Liam Neeson has landed himself in a spot of trouble

Franz Von Peppercorn

wakka12 wrote: »

I usually find the outrage at things celebrities say so annoying and over the top, but this I find really strange

First reaction to hearing that a black person raped her and he wants to kill any black person then, I dont get where hes coming from at all or see how thats understandable and its a weird thing to openly admit

It is odd. And it’s not true that in reverse it would be acceptable. If a black star said he was walking around hoping to brain a white man after a white man raped his friend there would be equal uproar.

It doesn’t really matter that he apologised as he says it, better to shut up.

Irish Guitarist

wakka12 wrote: »

I usually find the outrage at things celebrities say so annoying and over the top, but this I find really strange

First reaction to hearing that a black person raped her and he wants to kill any black person then, I dont get where hes coming from at all or see how thats understandable and its a weird thing to openly admit

He's from the North where shite like having a slightly different take on Christianity is a massive deal.

And he's now admitting it didn't make any sense to think like that and saying he's ashamed.

If a black person said something similar what would most likely cause an uproar is that they're 'selling out' by saying they no longer think all white people are the same.

Calibos

Augme wrote: »

Lol, what?! Wanting vegence against any randomer who happens to have the same colour skin is not normal at all. As for the larry nassar example, absolutely no relevance at all.

Agreed.

Seems like people need to up their reading comprehension skills. PLenty of people in this thread saying that they too would have revenge fantasies and that Neeson is no better nor worse than the rest of us.

No.

Normal people have revenge fantasies about killing the actual Rapist/murderer whatever. Normal people don't have revenge fantasies about stabbing any innocent randomer who happens to be the same skin colour as the rapist/murderer etc.

A Frenchman killed my Loved one!! I'm going to stab the next Frenchman that looks at me funny in revenge!! WTF??

Sorry Liam. Thats racist as fcuk! Thats virtually the definition of racism!!

To all the usual suspects moaning about the SJW and Snowflakes giving Neeson a hard time over this interview. You are embarrassing yourselves lads. Don't get me wrong, the only thing that annoys me as much online as alt right trump supporting conservative loons are whiney SJW mountain out of a molehill morons. This is not the case here of whiney SJW's over reacting. This was a genuinely weird and racist reaction to a friends rape that Neeson talked about.

Irish Guitarist

Are people reading some kind of abridged version of the article I read that leaves out the part where he says he regrets thinking like this?

orourkeda1977

I'd have thoughts about killing someone if one of my friends was raped.

I dont see the problem here with having thoughts like that under those circumstances.

Acting on them is a different matter

10000maniacs

I don't think he is racist but it was an incredibly stupid thing to say. He has been playing the showbiz game long enough to know that will go down badly.
I remember him coming on the Late Late one Christmas about 10 years back and seemed flutered and coming out with weird stuff.

pgj2015

I hear your a racist now liam.

funny how he was carrying a weapon hoping a black man would confront him, so he could then stab them to death. exactly what his character in Taken would do. imagine if he didn't tip the black guy in the toliets after getting a paper towel handed to him, the guy says thanks sarcastically and then liam beats him to death.

gmisk

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Mel Gibson has been outgunned, lol.

Lol... Come on don't be silly.

It's working wonders publicity wise for his new film, he spoke honestly and in fairness never actually did anything, it's far away from Mel Gibson torching his career.
Bare In mind how long ago this happened as well...

Yer Da sells Avon

Robert Wolfe wrote: »

If Idris Elba said he wanted to kill a white bastard because someone he cared for was raped it would barely make the news.

Tell the truth. You'd be absolutely outraged, calling him a racist, etc.

Billy Mays

orourkeda1977 wrote: »

I'd have thoughts about killing someone if one of my friends was raped.

I dont see the problem here with having thoughts like that under those circumstances.

Acting on them is a different matter

Having thoughts about killing the person who raped your friend, fine.

Having thoughts about killing some random person who didn't rape your friend, not fine.

bubbles o hara

Irish Guitarist wrote: »

Are people reading some kind of abridged version of the article I read that leaves out the part where he says he regrets thinking like this?

I was more than surprised at what he said. If someone I loved was harmed, I could easily hurt the perpetrator, and have no regrets. But he looked for any black man to hurt, not just the scum who had raped the lady.

Saying he now regrets it doesn't make it right, it just doesn't.

Outlaw Pete

https://twitter.com/Balum205/status/1092488901237846017

1800_Ladladlad

Whats bothering me is the consecutive attempts at fuelling some sort of a race. The sensationalist "media" just seem to me as if they are trying to troll sarcastically while being serious. Sure her accepted an OBE from the crown so he deserves everything he gets ..............Disclaimer: Im taking the p*ss

SoundsRight

They don't seem to mind the girl getting raped by a black man. But being angry about it and seeking revenge has got people all riled up.

Chris_Heilong

If he was quoted correctly then he phrased it in a very poor manner: "I went up and down areas with a cosh, hoping I'd be approached by somebody - I'm ashamed to say that - and I did it for maybe a week, hoping some black b*****d would come out of a pub and have a go at me about something, you know? So that I could kill him."

This could have been phrased so much better as it seems like he wanted to hurt any black person regardless of if they were the ones responsible and if he did feel that way then damn, what a nutter.

GAA Beo

Azelia Banks said worse last week but cos shes black she got away with mocking the famine. Indeed certain "Irish" people were defending her. I still think Neeson was very stupid to say what he did though. Really can't see what benefit he was hoping to get from saying that out.

Leonidas BL

GAA Beo wrote: »

Azelia Banks said worse last week but cos shes black she got away with mocking the famine. Indeed certain "Irish" people were defending her. I still think Neeson was very stupid to say what he did though. Really can't see what benefit he was hoping to get from saying that out.

Other than we now all know about his new film

Former Observer

The Enbalmer wrote: »

The perpetually outraged can be outraged..seems you're not allowed say anything these days if you're a white,straight man.
Well he said it and good for him..the millennial pussies can cry tears of impotent rage all they want..they're all unemployed wasters anyway.

Not sure if serious.

BorneTobyWilde

He used '' black bastard'' same way he'd use '' fat bastard''
Had the rapist being a fat guy he'd have waited out side a GYM waiting for a fat guy to have a go so he could beat his fat ass.
How is calling a black person black racist.

Former Observer

A lot of deep thinkers in this thread.

Ariadne

The perpetually offended annoy me no end. However, I'm just thinking "Liam, why did you say that? Sure, you thought it and you realise it's wrong now but keep that sh1t to yourself". I realise he didn't hurt anyone and he knows that he was wrong but he was spoiling for a fight with any black man because his friend was raped by a black man. If I read about a black celebrity saying that his friend was raped by a white man and he went out wanting to kill any white man, I wouldn't be a bit impressed and I'd find it racist. Just a weird thing to say.

GAA Beo

Succubus_ wrote: »

The perpetually offended annoy me no end. However, I'm just thinking "Liam, why did you say that? Sure, you thought it and you realise it's wrong now but keep that sh1t to yourself". I realise he didn't hurt anyone and he knows that he was wrong but he was spoiling for a fight with any black man because his friend was raped by a black man. If I read about a black celebrity saying that his friend was raped by a white man and he went out wanting to kill any white man, I wouldn't be a bit impressed and I'd find it racist. Just a weird thing to say.

I agree, I do think it's a bit much. I'm more thinking why would he say it, surely he knew saying such a thing wouldn't go down well. The yanks that are chomping at the bit to give Irish people abuse can **** off though.

eagle eye

Anybody calling him racist or shouting him down over this is an idiot.
The man had a moment after something horrific happened to somebody very close to him. It's human, he felt ashamed at how he acted and didn't hurt anybody.
Imo it's a good thing that he is sharing this, it may give others who are feeling this way pause for thought.

Omackeral

BorneTobyWilde wrote: »

Had the rapist being a fat guy he'd have waited out side a GYM waiting for a fat guy to have a go so he could beat his fat ass.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyh_GFDqrFM

pgj2015

the scary thing is, if someone had a go at him in the weeks after his friend was raped, would he have beat them to death? he would be in jail now most likely.

Edward M

A cow kicked me one time, in a moment of madness I nearly bundled the whole lot of them in a lorry and headed for the meat factory!
I get a sense that thinking of it and actually walking around with a cosh hoping it would happen, that some "black bastard" would get aggressive with him and that at that time he would have beat his brains out or some such, was just an overselling of the story, an analogy taken too far.
The papers are plastered with it today, I think if Liam could turn back the clock he wouldn't have said it.
Cue a late late show appearance to explain himself.
Unlike Peter Casey, I'd say Tubbers will lean on Neesons side, a shur it was only about "black bastards", they're not as important as our cultural travellers.

riffmongous

pgj2015 wrote: »

the scary thing is, if someone had a go at him in the weeks after his friend was raped, would he have beat them to death? he would be in jail now most likely.

That's the thing, instead of Liam Neeson the beloved actor, we could have had Liam Neeson the racist murderer if someone had just looked at him funny

FunLover18

People seem to be of the opinion that condemning Neeson's desire for "revenge" on anyone sharing the same skin colour as a rapist is the same as condoning the rape and in a way that's scarier.

PhiloCypher

pgj2015 wrote: »

the scary thing is, if someone had a go at him in the weeks after his friend was raped, would he have beat them to death? he would be in jail now most likely.

Well he does have a particular set of skills

* I'll get my coat *

In all seriousness tho, it was an incredibly stupid thing for him to say given his profile. If he had just said , he had gone out for a week after looking for the actual rapist to deal out some vigilante justice like the character he plays in Cold Pursuit he'd have been fine. A lot of people would have related to that, but saying he was going to kill any black bastard who looked at him funny was never going to go down well .

What I hope Liam was speaking to in his hamfisted way, is the primitive way in which trauma can affect someone and cause them to lash out at an innocent party or even a loved one. It's not logical, it's not acceptable, it's just a traumatised mind trying to process grief and lashing out .

riffmongous

FunLover18 wrote: »

People seem to be of the opinion that condemning Neeson's desire for "revenge" on anyone sharing the same skin colour as a rapist is the same as condoning the rape and in a way that's scarier.

Ah that's just some reregs

Sorry about that

I just feel so sorry for him. He's admitted to having bad thoughts at a bad time, a very long time ago. Did he hurt anyone? No. And probably wouldn't have either. Look, he was much younger, full of bravado and unable to actually do anything to help the victim.

Journalist is the only one to get anything out of this, and Neeson's career could be over. Never trust a journalist kids!

valoren

He had it coming to be honest. He was way too specific with the details.

Version 1 - "My friend was raped and I was so angry, I carried a cosh around hoping for someone to start with me so I could beat the **** out of them. Thankfully I realised I had gone absolutely nuts and got a grip on myself before I hurt someone"

Everyone thinks "Yeah, a friend getting raped would do that to you". We can empathise with Liam.


Version 2 - "My friend was raped. I asked her what he looked like. She said he was black. I was so angry, I carried a cosh around hoping for some black bastard to start with me so I could beat the **** out of them. Thankfully I realised I had gone absolutely nuts and got a grip on myself before I hurt someone"

Same core story in both versions but version 2 is way too specific and just dynamite in today's media.

SoundsRight

Sorry about that wrote: »

I just feel so sorry for him. He's admitted to having bad thoughts at a bad time, a very long time ago. Did he hurt anyone? No. And probably wouldn't have either. Look, he was much younger, full of bravado and unable to actually do anything to help the victim.

Journalist is the only one to get anything out of this, and Neeson's career could be over. Never trust a journalist kids!

He's 66, so realistically his career is already winding down. He's been through the worst horror imaginable when his wife died suddenly, so I doubt he'll be losing any sleep over this.

Feisar

Feisar wrote: »

Seems like thoughts are now crimes.

Wasn't there always people who wanted that though? There are some old examples of people into thought crime. Jesus for example espoused positions on what was essentially thought crime too for example. Can not remember the exact quote but something about building an equivalency between lusting in your mind and having committed adultery.

I can tell you I have committed a _lot_ of adultery over the years under that standard.

Ariadne

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Wasn't there always people who wanted that though? There are some old examples of people into thought crime. Jesus for example espoused positions on what was essentially thought crime too for example. Can not remember the exact quote but something about building an equivalency between lusting in your mind and having committed adultery.

I can tell you I have committed a _lot_ of adultery over the years under that standard.

Though shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife.
Though shalt not covet thy neighbour's goods.

Grand, so no lusting after anyone ever or envying something that they have. Seems possible

Succubus_

Succubus_ wrote: »

Though shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife.
Though shalt not covet thy neighbour's goods.

Grand, so no lusting after anyone ever or envying something that they have. Seems possible

Into the cave for 12 hours a day meditation for us so!

"But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh. on a woman to lust after her hath committed. adultery with her already in his heart."

Think that was the one I was thinking of.

Edward M

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Into the cave for 12 hours a day meditation for us so!

"But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh. on a woman to lust after her hath committed. adultery with her already in his heart."

Think that was the one I was thinking of.

I could covet my neighbours wife, I do, I had the pleasure a couple of times too, but I'm fcking not stupid enough to tell him.

Hurrache

John Barnes has quite angrily defended Neeson, saying what and how he said it has been misrepresented and it's now become a witch hunt because of a soundbite, rather than analysing the whole point of his story, i.e. the shame on what he felt, how black people were stereotyped and how he fell into believing that stereotype, and his realisation of how wrong it is.

1874

pgj2015 wrote: »

I hear your a racist now liam.

funny how he was carrying a weapon hoping a black man would confront him, so he could then stab them to death. exactly what his character in Taken would do. imagine if he didn't tip the black guy in the toliets after getting a paper towel handed to him, the guy says thanks sarcastically and then liam beats him to death.

Damn it, beat me to it.
Cant understand why he would say that, even with the hindsight part, so 40 years ago or so in Northern Ireland?? how many Black people were in NI then? Regardless if this happened in NI or not, Im a bit suspicious of the story, think he has dropped himself right in it.
Maybe its his age, or that actors aren't the font of knowledge, experience, wisdom that movies portray them to be. They're just people, many are idiots I'm reasonably convinced, especially when they believe their own hype.
I think thats enough Taken style movies for Liam.
If this was some kind of skit, he's taken it too far (to not get the backlash).

Glad Im not on twitter, I wont be recounting in 40 years how I wanted to kill twitter users though,

EdgeCase

I'm willing to try and put myself into someone else's shoes, and I can understand that someone would be extremely angry if someone close to them were raped and I could understand someone having a flash of irrationality. However, he said he "went up and down areas with a cosh, hoping I'd be approached by somebody" and did so with the aim of possibly killing someone based purely on their race and this went on for a week?

Unfortunately, as I do think the guy is a talented actor, I just cannot get my head around that. It's beyond the beyonds for me and I can't really place it in cultural context of a bygone era, 30 years ago was 1988. The world wasn't THAT different on issues of race. You're not talking 1950s Alabama.

I'm glad his logical filter kicked in and he didn't do it and regrets it, but it's still something that just leaves me cold. I just cannot get my head around how anyone would do that or think like that. There's nothing snowflakey about my saying I'm genuinely shocked.

I mean, if you put that into the context of say an English person who'd had a friend who'd been say caught up in a Northern Irish terrorism incident in England, who then decided to plot a revenge attack against anyone with a Northern Irish accent, how would it seem to us?

FunLover18

Hurrache wrote: »

John Barnes has quite angrily defended Neeson, saying what and how he said it has been misrepresented and it's now become a witch hunt because of a soundbite, rather than analysing the whole point of his story, i.e. the shame on what he felt, how black people were stereotyped and how he fell into believing that stereotype, and his realisation of how wrong it is.

In the story I read, Neeson expressed regret about seeking revenge because revenge only leads to more revenge, there was no mention of regret for his targeting of a specific race, which I think also rubbed people up the wrong way. Looking at the Barnes quotes, he's interpreting Neeson's words differently from how I would interpret them.

jiltloop

Edward M wrote: »

Just another actor who thinks they're super intellectually intelligent and that if they say something people will consider it as such, reality is that without a script they haven't really go a clue about real life and what's acceptable and what's not.
Mindless killing is acceptable in action moves, but real life is somewhat more sobering.

I don't think you've read the article or actually understand what the thread is about.

Edward M

jiltloop wrote: »

I don't think you've read the article or actually understand what the thread is about.

Why, is that important?

Standman

Obvious Desperate Breakfasts wrote: »

... Kinda like when the father of a victim of Larry Nassar lunged at him in court last year. It was a wrong action but a perfectly understandable one.

This came to mind for me as well.

It's understandable, yeah - but when I saw that, I wished he'd have a bit of understanding for his traumatised daughter who was standing next to him and had to go through even more anguish because he couldn't control himself.

Dravokivich

EdgeCase wrote: »

I'm willing to try and put myself into someone else's shoes, and I can understand that someone would be extremely angry if someone close to them were raped and I could understand someone having a flash of irrationality. However, he said he "went up and down areas with a cosh, hoping I'd be approached by somebody" and did so with the aim of possibly killing someone based purely on their race and this went on for a week?

Unfortunately, as I do think the guy is a talented actor, I just cannot get my head around that. It's beyond the beyonds for me and I can't really place it in cultural context of a bygone era, 30 years ago was 1988. The world wasn't THAT different on issues of race. You're not talking 1950s Alabama.

I'm glad his logical filter kicked in and he didn't do it and regrets it, but it's still something that just leaves me cold. I just cannot get my head around how anyone would do that or think like that. There's nothing snowflakey about my saying I'm genuinely shocked.

I mean, if you put that into the context of say an English person who'd had a friend who'd been say caught up in a Northern Irish terrorism incident in England, who then decided to plot a revenge attack against anyone with a Northern Irish accent, how would it seem to us?

21 years ago, that was normal.

Richard Hillman

The example of a media outrage, as opposed to a public outrage. The general public don't care but media are attempting to make it a big story.

The enemy of the people.

EdgeCase

Dravokivich wrote: »

21 years ago, that was normal.

I don't know where you were living 21 years ago, but it certainly wasn't normal.

seamus

EdgeCase wrote: »

I mean, if you put that into the context of say an English person who'd had a friend who'd been say caught up in a Northern Irish terrorism incident in England, who then decided to plot a revenge attack against anyone with a Northern Irish accent, how would it seem to us?

Isn't that exactly what was happening in Northern Ireland though? Protestant is murder by Catholics. Other Catholics are murdered by protestants in revenge. Other protestants are murdered by Catholics in revenge.

The rapist being black is a secondary matter here really. Tribalism is inbuilt; we identify ourselves as part of a tribe, and people outside that tribe as "others".

And as so frequently happens, other "tribes" are often held to account for the actions of an individual - whether that other "tribe" even exists.

If Neeson had admitted that he spent a week hoping for a Proddie to start on him so he could beat one to death after the murder of a catholic friend, then we'd be say, "Whoa, Neeson was an angry kid", but we'd understand it. We'd know the context.

The fact that the anger was directed towards black people rather than proddies, makes no difference to the context. He'd grown up in a heavily segregated and tribalised environment and sought to exact revenge against another tribe for a crime done against a member of his. Very normal feelings. His method of expressing them, extreme. But understandble - testosterone is a hell of a drug.

Have to give him kudos for laying it out honestly. He could have substituted the people in his story for proddies and catholics. But he didn't.

Of course, you have a pile of clueless idiots now talking about "white privilege" and normalising of anti-black violence, despite the fact that these concepts are irrelevant to the context.

EdgeCase

I wonder if it actually has something to do with his Northern Ireland troubles upbringing of categorising the world as "us" and "them". It is exactly the kind of thinking that drove the worst atrocities up there.

If it were a discussion about attacking catholics or protestants, I'd still take a very dim view of it.

MPFGLB

....if we are quoting the bible here is one

Let him without sin cast the first stone

I know many people have bad thoughts towards others sometimes in times of stress or hurt.Who hasn't wanted to 'kill' someone who hurt you or a loved one badly, for a short time until the pain passes, or even in this case transfer that hurt in your mind onto a stereotype of the perpetrator But almost everyone doesn't act on it and neither did Liam Neeson

That he admitted to his darkest feeling is very honest and should be part of the debate on how we stereotype people both consciously and unconsciously. I dont think he should back down from his comments because they are the truth and acknowledge who he was many years ago and how he mastered his feelings and moved on
But i am guessing the way so many people in todays society have such outrageous indignation and condemn everyone and everything that veers from their views on what is 'right' or even what is seen to be right ...without thought for how people can be young and foolish and when we know better we do better ..Liam Neeson has just ruined his career

As the man said..most people cant handle the truth