Mario Balotelli [On the Road to Ballon d'or)

[Mattshark]

He wasn't being anywhere near offensive. I can see why it might not go down well with certain people, and that's fair enough. It was a gentle ribbing. Should that have stopped him? Certainly not, in my opinion.

It was less controversial than say Babel posting a picture of Howard Webb in a manc kit, for example, which he was punished.

It seems to me that you are defending the indefensible because these things are "bound" to happen.

So the only way for them not to happen, is for the victim to not go on Twitter? OK...

[danperkins]

He wasn't being anywhere near offensive. I can see why it might not go down well with certain people, and that's fair enough. It was a gentle ribbing. Should that have stopped him? Certainly not, in my opinion.

It was far less controversial than say Babel posting a picture of Howard Webb in a manc kit, for example, for which he was punished.

It seems to me that you are defending the indefensible because these things are "bound to" happen.

So the only way for them not to happen, is for the victim to not go on Twitter in the first place? OK...

I never said it was offensive nor am i defending it so don't be putting words into my mouth, i said taking the piss which he was. There's always going to be a minority than react the wrong way.

Probably best to read what i posted rather than adding 1 +1 and getting 8

[dom9]

I never said it was offensive nor am i defending it so don't be putting words into my mouth, i said taking the piss which he was. There's always going to be a minority than react the wrong way.

Probably best to read what i posted rather than adding 1 +1 and getting 8

You said he "was opening himself up for abuse" and "there is always bound to be a reaction", which looks to me like you are justifying it.

[danperkins]

You said he "was opening himself up for abuse" and "there is always bound to be a reaction", which looks to me like you are justifying it.

He was taking the piss on twitter of course he is opening himself up to abuse like anyone else. I never said he deserved racial abuse. And there is always going to be a reaction when a famous person tweets.. what that reaction is differs with different people.

I'm justifying it? **** off mate trying to start fires.

[Gibbo]

No matter what in this day and age you should be able to have a bit of friendly banter(because yes, that's all it was) without being ****ing racially abused. Mario may well have been baiting but some of the responses was completely out of order.

Why couldn't they have mentioned that he was poor? or something like that. Infuriates me.

[dom9]

He was taking the piss on twitter of course he is opening himself up to abuse like anyone else. I never said he deserved racial abuse. And there is always going to be a reaction when a famous person tweets.. what that reaction is differs with different people.

I'm justifying it? **** off mate trying to start fires.

I stand by what I said.

If you re-read my posts, I have not accused you justifying racial abuse.

[danperkins]

No matter what in this day and age you should be able to have a bit of friendly banter(because yes, that's all it was) without being ****ing racially abused. Mario may well have been baiting but some of the responses was completely out of order.

Why couldn't they have mentioned that he was poor? or something like that. Infuriates me.

Because there are vile people out there, small minds and small brains.

[danperkins]

I stand by what I said.

If you re-read my posts, I have not accused you justifying racial abuse.

My posts are there for any rational person to read. You even merely insinuating i'm justifying racial abuse is where our conversations end

[Kenneth]

I guess I have have left myself open to that one. I should have maybe kept my thoughts to myself?

There was a time not too many years ago, when if a woman was wolf whistled at, leered at, groped or worse, the excuse similar to "well if she's going to go round dressed like that, what does she expect?" was often heard. I even recall reading an article in my teens where a judge in a rape case said something similar.

Clearly it is unacceptable for anybody to use that kind of reasoning in 2014. So why should Balotelli only have himself to blame for getting (in this case racially) abused on the internet, just because he posted something on the internet?

You're blaming the wrong member of society if that's what you think.

I was clumsily mocking the statement that "to suggest anything is ", ignoring the context for my own amusement.

[dom9]

My posts are there for any rational person to read. You even merely insinuating i'm justifying racial abuse is where our conversations end

They are indeed. As are mine.

I bid you a good evening.

[Buzzo]

Well he's incited a debate about racism on Est...
Maybe Mario is going to be more like Suarez than any us realised.

[Red_Polo]

You even merely insinuating i'm justifying racial abuse is where our conversations end

This post is in response to one where he specifically states that's exactly not what he is or was doing.

Perhaps a little reading on your own part wouldn't go amiss?

I'm with EwarWoo on this. Mario would be best off not posting things like that out of a sense of professionalism, but I definitely wouldn't mitigate the reaction by suggesting he was 'opening himself up to' it. Which, frankly was a ****ing stupid suggestion.

[Rowan]

This post is in response to one where he specifically states that's exactly not what he is or was doing.

Perhaps a little reading on your own part wouldn't go amiss?

I'm with EwarWoo on this. Mario would be best off not posting things like that out of a sense of professionalism, but I definitely wouldn't mitigate the reaction by suggesting he was 'opening himself up to' it. Which, frankly was a ****ing stupid suggestion.

Totally agree. Suggesting he was opening himself up to that is totally idiotic. Possibly a bit of grief about the match he played himself the day before, maybe a bit of chat about failed back heels and maybe a few people telling him to **** off. Those are things he was opening himself up to. Being racially abused is something he very much didn't leave himself open to and whoever it was on here that suggested it was is obviously a bit lacking in what's commonly acceptable as a social reaction

[captainfog]

[kemm1]

Totally agree. Suggesting he was opening himself up to that is totally idiotic. Possibly a bit of grief about the match he played himself the day before, maybe a bit of chat about failed back heels and maybe a few people telling him to **** off. Those are things he was opening himself up to. Being racially abused is something he very much didn't leave himself open to and whoever it was on here that suggested it was is obviously a bit lacking in what's commonly acceptable as a social reaction