Quote:
Originally Posted by ThurgreedMarshall
You have the ability to write a thoughtful post and then completely fuck it up in an instant. Jesus Christ.
Of course you can flip out over what Neeson said. He said he actually went out with a weapon looking for trouble so that he could fucking kill a random, innocent black person. That shit is not normal. Sure he's grown from it. Sure he lived in a place of daily, awful violence. I'll even give him the benefit of the doubt that he's a completely different person. But you don't get to say shit like that without people freaking the fuck out. The key is to have a thoughtful discussion. You started to and then, being Sebby, you completely fucked it all up.
I wish Robin Roberts had engaged him on this constant in the white community--and I've heard it so many fucking times: People of color who commit some heinous crime or do something awful have that action attributed to their race. White people who do the same are bad eggs. People of color who accomplish amazing things (or any level of success) (i) benefited from some type of assistance because of their color and/or (ii) have that success attributed to them as an individual, despite their race. That's why he was looking for any black person at all.
When asked by Roberts if he would have gone out "hunting" random white people to murder if the white person was a racist, Liam Neesons automatically changed the hypo because he couldn't even conceive of just hunting white people. He said if it were a Scot or a Lithuanian he'd have gone looking for them. But he wasn't hunting black Brits or Nigerians or whatever. He was looking for any black person, period. The distinction didn't even occur to him.
TM
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It is reasonable to freak out at what Neeson said. I should have used a term more specific than “flipping out.” I’d say people calling for a boycott of him, or suggesting he needs to be exiled from his profession, need to get a grip. What he said was shocking, but it’s also the kind of honesty we need to address the issue. Added and Not Bob make a similar point when they admit they have had racist thoughts. But Liam is famous, and has admitted a truly violent racist thought. Those crying for him to pay a steep professional price do a huge disservice to their own ostensible goals.
My suspicion is most of those people are not terribly thoughtful, but more interested in publicly displaying outrage than actually addressing racism and the the issues caused by racism constructively.
ETA: If Neeson’s publicist were with him and heard him start that exchange, he or she would have jumped on the cameraman. Neeson is a sophisticated movie star. He knew he was taking a huge chance with that sort of honesty. This should not cost him a career where it’s clear he does not hold those views anymore, they were born of passion and social location at the time, and his intent is to assist in combatting racism.
