England is a racist country...
... but sensibilities make the institutions and the media sensitive about being so.
The PFA chairman, Clarke Carlisle (agent: John Colquhoun), oversaw the process that resulted in the hiring of Reginald D. Hunter for the annual awards ceremony for failure - the last three years has seen the PFA Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year go to London-based players whose teams have won nothing.
Football, like England, has a problem with racism so, initially, the choice of Hunter had to be perceived as a good idea - scheduling a strong intelligent anti-racist black comedian who confronts subjects such as class, Socialism, poverty, slavery etc was imaginative for a sport reeling from repeated episodes of crass racism - institutional, representative and interpersonal.
Just in the recent past we have seen Luis Suarez and Patrice Evra, Mark Clattenburg and every black player on the Chelsea team, John Terry and Anton Ferdinand, John Terry and Roy Hodgson, Roy Hodgson and apartheid South Africa, the racist chanting about burning the Ferdinand brothers at the Montenegro game and the FA's denial of it, Roy Hodgson and Rio Ferdinand...
... and Hunter is performing at a shindig that has witnessed only one black winner since Thierry Henry back in 2003/04 - no Didier Drogba, no Yaya Toure, no Patrice Evra, no Vincent Kompany!!
And, anyway, Ryan Giggs isn't really black is he?
Managers, assistant managers, coaches, physiotherapists, referees, assistant referees, commentators, journalists, agents, bookmakers, administrators, owners, shareholders, bosses, chairmen, chief executive officers, MPs, judges, freemasons, landowners, monarchy - all share one thing...
... not many blacks.
Apartheid South Africa Greensleeves Stylee...
But then hindsight racism occurred.
The man talked about racism.
Live.
On British telly.
So having Reginald D. Hunter doing postmodern humour about our sensitivities, including racism, was seen as too challenging?
Why shouldn't a black man/woman tell jokes about racism when they suffer it every hour of every day?
The word "nigger" stirs up too much stuff, does it?
He's gently mocking you but there's nothing worse than an uppity nigger in the eyes of the racist.
Henry Lloyd Moon: " RDH's humor is based on IRONY, something footballers - with their broad palette of experience, lack of emotional cosseting and off-the-scale IQs should obviously pick up on in a trice. Sadly, no. And what's this idea that anything you pay for and consume - and let's face it, most people have seen the guy on telly - should warrant a refund if the purchaser is unhappy? Surely the industry hardest hit by lawsuits would be football, where very few people can be seen to justify their pay packets to the satisfaction of all.
Where RDH went wrong was in not making jokes about gays. Then the footballers would have been all at sea, lurching between the bully-boy walk-the-plankers and the new-age promoters of political correctness. The fact that Carlisle even imagines that this behind-closed-doors event should be an issue of national outrage fit to make headlines just shows how skewed is his sense of self-importance."
It is outrageous that Hunter's contract prevented him from talking about racism at the event.
It is equally outrageous that there is talk of lawsuits.
Carlisle, as a black man, should feel ashamed and resign.
Oh!
And if you really want to challenge your racist sensibilities then I would suggest booking Dave Chappelle for the show next year...
... or just place an outsized choc-ice on stage.
That should do the trick.
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