt nervous around ALL young men of any race. But she associated the crime with race. She agonised about it. All good if Liam had done this. We all have internalised racism of some sort or another and we all need to deal with it.

But he walked the streets with a weapon, hoping to hurt someone who happened to be from the same group as someone else. That's deeply problematic. If a man said they were hurt by a woman and wandered around with a weapon looking for a woman to hurt, I would never be in a room with them again alone. Not twenty years later. That impulse is really problematic.

Hadjab · 04/02/2019 15:37

As a black woman who has been assaulted by a white male, it wouldn’t have crossed my mind to go looking for a “white bastard” to seek retribution on 😐

NothingOnTellyAgain · 04/02/2019 15:39

I get the feeling that if it had been a white man who did it he wouldnt' have gone looking for a "white bastard".

Yes it is wholly racist.I suspect that if the assailant had been white he would have looked for some other characteristic to hang it on - or would he?

Not sure I am sure how I feel about this I'm white I think I'll be led by how black people espblack men feel about his story.

IhateBoswell · 04/02/2019 15:40

I don’t think it’s a typical reaction Shatners, no.
Some idiots will, yes, but not the majority.

As pp said, I bet he wouldn’t have been raging and looking to take his fury out on a random white man who had raped his friend.

NothingOnTellyAgain · 04/02/2019 15:40

PP comment about NI attitude to go after members of a group rather thnan the perpetrator is v interesting

Again out of my experience.

PositivelyPERF · 04/02/2019 15:48

PP comment about NI attitude to go after members of a group rather thnan the perpetrator is v interesting

I assume the PP is talking about those involved in parliamentary groups and not ordinary members of the public. The ordinary people in NI don’t agree with that mentality. There is really isn’t any comparison.

Twinningsloverbutnotanymore · 04/02/2019 15:51

Going to be honest - you need to cast your thoughts back to NI in the time he was growing up. If this was based here NI then it would be easy to pick out someone from the colour of their skin. We are now integrated, this is not our way of thinking and we are past this BUT NI when he was growing up was an entirely different place. They had a flipping war killing themselves, shotting people in the kneecaps or just petrol bombing houses and cars for revenge - let alone the idea of just beating someone up because of the skin colour. He has apologised and I am sure as with NI he has moved on and has to live with the knowing he thought like that.
If they had glasses and wore a suit I'm sure he would have been after them, he was hurting for his friend and not thinking right. The fact the paper has that published showed how they highlighted it. It's done everyone knows it and he apologised.

MiddleAgeRage · 04/02/2019 16:06

It's done everyone knows it and he apologised

I'm not seeing an explicit apology for his racism. I'm getting his regret for the revenge mentality and a little bit of him being an apologist for the film industry and its portrayals of violence but no real expression of regret or reflection about his racism but then as Flyinggeese suggests if I need that spelling out I must be a bit dim.

Ifangyow · 04/02/2019 16:10

Did he think he was bloody Charles Bronson or something?
Can't stand Liam Nelson anyway. Ugh.

NothingOnTellyAgain · 04/02/2019 16:13

The NI posts are out of my experience and reading different views with interest.

On the rest - middleagerage I agree with you.

Lizzie48 · 04/02/2019 16:19

That is exactly how revenge worked back in those days in NI. How many people were murdered simply for being Catholic/Protestant, in response to an atrocity from the other side? It's the exact same mentality that provoked this reaction from Neeson.

No minimising from me, but at least, unlike a lot of his countrymen during the Troubles, he didn't actually do anything in reality.

seenna · 04/02/2019 16:21

I wonder what the reaction would be if a black actor said the same re killing a white man.

Lizzie48 · 04/02/2019 16:23

I assume the PP is talking about those involved in parliamentary groups and not ordinary members of the public. The ordinary people in NI don’t agree with that mentality. There is really isn’t any comparison.

This is too simplistic. These groups were hero worshipped in the areas where they lived. I can remember watching the news and seeing the graffiti glorifying the activities of the IRA/UDF. That's why the Troubles went on for so long.

Coyoacan · 04/02/2019 17:05

I assume the PP is talking about those involved in parliamentary groups and not ordinary members of the public/

I wish. I was ordinary members of the public. If a Catholic kills a protestant, revenge was to kill another Catholic, not look for the actual killer. This N.I. man who should have known better took revenge as going after a man with the same colour skin as the perpetrator and does not even acknowledge that that is not revenge.

He has really gone down in my estimation. N. Ireland taught me that discrimination like this is stupid.

Bluntness100 · 04/02/2019 17:13

This can't be serious?

Neeson, a close friend of mine was raped by a black man, I was so horrified by what happened to her o wanted revenge, and went looking for s black man to have a go at me, so I could attack him. I'm so ashamed of my behaviour and the impact her rape had on me

Op.,well fuck you ya racist bastard.

Hmm
NothingOnTellyAgain · 04/02/2019 18:01

The impact her rape had on me.

Poor chap.

joanmcc · 04/02/2019 18:04

Heaven forbid if anything ever happened to me, I'd hope my husband would be pretty upset about it, @nothingontellyagain.

What a cold world you must live in if no-one can feel compassion for others.

Bluestitch · 04/02/2019 18:12

I don't think picking up a weapon and trying to find a random man to attack is showing much compassion for a rape victim tbh. I'm sure she could have done without that display, let alone the potential guilt had he carried out the assault.

Bluntness100 · 04/02/2019 18:23

The impact her rape had on me

All I can assume is you are one of the lucky ones who have never had anything Truely horrific inflicted on a loved one.

I don't think picking up a weapon and trying to find a random man to attack is showing much compassion for a rape victim tbh

But he never hurt a fly did he. It was all in his head. Maybe you can explain to him how you feel he should react when someone horrifically assaults someone you love and he can make sure he adheres to it.

NothingOnTellyAgain · 04/02/2019 18:30

He said that she handled it well.

But he went out hoping a "black bastard" started on him so he could kill him.

This strikes you as positive?
It's about him.
It SHOULD have been about her.
Judging by what he said, she wouldn't have wanted that, and if he had done it, she has not only been raped but someone has murdered some random bloke "on her behalf".

WTF @ some of you to think this is COMPASSIONATE lmao

0ccamsRazor · 04/02/2019 18:31

Quite blunt

IhateBoswell · 04/02/2019 18:32

It's bizarre Nothing.

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