Jamie Vardy

So I’ve been getting a bit of “heat” overnight – mostly from Leicester fans, but not entirely – for pointing out that Jamie Vardy is a racist. Vardy, in case you’re not aware, was caught on camera abusing a man of east Asian origin in a casino in August. The responses seem to fall into four main categories. Let’s deal with them one at a time.

1) Who cares?

Actually, I can sort of understand this one. If my car breaks down in the middle of nowhere and the mechanic who comes to fix it happens to be an EDL member, I’m probably not going to send him packing. If you’re an avid Leicester fan who depends on your football club for your happiness, and Vardy’s goals make you happy, then you’re more likely to decide that his racism isn’t as important. Every single person makes moral compromises every day of the week.

So you make a little adjustment in your head: tell yourself that what Vardy did wasn’t actually that bad, that he’s being unfairly vilified, that there’s a campaign against him. That’s a compromise you’ve made, and you’re entitled to it. But it’s not my compromise. I care that Vardy’s a racist. And as long as I care about it, I’m going to talk about it.

2) Calling someone a “Jap” isn’t racist. It’s just like calling someone a “Brit”.

Ah yes, the classic “hierarchy of racism”. You wouldn’t use the P-word or the N-word or the Y-word, but somehow the J-word – which tellingly nobody feels the need to asterisk out – is on the right side of the line. It’s the classic response of the racism apologist: yes, there is bad stuff out there, but this doesn’t qualify.

To which the only possible response is: watch the video. Watch the filthy, inebriated hatred in him: the seething disdain for someone he clearly regards as an inferior. Now replace the Asian-looking bloke with a white guy, and imagine Vardy saying “Yo, Brit. Yeah you, Brit. Walk on."

Can’t really picture it, can you?

3) It was just a drunken mistake. We all make mistakes. It was one comment, one time. Let it go.

Yes, we all make mistakes. But my drunken mistakes tend to involve falling asleep on the night bus rather than racially abusing a stranger. Maybe I need to get out more.

You really do have to feel for Vardy here. The only time he’s ever said something racist - in his entire life! – and it gets caught on camera. Talk about unlucky.

4) He’s apologised, been fined, been sent on a diversity awareness course, and genuinely seems a changed person. Give him a break.

Yes, all these things are true. And this seems to be the default position of most Vardy apologists – some of them in the media. Why carry on persecuting Vardy for something that happened in the past that he can’t change? Can’t we just accept his apology and move on? Well, you might be able to. But then, I’d doubt whether you’ve ever been the victim of genuine racism.

My view is this: racists should be pariahs. They should be punished with the full fist of the law and beaten down by the crushing yoke of public opinion. They should be out of a job. They should be out of friends. They should have to get on their knees and beg us all for forgiveness.

Vardy should be out of work right now. But seeing as he's not, he can use his platform. He should be speaking out against racism at every opportunity. He should be working tirelessly with charities, doing talks in schools, educating young players on diversity and tolerance. And he should still be apologising. Every time there's a camera on him or a microphone in front of his face, he should start by expressing his remorse for what he did and telling us how he's putting things right.

It's a pipe dream, of course. I completely understand if you don’t share this view. But there’s a victim here, and it’s not me and it’s not you. And it’s certainly not the England footballer with an 11-game scoring streak and the admiration of millions.

Click to expand...

Jenks said:

"Watch the filthy, inebriated hatred in him: the seething disdain for someone he clearly regards as an inferior."

I reckon the journalist is getting a bit creative with the truth there, or maybe he's lived a sheltered life and has never been in a pub before. He's right that calling a Japanese person a Jap is probably not the same as calling a British person a Brit, but it's racial insensitivity at worst more so than some sort of overt display of racism. There are a hell of a lot worse things he could have said to him if racially abusing him was his intent.

Click to expand...

El Flaco said:

My view is this: racists should be pariahs. They should be punished with the full fist of the law and beaten down by the crushing yoke of public opinion. They should be out of a job. They should be out of friends. They should have to get on their knees and beg us all for forgiveness.

Vardy should be out of work right now. But seeing as he's not, he can use his platform. He should be speaking out against racism at every opportunity. He should be working tirelessly with charities, doing talks in schools, educating young players on diversity and tolerance. And he should still be apologising. Every time there's a camera on him or a microphone in front of his face, he should start by expressing his remorse for what he did and telling us how he's putting things right.
Reference

Click to expand...

El Flaco said:

I just read this Facebook post by a journalist (Jonathan Liew) from the Telegraph and pointing out that Jamie Vardy is a racist

Reference

Click to expand...

They should be punished with the full fist of the law and beaten down by the crushing yoke of public opinion. They should be out of a job. They should be out of friends. They should have to get on their knees and beg us all for forgiveness.

Vardy should be out of work right now. But seeing as he's not, he can use his platform. He should be speaking out against racism at every opportunity. He should be working tirelessly with charities, doing talks in schools, educating young players on diversity and tolerance. And he should still be apologising. Every time there's a camera on him or a microphone in front of his face, he should start by expressing his remorse for what he did and telling us how he's putting things right.

Click to expand...

El Flaco said:

The original racist video as recorded by the Sun.

[youtube]/watch?v=o8wRr8drbCM[/youtube]

Click to expand...

El Flaco said:

I just read this Facebook post by a journalist (Jonathan Liew) from the Telegraph and pointing out that Jamie Vardy is a racist



Reference

Click to expand...