Re: Why are people so thick? : Fri Oct 18, 2013 8:14 am  

According to a report I read Hodgson didn't initially tell the full joke, just said "Its the old NASA joke, just feed the monkey". Then when realising that the players weren't aware of the NASA joke had to explain it.

If true, I can kind off understand that some players might have been shocked by the initial comment and might have interpreted it as racist. Might even have been too perplexed to analyse the full joke to realise that it isn't racist. The "feed the monkey" comment might have been all that registered.

The shame is that any players that were offended couldn't just say to Hodgson at the end of the game "What was that all about Roy?" and let him explain it rather than leaking it.

Re: Why are people so thick? : Fri Oct 18, 2013 9:32 am  

The fact is that you have to be careful what words you choose to convey your meaning, or the meaning can be misconstrued.
Hodgson ought to at least know that much.

Re: Why are people so thick? : Fri Oct 18, 2013 9:45 am  

Perhaps if RH told the joke about the Astronaut and Cercopithecoidea instead, we wouldn't have all this nonsense spouted now.
(The thickies refered to in the OP wouldn't have understood it anyway )

Re: Why are people so thick? : Fri Oct 18, 2013 10:03 am  

This thread is so thickist !
It should be locked immediately.

Re: Why are people so thick? : Fri Oct 18, 2013 10:37 am  

Why did he feel the need to apolgise to those 'offended', they must be that thick they wouldn't understand what it meant anyhow.

Re: Why are people so thick? : Fri Oct 18, 2013 10:44 am  

rover49 wrote:

Why did he feel the need to apolgise to those 'offended', they must be that thick they wouldn't understand what it meant anyhow.

Because there's an increasing culture of you must apologise for anything that somebody deems offensive.

And because, if you don't – and quickly – the situation can escalate.

Re: Why are people so thick? : Fri Oct 18, 2013 11:34 am  

Mintball wrote:

Because there's an increasing culture of you must apologise for anything that somebody deems offensive.

And because, if you don't – and quickly – the situation can escalate.

As I said, thick. How can anyone believe this was directed at a black player as an insult in a racist manner, other than the 'insulted industry' who would create a problem over anything (remember the BaBa Blacksheep bollox).

The other day on 5 Live the discussion was about doctors not referring to people as 'fat' as it was insulting, there was even some women on saying how she felt persecuted if her doctor commented on her weight or diet when she was visiting over something she deemed non-weight related (Invariably weight has a lot to do with other ailments). I am 19' 12" and it is NOT muscle, I know its because I eat too much and don't excersize enough, I also know it is all my own fault and if my doctor has a go at me I don't feel insulted or curl up in a all and cry because I am offended. I either change my lifestyle or suffer the consequences.

Re: Why are people so thick? : Fri Oct 18, 2013 12:08 pm  

rover49 wrote:

I am 19' 12" and it is NOT muscle

I'd imagine most of it would be leg bones but that is a hell of a size, could you come around and paint the gutters on my house for me, I hate going up ladders.

Re: Why are people so thick? : Fri Oct 18, 2013 12:46 pm  

He's absolutely brilliant at basketball.

Re: Why are people so thick? : Fri Oct 18, 2013 12:58 pm  

Context seems to be an insignificant factor these days, it really is a nonsense.

Had Townsend been white, the comment/joke would have been just as valid and Hodgson would probably have been just as likely to use it, but we'd have none of this. It's like the line about people asking to speak to the organ grinder rather than the monkey; do we now have to consider the ethnicity of the people in question first, or do we even have to go the whole hog and resign the phrase to the scrapheap entirely?