Allports

[D'Artagnan 13,319]

Anyone care to argue that we have reached another stage in Spain - the brutal treatment of Bears - Physical Attack stage completed.

WEATHERGIRLS…..ALLPORT & RANGERS

It was with some interest I read the thread about Kirsty McCabe referring to Ibrox Park as “Castle Greyskullâ€. Initially a stream of posts from outraged Bears was peppered by other posts which suggested such outrage was over the top.

Well was it ?

And this is where Mr Allport fits in. Who the hell is Allport you may ask ? Well among other things…Allport was the psychologist who analysed the process which allowed 6 million Jews to be exterminated in the Nazi genocide. Allport identified that there were 5 ways (Antilocution, Avoidance, Discrimination, Physical Attack, Extermination) now known as Allports Scale, which allowed prejudice to manifest itself. Each level included a wide range of behaviour which could include name calling, jokes, stereotyping, through to discrimination, refusal of service…denial of opportunity…..physical assaults eventually reaching the far end of the scale…that of extermination.

But lets just pause here for the briefest of moments….lets not agree with what is written just because I’m a fellow Bear…..lets put Allports Scale to the test and see if there really is something going on which justifies becoming outraged at a weathergirls jibe.

Name calling/stereo typing/jokes….well lets start with the term “hun†. Numerous complaints have been made to a wide area of the media regarding the use of this term….but it is still used. I don’t need to go into the various examples…we are all well aware….or how about “Dirty Orange Bastards†(also known as “DOB’sâ€)…step forward Mr Lennon or Mr Leckie…..without fear of prosecution I may add.

Of course any objection to this mocking is met with stout resistance. After all we are seeking to demonise a group of people…to portray them as something less than worthless…so perish the thought they have a voice or object to being victimised. Perhaps then you begin to understand the venom of Graham Spiers attacks and his regular and frequent attempts to portray Rangers supporters who stand up for themselves as “paranoid besrekersâ€. Remember what Allport said… “denial of opportunityâ€.

To understand how far up the scale we are with regard to the demonising of Rangers Supporters by use of jokes I give you further proof. Ron McKays comments in the Sunday a Herald a few years ago where he mocked the Ibrox Disaster must surely be a benchmark as to how far we have come. Ask yourselves …when did you ever hear of the Heysel Stadium/Bradford Fire/Hillsborough ever being the subject of a journo’s jokes ?

And then of course there is the ridiculing of the good. The card display at the Milan game was outstanding…..yet how is it described….? It is likened to a Nuremberg Rally. And yet only a few weeks later the “Prime Minister in waiting†urges us all to show more pride in the Union Flag. Guess what Gordon….apparently you are a Nazi for that comment.

But guess what it gets worse. Aberdeen fans mocking the Ibrox Disaster are reported as singing “Nice One Jimmyâ€â€¦.by the same journalist who describes Ranger fans as being responsible for a “stream of sectarian bileâ€. If you can’t ridicule…then just make up lies. Or have we moved onto Discrimination ?

Lets take 2 videos. Donald Findlay …and of course Hartson & Pearson. Ask yourselves…was the reporting of these 2 videos balanced…impartial…fair ?

The BBC didn’t think the Hartson/Pearson video even warranted a report. Yet when a young Blue Peter presenter mentioned the flag of her country she was forced by the BBC to issue an apology and reprimanded. Anyone think if she had been from anywhere other than Northern Ireland this would never have happened ? Me neither.

And those who think that this discrimination is all in the head….go and get a second opinion. Ask some of the bears arrested on their last visit to Parkhead whether they thought they were discriminated against…. as they were led away for committing sectarian offences whilst the sounds of “sad Orange bastard†rang in their ears from 50,000 people apparently above the law that day.

And how is it that the sectarian charity Nil By Mouth…seem to ignore the sectarian murder of Rangers supporters ? Why do they remain silent on this issue when they condemn the sectarian murder of Celtic supporters. ? Is this just discrimination or have we reached the final stage of Allports scale….extermination ?

Where the murder of a Rangers supporter is treated differently to the murder of a Celtic supporter and is not even mentioned.

So we have reached the far end of the scale….I would like to think that what is written is my paranoia…my bias….my blue tinted specs. But where the arguments are supported by facts it becomes alarming.

Judge for yourselves….you are all free thinking.

[finzster 0]

I'm not paranoid................but I know you all think I am!

[THEFISH 0]

I'm not paranoid................but I know you all think I am!

We just know yer ill thats all (beer)

[montyplums 0]

In the media circles it is now trendy to hate all things Rangers!

Something has to be done - it is constant attack attack attack... yet do we hear our chairman or chief exec stand up against these so called journos?

As usual it's the dignified silence.

Also NBM your right it is always one way with them - run by tims for tims!

[*Manticore* 1,893]

Nail on the head as always D'Artagnan.

Clearly to the Scottish Media there is no greater sin than singing a song that offends somebody.

Not even cracking open an innocent bystanders head with a truncheon.

I must admit, having visited the Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum, in Jerusalem that Allports stuff is chilling.

[johnnymack 0]

Excellent post!

Wouldn't it be great if an impartial journalist (from outside Scotland obviously!) were to examine the facts here and report the truth!

Or even more unlikely, the Club took note of these facts and took it up with the Mhedia and the politicians and put pressure on thos responsible until they changed their ways!

We can only dream!

[D'Artagnan 13,319]

I think the most telling thing is the silence of "the usual suspects". Has the penny at long last dropped ?