Paul Gascoigne investigated for joke

[Gandalf]

Don't people know what a joke is? At the core of many a joke there will be a target, someone the joke is aimed toward. Paul Gascoigne in this instance made a joke about a black man and in the PC Reich this is perceived as a criminal act whence the subsequent investigation.

Is this yet another example of language Nazism and the loss of free speech?

Paul Gascoigne under police investigation after allegedly making a racist joke while on stage | News | The Independent

[brocktonblockbust]

I love making jokes about black people………what's wrong with that

[Gandalf]

It is weird how that can potentially get you a criminal record. It was unlikely to have been malicious on Gascoigne's part. Should I call the police everytime someone points out that I don't have a flat nose or have white skin? Why is race the big thing? People need to lighten up. 'That's racist!'. My word.....

[Dark Lord Al]

Pathetic that a joke can be seen to be the same as real racial crimes.

[ruthless rocco]

What's this...? A bunch of white guys who don't understand racism.

What a fucking surprise!

Hey boys, tell me how you feel about gender equality!

[Gandalf]

We understand racism and many of us have lived as minorities and are married to people of a different race. We just think you should be able to tell a joke and in times of yore it was perfectly acceptable to do so. Now if Gascoigne had said this aggressively and added a few expletives then I could understand the joke might be problematic, but it seems to have been relatively harmless going by the report.

[Master]

This is just crap. Tyson Fury made some remarks police investigated and concluded he had no case to answer. The same should happen here if it was innocent. No issue.

There was a white woman sacked for re-sending a joke about Muslims. On the face of it an over reaction. When you looked into the story you find out she had previous history of making these jokes, had been warned and then still did it.

[ruthless rocco]

We understand racism and many of us have lived as minorities and are married to people of a different race. We just think you should be able to tell a joke and in times of yore it was perfectly acceptable to do so. Now if Gascoigne had said this aggressively and added a few expletives then I could understand the joke might be problematic, but it seems to have been relatively harmless going by the report.

You can't claim understand racism if you think it's acceptable and inoffensive for a privileged and celebrated white male football hero to take to the stage in front of an audience who paid £350 per ticket and belittle a black man who is there to work his job as a security guard.

The comment and delivery were based solely on the colour of his skin and the fact that Gascoigne knows that he is a celebrity who is surrounded by rabid fans, and that there would be no recourse for his racist statement.

If Gascoigne and the security guard and the audience had been familiar with one another and had a relationship that was based on equality and mutual respect, and if the guard had been a willing and active participant, then it may be considered a joke. In this instance however it just serves to isolate, embarrass and humiliate a black man in front of a bunch of strangers, knowing he could only stand there and be forced to take it.

It's the power play that is most offensive, not the concept of the white teeth in a black face in a dark room.

[Dark Lord Al]

Gascogne has limited education and is an alcoholic , any idiot who goes to a dinner with him as guest speaker should be shocked by his actions why ?
You can barely understand what the prick says when he is sober.

[walrus]

We understand racism and many of us have lived as minorities and are married to people of a different race. We just think you should be able to tell a joke and in times of yore it was perfectly acceptable to do so. Now if Gascoigne had said this aggressively and added a few expletives then I could understand the joke might be problematic, but it seems to have been relatively harmless going by the report.

You can't claim understand racism if you think it's acceptable and inoffensive for a privileged and celebrated white male football hero to take to the stage in front of an audience who paid £350 per ticket and belittle a black man who is there to work his job as a security guard.

The comment and delivery were based solely on the colour of his skin and the fact that Gascoigne knows that he is a celebrity who is surrounded by rabid fans, and that there would be no recourse for his racist statement.

If Gascoigne and the security guard and the audience had been familiar with one another and had a relationship that was based on equality and mutual respect, and if the guard had been a willing and active participant, then it may be considered a joke. In this instance however it just serves to isolate, embarrass and humiliate a black man in front of a bunch of strangers, knowing he could only stand there and be forced to take it.

It's the power play that is most offensive, not the concept of the white teeth in a black face in a dark room.

Rocco's right, you guys should be ashamed. We have no room in this world for people saying stupid things and they should be prosecuted for doing so.

[Gandalf]

We understand racism and many of us have lived as minorities and are married to people of a different race. We just think you should be able to tell a joke and in times of yore it was perfectly acceptable to do so. Now if Gascoigne had said this aggressively and added a few expletives then I could understand the joke might be problematic, but it seems to have been relatively harmless going by the report.

You can't claim understand racism if you think it's acceptable and inoffensive for a privileged and celebrated white male football hero to take to the stage in front of an audience who paid £350 per ticket and belittle a black man who is there to work his job as a security guard.

The comment and delivery were based solely on the colour of his skin and the fact that Gascoigne knows that he is a celebrity who is surrounded by rabid fans, and that there would be no recourse for his racist statement.

If Gascoigne and the security guard and the audience had been familiar with one another and had a relationship that was based on equality and mutual respect, and if the guard had been a willing and active participant, then it may be considered a joke. In this instance however it just serves to isolate, embarrass and humiliate a black man in front of a bunch of strangers, knowing he could only stand there and be forced to take it.

It's the power play that is most offensive, not the concept of the white teeth in a black face in a dark room.

A joke will nearly always come at the expense of something or someone, it is the nature of a joke. It is a joke, it was in poor taste, that is where it should end. Does it really require investigation at the taxpayers expense? Probably not. You seem to have no sense of humour, Rocco. Have you never before mocked someone or been offensive? Should people investigate you or is it just that race is the big issue? Are you fine with mother in law jokes, or should all jokes be banned completely? Or at least be vetted by the government so that societal harm does not result?

Power play? What is that? Like how the media have treated Gascoigne and hounded him for 20 years? Gascoigne told a pithy little joke and again the media wants to hound him.

[ruthless rocco]

Thanks for proving that you don't understand racism and that you sympathize with racists.

[Gandalf]

Just as an artist can paint anything, a comic can say anything no matter how tasteless. Well, that should be the case. Now if you want to tell a silly joke then fine, but if you want to cross the line with some kind of meanness, it is only then that there should be a price. With your approach to humour Rocco, I should have pressed charges against 1000 people and understandably that isn't really the way to go about things for silly things said in jest.

[ruthless rocco]

Just as an artist can paint anything, a comic can say anything no matter how tasteless. Well, that should be the case. Now if you want to tell a silly joke then fine, but if you want to cross the line with some kind of meanness, it is only then that there should be a price. With your approach to humour Rocco, I should have pressed charges against 1000 people and understandably that isn't really the way to go about things for silly things said in jest.

You either don't understand the situation we're discussing or you're trying to broaden the scope of the debate to obscure the real issue at hand.
Gascoigne isn't a comedian who is making a joke with a willing participant. He's an old drunk football hero who is deliberately isolating, embarrassing and humiliating a black man in front of an audience of his fans. The black man is in unconsenting participant who has no opportunity to retaliate in return and is being humiliated because he has no voice or choice in the situation.

The fact that you've tried to insert yourself into the argument as some type of victim shows that you're a pathetic fucktard Miles.

[Dark Lord Al]

Just as an artist can paint anything, a comic can say anything no matter how tasteless. Well, that should be the case. Now if you want to tell a silly joke then fine, but if you want to cross the line with some kind of meanness, it is only then that there should be a price. With your approach to humour Rocco, I should have pressed charges against 1000 people and understandably that isn't really the way to go about things for silly things said in jest.

You either don't understand the situation we're discussing or you're trying to broaden the scope of the debate to obscure the real issue at hand.
Gascoigne isn't a comedian who is making a joke with a willing participant. He's an old drunk football hero who is deliberately isolating, embarrassing and humiliating a black man in front of an audience of his fans. The black man is in unconsenting participant who has no opportunity to retaliate in return and is being humiliated because he has no voice or choice in the situation.

The fact that you've tried to insert yourself into the argument as some type of victim shows that you're a pathetic fucktard Miles.

Yes that's pretty much what I said , but why would anyone want to listen to Gascoigne anyway ?