Actor Liam Neeson fights to recover after sharing racist episode

@deadbeatles,

Excellent point.

Its been evident for quite a while now that interviews with celebrities have become just another of their acts.

The days of an honest, interesting interview where their true thoughts are revealed are gone. And of course they all have a (pc approved, of course) cause that they trot out.

Liam spoke from the heart - very rare these days - and now hes paying the price.

The message from the pc brigade is : Just tell us what we want to hear.

With all fairness I read only a month or two ago he had lost a.member of his family now this maybe it's set up and the media is just trying to damage his image

He was waiting for an unprovoked attack from a black male.

He was actively looking to attack a black male. But I see what you did, there.

One of his first questions to his friend was what was her attacker's race.

And here is what he said in the interview:

“I went up and down areas with a cosh, hoping I’d be approached by somebody... hoping some black b------ would come out of a pub and have a go at me about something, you know? So that I could kill him.”

Facts - the right just don't understand what the word means.

*"*hoping I’d be approached by somebody... hoping some black b------ would come out of a pub and have a go at me about something"

I agree with you for the most part, but even in his own words that you quoted, he was looking for an unprovoked confrontation from a black man. Wanting to kill someone because of the color of their skin is racist, even if those feelings for him were only temporary, but he wasn't just looking to kill any old black guy that crossed his path.

None of that really matters though. Anyone with an ounce of sense would have realized that in the current political climate, telling a story like this would be incredibly stupid.

Cop yourself on, Liam Neeson. I don't blame him for his anger but rather his wanting to target someone because of the colour of their skin.

Absolute idiot. And I say that as a long term fan of Neeson. I saw Lamb when it came out. A real talent.

I love how liberals think they can decide who is a racist and who is not. We’re it a conservative actor, he has to be blacklisted, a liberal actor, yeah, it happened long ago, no big deal. Yes, Neesan did have a problem, now I see what he’s good at these revenge movies, he puts himself as the person seeking vendetta, reliving the events of what happened when he was in his late 20’s. I hope liberals will hold these liberal celebs to the same standards they created for conservatives.

The only person to kick his behind and kill him in movie was a person of color aka "Darth Maul", so I think Neesom still has these issues and dark feelings. It is just now he has more to lose whether it is his life or his livelihood.

I don’t understand why he is being so vilified! The man has the guts to tell the world how he felt bad for thinking the way he did many years ago. It’s not like he admitted saying it and left it at that (and I could understand the outrage) but he has expressed remorse.

Good on you Liam Neeson, you’re more of a man than some others are.

Strangerland,

agreed.

How do people think Neeson should be treated from now on?

He should be toxic to any employer and shunned?

People should boycott his films if he is employed?

He should be respected to a point for his honesty and we should just all move on?

For me, it's the last one. While his thoughts were vile, he didn't actually do anything. He didn't hurt anyone. And he has recognized that they were not good thoughts - hence the confession. Any punishment would literally be punishing him for his thoughts. And I cannot think of a more offensive, and clearly non-liberal, action.

Instead of getting so freaked out about it, we should use it as a chance to talk about this human instinct. Neesom is not the first one to react this way, and I believe it's actually the natural human instinctual way to react. Racism is a part of humanity for a reason; for nearly the entirety of humanity, if someone didn't look like you, there was a pretty good chance that they were there to kill you.

Racism is born of fear. The same fear I mention above. And many people unfortunately fall to fear, rather than taking the time to find out fact. When everyone around them is mostly the same color, and they hear about violent actions by someone of another color, the color of that person is an easy target for those who are afraid. Especially when the leader of your land is ranting and raving about those people of other colors, how dangerous they are, and how they are coming for you.

Neesom obviously has seen the error of his thoughts. We should look to him to learn how to get past that dark, basic instinct it's so easy to fall into as humans. We shouldn't be condemning him as beyond forgiveness, that intolerance does no good for anyone. It pushes the problem under the carpet and creates an environment where it can't even be talked about, which in the end results in a lot more evil actions being taken out of intolerance. And it also punishes a man for his thoughts.

He should be respected to a point for his honesty and we should just all move on?

Well, Jimizo. I'll happily respect him when he condones racism.

Thing is, he apparently hasn't said he thought or did a racist thing. He appears still to be in denial about the racist nature of what he did.

But most of us don't go out tooled up seeking to act on them in the way Neeson did, nor do we do publicity interviews referring to them and then deny the racism of what we've done.

It's the fact that he's still in denial and now claiming victimhood which I think is the most annoying aspect of the whole story, imho.

Until then, he's in a grey area. For me, at any rate.

How do people think Neeson should be treated from now on?

He should be toxic to any employer and shunned?

People should boycott his films if he is employed?

He should be respected to a point for his honesty and we should just all move on?

Any other options?

So I think both comments are correct

I admire your magnanimity, strangerland. The right will still vote you down, of course.

And again, thanks for your honesty in answering a question that the right cannot answer.

I think the right does not speak as loudly in these cases because they are worried about being bashed for the vile things they say, and therefore would prefer to defend those that get in trouble for saying things people don't like.

Agreed. Be it Virginia Democrats or Republicans, or Hollywood types - the "left" (at least on these pages) has condemned the wrongdoers equally for their bigotry.

I fear that Neeson is a flashpoint, a rally to arms for certain right leaning types to defend their own poor behaviour. Look at all the nonsensical, textbook SJW comments, for starters.

You said He was waiting for an unprovoked attack from a black male. I said he was actively looking to attack a black male.

I believe you are both mostly correct. Neesom was clear that he was waiting for someone to attack him, though whether or not his comments implied that it would be 'unprovoked' could go either way in my mind. And he was actively looking to attack a black male - one that attacked him. So I think both comments are correct

Many on the left like the idea of giving people a second chance - believing, for example, in the idea that convicted criminals should have voting rights restored. Many on the right tend to go more for the ‘lock them away and throw away the key’ or ‘string em up’.

This one seems to gain more vilification from the left than the right.

I think the right does not speak as loudly in these cases because they are worried about being bashed for the vile things they say, and therefore would prefer to defend those that get in trouble for saying things people don't like.

There is one culprit to his aggression, but he was out on the 'hunt' towards a whole race..

He was waiting for an unprovoked attack from a black male.

He was actively looking to attack a black male. But I see what you did, there.

One of his first questions to his friend was what was her attacker's race.

And here is what he said in the interview:

“I went up and down areas with a cosh, hoping I’d be approached by somebody... hoping some black b------ would come out of a pub and have a go at me about something, you know? So that I could kill him.”

Facts - the right just don't understand what the word means.

Toasted Heretic, thats simply not true. He was waiting for an unprovoked attack from a black male. The reason Neeson didnt engage in any violence was because he was not attacked. He was NOT targeting any random black person. And because he was not attacked he didnt carry out his plan. Facts - I know theyre an inconvenience for the left.

if he was targeting anyone it was a violent black criminal and probably he was hoping it was the same one who raped his friend.

Wow, the lengths the right will go to in order to legitimise not just violence, but racist violence.

He was targetting any black person. Any.

So he could justify a possible murder.

His actions weren't that of a real man. Not a man any decent person would aspire to being. They were the actions of a bigot. Luckily for his intended victim(s) nothing happened.

Something that has been left out in the analysis: he walked and waited for a black person “to have a go at me”. Meaning he was waiting to be attacked so he could then retaliate. He wasnt just targeting any black person.

if he was targeting anyone it was a violent black criminal and probably he was hoping it was the same one who raped his friend.

was he misguided in his anger? Yes. But credit to him for being a man. In the age of Gillette and endless barrages of leftist/‘feminist’ propaganda against “toxic masculinity” his type are being rapidly weeded away.

Who?

The victim in Neeson's case was his friend who was raped.

Sure. And I'd condemn you for it. As well I would applaud you for talking about it when you started thinking rationally again.

Fair play to ye, Stranger - that's you, though. But it seems Neeson is becoming a poster boy for some here, who refuse to acknowledge his racism. It's become yet another topic where some can nail their real colours (no pun intended) to the wall. Screaming mouths with their SJW spiel, which adds nothing, zero, zilch to the discussion.

I've stated that I'm a fan of him as an actor. Have been for years, probably before most of the commentators had ever even heard of him. That's one of the reasons why to hear his admission is so disappointing. I've been following his career for over 30 years. And again, in case someone didn't read me in the rush to downvote, I understand his anger. More than you'd think.

But I don't understand him wanting to target someone on the basis of their skin colour.

Still, it's nice to see folks here interested in an Irish person for a change, albeit under depressing circumstances. His Michael Collins is still a towering performance, even if the film isn't one of Neil Jordan's better efforts.

I listened to an interesting conversation on this topic which mentioned the idea of redemption and the idea of punishment and rehabilitation in criminal cases.

Many on the left like the idea of giving people a second chance - believing, for example, in the idea that convicted criminals should have voting rights restored. Many on the right tend to go more for the ‘lock them away and throw away the key’ or ‘string em up’.

This one seems to gain more vilification from the left than the right.

"Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who have sinned."

I am not a fan of his (in fact, I'm not a fan of the film industry at all), but he has in essence confessed a sin here.

If we can't forgive him for something that he admits was very wrong on his part, then we have no right to expect others to forgive us our wrongs.

@Donald Taylor

“This was 40 years ago. And people change. I applaud him for having the courage to tell about this episode in his life. All those self-righteous ignorant people who object to something someone thought 40 years ago need to get over themselves.”

“Need to get over themselves.”

Yes. The narcissism enabled by the Internet.

If politicians can be scrutinized over past racism, its fair to extend such scrutiny to actors, too.

Eh... no. Leaving aside the issue of whether a frank and regretful admission of past racist feelings deserves such heavy condemnation (it doesn't), politicians serve at the will of the people to make decisions regarding the welfare of the people. Actors are just actors - no reasonable person cares that much about their real thoughts. What difference does it make? He does his job, kills baddies by the dozens and makes the audience believe it. Cut and wrap.

I'll also add, that of course discriminating against someone based on their race is racism, but it's also not as clearly cut and dry as that. While he was targeting someone based on their race, I don't think it was a matter of hating them for being that race, rather they were an easy target for the bogeyman he had built up in his head.

Let's say that instead of a black man who had attacked Neeson's companion, but rather a cop. Then Neesom goes out and starts trying to find a cop to kill. Same reaction, based on an anger at a group who had hurt someone he cared about, and based on the same hatred. But in this case, it wouldn't be a race being targeted, but rather a profession. Both amount to targeting someone based on shared attributes with the perpetrator, it would just happen that the shared attribute in one case would be race, in the the other it would be a profession.

There was a victim, though.

Who?

That said, if I said I want to target a random Caucasian because of what happened to my ex, or more recently, a friend who was hospitalised because of her skin colour, that would be racist and irrational of me, right?

Sure. And I'd condemn you for it. As well I would applaud you for talking about it when you started thinking rationally again.

But in Neeson's case, there were no victims. So who would we 'confront'?

There was a victim, though. That said, if I said I want to target a random Caucasian because of what happened to my ex, or more recently, a friend who was hospitalised because of her skin colour, that would be racist and irrational of me, right?

If politicians can be scrutinized over past racism, its fair to extend such scrutiny to actors, too. No matter what their standing?

These days, it's impossible to open your mouth without weighing the pros and cons of what you are going to say, who may possibly take offence, etc.

It's been that way for years, but in this day and age you are more likely to get exposed for saying things that offend others than you were in previous days.

Just for once, I'd like to see apologists for racism confront victims of racism and see how they react.

But in Neeson's case, there were no victims. So who would we 'confront'?

This was 40 years ago. And people change. I applaud him for having the courage to tell about this episode in his life. All those self-righteous ignorant people who object to something someone thought 40 years ago need to get over themselves.

Just for once, I'd like to see apologists for racism confront victims of racism and see how they react.

Too busy in their gated communities and ivory towers, spewing nonsense about SJWs, though. Maybe a wee visit to Ballymena and experience loyalist sectarianism, instead? This is the irony of Neeson's background.

Yawn....this is the same person that "Hates Guns" but makes all his money by shooting people in movies.

Can you say: "Hypocrite"?

Once, just once, I would like to see one of the victims of this kind of thought crime tell their persecutors to go and f... themselves. These days, it's impossible to open your mouth without weighing the pros and cons of what you are going to say, who may possibly take offence, etc.

No need to grovel at the feet of the perpetually offended. The more you do, the more they want. The SJW types are never satisfied with a simple acknowledgement that you had a lapse in judgement several decades ago. No, they want their pound of flesh NOW.

Was it racist, somebody asks? Yes, it was, that's how lynchings happened. Black people routinely treated as dirt and the focus of hatred.

If I had wanted to kill any white American because of who raped my ex, that would have made me racist, too.

Far too easy to burble on about nebulous concepts like SJW than address the issue of racism, though.

If it weren’t for this atmosphere, I suspect that many, many people would be willing to admit (to themselves and intimates) moments of moral weakness and error

My life is essentially just jumping from one of these moments to another.

@Strangerland

”I again applaud him for telling this story which appears to be damaging to his reputation.”

It’s conceivable that this matter will hurt him financially, but those of us who appreciate his art will remain fans for whatever that is worth.

In the “Age of Outrage” only perfection and strict partisanship would seem to be admired. If it weren’t for this atmosphere, I suspect that many, many people would be willing to admit (to themselves and intimates) moments of moral weakness and error and seek to improve themselves.

What a state we have come to.

The dudes skitz or bipolar...

Over the weekend, the lead singer in some band was shot in a botched robbery attempt in Nashville. The victim was white. The assailants were black, and all teens or pre-teens. Like none of the victim's family members or friends don't have a shred of contempt when looking at young black people?

In today's modern world, EVERYONE is racist and stereotypes to some degree, whether you think or say something negative or positive about another race or culture.

Neeson was aware/intelligent enough to know that what he was feeling was going to lead to no good, and so good on him.

What he thought at the time was wrong. And his telling of the story seems to be in recognition of the fact that he knew his thinking was wrong.

You cannot actually condemn him for doing anything, as he didn't actually do anything wrong. At worst, we're penalizing him for his thoughts, being the thought police.

I again applaud him for telling this story which appears to be damaging to his reputation. Sometimes people have things happen to them, that cause their thoughts to go in a bad direction. In the Age of Outrage, you are not even allowed to talk about these things, without people freaking out. That does not benefit society. A mature society will debate uncomfortable issues, both to try to minimize their impact on society, but also to create an environment where people can get support for having bad feelings, instead of being condemned outright.

Was it dumb what Liam said: Yes

Was it racist: No

Was he angry in a rage of fury about his friend being raped: Yes

Do people tend to overreact and say stupid things when in a rage of fury: Yes

Did Liam actual commit a crime: No

This dude dug his own grave talking about it. Many people have skeletons in their closets that may be best to keep in there if they want to live out their lives successfully. That or go to confession at their local church. Many careers have been obliterated due to the slightest talk of another race.

Olman* better still. Let’s never get real with anyone , ever.

Here's a novel idea.

If you think you might have to explain a remark later, then engage your brain and do NOT say it.

Funny how that works.

Most people have similar thoughts, but it's 2019 and you're not allowed to feel this way/have had felt this way.

I've had stuff happen to me in JP and felt a certain way about Japanese people until I figured out that I shouldn't/couldn't generalize about millions of people from the action of a few knuckleheads.

People act like racism/bigotry hasn't ever existed. Just over 70 years ago, barely two generations, his thoughts would've been normal, and, in some places, someone would've asked him why he hadn't carried out the deed.

I don't blame Liam, I blame the society he came from/ and our society of today pretending like racism and bigotry is as ancient as the pyramids. Look at despicable Hollywood -- quick to wag the finger! They're one of the most racist/bigoted institutions/groups in the world...

Yep , there is no quenching the thirst of a rabid SJW that smells blood. They want your soul. That’ll teach you not to share an embarrassing moment of personal history with the world. Lesson learned. Move along.

They’ll move onto the next feed on masse when they find their next poor sod to vilify.

Just let it go bro ... The more he says sorry... the more people will talk about it....

Cop yourself on, Liam Neeson. I don't blame him for his anger but rather his wanting to target someone because of the colour of their skin.

Absolute idiot. And I say that as a long term fan of Neeson. I saw Lamb when it came out. A real talent.