Liam Neeson

[PatricksRum]

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 you have to assume that people reading the article are intelligent enough to see the context. I really wouldn't want to see a state where eveything is dumbed down and it is assumed people need to be spoon fed to help understand.

Nothing wrong with the Independent piece.*

Not quite sure what you mean by this? The Independent are taking the view that he apologised and it's okay.
It's not.
I'm not even sure the context of his friend being raped is relevant.
What's the difference between this and people attacking Muslims after terror attacks?
If they apologise that makes it okay, does it?

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.

Incorrect. He wasn't looking for a trouble maker. He was looking for a black man.

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.

He intended to. Thankfully there were probsbly a lack of black males around.

@LuYu has put it brilliantly.

How are people still defending this?

'has literally nothing to do with Northern Ireland'

• this is simply wrong.

As I've explained below, culture doesn't stay in a bubble in the American South.
It was relevant when Neeson went out hoping to find a black man, and it's still relevant in the context of him giving this interview.

The question really isn't 'what do you want to happen to him?'. It's 'what did he think was going to happen?'.

He's an intelligent actor. If he thought he would be applauded for his bravery, he didn't realise the severity of what he admitted.

The mentality of lynching black men seem to have been part of Liam's thinking.

Lynching it is and that thinking is not confined to US history.

I am very surprised by his attitude. I have lost respect for him. Had he shown remorse for his thinking, I would have understood. Instead, his focus is on this revenge mentality, not the blatant racism. This suggests that the man is probably still a racist because he cannot even see the racism in his thoughts and actions during that time.

As for those excusing this nonsense, you really ought to do some soul searching. I cannot see anything positive in what Liam thought or did during that time. His lack of remorse is appalling and shameful. He has definitely lost a fan. I really, really liked him but I refuse to condone or turn a blind eye to these kinds of stupid thinking and lack of awareness. There is no excuse. I'll certainly not offer any excuse on his behalf.

And yes, @LuYu, has put this brilliantly!

This article hits the nail on the head. Interesting how the psychologist says Liam would have been responding based on pre-existing bias.

news-avclub-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/news.avclub.com/7-questions-about-liam-neeson-saying-he-wanted-to-kill-1832331783/amp?amp_js_v=a2&amp_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQCCAE%3D#referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fnews.avclub.com%2F7-questions-about-liam-neeson-saying-he-wanted-to-kill-1832331783

He expresses it as regretting wanting revenge, not regretting wanting to harm a random person whose only crime would have been that they shared the same colour of skin as the perpetrator.

Another fan lost here too!
The article is correct, pre-existing judgements!
And all this to advertise his new film?

So, what, we should all judge him for the rest of his life based on thoughts he had decades ago, and wholeheartedly realises were wrong and apologises for?

You want him to go to prison for thoughts?

You want him to spend the rest of his life never working again because of some thoughts he had years ago?

On the other hand you have criminals who have committed actual crimes like the rapist he talks about, who presumably you think has "paid his debt to society" and should be given a clean slate? Or do you think that committing a crime is completely unforgivable and should follow you around until you die?

Get off your high horses and face reality. Maybe if more white men would publicly apologise for the way they thought or acted in the past then we might have a better world to live in today. We can only hope that people see his example and decided to follow suit, and do a bit of self reflection themselves.

I am also at a loss as to why the USA is being brought into this.

What about South Africa, the Congo, and all the other atrocities committed by white Europeans against black people? Shall we reference all that too?

Or face up to the appealing idea that irrespective of what a lot of the internet says, USA history cannot be interplaced with the history of other countries and used as a common refetence point.

Black men were not lynched in Northern Ireland and believe it or not we didn't really learn a lot of USA history across Europe in those days what with having enough history of our own to be going on with.

I doubt Black people in NI had a very good time in those days but it wasn't because everyone had been soaked in southern USA history and the kkk.

This steam rollering of USA history over everything as if it is a global fact pisses me off.

So arrogant.

And Neeson is a racist dick and has miscalculated badly here. (not that I think he bothered to calculate).

Sethis that is some advanced level hyperbole and straw man action you have going on there!

Yes Neeson should totally go to prison for thought crime and all rapists should be released.

That is exactly what is being said.

Lolz. I think 😁

In PP appealing should be appalling!

Autocorrect there may be more.

It's amazing how deluded some people are about the borders of culture and history.

However, by Neeson's own admission the only reason he didn't lynch someone was because he calmed down before he found himself a target. So, while I've never argued there were lynchings in the N.I., it's apparently plausible there could have been.

Regardless, I think you would be very hard pressed to maintain he was still in his cocoon when he described this incident to the press. To promote a film. What a hero.

To be honest I felt pretty much the same after my son was mugged for the fifth time in as many weeks by guys who happened to be black. It would have been the same whatever their skin colour and it’s a natural reaction to feel immense anger and want revenge.
Acting on those feelings is obviously not on.

@Sethis A thought he most likely still possesses to be frank.
Yes, I will be judging him for the rest of his life.
No, he hasn't apologised for his racism.

@Helendee I'm inclined to say you wouldn't have the same thought if the muggers weren't of the minority.

Liam neeson has a set of very special skills, of course.

Do people honestly expect us to believe that they'd look for a "white bastard" if a loved one was attacked by one? Don't insult our intelligence please

One person attacking another person is not a "lynching". Racially motivated yes but not lynching. Stop trying to make a link between this and the centuries of racial hatred and violence in the US. it has nothing to do with it.

This was 40 years ago, northern Ireland was a very different place. It was common for innocent people to be punished because they belong to a certain group. It was wrong but that was the mentality. it just so happens that in this case the person was black. Could have been Protestant, English, Scottish, Irish whatever, it would have been the same

Fortunately things have moved on and people can acknowledge the mistakes of the past, including personal ones as neeson appears to have done.

What are you, psychic? How the hell do you know what he does or does not think at this moment? He's outright said that his thoughts were wrong.

If you want to be judgemental and moan about someone you'll never meet, whose actions have no effect on you, who has committed no crime beyond carrying a blackjack in Ireland during the Troubles, and create a thread virtue signalling how offended you are, then go right ahead. I'd suggest there are better uses of your time and headspace though.

I can only imagine that if you're this het up about someone's thoughts that you simply can't function for rage when thinking about real criminals.

Do people honestly expect us to believe that they'd look for a "white bastard" if a loved one was attacked by one? Don't insult our intelligence please

I
So let's all focus on the fact that for. One week.one week, this man had the rage, didn't hurt a fly,

Let's ignore the fact a woman was brutally raped.

I know who I think is the sinner here,

@Sethis Allow me to correct you on a few things.
Firstly, his actions do affect me, as a minority, being black, the fact his racism has been overlooked affects me massively.
Secondly, if I'm being judgemental what are you being?
Thirdly, if someone believes they are superior over another race can you explain to me how that might change?