I find the glorification of Raoul Moat as a sort of anti-hero to be frankly quite sick making. The victim blaming which also seems to be going on is also not pleasant. Yes his ex-girlfriend - if everything said so far is to be believed - didn't behave very sensibly in taunting him. But many of us may have done equally silly things in our time - I know I have. Maybe she thought she'd stop him doing anything stupid by saying she was with a member of the police - which perhaps shows she has more respect for the police than many of Moat's supporters apparently have. In any case the answer to someone 'winding you up' is not to kill all and sundry. What's with this expression 'you're winding me up'? I find it really irritating. The same with 'you're doing my head in'. You can chose how you react to things and ought to be able to control your own responses - if you can't then you walk away - and stay away from the person who is 'winding you up'.
That said I don't think David Cameron should have asked for the Facebook page to be taken down. I'm all for freedom of speech - even if I don't like what is said and I'm also of the opinion that the majority don't agree with most of what has been said in support of Moat. It's better to let stupid people expose themselves to ridicule really or as my grandfather always said; 'better to keep quiet and be thought a fool than open your mouth and remove all doubt'.
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About Me
- Jilly
- I'm 59 years old and have ambitions to be a writer. So far I have had several readers' letters published in a variety of magazines and one short story. During 2011 I hope to increase my writing output and achieve more publishing credits. I would love to be the author of the next blockbuster - either fiction or non-fiction.
2 comments:
Yep, I entirely agree. Moat was a villain and it seems mentally disturbed as well. He should receive some sympathy for the latter, especially as he appears to have requested help and didn't get it. The former should be no excuse for him to do anything following his punishment except behave, and it brings only disrepute on his so-called followers for them to revel in it. And yes, I agree the Facebook page should not have been taken down, nor should that have even been requested - as you say it's all about free speech and while I may dislike what anyone says I would defend to the death their right to say it.
Absolutely - I feel very sorry for his family, as well as the victims. He does seem to have had a poor relationship with his mother, but again, that's no excuse for what he ultimately did.
The glamorisation of him reminds me of the reaction to the criminals who carried out the Great Train Robbery - equally incomprehensible. In later years a sizeable chunk of the population seemed to think they were 'latter day Robin Hoods' - well, he was a thief, too, if you like to be logical about it, even if arguably anticipating the welfare state to some extent. But the train robbers not only robbed thousands of ordinary people, they kept the proceeds to themselves and arguably contributed to the death of the driver too.
Sympathising with villains does seem to be a tendency in the UK - see Dick Turpin - but then we're a sentimental nation. It's equally an over-reaction to take down the Facebook page, I'd say.
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