Liam Neeson Controversy

Author: Swagnarok

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Liam Neeson, the famous "tough guy" actor, recently admitted in a public interview that there was once an incident in his life where, after a friend of his was raped by a black man, he waited outside a bar for a week hoping that he'd get heckled by a black man (any would do) so that he'd have an excuse to murder that person.
For the record, this goes far, far beyond anything that President Trump, Roseanne Barr, heck, even Richard Spencer, Strom Thurmond, or George Wallace had ever said. If this guy gets a relative pass (that is, if he faces consequences that are comparatively light and his career survives), then that's it. Anybody on the Right will be deserving of a pass for virtually anything they say from that point on.

So, uh, we'll see how this plays out.
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@Swagnarok
What a low life................he thought about killing someone, lock him up with all the other conservatives.
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@Swagnarok
Statute of limitations bro.
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@disgusted
He also said how horrible he felt for that time period, looking back at it and how irrational it was. 

It was hie emotions that were getting the better of him and he realized the error of his ways.  This is the error of the left, letting emotions lead you in your thought process and ways to combat them, regardless of how irrational they are.  

This will probably hurt his career, and it should, but at least he had the balls to come out and say what he actually thought in that state of madness, disheartening, fear and anger.  No one is a stranger to this feeling if someone has hurt a loved one and there is really nothing you can do about it.  Lashing out seems to be the right response at the time, but it never really is.
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The point of the story was at that time in his life he let anger and hate take him over. Once he got ahold of the feelings he was very glad to not have done something to ruin his and someone else's life. If we can't discuss things like this and show how moving past hate and bigotry makes you a better person then racism will always exist. He really put himself out there by doing this and the hate he is getting for it shows people care more about snipits in the media than the content of what is being conveyed. 
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@witchy
Well said.
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@disgusted
Fuck you. 
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Why am I not surprised that our hypocritical, self-obsessed society takes an attempt to honestly address the ugliness of human nature, and one's own sins, as a chance to attack? I guarantee you that anyone attacking Liam Neeson over this is a much bigger piece of shit than he is; they are just cowards with the luxury of hiding their faults. None of them would ever be honest about their shortcomings in public.

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@ResurgetExFavilla
You're a highly opinionated man, it would appear.

So the difference between Liam Neeson and the people who the media burns for the racially charged things they say is the intent, with this being meant to confess wrongdoing rather than to express current attitude?
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I don't like the assumption of guilt or the inability to forgive, what happened to Kavanaugh should have taught us something.
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@TheDredPriateRoberts
It didn't teach anyone anything.  Now, since NY passed a law to kill babies after they are born and VA is trying to, some loony person on the right dug up some old material from Va Governor Northam's old yearbook that portrayed him being racist to get him out of office.  It almost worked, and may still work... Now, his predicessor to be, Fairfax has been accused of sexual assault back in 2004. 

The loony right and the loony left do their best to ruin people's lives.  People act like it happened yesterday.

No one is going after Sam Malone for dressing up as black face when he was dating Whoopi!  It was a joke people, and it was ok back then.  Get a grip. 

FYI, I don't agree with killing babies after they are born, or even in the third trimester unless the woman may not survive, or both.  Though a law like that should never be passed, stop trying to dig up old dirt on people that have probably changed (with the times) over the passed 40 years.
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@DBlaze
I agree with you.  The one ups-manship is the problem, trying to appear morally superior is also why so much of this happens now.  Remember some think it's better to be morally right than to be factually correct ect.  It's a whole new and warped mentality.  It's difficult to say when it really started but fmpov Clinton's impeachment was one instance that accelerated us on the course things are headed now.  There is no one side to blame totally and no one side can fix it and right the ship.  Be that as it may there's a lot of truth in these words

To better understand the why you have to look at the what.  What is the perceived or actual things someone like Northam has done or is doing?  You mentioned the abortion thing for one, he/they(democrats) have really been getting into people's lives.  Trying to dictate what they can and can't say and own.  I would LOVE to see Northam quit because of the things he stands for and his want of more government influence and control in my life.  Anyway it's all circling the toilet, it's just a matter of time.

the difference between Northam and Neeson is Neeson didn't actually do anything, he thought about it.  But the right set of circumstances he was looking for never materialized, even if they had no one knows if he would have actually done anything.  We all imagine these scenarios for revenge or to right wrongs and never act on them in anyway.  At age 25 a man who has much more education than many, probably top 20%, maybe 10%?  Doesn't or didn't know what he did was wrong at the time he did it?  really?  anyone who believes that, I have a bridge for sale.

look, bottom line is you only have 2 choices realistically, the left or right, I'm pro constitution and freedom, i want minimal government in my life, which side do I chose?  no choice really.

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For the record, this goes far, far beyond anything that President Trump, Roseanne Barr, heck, even Richard Spencer, Strom Thurmond, or George Wallace had ever said. If this guy gets a relative pass (that is, if he faces consequences that are comparatively light and his career survives), then that's it. Anybody on the Right will be deserving of a pass for virtually anything they say from that point on.
I would be willing to put Roseanne Barr and Liam Neeson in the same category- just actors talking.  They've committed no crimes nor have they said anything unforgivable.  I see no reason for them to suffer professional or financial consequence- a simple stfu would do.  I suspect that most people have made the mistake of transferring guilt for a specific crime to a general class at some point in their lives.   Hell, we invaded Iraq out of revenge for 9/11- at least Liam had the self-restraint not to act and I appreciate that he is thoughtful about the experience in retrospect.

Politicians who have acted to disenfranchise whole classes of people, by word or by deed,  for the sake of political gain have committed real harm to real people. Those people qualify for some circle of hell, at least.  Depending on the circumstances, impeachment, disbarment, etc. may be appropriate.

Unrelatedly, the McDonald's of my childhood was the one where Wallace was shot- I think I heard it is gone now.
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@TheDredPriateRoberts
Yes... Good video.  I still believe there is a far right though, which is just as crazy as the left.  I know that all of those people advocating for Northam to resign have thought something like Neeson did at some point or another in their lives.  

I can kind of see back in the 80's, doing a talent show, or dressing up during halloween, where people didn't take offense to really anything because it was Halloween. You just didn't dress up as a famous person who died too recently, you have to give it some time.   Now people are getting offended for other people instead of looking out for themselves.  There is something called a distasteful joke, but really, only to the wrong audience.  

Your are probably right about the Clinton impeachment to an extent, but I think it is mostly social media and technology.  It has made the world much smaller, and has brought attention to things that wouldn't have been known at earlier times... and would not have been news worthy.  Now people can argue with each other about the smallest tweets or videos of situations, call each other names, tell them they are going to find them and punch them in the face, as far as I know they never do (you wouldn't see these arguments in the street, only online).. Actors and entertainers that opinions are respected (I honestly don't know why people look up to them), chiming in like they know more than everyone else, without having any idea of what the situation really is. 

It's also the never ending want and need for a utopia....... Which is and always will be a wish, it does not exist.  As long as people exist, a utopia will not.  
 

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@Swagnarok
What are you not getting? 
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@DBlaze
I graduated high school in 1985 so I know a little about that time period, and no it was not a thing you joked about, everyone knew it was offensive.  Even growing up in an all white town, we knew that.  Tbh there is no acceptable excuse other than we went to an prestigious school and they all felt entitled.  Rich, spoiled, moral-less p.o.s.s doing whatever they want with no fear of consequences.  To claim ignorance is just b.s. given those facts and ones already stated.

Yes social media huge, huge problem, they way it's used and believed, great point, same with the idea of utopia.

I wonder what Neeson's motivation is for the confession.


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@TheDredPriateRoberts
I agree that being a member of the KKK is in bad taste, and racist.... But what Bill Maher said on his show was a joke, people took it as offensive, then he apologized, but he would say it again in a heartbeat to the right audience.  Ice Cube said that blacks own that word and white people have no business saying it...... but if it is in the context of a joke, like it was for him, I don't think he needed to apologize or wanted to, he just did it to save face...Then after that, all was forgotten because he is a left progressive.

I had a friend who is Filipino, he dressed up as Lil Jon, didn't have to paint his face black, he was already dark, but not quite dark enough.  He went around saying OOOKAAAY! all night long, it was hilarious. If he had actually painted his face darker to look more like him, would that have been racist?  In contrast, if he were white, would it be different as well?

I think Neeson was just conveying how good people can sometimes have impure thoughts  due to circumstances they have been in, and emotions can sometimes takeover leading to irrational behavior  (that is what happens to people with PTSD too, we don't call them racist).  Maybe a bit of a confession as well hoping that the majority of people will think he is overall a good person (I guess because he is an actor?) 

But this is a problem that minorities do face.  Back then, blacks were about 11% of the population of the US.  So, when the majority of people that you see, day after day are white, and nothing like this ever happened before (I'm not sure exactly where he was at the time, I'm assuming US),  the one time that this does happens to a loved one, and the person happens to be black(11% of the pop, and maybe even less depending on where he actually was).... it is going to negatively affect your thoughts of people in that culture, whether you know it/like it or not.  At least that would be a normal reaction to a horrible personal experience.   It doesn't make it right, it is just human nature.  People don't seem to have any empathy for that.
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@DBlaze
you make some excellent points, we can't really control the thoughts that enter our minds, but we can control our actions, or should attempt to anyway.  The riots and violent "protests" show a worrisome lack of this control.  Perhaps this is how he could put his story to beneficial use.  It's difficult to tell if the intolerance of differing opinions is getting better, worse or staying the same.
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@TheDredPriateRoberts
I graduated high school in 1984 and I have to disagree that everybody knew not to joke about blackface. Ronald Reagan’s inaugural ball featured a nationally televised blackface performance. Saturday morning kiddy television- The 3 Stooges and Merry Melodies did lots and lots of blackface bits coming as they did out of vaudeville. Trading Places and Soul Man and many big movies of the mid ‘80s did blackface.  TV did lots and of blackface. If you went to a big enough Halloween party, you were almost guaranteed to see blackface. Certainly, there were also plenty of folks objecting to these performances but the tolerance level for offensive speech was far higher- at least, saying or doing something racist was not generally cause for dismissal and blackface was a fairly minor offense. By the mid-80s, perhaps everybody knew blackface was offensive but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t ordinary, the way gay jokes or rape jokes were both offensive and commonplace

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@oromagi
yeah you are right, forgot about those movies.  People weren't as easily offended back then, context mattered too.  While I hope Northam quits, if I were to be honest it shouldn't be about what he may have done back then, though it seems he's trying to cover it up with lies.  If I were to ever be punished for the things I did at a much younger age, things I would never ever do now, I'd be doomed.
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"The point of the story was at that time in his life he let anger and hate take him over. Once he got ahold of the feelings he was very glad to not have done something to ruin his and someone else's life. If we can't discuss things like this and show how moving past hate and bigotry makes you a better person then racism will always exist. He really put himself out there by doing this and the hate he is getting for it shows people care more about snipits in the media than the content of what is being conveyed." [LINK]

Well stated.
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@TheDredPriateRoberts
i agree- it’s the coverup that kills
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@TheDredPriateRoberts
The intolerance is getting worse..... but.

I think it is getting better for everyday citizens that concentrate on localized elections, that don't pay the national news much mind. I think it is getting better on a person to person (face to face) interaction... though twitter, FB, and camera feed posts make it seem worse... I would venture to say the problems are less frequent than it used to be a year ago, unfortunately it looks more pronounced because of those social media outlets, the politicians and news outlets misrepresenting news stories out of non newsworthy events, portraying them as something they are not in order to cause an uproar and get more of an audience.

Politics used to be, and still is something that you just avoid talking about, but no one cares if you don't know the person, so the FB war ensues.

Have you seen the movie "The Oath"?

I'm not sure the message they are trying to convey with it, or if there is even supposed to be a message (it's basically a comedy), or a moral to it, but it is pretty crazy, and it does show how people can get out of control, with even loved ones if they don't agree on views.... and some that just go with the flow, and some who stick up for their beliefs no matter what, and call others out for not caring as much.


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@oromagi
I graduated high school in 1984 and I have to disagree that everybody knew not to joke about blackface. Ronald Reagan’s inaugural ball featured a nationally televised blackface performance. Saturday morning kiddy television- The 3 Stooges and Merry Melodies did lots and lots of blackface bits coming as they did out of vaudeville. Trading Places and Soul Man and many big movies of the mid ‘80s did blackface.  TV did lots and of blackface. If you went to a big enough Halloween party, you were almost guaranteed to see blackface. Certainly, there were also plenty of folks objecting to these performances but the tolerance level for offensive speech was far higher- at least, saying or doing something racist was not generally cause for dismissal and blackface was a fairly minor offense. By the mid-80s, perhaps everybody knew blackface was offensive but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t ordinary, the way gay jokes or rape jokes were both offensive and commonplace

Ronald Reagan’s inaugural ball -


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@DBlaze
Yes... Good video.  I still believe there is a far right though, which is just as crazy as the left. 
The first half seems reasonable enough, but the second half is loaded with straw-men intended as a rush to disqualify opponents and capped off with a false dilemma. [LINK]

I know that all of those people advocating for Northam to resign have thought something like Neeson did at some point or another in their lives.  
Overstatement.

I can kind of see back in the 80's, doing a talent show, or dressing up during halloween, where people didn't take offense to really anything because it was Halloween. You just didn't dress up as a famous person who died too recently, you have to give it some time.   Now people are getting offended for other people instead of looking out for themselves.  There is something called a distasteful joke, but really, only to the wrong audience.  
You need to draw a principled line in the sand.  If you're offended when people say white men massacred the Native Americans and Native South Americans, then you need to put yourself in the shoes of people who are offended by blackface and imagine that they are just as offended as you are when you are (justifiably) offended.

Your are probably right about the Clinton impeachment to an extent, but I think it is mostly social media and technology.  It has made the world much smaller, and has brought attention to things that wouldn't have been known at earlier times... and would not have been news worthy.  Now people can argue with each other about the smallest tweets or videos of situations, call each other names, tell them they are going to find them and punch them in the face, as far as I know they never do (you wouldn't see these arguments in the street, only online).. Actors and entertainers that opinions are respected (I honestly don't know why people look up to them), chiming in like they know more than everyone else, without having any idea of what the situation really is. 
Opinions are, by definition, unqualified.  And plenty of people were openly and physically hostile for thousands of years before computers were ever invented.

It's also the never ending want and need for a utopia....... Which is and always will be a wish, it does not exist.  As long as people exist, a utopia will not.  
Everyone has opinions about how they can make society "better".  The stronger the disagreement in opinion, the more heated and potentially violent the manifestation will become. [LINK]
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@3RU7AL
thx-  I wasn’t aware that Vereen also critiqued blackface in the same performance but that makes sense to me.   I think he sang “Waiting on Robert E Lee” which....what would Lincoln say. I far prefer Vereen’s approach and Arceneaux’s many years later: kill the stereotype by adding nuance rather than banning the act or banishing the actor. 
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@DBlaze
Have you seen the movie "The Oath"? [LINK]

I'm not sure the message they are trying to convey with it, or if there is even supposed to be a message (it's basically a comedy), or a moral to it, but it is pretty crazy, and it does show how people can get out of control, with even loved ones if they don't agree on views.... and some that just go with the flow, and some who stick up for their beliefs no matter what, and call others out for not caring as much.
This movie is a direct reference to Japanese-American and Italian-American citizens in internment camps who were asked to sign a personal unconditional declaration of loyalty to the United States government. 

Many of them refused to sign because it seemed deeply unfair that their loyalty was even being questioned.

They were considered guilty until proven innocent. 

In early 1943, War Relocation Authority officials, working with the War Department and the Office of Naval Intelligence,[137] circulated a questionnaire in an attempt to determine the loyalty of incarcerated Nisei men they hoped to recruit into military service. The "Statement of United States Citizen of Japanese Ancestry" was initially given only to Nisei who were eligible for service (or would have been, but for the 4-C classification imposed on them at the start of the war). Authorities soon revised the questionnaire and required all adults in camp to complete the form. Most of the 28 questions were designed to assess the "Americanness" of the respondent — had they been educated in Japan or the U.S.? were they Buddhist or Christian? did they practice judo or play on a baseball team?[137] The final two questions on the form, which soon came to be known as the "loyalty questionnaire", were more direct:

Question 27: Are you willing to serve in the armed forces of the United States on combat duty, wherever ordered?
Question 28: Will you swear unqualified allegiances to the United States of America and faithfully defend the United States from any and all attack by foreign or domestic forces, and forswear any form of allegiance or obedience to the Japanese emperor, or other foreign government, power or organization?

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@Swagnarok
No, that misses the point. The point is that we live in a horrible country which ruins entire nations so that the spoiled, indolent American masses can revel in the latest wave of distracting junk. Every single person in this country who doesn't live in a self-sufficient cabin in the woods is culpable for murder, rape, theft on a colossal scale. Furthermore, we are culpable of supporting a brutal domestic political machine which oppresses and divides its citizenry in order to enrich a tiny, stratospherically wealthy caste of disloyal and amoral 'global citizens'. But instead of doing anything about it, we just look for the tiniest admissions of moral fault to pounce on, maintaining our own veneer of 'respectability' while refusing to criticize a brutal system. It's cowardly and distasteful. As Christ put it:

'Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you tithe mint, and anise, and cummin, and have left the weightier things of the law; judgment, and mercy, and faith. These things you ought to have done, and not to leave those undone. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you make clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but within you are full of rapine and uncleanness. Thou blind Pharisee, first make clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, that the outside may become clean. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you are like to whited sepulchres, which outwardly appear to men beautiful, but within are full of dead men's bones, and of all filthiness. So you also outwardly indeed appear to men just; but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.'
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@ResurgetExFavilla
No, that misses the point. The point is that we live in a horrible country which ruins entire nations so that the spoiled, indolent American masses can revel in the latest wave of distracting junk. Every single person in this country who doesn't live in a self-sufficient cabin in the woods is culpable for murder, rape, theft on a colossal scale. Furthermore, we are culpable of supporting a brutal domestic political machine which oppresses and divides its citizenry in order to enrich a tiny, stratospherically wealthy caste of disloyal and amoral 'global citizens'. But instead of doing anything about it, we just look for the tiniest admissions of moral fault to pounce on, maintaining our own veneer of 'respectability' while refusing to criticize a brutal system. It's cowardly and distasteful. As Christ put it:

'Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you tithe mint, and anise, and cummin, and have left the weightier things of the law; judgment, and mercy, and faith. These things you ought to have done, and not to leave those undone. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you make clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but within you are full of rapine and uncleanness. Thou blind Pharisee, first make clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, that the outside may become clean. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you are like to whited sepulchres, which outwardly appear to men beautiful, but within are full of dead men's bones, and of all filthiness. So you also outwardly indeed appear to men just; but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.' 
Well stated.
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@3RU7AL
 Every single person in this country who doesn't live in a self-sufficient cabin in the woods is culpable for murder, rape, theft on a colossal scale. 

Well stated.
seriously?  you believe that? 
they he says something about not doing something about it.....Trump was elected, he said he'd get us out of other countries and stop the wars etc, unfortunately the sheeple and lemmings want free stuff, which is never free, and government handouts, they want to government to take care of them.  That's not every single person, that's not me.

"divides its citizenry in order to enrich a tiny, stratospherically wealthy caste of disloyal and amoral 'global citizens'.
this is true.