Diversity and Inclusion Charter

[Bill 13,717]

1 hour ago, Thinker said:

But you can't afford to let racial equality become seen as a left-wing opinion.

Racial equality isn’t a political issue as far as I’m concerned and me being of a particular political leaning is utterly irrelevant. To think it is, as you clearly do, is to admit that BLM is itself a political movement. However, if you’re going to go down the equality route, you first have to define an equality That can be applied to everyone, not an equality tailored to suit a selected grouping. 
 

 

1 hour ago, Thinker said:

Rather than tarring everyone who voices support for BLM as a supporter of all the divisive add-ons, it's essential that you stamp a big non-political mark on this. If you aim a broadside at "Black Lives Matter" in general you're attacking the sensible parts as well as the extremists.

BLM hasn’t been shy in defining its role  in terms of extreme leftist objectives. How else should we react to BLM if not in terms of how it defines itself. If there’s any tarring going on it’s being perpetrated by those who pretend BLM is apolitical despite its own clarification that it is wholly political and strictly leftist. This is what happens when the marketing message gets confused with reality. So you have privileged sportsmen and celebrities of all descriptions taking a knee in support of an organisation that has made clear its aim is the overthrow of the structures of the state and the promotion of LGBT, Muslim, Palestinian, BAME, etc rights. What happened to racism? You’re being smoked like a kipper. 

Edited July 20, 2020 by Bill

[Bluedell 5,679]

4 hours ago, Thinker said:

Yes, there are those trying to hijack BLM, and piggy-back their own agenda onto the demonstrations (anti-capitalist, anti-Zionist, and revisionist villification of historical figures using modern social mores). We can not allow these people to dictate what "Black Lives Matters" means. 

It seems the opposite to me. There are those who are trying to say that BLM is only a nice anti-racism message whereas it's been a lot more than that pretty much from the start.

 

Surely it's the BLM organisation who get to say what the BLM organisation stands for, and not a footballer or you or me?

 

 

[Gonzo79 15,299]

We seem to have reached an impasse on BLM.  Some people choose to ignore the movement's own stated political ideology and others don't want to be associated with it.

 

I said when the BLM protests first occurred in the UK that bringing US race issues here would be detrimental and divisive and I think this thread has proved my point.  

[Bill 13,717]

The problem isn’t with BLM or those who oppose it. BLM is very open about its revolutionary leftist agenda and those who support it on that basis are entirely entitled to do so - as are those like myself who think BLM’s stated aims are a very bad collection of ideas.  
 

The big problem comes from those who deliberately ignore and will fully deny the reality of BLM, preferring instead to pretend it’s about some nebulous (but never defined) concept like fairness or equality or respect or enlightenment. I mean, what better basis is there on which to demonstrate what virtuous people we all are. Pity it’s all a crock of shit, as can be seen in every MSM report on the subject. Talk about being suckered. So no, I won’t support play-acting bollocks like taking a knee and yes, I would prefer if Rangers didn’t get involved either. Our EveryoneAnyone campaign is excellent and needs no association with BLM. 

Edited July 20, 2020 by Bill

[Frankie 8,665]

I think it's important we allow people to have their say all such stuff and not every facet of the discussion is going to comfortable.

 

With that in mind, I'm not going to spend an hour writing in depth about an issue that is so complicated but try to keep it simple.  If the Rangers captain, manager and whole squad feel strongly enough to make a statement about racism then that should be important to all our fans.  Yes the BLM stuff can confuse matters or even make such issues worse, but, for me, the main message from our players is that of equality: specifically with regard to the undoubted problems people of colour can have across the world.

 

Of course, Rangers Football Club or our fans can't solve that problem and our voice is very small in the grand scheme of things but what we can do is help raise awareness and stand against it.  In that sense, nowadays, Rangers is as modern and as inclusive a football club as any in the world and as someone who increasingly doesn't want to conflate my politics or religion with my football, it's something I'm glad to see.

[Frankie 8,665]

9 minutes ago, Bill said:

The problem isn’t with BLM or those who oppose it. BLM is very open about its revolutionary leftist agenda and those who support it on that basis are entirely entitled to do so - as are those like myself who think BLM’s stated aims are a very bad collection of ideas.  
 

The big problem comes from those who deliberately ignore and will fully deny the reality of BLM, preferring instead to pretend it’s about some nebulous (but never defined) concept like fairness or equality or respect or enlightenment. I mean, what better basis is there on which to demonstrate what virtuous people we all are. Pity it’s all a crock of shit, as can be seen in every MSM report on the subject. Talk about being suckered. So no, I won’t support play-acting bollocks like taking a knee and yes, I would prefer if Rangers didn’t get involved either. Our EveryoneAnyone campaign is excellent and needs no association with BLM. 

I think a lot of that is fair comment and I'm glad that this forum allows open discussion from all sides.

 

With regard to the events of the weekend, and our club's EA campaign, I think an open forum between the players and fans would be a more constructive way of discussing the matter.  Taking the knee or raising the fist are all well and good but context is also important so the message doesn't get confused and detracted from.

 

It may well be the players and management have now said their piece and made their statement though which is fine by me as well.  We just have to be careful not to lecture to people or demand a,b and c but to have a conversation and have a debate that we can all learn from.  That would be progress.

[Bill 13,717]

10 minutes ago, Frankie said:

I think a lot of that is fair comment and I'm glad that this forum allows open discussion from all sides.

 

With regard to the events of the weekend, and our club's EA campaign, I think an open forum between the players and fans would be a more constructive way of discussing the matter.  Taking the knee or raising the fist are all well and good but context is also important so the message doesn't get confused and detracted from.

 

It may well be the players and management have now said their piece and made their statement though which is fine by me as well.  We just have to be careful not to lecture to people or demand a,b and c but to have a conversation and have a debate that we can all learn from.  That would be progress.

I think Rangers has made great strides forward wrt discrimination and as a club should focus on the appropriateness of our existing initiatives in discouraging all forms of discrimination. There’s a danger of Campaigns like Everyone Anyone being lost or diluted in the rush to join an increasingly tarnished bandwagon. It’s understandable that players and staff should want to show support but from now on I feel it should be on the platform of our own excellent initiatives. 

[Charloch 52]

You cannot promote equality by advocating for just one ethnic group to the exclusion of others. Marxists understand this perfectly, for their design is not to solve problems but to foment division. It takes a particular kind of genius to foment division by promoting equality. This they have succeeded in doing. Every knee that bows is another brick in the wall of division as it births another radicalised white person who previously had no real sense of racial division. The whole thing has been brilliantly conceived and executed. All Marxism requires to prosper are enough useful idiots to advance the cause without understanding that they are being played. Evidently, we have enough of those. BLM is the antithesis of What Rangers are committed to achieving. That the club can’t see that is regrettable. 

Edited July 20, 2020 by Charloch

[alexscottislegend 2,378]

18 hours ago, CammyF said:

Serious question  - has anyone on here faced racist abuse on an ongoing basis? 

 

I pulled someone up at the Legia Euro game for calling one of OUR players as a useless black cuXx - a few folks around me, turned on ME until a few more around backed me. 

 

Racism is on the rise and at the moment BLM are the only vehicle for those being abused to jump on. 

 

Just try and imagine living your life being constantly abused just for the colour of your skin. How would you deal with it? 

 

Finally, for some of our fans to round on our players for simply wanting an end to racism is dispicable 

I got banned many years ago - and the ban is still in force - from 'Follow Follow' for having the temerity to suggest that Jean-Claude Darcheville should not be picked for a tie in the Balkans because he might face racist abuse. In turn I was accused of being racist in sugggesting that we rest one of our players for racial reasons. I was only thinking of the player's well-being. I was not able to protest that I was stepfather to two mixed race children.  Certainly my stepson has many tales to tell of racism faced. He is at least able to defend himself with his tongue but many aren't.

[alexscottislegend 2,378]

7 minutes ago, Charloch said:

You cannot promote equality by advocating for just one ethnic group to the exclusion of others. Marxists understand this perfectly, for their design is not to solve problems but to foment division. It takes a particular kind of genius to foment division by promoting equality. This they have succeeded in doing. Every knee that bows is another brick in the wall of division as it births another radicalised white person who previously had no real sense of racial division. The whole thing has been brilliantly conceived and executed. All Marxism requires to prosper are enough useful idiots to advance the cause without understanding that they are being played. Evidently, we have enough of those. BLM is the antithesis of What Rangers are committed to achieving. That the club can’t see that is regrettable. 

Wrong. Your understanding of marxism is based on the Sun and Daily Mail. Marxism is a method, a science of dialectics.