Here we go again (ref-Adebayor chant)...

[Stavrogin]

Exactly. Why is the song even sung, if it isn't to mock Adebayor's African background? why would we even sign his dad washes elephants as a slur if it wasn't?

But that is not a racist slur. That's not what racism is. You could say it's xenophobic, but if you examine it it's not even that. It's just a strange/nasty thing to say.

 

[MattyP]

Who cares what the CPS says, they don't decide if something is racist or not. Its the person who its aimed at. The ONLY reason there is the elephants mention in the song is because he is African! How can that even be up or debate.

If I were ever accused/charged of racism should I choose to sing that chant, then of course I would care what the CPS thought.

Likewise if someone texted the grass a fellow fan service that Spurs set up and I got a warning/my season ticket withdrawn, I would care about the discussions that Spurs had with the CPS.

In both instances, I would quote the article concerned.

I don't particularly like the chant, but having said that I don't believe that just because someone chants about his dad washing elephants it automatically becomes racist because he is from Africa.

I don't know who came up with the chant and what their intentions were.

It's arguably more wrong because his dad is dead. And as far as I know his mum's not a whore.

 

[SpurSince57]

So, African's wash Indian elephants as well?

And zoo's advertise for elephant cleaners with the words "only African's need apply"?

Genuine questions.

Oh, come on, that's mere casuistry.

It's lazy, casual racism, something to fill in the line before the really important rhyme of 'Adebayor' and 'whore'.

 

[stevenurse]

Let's just save all the debate and sing the version other teams sing.

"if he was sat by the door, he wouldn't be here anymore"

Which is worse? I'll let you decide

 

[SpunkyBackpack]

Its puerile, childish and not even funny in the first place.




Anyone who picks that its 'technically' not racist and that its really more xenophobic is missing the point entirely. If i twat you round the head with the flat bit of a knife you're not going to get much joy out of me telling you that 'i technically didn't stab you so its fine', its still unpleasant and its mocking him in an unacceptable way, but hey he's paid lots of money so fuck him, he's not a real person anyway [/sarcasm]

 

[Zimmy]

The chant sucks.

 

[Misfit]

The fact that Adebayor finds it offensive is enough for me. It doesn't actually rile him it seems to me and no doubt he's heard more personally insulting chants/songs directed at him. He just finds it a little sad, and he's right.

Besides Adebayor rhymes with barn door - so come up with something involving that if you must. Not that it would have made sense on Tuesday. The lanky fuck.

 

[steventhfc]

Alright then.

Adebayor, Adebayor, he used to like coach trips, but not anymore.

Better?

 

[nldnboi]

There's no point in defending it, if any other club had been singing it then we would not be sitting here defending it, we would be slating the supporters of that club.

 

[Misfit]

Alright then.

Adebayor, Adebayor, he used to like coach trips, but not anymore.

Better?

No worse than the Africa elephant bollox at least.

 

[dooey123]

No different to saying the welsh shag sheep. A typical stereotype based on nationality. As the nationality in question (or pretty much any other in Africa as most Europeans can't differentiate between the constituent countries) contains a majority of black people it seems much wronger.

 

[Stavrogin]

There's no point in defending it, if any other club had been singing it then we would not be sitting here defending it, we would be slating the supporters of that club.

Well, I would never defend the song itself... kill it asap. But the question of whether it's genuinely racist or not is serious (because as you say lazy people would slate us all).

plus it's also socially interesting, as in how we're becoming increasingly intellectually lazy. People don't bother to approach anything logically, it runs through the media and politics.

Such as the Sol Campbell racism case. We all got smeared, it played it in the media with zero analysis, then when the real analysis and subsequent acquittals came through, no one cared. It's just not civilized.

 

[Bobbins]

Shit's going down!

Race War!

Race War's on everybody!

 

[Mullers]

If the CPS say it's not racist, then it must be true. :roll:

 

[Akqayid]

Have any of you actually been to a football game? Even played it?

Seriously lost faith here

 

[kevinfish]

Not sure where any technical issue is with a monkey chant as that's as bad as saying a number of terms, and we know what blantant ones they are. And there is no place for that.

But saying washing elephants is no different saying the wheels on your house go round and round...... To which 35000 people sang at Newcastle home and also we sang that away ALL 5500.

There is direct abuse. And this isn't.

quality...never heard that one before

made me laugh and get me out of my grumpy mood this morning :rofl:

 

[Yid-ol]

just about every football song to other teams/players could be seen as racist if you want too.

Saying that its a crap song and souldnt be sung as its embarrassing to sing such a crap song

 

[Matt C]

Of course it is a racial slur, you wouldn't get us singing "Andy Carroll, Andy Carroll, your father washes elephants and your mums a whore" it would sound absolutely ridiculous so it is stereotyping black African men as washing elephants and black African women as sex obsessed spreaders of AIDS.

 

[Hoddle_Ledge]

I think we've been through this is another thread and I'll say it again, there were reports that his dad used to partake in the washing of elephants when he was younger and the second part remains a pure fact, just ask Emmanuel Eboue.

 

[thfc1989]

I can' believe people could even suggest it's not racist, it clearly is