Laurence Fox on Question Time

[SuckingDieselFella]

It isn't ok to try and shut anyone up with remarks about their skin colour. It doesn't matter if that skin colour is white, black or green with purple spots.

His fellow actors have been told to "denounce" him. It looks like he can wave goodbye to his career. What lovely tolerant people the ultra woke are.
www.thestage.co.uk/news/2020/laurence-fox-labelled-a-disgrace-to-industry-following-question-time-race-row/

But I can certainly speak for rellies in the Windrush who’d agree with him that this “white privilege” term is reductive, unhelpful and a similar experience to when they arrived and couldn’t rent flats because “no dogs, no blacks, no Irish you did say it was a similar experience

I disagree - I think white privilege is a legitimate argument when people are telling BME people what the problem is

I don't know why they have actors on QT. Their opinions are no more relevant, interesting or representative than anyone's in the audience.

He’s become one of the growing ‘anti-woke’ brigade recently. He’s going to be on a podcast with Brendan O’Neill soon which sums it up really.

He was obviously deliberately selected to be on QT based on his strong opinions on the subject and as a response to accusations that the BBC has become way too ‘woke’ over recent years.

AnyOlPrion

I’ve pitched my novel to an agent who didn’t understand why I wanted to write about English history because it’s not my history, according to them. This is where identity politics has got us. Don’t get me started on woke folk and misogyny.

why is it now 'woke' to challenge people's opinions? Isn't that just as disparaging and 'shutting down' ?

I am 50 - I was fighting fascists and racists in the 80's - I am way to old to be woke!

Wendy
You are quoting my remark but giving it an opposite meaning.

I stated clearly in my post that I am white.

I am saying that instead of white people trying to control black lives white people are now trying to control how BAME people feel about racism.

What underpins this idea of white privilege? Was my dad’s brother who was killed in WW11 age 19 privileged. I know people of all colours lost lives. So why are we being singled out as me and DH come from a working class background and most of the people who have been a part of our lives the same. Just trying to understand.

His white male privilege will guarantee that his career is fine.

I think the whole "but you have x privilege so you can't have an opinion" needs to be challenged. After all, who defines what counts as privileged?

It's not that a white person can't have an opinion, it's that when that opinion is 'I think this country's just lovely and definitely not racist', it should be read in the context of the experience of person voicing it. A white person is obviously not in a position to know how racist people are, given that none of that racial abuse is ever going to be directed at them.

He then made it worse by suggesting that he was suffering racism by having his white privilege pointed out to him. In addition to highlighting his tone deafness, this trivialises the racism that BAME people suffer every day in this country and suggests that it's about winning a debate as opposed to recognising and combatting oppression where we see it.

If the people at the top of the hierarchy are just going to stomp on the heads of the rest of us, there will never be equality.

TheRealMcKenna

You did see from my post that I am white so “we” refers to white people.

I have always thought that he was a tit but he was spot on this time. One rule for one and all that.

I expect he was irritated by the assumption being made that any criticism was because she was black (though actually she is mixed heritage not black). Other members of the Royal Family have been lambasted in the past - Fergie, Camilla, even Kate, for example but that is fine apparently. But dare to utter a criticism of anyone who is not white and the cries of racism go up immediately. Which prompts me to ask - can anyone ever criticise a black without been called racist? Seemingly not. I'm not sure that attitude is helpful for race relations.

Actually, I think the entire debate over race has got so toxic that it runs the risk of allowing the really dangerous racists being allowed to hide in plain sight.

Over the last month I’ve seen three ‘personalities’ (I won’t call them celebrities even though one undoubtedly is) described as ‘alt-right’. I don’t remember the term existing in 2010 but if it had, two of them would never have been described as alt-right. In fact, most people would have p*ssed themselves laughing if that person was considered far right or alt-right. The third would be quite happy to carry that label. This is a person who thrives on being as offensive as possible.

The only thing they have in common is they’re white males who defend free speech.

that should read "a black person" not a black.

What underpins this idea of white privilege?

Sort but, phahahahhaha. Have you ever had a history lesson?

Like many people, he fails to understand what white privilege actually is.

It isn't saying white people cannot have crap lives. It isn't saying some white people aren't discriminated against, maybe because they are disabled, or gay. It isn't saying all white people are racist. It isn't saying all white people have an easy life, or white people don't have struggles. It isn't saying white people cannot be oppressed, as they might be if they are poor.

It's just saying, whatever issues a white person might face, their life isn't made any harder by the colour of their skin.

That is all.

And that seems pretty obviously true to me, and I'm white!

I remember far worse criticism about Fergie in the eighties when race wasn't an issue.

Nope. The Fergie stuff was bad, (at the end, not so much at the beginning) but it was nowhere near as pervasive and personal and relentless as the stuff against Meghan.

Was my dad’s brother who was killed in WW11 age 19 privileged

You can’t compare 1939-45 to now. Look at the Vietnam veterans in US Veterans Day marches. You can see who the cannon fodder were and it wasn’t just the white guys.

'Sort but, phahahahhaha. Have you ever had a history lesson? confused'

Why did you feel the need to be so snide and superior when the poster was quite obviously asking a sincere question?

WHAT!? I agreed with every word he said. They should have him on more often!! Of course he’ll bloody act again FFS 🙄

He was invited on to a programme that requires individuals to give their opinions. He was asked if he thought the negative press/views about MM are due to racism, he replied that he did not think it was. He was then told that he could not have that opinion because he was a white man. He reacted to that in a reasoned and reasonable.

The rest is all noise that only serves to cloud any hope of mature discussion.

Longines “ I think this country's just lovely and definitely not racist”

I’m starting to feel gaslit! This is not what he said.

I’ve just watched the clip again three times because of different posts on this thread scrambling what he said. I think I need a drink now!

Yarboo “ The rest is all noise that only serves to cloud any hope of mature discussion”

This. So much this.

It's massively twattish to generalise on shit that you don't really know about.

I have never lived outside the Home Counties and would expect to be called out on opinions about the North when my knowledge of life there is from TV and social media.

Wrt MM, I think it's xenophonia as well as racism fuelled by the readership of certain publications who expected MM to be a loud, brash American based on her skin colour, profession and nationality. I think that Harry and Meghan's relocation means that we will be getting an avalanche of negative press for a while yet- especially from Canada who may be wishing that they were a republic.