The Witch Hunt Continues

[Canary42]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/57393217

Another cricketer who had teenage twitter problems.

The stupid thing is, this sort of historical (and hysterical) "crusade" will actually make the situation worse as racists stir up an inevitable backlash (as exampled on this forum).

Racism will be defeated by education, not ramming age-old transgressions down everyone's throat.

[emmie]

this is shades of 1984 a Orwellian nightmare. I can't understand this at all, surely one mistake doesn't mean the end of one's career, certainly seems as though they want to hang these young people out to dry.

[derekpara]

These trolls are bent on stirring up racial unrest and division in this country.

[Cloverjo]

Is the ECB going to look through every player’s social media posts going back to when they were children? Who brought this second guy’s tweet to their attention? What a weasly, sanctimonious a hole.

I don’t like Michael Vaughan’s ‘holier than thou’ tone.

[emmie]

exactly Jo, i mean who hasn't sent an off the cuff tweet, or whatsapp message in their time, i know i have in recent years.

[rowanwitch]

The things that we believe as children and young adults are so often changed as we grow older. Trouble is it's now on record if someone wants to look hard enough. The things we put on social media don't fade like memories and when reported in the now tend to be accepted as that is who the person is not was. Enough to me that the men in question apologise forest hurt and harm, speak of why their attitudes are different now. Be a positive example of change.

I am glad social media wasn't around when I was young.

[rowanwitch]

Forest!!! For past

[douglas9401]

It's just not cricket.

[davebro]

"will actually make the situation worse as racists stir up an inevitable backlash (as exampled on this forum)."

It's not just racists - any right-thinking person would realise that times change & people change. Unless it was a serious crime something you said or did x number of years ago shouldn't come back to perpetually haunt you & perhaps ruin you career & life.

[10ClarionSt]

People in this country have been conditioned not to express views that would defend this person. We've become frightened of any backlash, which means the concept of free speech is virtually non-existent.

[Mozz71]

This new "discovery" really does strike me as duplicitous. Firstly the tweets were uncovered by Wisden. You would've thought that they would have cricket's best interests at heart, and this doesn't seem in line with that to me. Secondly, these new messages (according to Sky Sports) were made when the player was under 16, which is why his identity hasn't been revealed. Does that mean we now have to worry about things that we said when still at school? That's absolutely ridiculous.

[emmie]

so it would seem Mozz, dangerous times.

[Peter Pedant]

Jozza Mozza - that is what I thought exact word
witch hunt

wisden (*) spokesperson (**) on R4 (***) was hesitant and unclear about this - and the function of anonymising a minor

linked in time ( but not by the woke marxist presenter) with other fans booing BLM

they will all die from Covid

(stars - lots of opportunity for one line gags " what dat den, who he den etc etc)

[Peter Pedant]

be fair to the wisden spokesperson
( R4 this am)
he didnt seem to relish his 5 mins fame

and jozza mozza - our braynes seemed to work in parallel this am - I wondered about Wisden's function as a blood hound. - trandem then, the R4 presenter mentioned it didnt he ( long time ago, under 16 why bovva etc)

[Peter Pedant]

some really complex ideas presented here

[tomus42]

Social media is now old enough that youthful transgressions are resurfacing to ruin peoples lives.

I'm lucky to be old enough that all the stupid carp I said and did as a youngster is lost in the mists of time rather than stored on an Internet server somewhere in perpetuity.

[lankeela]

What about those who had maybe underprivileged backgrounds, and took up sport to better themselves - should they be forever worrying that something in their past could come back and haunt them? Even past prosecutions are considered 'spent' after a period of time. Surely we need to encourage our good sportsmen especially if we expect them to do well for our country at national level.

[ichkeria]

He has been temporarily suspended while it’s looked into.
Hardly 1984.
The ECB had no choice but to do something about it but it will all blow over.
I have not seen the offending items do other than that hard to say

[emmie]

sorry but its all the hallmarks of a dystopian future, where your every word, action, deed is scrutinised. I don't like the way we are going at all.

[ichkeria]

Everyone was very quick (rightly) to condemn the doctor for his tweet about Arlene Foster.
It’s a sad fact that a lot of unacceptable things get said in a lot of places - ironically it’s the freedom to express oneself that leaves a lot of opportunity for scrutiny. Freedom that needs to be defended but not abused

[bednobs]

In all honesty, I think this sort of thing will continue. I constantly remind 9yo that anything she puts out there on the internet is there forever. When I was being vetted for my most recent job I had to give them my social media account names that I use (including this site). I think it'll become the norm as a recruitment tool