Ulster 2014/15

[paddyor]

Continuing the bad news theme of the new season for Ulster is Paddy Jackson & co.


Think this puts all 4 in the running for the silly season XV. Jackson(the guy with appears to be chains made from tinsel on his neck and hands or possibly a noose) gets a special recommendation for posting this pic taken 2 years ago on his twitter feed.

And yes Blackface is considered racist and offensive.
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[Donny B.]

Blackface is dodgy enough, but what's with the bloody rope around the neck?

[Hippo]

What a great bunch of guys.

[simonokeeffe]

That picture has been up at least since January/was then as the banner on Jackson's twitter
broadhseet.ie ran a story on it but it wasnt picked up anywhere else http://www.broadsheet.ie/2014/01/27/all-black/

he got a few tweets telling him to take it down but he was too busy hip hopping with Zebo to read his Twitter notifications

[Morf]

Purple Ulster away jersey?

Purple socks on lovell . . .

[rooster]

Fancy dress day with squad as different countries in Olympics, and a couple of the Ethiopians wear heavy gold chains even when they are competing, that photo has been floating around for 2 years and a few others from the day as well.
Yer man Brannigan has a full lorry load of chips on his shoulders and a slightly checkered past himself !
https://twitter.com/tim_brannigan

[UlsterMan]

Purple Ulster away jersey?

Purple socks on lovell . . .

It will be yes.

[rooster]

Purple Ulster away jersey?

Purple socks on lovell . . .

It will be yes.

Those are purple training socks

[JB1973]

ha bunch of daftys! I'm sure there was no malicious intent just a bunch of young guys not thinking what they were doing.

You live and Learn and no harm has been done

[LeRouxIsPHat]

Fancy dress day with squad as different countries in Olympics, and a couple of the Ethiopians wear heavy gold chains even when they are competing, that photo has been floating around for 2 years and a few others from the day as well.
Yer man Brannigan has a full lorry load of chips on his shoulders and a slightly checkered past himself !
https://twitter.com/tim_brannigan

Can you explain the Blackface too then?

[paddyor]

Fancy dress day with squad as different countries in Olympics, and a couple of the Ethiopians wear heavy gold chains even when they are competing, that photo has been floating around for 2 years and a few others from the day as well.
Yer man Brannigan has a full lorry load of chips on his shoulders and a slightly checkered past himself !
https://twitter.com/tim_brannigan

Why put it up after it's attracted bad publicitiy twice? It's really stupid

[simonokeeffe]

ha bunch of daftys! I'm sure there was no malicious intent just a bunch of young guys not thinking what they were doing.

You live and Learn and no harm has been done

maybe by Welsh international player standards

[rooster]

Fancy dress day with squad as different countries in Olympics, and a couple of the Ethiopians wear heavy gold chains even when they are competing, that photo has been floating around for 2 years and a few others from the day as well.
Yer man Brannigan has a full lorry load of chips on his shoulders and a slightly checkered past himself !
https://twitter.com/tim_brannigan

Why put it up after it's attracted bad publicitiy twice? It's really stupid

Totally crazy Jackson removes the single instance of the photo but the press all have published the copy that Brannigan has on his Twitter

[ceemec]

There's a big difference between black face and dressing up as a black person using make up. Black face was a derogatory interpretation of black Americans by those in the entertainment industry and was completely racist. Dressing up as someone is not.

It's just spectacularly dense as they should have known it would be pounced upon and criticised. PJ, in particular deserves a serious kick in the arse. His costume is simply racist.

[rooster]

There's a big difference between black face and dressing up as a black person using make up. Black face was a derogatory interpretation of black Americans by those in the entertainment industry and was completely racist. Dressing up as someone is not.

It's just spectacularly dense as they should have known it would be pounced upon and criticised. PJ, in particular deserves a serious kick in the arse. His costume is simply racist.

Took 2 years for anyone to notice but what is worrying to me is that is his official Twitter page and no one in either Ulster or IRFU noticed that there was potential for bad press

[LeRouxIsPHat]

There's a big difference between black face and dressing up as a black person using make up. Black face was a derogatory interpretation of black Americans by those in the entertainment industry and was completely racist. Dressing up as someone is not.

A lot of people seem to disagree with that last part and I've always found that very bizarre. In a way I think it's racist to say you shouldn't dress up as another race, not that it means you're saying there's something wrong with that race, but by marking it out as being different somehow.

Jackson was only 20 when he did this, not that that absolves him but you can see how he'd try and impress the others in the squad. I'm shocked that the other players involved wouldn't have stopped it though, particularly when they were out in public. I'd have been mortified, no way I'd walk around with someone dressed like that, joke or not.

[ceemec]

A lot of people seem to disagree with that last part and I've always found that very bizarre. In a way I think it's racist to say you shouldn't dress up as another race, not that it means you're saying there's something wrong with that race, but by marking it out as being different somehow.

Just the way we've been conditioned given the amount of exposure to American media. There's a significant history of racism against black people there to the extent that dressing up as a black person is too closely linked to "Black face" for it not to be interpreted as such. We've no such links in this country but, because we're inundated with American media and television, we've developed similar principles.

Even in America, it's only truly off limits to dress up as a black person due to the historical connotations. It's still seen as relatively fine to dress up as a native American, for example. Only in the last couple of years have the likes of the Washington Redskins taken flak for their name, for example and people in this part of the world would see nothing wrong whatsoever with a kid dressing up as a native American at Halloween. If Tonto was black, you can be sure as hell Jonny Depp wouldn't have been playing him.

I tend to agree that by someone saying you can't dress us as another race, they're actually being somewhat racist themselves. It's as if trying to look like a member of that race is automatically mocking them. Why should dressing up as someone be seen automatically as mocking? If someone dressed up as Barack Obama tomorrow would it immediately be seen as trying to attack him for his race? Of course not.

Overall though, quite naive and foolish by those involved. Jackson went way too far. I see little enough wrong with the others aside from the fact they should have known they'd be in for heavy criticism. They're public figures and it's a bit embarrassing they would set themselves up like this.

[offshorerules]

Isn't there a picture of a couple of Leinster players dressed up as Tennis' Williams sisters? They 'blacked up' too if I remember correctly.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

Good post ceemec, enjoyed reading that.

Any word on wether any punishments are being handed out for this? I don't think there should be anything major but at the same time I'm not sure that an apology from Ulster is enough.

[offshorerules]

https://twitter.com/BrianODriscoll/stat ... 9955324928

Here it is, pretty similar I think.