Gary Lineker - foot in mouth again

[onegrumpyoldwoman]

I wish this guy would stick to football or selling crisps

Most recently, he gave an interview to Medhi Hassan (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/05/12/lineker-appears-to-call-oct-7-attacks-the-hamas-thing/ ) where he appeared to minimise the October 7th Hamas attacks as “the Hamas thing”, whilst falsely stating of the war in Gaza “I can’t think of anything that I’ve seen worse in my lifetime”. This statement is absurd hyperbole given that Mr Lineker was born in 1960 and has hence lived through major wars such as Vietnam, Iraq, Iran-Iraq, the Soviet and Western interventions in Afghanistan, and the Syrian Civil War, all of which have cost hundreds of thousands, in some cases millions, of lives.

I do not believe that it is compatible with Mr Lineker’s role as a presenter on Match of the Day, and hence an employee of our national public broadcaster, which is supposed to be politically impartial, for him to take such outspoken stances.

People seem to think (I don't mean you OP 😊) that because someone is famous, it means their opinions on areas completely outside their chosen field are useful, or meaningful.

This. I'll add Meryl Streep and the Harry Potter stars. It's really bizarre. You're entitled to your opinion but let's lose the smug grandstanding as you're not particularly well-informed and I'd rather ask a random person on the street (ish) than have to sit through their political/woke drivel at awards.

Gary is very smug, also not particularly well-informed and seems to push the boundaries of his BBC contract as frequently and gleefully as possible. So yes, it's fair that licence payers question whether he's breaking impartiality guidelines given he's one of their top earners/biggest costs. He's welcome to move to Sky and preach as much as he wants, yet seems strangely reticent to get off the MOTD gravy train.

I agree.
His opinion gets weighted by his visibility. People who can really make a difference are working quietly out of view like diplomatic elves while the twitterati scurry around picking up crumbs of rhetoric to make a meal of.

It's always been that way, long before twitter. People who get their views and opinions from celebs need to check themselves but unfortunately they don't. The skills of critical thinking are dying fast.

I don't think that being famous adds credibility to your views. I don't, however, have a problem with famous people using their platform to express their views. Why shouldn't they? Incidentally, Lineker is not a member of the news team, so doesn't have to be impartial. And I suspect he is in a position to not mind if he loses his BBC contract.

Given he’s so keen to share his opinions on the Middle East it’s a pity he doesn’t subject himself to a really rigorous interview on the subject.

It’s also interesting how he’s completely silent on the Trans males in sport issue.

I’m not in X either so he very little sway here

But if he is going to take this particular stance he’ll get people’s opinions in return

What stance? That it's the worst thing he has seen? Honestly this whole thing is bizarre. Man shows compassion after seeing 100s of images of 100s of children blown to pieces and he's told actually no you've seen worse. How is showing compassion for 1000s of dead children a 'stance'. He calls what is happening 'utterly awful', again surely we aren't at the point where that is seen as a 'stance', surely the world agrees that 1000s of dead children is 'utterly awful'.

I'm not British and don't really know who the bloke is other than a 'sports guy', is he just hated anyway is that why really benign comments are being jumped on or do people genuinely see someone acknowledging what is happening to Palestinians as controversial?

@Hippyhippybake "Given he’s so keen to share his opinions on the Middle East it’s a pity he doesn’t subject himself to a really rigorous interview on the subject."
Why? I have opinions on the subject, but I'm not in a position to be rigorously interviewed. Why should he be?

Speaking on this. Do other presenters get known for it as much?

Then throw in the impartiality of the BBC

I reckon the ‘Hamas thing’ wasn’t helpful to him and he’s spoken up on other stuff which compounds the public view. Some will applaud it others won’t

He will say his bit but people will respond

Honestly what an absolute Cunt with his compasion for women and children being bombed and starved.
He should just take his genocide opposition and F off, unless of course he also takes time to condem every other war in history as well.
Otherwise he should certainly just stick to crisps and football

@TextureSeeker Brits hate it when people don't know their place. Lineker is articulate, doesn't take himself too seriously and is happy to express his opinions. He also has enough money and business interests to not be afraid of expressing them on any platform available to him. His views are openly left of centre. He appears to have successfully managed a divorce and amicably co parented 4 children, now grown up that he appears to have a happy relationship with. Yes, that's enough for some Brits to hate him!

@CurlewKate simply because he has a very high public profile as a result of being the state broadcaster’s highest paid presenter and fronting a weekly television show with a massive reach. I’m also happy to say that before I reached my conclusions on the Gaza / Israel conflict I researched it thoroughly from the perspective of both sides and would be very happy to be interviewed by anyone on it.

I can’t imagine expressing a public view on something like this without fully understanding it and being able to defend it.

I genuinely think in 5 years time people will wonder wtf came over them that they were frothing on the Internet about a man calling 1000s of dead children 'the worst thing he has ever seen' and 'utterly awful'.

I wouldn’t say I hate him and I don’t even know his personal life so you have more interest there

I do think if he’s keen to express opinions he’ll get public opinion in return and some will be pro some not

Defend what? That 'it's the worst thing he has seen' that is completely subjective. That it's utterly awful? You want someone to defend himself for saying 1000s of dead children is 'utterly awful'?

@EasternStandard "I do think if he’s keen to express opinions he’ll get public opinion in return and some will be pro some not"

Of course.

@Hippyhippybake "I can’t imagine expressing a public view on something like this without fully understanding it and being able to defend it"

It does sound as if you don't know what he actually said!

I can’t imagine expressing a public view on something like this without fully understanding it and being able to defend it.

He expressed his horror at the images he was seeing coming out of Gaza I don't think you need to be an expert in anything to express basic human emotions when you see something that upsets you. We can't be experts in everything and we shouldn't have to be to feel compassion for human suffering. I don't need to research an issue before I express compassion for someone suffering.

I agree with him.

I pay the PM’s wages: doesn’t stop him spouting BS.

I would like to think that even the most Pro Israel people would consider images of dead Palestinian children "awful"
Whoever started it, whoever is at fault women and children are dying in their thousands in Palestine and anyone who doesnt see that as "awful" should be ashamed of themselves

I've been looking for a transcript- here is the bit where he is supposed to have been dismissive of October 7th.



And he's right, it's fucking AWFUL the atrocities going on in Gaza don't know why you're trying to minimise it.

@Dulra has he expressed horror for the victims of October 7 and the hostages held in Gaza?

FFS, can he not be horrified at the deaths of women and children without a caveat?
Is nobody allowed to have sympathy with the ordinary people of Gaza unless they condemn Hamas first?

I think it’s better to ignore the silly so and so personally. Like all people of his type the more attention he gets the more he’ll caper. Ignore him and he’ll go away, which can only improve the level of public discourse.