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Home Page > Blogs > News blogs > Periscope > Olympic hero Daley Thompson’s anti-Irish slur a reminder of the bad times -- Black British superstar should really have known better given his race

Periscope by Niall O'Dowd

Olympic hero Daley Thompson’s anti-Irish slur a reminder of the bad times -- Black British superstar should really have known better given his race

Posted on Tuesday, July 24, 2012 at 08:14 AM

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Daley Thompson (Credit: PA)

Back in the 1970s and 1980s, anti Irish sentiment in Britain ran high, linked to the IRA campaign in Britain.

It was a very tough time to be Irish there. I worked for close to a year in London in the 1970s and anti-Irish jokes, a steady stream of comedians on TV indicting us as stupid and lazy and a constant sense of being under suspicion when an Irish accent was heard, was part of everyday life.

Those bad old days, post peace process, are gone – but there has been an unwelcome echo of the old days these past few days – and from a very surprising source.

Daley Thompson is roughly the British equivalent of Magic Johnson, a widely adored and respected former athlete who accomplished amazing feats and has had a successful post- sporting career.

He has been honored three times by the Queen and is an official ambassador for the London Olympics. It has long been rumored he will light the Olympic torch at the opening ceremony.

Thompson is also black and he won Olympic gold at two different Olympics. In a country starved of top class athletes, that made him a superstar. The fact that he won them at the decathlon event, one of the toughest events at the games, made his achievement all the greater.

So it is deeply surprising that Thompson jeopardized all that goodwill with the type of racial stereotype that he, a black person, above all, should have been wary of.

Daley, 53, made his screw up on live TV on BBC when he was shown a photograph of a torchbearer with the words ‘OYLMPIC torch bearer’ (sic) tattooed onto her arm.

Images of the miss-spelt tattoo have gone global on the Internet but Thompson took an anti-Irish stance when he commented on the photo and said: “The tattooist must have been Irish.”

Jenny McShannon, chief executive of the Federation of Irish Societies, stated the comment was "unnecessary and totally out of keeping with the spirit of the Olympics."

The BBC issued an official apology and stated, "Daley's comments about this were clearly meant as a joke but we apologize if any offence was caused, it certainly wasn't our intention."

It may cost Thompson the opportunity to light the Olympic torch according to some reports. While that may seem an over reaction to some, Thompson, son of a Nigerian father and Scottish mother, really needs to class up his act if he is chosen for such a role.

Compared to legends like Muhammad Ali, who has lit the flame in the past, he has a very long way to go indeed.

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Schon | Jul 25, 2012, 09:06 AM EDT

Yo seanomeil you hypocritical republican murderers apologists, nice to see you here. Wee story for you, and you other poor souls of slighted Irishness...A Kerryman meets another Kerryman carrying a sack. "What's in the sack?" asks the first Kerryman. "I'm not saying", says the second. "Ah go on, go on, go on", says first. "Oh, OK. It's ducks". "If I guess how many, will you give me one?" asks the first Kerryman. "OK", if you can guess how many, I'll give you both", says the second. "Four" says the first Kerryman. Get a life you bunch of losers. So it's alright for Irishmen to joke about the Kerrymen, but let an English man, hell a Black one at that, even try to be funny and you bunch of racists start crying. Boo hoo. Luv & kisses seanomelb. Miss ya!

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SAirish | Jul 25, 2012, 08:15 AM EDT

1MADCELT, if it wasn't for the British Empire you would be speaking Spanish - opps you already are speaking Spanish!

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IrelandNorth | Jul 25, 2012, 05:45 AM EDT

On returning from my first trip abroad from Ireland overland back through England and Wales from the mainland (pre- EU cohesion), HM Customs at Dover port offered entry through gates for British - Commonwealth and - Other. Being Irish, we went to Other, only to be insistently invited by immigration official through the speedily cleared British gate. On telling him we weren't British, he waved somewhat dismissively, seemingly thinking we were apologising for a political reality. This despite a long tail back of Asian and Africo-Carribbean Commonwealth citizens more entitled to priority entry to UK than us. Only distinction - skin colour! Senior Thatcherite Conservative Norman Tebbitt once told a Jamaican journalist living in Britain that he could be British but he never could be English. Hmmm! Wonder what he meant? Discriminated people usually attempt to project their shame transfer onto to exploited others. Alas, Irish themselves have done so in the past. What goes around comes around.

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GhostHunter | Jul 25, 2012, 04:58 AM EDT

What does being black have to do with anything anymore... Everyone always looks at blacks as a minority... This is bull.. in Africa alone there are 1,032,532,974 That is over a BILLION people!!!! Not to mention those in the U.S., Europe, Central and South America and the Caribbean. When are people going to wake up and see that there is nothing special about being blacks, white, asian, spanish... etc... These politically correct morons have people soooo blinded that you cannot even make a joke about anything anymore.. I live in Ireland and this idiot is a racist bastard and a piece of crap... But as someone from Ireland I am too.. it is part of my Irish Culture to be racist... Watch the movie "The Guard" Brendan Gleason says it all...

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irishpjk | Jul 25, 2012, 12:01 AM EDT

wft The very sad thing is this; most of the people who heard what he said knew it was a joke. But you always have the few who are looking for something that will give them a soap box to get up on and run their mouths. What’s so sad is they get the media caught up in their stupidity and start looking for an apology. God be with the good old days when we could make a joke and all laugh at our self’s.

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curtisjohnson | Jul 24, 2012, 09:36 PM EDT

@kaydog - correct, it's more of a subracial taxonomy. However, british animus makes it substantively the same. As noted by other posters, this has been cultivated over the years as an informal (and in former times formal) justification for british atrocities and oppression in Ireland. Regarding sensitivity, none are more so than the english who complain bitterly about any perceived slight. It is correct that the anglo oriented Irish establishment/mass media have carefully continued to promote a post-colonial self hatred in Ireland.

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Kinsale lad | Jul 24, 2012, 09:36 PM EDT

Its a little disappointing at first but then I realized that we have moved WAY beyond this during the past 20 years. We are successful, wealthy, educated, confident, cocky and no one will stand in our way in the future. I am so cocky at this stage in my life that I firmly believe that the Brits look up to us just as they look up to Americans and they now suffer from a lack of self confidence, thus the snide remark to make himself feel better. Don't worry Irish men and women - we are the future.

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maryosullivan | Jul 24, 2012, 08:59 PM EDT

Hey, Thompson, how did you feel when Thatcher's husband referred to blacks as "fuzzy- wuzzys" ,one of the milder slurs by the ruling class? or perhaps you don't know you are black

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Beedee | Jul 24, 2012, 08:52 PM EDT

Kaydog, can you explain your comment re Irish not being a Racial Category?

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oaklongan | Jul 24, 2012, 08:47 PM EDT

What Daley Thompson said sounded like jokes made about the Polish years ago in the U.S...unfortunately, also true are the same jokes and WORSE about the Irish and American Indians. Outstanding American, Olympic Champion Gold-Medalist Jim Thorpe demonstrated a Higher level of skill and versatility in many sports tban Daley Thompson. The late Jim Thorpe was(is) Native-American (a quarter each of Sauk & Fox, Potawatomie, Irish and French), Many moons ago had the bast biography of him by Robert Wheeler, who with his Wife, and Mother, as a Labor of Love, set up a Foundation for the Restoration of Jim Thorpe's Olympic Gold Medal Honors. Among numerous Advisors were Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill and Senator Morris K. Udall. At the U.S. Olympics in Los Angeles, CA in 1984, Jim Thore's (replica) Olympic Gold Medals were given to one of his sons and daughters...

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seanomelb | Jul 24, 2012, 06:57 PM EDT

Oi find tha tomsin is an Idoit moi tato is speled cirectly. Kaydog1 has lost her bone.

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Greendays | Jul 24, 2012, 05:22 PM EDT

Of course the real problem started on his mama's side of the family: so lighten up. When will it end you ask? I don't know; but It's not gonna start here. So break it up and move along.

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JimmieM | Jul 24, 2012, 04:08 PM EDT

people who have such a need slander another person or race only feel good about them selves this way....pitiful really.....they harm themselves more than anyone else.

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1MADCELT | Jul 24, 2012, 03:58 PM EDT

not this crap again, this has got to stop. if it weren't for us here in america and elsewhere all of ye would be speaking german right now. so the next time you start uttering nonsense remember Irish America is watching you...

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occassio | Jul 24, 2012, 03:49 PM EDT

I think Mr. Thompson is an unmitigated jerk and should not be allowed to light the torch. The Olympics is supposed to be the best of the best. He is not representative. He's too smug with his majestic status. Given that he's black, cultural slurs shouldn't even be a part of his lexicon. Particularly since I'm sure that he's had his share and didn't feel good about it. kaydog1. I imagine in this day and age, many of us have been ridiculed and insulted at some point in our lives. I know that I have. However, objecting to cultural insults is not being hypersensitive. Insults of any kind are objectionable. In a kind world, people should respect each other. It should be a goal if not a race along the way. And, yes, I know it’s wishful thinking! Let’s hope those of us who know better will spread the word.

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