Bad time to be a bigot: Editorial

Yup - been away from the site for 48 hours and that’s all it takes for the hystericals to have their day. Did my piece on the Motherwell match on Sunday, didn’t mention anything about the Pope and left it at that.

On Monday night I was off to the flicks to see DOWNFALL, the first German film about Hitler (well, the first one that wasn’t directed by Leni Riefenstahl), and if you ever want a lesson in the crass stupidity and downright recklessness of putting ideologies and emotionalism above genuine compassion then this is it. Bruno Ganz is outstanding as the pathetic wee man with a touch of magnetism who fed upon the tunnel-vision and desperation of millions. It’s a long, grim watch but a brilliant watch - I would say take a sandwich but there’s probably a new record set for the number of on-screen suicides in any one movie. It’s gory but, even then, not as gory as it should be.

The sustenance of the Third Reich was hysteria. Hysteria about Jews led to The Holocaust - six million murdered. The hysteria about Communism and the Soviet Uinon led to Germany being invaded and raped by Communism and the Soviet Union. Hysteria, ladies and gents, will never do any good. If a few Rangers fans singing “No Pope of Rome” at the start of Sunday’s game at Fir park is the end of civilisation as we know it then, fair enough - it’s too late to do anything about it, I’ll sit here an wait for the world to implode. But if the reaction to this song, sung in the same Motorola stand behind which a few isolated moronic Celtic fans were heard to sing IRA songs during an otherwise impeccable minute’s silence for the victims of New York’s 9/11 attrocities, can be caught and contained then let’s prevent it reaching full-blown hysteria.

I wanted so badly to make a wee comment about Bob Malcolm and his infamous “FTP” statement during Sunday’s match report. But when the hystericals are desperately searching for anything which can be construed as an insult then you don’t want to give them the ammo. Even if the bullets of that ammo were actually blanks, were actually intended as a worldy acknowledgement of the differences which need to be healed.

See, when we were 3-0 up at Fir Park, to then not win the game would have been the ultimate humiliation and the final blow to our championship credentials. We’d never have recovered enough confidence to beat Celtic to the wire after chucking a 3-goal lead. But Bob gave away a penalty and Motherwell made it 3-1. Then Bob shouldered a shot past his keeper to make it 3-2. He then fell in the box and clutched at the ankle of a Well player who’d run past him - the opponent fell but the ref gave no penalty. If he had, if Bob had conceded another penalty and it led to us surrendering at least two of our three points then that’d be it for me: I’d be off to see my local priest the next day, begging him to sign me up to the Catholic way: Come on! If the guy who wrote “FTP” cost Rangers the league, ON THE VERY DAY THE POPE DIED, that’d be ALL the evidence even a dedicated atheist like myself would need: God would exist and he’d definitely be a Cath-o-lic!

Funny? Probably not. Self Deprecating? I think so. Insensitive? To some, yes - but in the context of a website which loves a football club cemented to bigotry, maybe it would have been a wee hands-extended gesture. It would say “we’re bad but we’re not all bad”. But I shat out and subsequent posts on the site here have realised my reasons for doing so.

There’s a THIRST, a DESPERATION for some sort of anti-Papal sentiment on the latest thread, under the Motherwell match report. And it ain’t a thirst coming from Rangers fans.

Two attacks are coming our way. (1) If we don’t actively condemn it then we, as Gers fans, support the singing of “No Pope of Rome” at Sunday’s game and this is a very very bad thing. (2) With particular respect to this website, a poster called “Loyal and True” has signed off with the sentiment “Fuck the papacy” - the Editor must therefore approve of this type of post.

I probably would have removed the “Loyal and True” post if I’d spotted it before certain folk jumped on and had their wee says.

I’d have removed it because, to be frank, it’s so stupidly stereotyped - like the reverse examples from “UpTHE RA”, “Peter Devlin”, “JPII” advocating various types of ethnic cleanisng - it was probably penned by a Rangers-hater who was so determined to have his “moment of outrage”, but could find nothing offensive in THE ARTICLES WHICH MAKE UP THE VAST BULK AND DICTATE THE TONE OF THE SITE, he needed to invent a reason.

In the same post, “Loyal and True” also seems to be taking my April Fool about Barry Ferguson going to Milan as a genuine attempt at News. Quite cretinous, don’t you think - almost a care-in-the-community case. And to take him seriously does not reflect too well on those who have used a microscope to find his two-liner. Funny how he’s never appeared on this site before.

Some green-minded folk now seem to think that one nutter post on a thread - among the many nutter posts I receive from Celtic fans and refuse to delete - will convince any passing reader that the entire site is bigoted.

Perhaps - if they only read what they want to read. Coz, at the last count, “Loyal and True” (why didn’t he just sign it “King Billy”?)is the only post on this site which says ANYTHING insulting about the Pope, Vatican, St Peter’s Sq, First Communion, Coatbridge, etc.

I frequently see posts which are quite plainly from Rangers fans impersonating Celtic fans and having a wee say about the IRA or some such unmentionable. Maybe I should delete these posts because I’m automatically thinking I must be fairer to the opposition punters than The Bluenoses if the site’s to have even a semblance of objectivity (about non-footballing matters, that is!!). Maybe I should also remove comments from certain Celtic fans who go off on one in a way which does disservice to no-one but themselves and, if allowed to remain on the site, would seem like me mocking the afflicted. Where does it stop, though? The “Loyal and True” post seems to me to be insulting to all decent Rangers fans - no? Or are there ANY decent Rangers fans - is this the real issue? Is this post not proving that Celtic fans are indeed required as the nations moral guardians? If it’s from a Rangers fan then it’s only Rangers fans who should be worried by it - in fact I should see it as a ready-made advert AGAINST bigotry (ie, “become a bigot and you’ll look as stupid as THIS guy!”). If it’s by a Rangers-hater then we’ll let them have their day - just to show how much we can take it.

Price of free speech indeed - and the need to maintain free speech also requires some double-takes. One regular has told me that Loyal and True’s post will mean “this website will look like a haven for bigots”. This isnt just a stupidly innacurate statement from an obviously intelligent guy but a little, albeit out of character, hyserical slice of emotional blackmail. Too much of the “fatwah” about it, mate.

If Loyal and True’s post goes then so does everyone else’s. Not having anyone starting that “deluge of moral outrage” pish on this site. This is NOT the Daily Record.

Can I just remind everyone that things theological, political, football are never clear cut. The Pope who recently passed was a great agitator in the fall of communism and undoubtedly a hell of a guy - most goalkeepers are. But The late John Paul was also a total homophobe, a preacher of homophobia - and not only against abortion but against the very idea of contraception. Maybe the new incumbent of this exclusive role will be a tad more broad-minded and there’s no doubt the Catholic church does as much good as wrong so “fuck the PAPACY” may be an uneducated insult which does not reflect well on the Rangers support - but defending the Polish chap who died at the weekend on the grounds of bigotry is a total non-starter. His bigotry was dressed in the robes of self-appointed moral superiority. “Loyal and True” we can all see coming. I’m not defending either but I know which one worries me more.

That’s me, PERSONALLY (sic), by the way! Just in case you’re wondering why this INDEPENDANT Rangers website is not exactly running to the defence of Il Papa. Mind you, I had no intention of running to the defence of The Queen Mother/Princess Margaret/whoever the over-priveleged old hag was who died before the Celtic-Livvy game a few years ago. Rather than being outraged when two or three hoops out of 60,000 broke the silence for that particular royal I was more embarrased by the fact my fellow Bluenoses and I stood in TOTAL silence with the Hearts fans for the same wallah, like a crowd of brain-washed morons. I mean, who in their right mind has any respect for someone who sees themselves as appointed by “God”??!!

The only posts I’ve ever removed from this site were anti-Rangers/Celtic insults using the topics of female rape - coming from a confused reaction to the infamous Leicester City trip to La Manga - and paedophelia. THOSE are the kind of universals which we should all be outraged about. A bit of perspective, please.

No-one on this site mentioned the Fir Park 9/11 silence at the time. No-one on this site mentioned the Aeroplane gestures aimed at Claudio Reyna on October 2001 - other than to say it was more than “balanced” out by the disgusting monkey noises coming from The Rangers support anytime Bobo Balde got the ball in the same game. Glass houses have never been more exposed to flying sticks and stones than when infantile Old Firm headcases go to such depths to express moral outrage: Celtic fans so busy grieving for their religious leader that they’re watching Setanta or checking up Rangers websites. Rangers fans declaring their love of humanism and the writings of Nietzsche by singing “fu** the Pop … oops! … erm, well - you get the idea.

All-in-all, though, I’d say less than fifty posts on the subject is good news - seems most Celtic fans are decent folk who don’t want to cheapen their private religious beliefs by ranting on a football website.

Rangers are top of the league but no-one here is saying we’ll win the league so don’t panic into changing the subject. Leave the pontiff talk to people who really care about the Pope - not arseholes who use him as an excuse to slag a football team.

Let’s give a little to get some back, eh folks? If the poodles will stop yapping the huns are more likely to hold back.

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Published:
04.07.05 / 12am
Category:
News