It’s pretty clear even Neeson isn’t saying that.
Even Rob’s bump starts with
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I think the primary takeaway that many are missing is Neeson’s admitted shame over a mindset that he now knows was wrong.
This is in contrast to many racists in the media lately, who actively try to hide their past misdeeds or rationalize them as nothing to be alarmed over.
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This is a dangerous bait and switch. Tribes, gangs, soldiers, and nations all divide people as them or other and often assign the acts of some others to the whole group. But not all people view a member of their group being hurt as an excuse for violence. His indiscriminately searching out for someone to hurt is a cruel, selfish response that says he cared less about her pain than how it affected him. By no means does everyone do that all the time
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Even Rob’s bump starts with
Many of us have anecdotes by which we recall shedding bigoted beliefs or otherwise evolving beyond the shortcomings of youthful unreason. Liam Neeson’s is, to put it mildly, in-character.
Rob hadn’t added this bump yet when I first posted.
It’s a start, but that’s really the bare minimum.
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I think a lot of us witnessing the unfolding clusterfuck since two years have this feeling or suspicion, and we don’t allow ourselves to think about this for an extended time and an in-depth review of the terrible possibilities.
However, after reading your post, I also have the feeling that exactly this was my reaction to the BREXIT referendum. And the result. And, of course, the same is true for the US elections of 2016.
Oh dear.
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But the writer in the linked article provided a similar context. As does the original interview. Which you purport to have read.
And Neeson’s statements contain these bits:
"It was horrible, horrible, when I think back, that I did that,” he said. “And I’ve never admitted that, and I’m saying it to a journalist. God forbid.”
“She handled the situation of the rape in the most extraordinary way.
“But my immediate reaction was … I asked, did she know who it was?"
“It’s awful. But I did learn a lesson from it, when I eventually thought, ‘What the fuck are you doing’, you know?"
Does that sound at all like some one whose trying to make this OK, excuse or justify it?
More over he didn’t get called out for this. He offered it up freely when asked about violence.
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It sounds like Neeson thinks his mistake was to attempt to initiate violence. It doesn’t sound like Neeson thinks his mistake was to want to know the colour of his friend’s assailant.
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Yuck. If he had an irrational hatred and urge for revenge, why wasn’t it aimed at “men” that’s what rapists are. Or if you want to discriminate, relatively young men, but basically men. I’ve only read the quotes here, but they are sickening.
And nothing to do with the troubles, nothing.
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To armchair psychoanalyse, probably because he wanted a group to be angry at that didn’t include himself.
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And like I said. The reference to The Troubles is very likely a direct acknowledgement of that. Aside from the obvious headline violence of Catholics vs Protestants, Republicans vs Unionist, and the UK vs the local populace or whatever over simplified black and white associations Americans give it. Northern Irish sectarian violence often bubbled over into racial attacks on blacks, and anti-immigrant violence. “The Troubles” as a term covers all of that.
I’m not sure what your point is. It was Neeson who first linked this episode to the Troubles, and from the audio it sounds like he’s the one oversimplifying the linkage. I don’t know how Neeson’s experience of the Troubles absolves him from reacting to his friend’s assault by demanding to know the race of her assailant so he would know which “side” to cosh.
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Liam Neeson.
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Almost no immigrants into NI at the height of the troubles, like absolutely miniscule amounts. Apart from anything else there was nothing there.
Edited to remove phrasing which in other forms of English means something entirely different to my intent. Thanks for alerting me.
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A friend said to me that people say, “those who don’t remember history are doomed to repeat it,” but much more troubling are the people who do remember history and who are eager to repeat it.
Which is basically inevitable. It’s like @Melz2 said above about the this being the most deeply ingrained tribalism. If they attack anyone in your group you are justified in retaliating against anyone in their group. Vulnerable minorities are not going to do well under those conditions. Imagine being an Hindu Indian immigrant and getting stopped by some guys who want to know if you are Catholic or Protestant.
A word of caution about your phrasing. To my Canadian eyes this read as, “Fuck every immigrant who came to NI a the height of the troubles.” I basically felt it was impossible that you did mean this so I dug into alternate meanings and put in the British “fuck all” meaning “zero”, but it was pretty jarring.
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Obviously it doesn’t absolve him of anything. And I do not think that was offered for justification.
I also don’t see how some one who freely described himself and his actions as horrible can be said to be attempting to excuse their actions. Particularly given that he offered this story freely.
This guy offered a story of how a crisis lead him to turn away from hatred and violence. After buying into it. In a place and time defined by hatred bubbling over into violence.
I dont think he should be attacked for doing that. Particularly since the “sides” thing you seem hung up on very much seems to be the mentality he’s calling himself out for.
Tell that to Ian Paisley, fuck the DUP are still on the Nigel Farangey end of the Brexit fight.
Ireland as a whole never saw much in the way of immigration till the 00’s, and that doesn’t seem to have much included NI. But post WWII the UK saw an influx of people from other parts of the common wealth and former empire. Particularly Jamaicans/Caribbeans, a late influx of Indians and other South Asians, and bunch of different people from the Levant.
Some portion of those people ended up in the industrial cities of Northern Ireland. And “Britain for the British” was part of the Unionist pitch. There were documented attacks against blacks, and other groups. Mostly by Unionists, but also by IRA and their associated organizations.
From what I understand they’d both stop you for being a Hindu Indian, and the Unionists founded a political party partly predicated on getting rid of you.
Might still. I know a few people from the Republic of Ireland that have had some issues in Belfast.
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Speaking of redheads and a sly reminder about all the shitty 'ism…
Thanks for the heads up. I’ve edited it to remove the offensive phrase.
Immigrant populations have only become significant in NI since the end of the troubles. Its pretty obviously racist there. I mean it always was, but now there are new people to be racist to. And an acceptance that racism is part and parcel of life because it is there.
He described going looking for a fight as horrible. He didn’t describe asking after his friend’s assailant’s race as horrible, and he should have.
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There is a difference between explaining and apologising. I often try to posit why people think one way or the other, only to hear and see responses like yours. This teaches me that your question was rhetorical, and that you don’t really want to examine the question.
Sorry, I got a little distracted. I realise you’re probably a good guy and all, but quips like the one above are a sort of pet peeve.
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