Rafiq: "I am ashamed".
Vaughan: "I categorically deny ever having said something which I bloody obviously said and three people confirm I said".
Twitter commentariat: "Well, that makes it even. Stand down Rafiq".
Spot the difference. It's how privilege works.
Vaughan: "I categorically deny ever having said something which I bloody obviously said and three people confirm I said".
Twitter commentariat: "Well, that makes it even. Stand down Rafiq".
Spot the difference. It's how privilege works.
https://twitter.com/LBC/status/1461374146164801545
There is, more broadly, an absolute obsession with finding stupid comments made by someone in the past and using it to cancel them.
My concern is with the endemic racism and bullying culture of Yorkshire CCC and English society more generally. That's the issue here.
My concern is with the endemic racism and bullying culture of Yorkshire CCC and English society more generally. That's the issue here.
Rafiq was subjected to a hostile, horribly bullying environment in his own sport and his own changing room.
The response of Yorkshire was to do nothing whatsoever.
And good lord, Vaughan has been weak on this. Dreadful.
The response of Yorkshire was to do nothing whatsoever.
And good lord, Vaughan has been weak on this. Dreadful.
Just hold your hands up man. You said something stupid, awful. Own it. Most people have done stupid things at some point in their lives.
To instead effectively accuse all those who confirm what you said of lying is exactly what privileged people do.
To instead effectively accuse all those who confirm what you said of lying is exactly what privileged people do.
I don't think Michael Vaughan is a racist - and yes, I've seen his other tweets on here. I think he's quite vacant if I'm honest.
But the culture in his cricket club and dressing room... yikes. Yet another toxic male culture which bullied under the guise of 'banter'.
But the culture in his cricket club and dressing room... yikes. Yet another toxic male culture which bullied under the guise of 'banter'.
What so impressed me in his testimony wasn't just Azeem Rafiq's courage. It was his compassion too. Especially towards Joe Root.
It's horribly telling how none of that is being extended towards him for a dumb comment made a decade ago. "Everyone, let's punch down".
It's horribly telling how none of that is being extended towards him for a dumb comment made a decade ago. "Everyone, let's punch down".
But then, we've already seen how someone who wanted to help people was demonised to kingdom come for having said a couple of stupid things over the years.
While those who carry out vile racist policies and lie each and every day were returned by a cheerleading media and public.
While those who carry out vile racist policies and lie each and every day were returned by a cheerleading media and public.
I don't care about microaggressions. I don't care about someone saying something idiotic once.
I do care, hugely, about the structural racism and privilege which continues to predominate at all areas of British society. Causes, not symptoms.
I do care, hugely, about the structural racism and privilege which continues to predominate at all areas of British society. Causes, not symptoms.
As for those who'll use this development to try and whitewash the entire thing and act like "they're as bad as each other" - they're the people who benefit, daily, from said structural racism and privilege.
Solidarity with Azeem Rafiq. A mosquito is not equivalent to an elephant
Solidarity with Azeem Rafiq. A mosquito is not equivalent to an elephant
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