I wasn't on the receiving end of it, so it's not for me to tell Webo how to feel about it. If he took offense to it, then the official needs to be dealt with and disciplined, and the two of them should have a chat to clear the air. Considering they work for a global organization, I'd have expected more from the decorum, particularly from an official regardless of their native language. It's one thing coming from trash talking between opponents, but from an official, I'd expect better.
It seems unhealthy that the word ‘black’ is seen as offensive in of itself. There is nothing wrong with being black, and we shouldn’t view it as a negative thing. The true value of a person is what’s inside of them - this is the message we should be spreading. There’s no such thing as ‘black life’ or a ‘white life’ - the colour of your skin doesn’t define who you are as a person.
Yet the color of your skin can indicate your societal experience and how you perceive being identified almost solely by the color of your skin.
It's not racist, but in the context of how we are trying to stamp racism out of the game and society in general, it's an incredibly stupid and insensitive thing to say. If you think something you say can be interpreted wrongly, just dont say it.
I think on the face of it this. Given the times we are living in where everything is put through the microscope to the nth degree, (and again only on the face of it), I am never sure how healthy for the overall fight for racial equality incidents like these are. If the assistant has indeed identified a player by colour of his skin, then he should be reprimanded as the rules of his job suggest. It appears that it wasn't said in a discriminatory way or maliciously, therefore in this instance I feel the reaction seems strong and you can clearly already see the adverse effect it is having with parties from each side rushing to defend/abhor.
I think it's important to acknowledge that he didn't say "book the black player" in English, he said it in Romanian where the word for black sounds a lot like the N word. Pierre Webo, as far as I'm aware, does not speak Romanian and heard a word that he heard as being the N word. Of course he reacted to it and it illustrates why officials are supposed to communicate in English during games, to avoid misunderstandings such as this. As for if he had said the same in English, it's not racist, but I think there's better and less insensitive ways to communicate which person needs to be booked than just saying the black one.
So the answer surely is to judge people by what’s inside of them, and to spread such a message, rather than giving more attention to the physical differences that exist, which are irrelevant. Children are being taught to treat black people differently, even though the intention may be good, and this will only ever add more layers of complexity to the issue. We need to undo the conditioning, not add more.
I don't think anyone believes this event will spark the start of the end of racism, but if it raises sensitivities from UEFA and its employees, players, and officials regarding conduct at an organizational level, then this is an important moment in that continuous improvement. This should also serve as a marker for players that they don't have to take behavior like that. If players refuse to play because they think conduct from officials, supporters, or other players is unacceptable, then that is another step forward, IMO. Who is teaching children to treat black people differently? We're trying to teach them to treat them equally. You can't promote platitudes on "what's inside" people when many's initial behavior doesn't allow time for that. We have to deal with the reality of the situation first.
I think its just a rude way to talk about someone rather than racist. People are rude to each other all the time. If Romanian for black was just some random other word and not very close to the N word would there even be a debate?
Just the example of being encouraged to never reference the person’s race is an example of treating black people differently. It’s mainly a subconscious thing - such a big issue is made over the colour of someone’s skin, to the point where a career can be ruined by an innocent slip of the tongue, that it is impossible not to treat black people differently on some level as you’re being made to walk on eggshells. The more you forget about the racial differences, the more likely you are to ‘slip up’ in such a manner. It’s unhealthy social conditioning, and a sickness that we have as a society.
Considering society and history is build upon hundreds and thousands of years of racism and 'otherism' (religion, etc), it's not just a matter of forgetting it. There are systems in place that hold back people whether it's based on race, belief, or economics. There has to be an active effort to eradicate those systems first and foremost. I don't think that official should lose his job or end his career over that situation (FWIW I would have been sacked on the spot if that happened in my job), but that doesn't mean no action needs to be taken over this to avoid this situation from happening again, particularly from an organization that is campaigning against racism.
I think it has a more detrimental effect on the fight for racial equality tbh. Incidents like these should certainly be dealt with but they have to be proportionate to what has seemingly occurred, otherwise it feeds the "you can't say anything these days" mentality and only further entrenches the mindset of like minded people. For me working towards a place where people are not judged through race, religion, skin colour, etc. is next to impossible to acheive but is without doubt a noble goal to be chased, but the fight is hard enough when genuine racially divides already excist. Moments like this for me are too over stated. Now I am not black and so this is obviously only my take on it, I can't understand what it is like to be judged by skin colour, I do know people are judged on all kinds of things to do with beliefs, appearance, where they are born, education, where they live, etc. It sucks but not every incident/fight has to be dealt with in the same way. That is my take on it at least chief.
Right, that's why I said earlier I won't really cast any sort of judgment or hard opinion on how Webo responded and the actions of his team and PSG with it. He clearly had as issue with it, that's why they did what they did. Honestly, I have no interest in handing the "you can't say anything these days" crowd any bones, considering they'll really just say whatever they want anyway. They will not be convinced either way, and they will just complain every step of the way while the world passes them by, and that's their choice. It's not PC culture going mad, it's people not letting others get away with bullshit anymore. These moments are over stated because they are happening at an international stage with the world watching. Millions of moments like these happen in the dark and go unchecked, that's why it's important to highlight moments like these, as it gives someone like Demba Ba or Webo a platform to tell the world how they felt about it, hopefully inspiring those who suffer in the shadows to stand up for themselves as well, and encourage people who could be in the official's situation to think twice before saying things whether it's at a racial level or any other way people can disenfranchise or discriminate against others.
Treat the root cause, not the symptoms. Encouraging people to improve themselves internally and spiritually will cause equality to naturally manifest as a result. The idea of ‘Black lives matter’ only encourages further societal division. Racism exists, no doubt, but right now it’s being psychologically intensified. Are the police really prejudiced against black people, or does it stem from the the initial thought that this is the case? It’s like a viscous cycle - a black child from a poor neighborhood is taught to hate the police. They end up rebelling, and then the police, who are used to dealing with issues from young, black males from poor neighborhoods, take extra care and precautions around them. The young black males then feel victimized, and the process repeats. I’ve watched a lot of police bodycam footage, and nearly every deadly confrontation I’ve seen has been justified action on the police’s part. Of course the George Floyd killing was terrible, but I’m not even convinced that was racism, as the officer who killed Floyd actually knew him personally. There are genuinely evil, racist individuals about, but these are in the extreme minority. Let’s not allow them more power over us than they deserve.
I'm not going to re-litigate this as you can just go all the way back in the summer to see my take on this, but no surprise that I have a different opinion than you as a brown person who lives in this country you're referencing with policing and has lived in a predominantly black, over-policed community for the better part of 5 years. Considering your rhetoric suggests you've been reading up on these issues, you're either not understanding or outright not accepting the given meaning of black lives matter, and I'm not really going to spend my energy talking about that at length. That said, I will not give my take on that movement within the context of British or European culture because I am not exposed to nor have read up on what it means for black communities there.
