Joey Barton

[GaudinoMotors]

The difference between the reaction to this and Joe Royle essentially saying the same thing is quite telling. Royle’s comment, it should be said, was stated at a time when there would have been many more people alive to whom The Holocaust was a real, living memory, yet I do not remember any discernible reaction to that comment.

Both comments are unfortunate, but why are so many people offended so easily these days?

When did an unintentionally crass or misjudged comment become axiomatically offensive?

We always need to try to be considerate of others in what we say, but people really need to shake themselves out of this way of thinking that has palpably lowered the bar to being offended, as it is not good for wider society.

Does anyone actually think we are a better society for it?

Axiomatically not.

 

[Gordyola]

Pretty sure Holocaust was a word before the 40s. did he specifically refer to The Holocaust?

Growing up in the 80s i thought it meant total annihilation. Didn't know the nuclear holocaust i was scared shitless of was only a danger if you were Jewish

holocaust a burnt sacrifice offered whole to god

Clearly a total misuse of the word regardless of its connotation?

 

[DrBlueBob]

I imagine the more important distinction is that when Joe Royle said it, there were plenty of people alive who remembered the word being in relatively common usage before "The Holocaust" was named and using holocaust to mean anything else stopped.

The funny thing about this is that it's famously in The Great Gatsby, and as a result this discussion about a holocaust vs. The Holocaust and changing language will be familiar to most GCSE English students. There's trial exam questions like "Explain Fitzgeralds description of Gatsby's death as a holocaust"

I would put money on Joey Barton reading Gatsby recently, googling it, and then thinking it's a great way to show off how (pseudo)intellectual he is in a press conference.

He's not smart enough to know it makes him as well read as the average 15 year old.

I think he's an idiot for trying to be clever, but I don't like the responses in that BBC article with people deliberately ignoring the other anachronistic uses of the word to try and pretend he was talking about The Holocaust and he should lose his job for it.

Never mind Barton Dom; you've just given away what happens in TGG.

 

[domalino]

Never mind Barton Dom; you've just given away what happens in TGG.

96 years is long enough for everyone to have read it!

 

[DrBlueBob]

96 years is long enough for everyone to have read it!

You'd think mate but I haven't, nor seen the film! I seem to recall Lord of the flies and some Orwell for my O-levels but not this one. I really ought to expand my horizons.

 

[domalino]

You'd think mate but I haven't, nor seen the film! I seem to recall Lord of the flies and some Orwell for my O-levels but not this one. I really ought to expand my horizons.

Gatsby's a great one to start with because it's only about 150 pages, you can read the whole thing in a few hours.

 

[DrBlueBob]

Gatsby's a great one to start with because it's only about 150 pages, you can read the whole thing in a few hours.

Thanks Dom. I'll give it a whirl.

 

[talkativesprout]

holocaust a burnt sacrifice offered whole to god

Clearly a total misuse of the word regardless of its connotation?

Do you seriously believe he meant to upset the Jewish community with his words?
Too many folk waiting to appear be outraged in the modern world,

 

[kaz7]

He should have been chucked out of football a decade ago , the only time that lazy prick at the players association did any work it was to stick up for him

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

Do you seriously believe he meant to upset the Jewish community with his words?
Too many folk waiting to appear be outraged in the modern world,

I very much doubt he did but he does have form for seriously racist behaviour. It's a good job for him that the full version of the events that led to him getting involved in that fracas in Thailand and sent home never came out at the time.