The Gary Neville Thing

For future context this is in response to Gary Neville blaming the "division in the country" on "white middle-aged men" who are putting up Union Jacks.

I've had a few digs at Gary Neville over on Twitter about his comments. However, I always try to think about how I would word things were I posting to my real life friends on Facebook. It's easy to throw around off-the-cuff remarks on Twitter, where everyone's a stranger, but on Facebook you're forced to be mindful of the people you work and live with. In the real world I have plenty of friends that are from minority backgrounds in one way or another - British-born Muslims, black and mixed-race people (some born here, some from overseas), Eastern Europeans. In fact, where I work the list of nationalities is endless: Poland, Romania, Eritrea, Nigeria, Latvia, Greece, the list goes on..

Anyway, when I think in this way it only heightens my feeling that Gary Neville is wrong. It doesn't bring me any closer to his "everything is rosy, and you're just a racist for complaining" worldview. I just think he's irresponsible, and is making things worse by throwing around the label racist.

Old Trafford

The capacity of Old Trafford - the football stadium where Gary Neville used to play - is 74,000. If they sell all 74,000 tickets for a game and someone tries to buy one more then the guy working at the ticket office has to say, "Sorry, we're sold out. No one else can enter the stadium."

The guy doesn't do this because he's racist towards the ticket buyer, or because he's filled with "HATE." He does it because he has a responsibility, and sometimes being responsible means making hard decisions. On the one hand he wants as many people to come to the game as possible. However, at the same time, he also has a duty to make sure the people inside the stadium are safe. So there's a balancing act, and trying to get that balance right means sometimes having to turn people away.

Ideally the whole world would be allowed into the stadium to watch the game, but in reality there are practical limits.

The Stadium Britannica

Of course, it's similar with countries. Ideally we'd just let everyone enter, but, in reality, there are restrictive factors ..lack of housing/infrastructure, fears over social cohesion, etc. We want a vibrant stadium, but we don't want a rowdy, violent one - where things are too overcrowded and the stewards can't control the numbers.

Again, it's a balancing act, and that means someone taking responsibility and at times saying, "Sorry, you can't enter."

Yes, it's mean. But it's also mean to turn a blind eye to homelessness, crime, ever-rising rents, and all the various other issues.

Back To Facebook

Anyway, back to posting on Facebook. Gary makes things worse, because:

a) He makes it difficult for governments to take responsibility - i.e. they can't ever say, "Sorry, you can't enter," for fear of being labelled racist. (Or, if the government is in fact too idealistic to take responsibility he provides cover for them.)

b) He's basically telling the numerous people that are from minority backgrounds, "Hey, this guy complaining about immigration rates, or putting up flags, he's racist and he hates you." Sowing more discord.

So, if I go and post on Facebook, my numerous minority friends will think, "Wow, I didn't realise he's actually a RACIST!, he must secretly hate me and not want me in the country." Not, "Oh, he wants someone responsible managing the ticket office." Which is the reality.

And this is the reality for the vast majority of the population. Yes, there are a teeny amount of genuinely racist people, but they're a tiny fraction. Most people just want policies that are practical not ideological.

It's perfectly natural that someone from another country, or from a minority background, will have a tendency to think, "They're talking about me," when they hear someone complaining about immigration. I'd think the same if I was in their shoes ..but most the time I'd be wrong. As, again, most people complaining see the issue as a practical/numbers issue, not a personal one.

People like Gary should be reassuring people that it isn't personal if they genuinely want to lessen social tensions. They should be explaining the practical limitations that all governments face and arguing for a balance. Not stirring up fears further by painting kumbaya rainbows on one side of aisle and white Nazi bogeymen on the other.

It's in the interests of everyone here to want a safer stadium. Ultimately, homelessness and cost of living doesn't discriminate by colour, religion or nationality.