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"Scum of Catalonia" - a comment on offense and free speech. And Tito. (29th April, 2017)

Warning - this is not a Rayo post as per usual. Also, if it offends you you can either hide in your safe space or debate it.

I'm not going to beat around the bush. I'm confused.

I'm confused because whether in politics or sports or any other topic, there apparently has to be one right way and every other line of thought is labelled as wrong. I'm confused because the same people who talk about free speech and defending it are the same people who in the same breath will call people who express a differing opinion as racist or sexist or any of the thousands of words that have lost meaning because of overuse.

The right to express any opinions without censorship or restraint. That's free speech.

Social media has encouraged this culture of "offense". You don't like something said on Twitter? Click the report abuse button. Block 'em. Books with warnings - "this is likely to cause offense". Seriously?

Here's a musing - offense is subjective. Anyone can be offended by anything. People are entitled to their opinions. And others are entitled to criticize said opinions. But since when is it OK to report something you don't like? Take Tyson Fury, for example, after his opinions on women. It was an opinion. And many would say that it was a shit opinion, but it was just that - an opinion. Why was he being investigated for hate crimes? It is just an opinion.

Barcelona reporting Málaga president over the "scum of Catalonia" comment might be the worst thing. And it's no different - the club has confirmed it will report the case to the anti-violence committee of the national sports council. Yes, you read that right, the anti-violence committee.

Whether you're a Real Madrid or Barcelona supporter, or none of of those like me, you've got to admit how ridiculous this is.

And this applies to Míchel, the Málaga coach, as well. I seriously don't know what's wrong with saying that he is a Madridista. What's wrong with it? How is it wrong for someone to express who they support?

Marcelino Toral said that he was a Sporting fan while managing Villarreal, and he suggested wanting Sporting to survive on the final day last season. And when Villarreal did lose 2-0, our president Raúl Martín Presa was obviously livid - but he didn't press charges. Trust me, Rayo fans will tell you that it takes something special for someone to be so morally bankrupt that Presa starts to look good.

TLDR; Al-Thani's comments were debatable at best and lacked integrity at worst. But Barcelona reporting them for violence is an affront to the ideals of free speech.




Speaking of the infamous relegation last season...

I remember last year, when Rayo went down, I started scouring the Rayo YouTube channel - or rather the Rayo YouTube channel was flooding my inbox. Videos of interviews with players and fans cheering the team when their win against Levante meant nothing offered genuine closure.

I remember them interviewing Tito, a player who had played for the club since 2009, the club who had signed him from the wilderness of the Segunda B and had put him on the radar as a quality La Liga player.

The interview had to be stopped because he started crying. It genuinely shocked me, and I've been meaning to share it for a long time.




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