Bonucci and the case of a mistaken meaning
Recently, a professional football (soccer) match occurred in Turin. The match was nearing its' end. Suddenly, a player named Moise Kean scores a goal. He's 19 and enjoying a lengthy spell in the team, doing very, very well. But as he celebrates by running to the opposition fans and cupping his ears, insulting chants appear. Monkey calls as well. By the way, Kean is black.
After the match, one of Kean's teammates, named Bonucci, commented on the racist behavior, claiming that the blame was "50-50" and that Kean should not have provoked the fans while the fans should not have been racist. These comments have provoked massive amounts of ire, with people claiming that this is racist behavior, that these comments are absolutely "appalling" and some even went as far as to say that Bonucci should be banned from playing the sport altogether. And I can't understand it at all.
Look, I understand that racism is never okay. It's not, no matter what. After all of its' dirty history, it's understandable that people react so harshly to anything not condoning racism. Yet, this is ridiculous. Bonucci's statement merely reflected his desire for Kean, a world-class talent but still inexperienced and naive, to learn how to mature by not provoking the fans. Bonucci was not addressing racism. He was addressing Kean's reaction after scoring the goal. Because he felt that Kean's provocation of the fans had led to that abuse. And that would make sense, right? If Person A feels insulted by Person B, wouldn't Person A be more likely to attack Person B? I have not been able to tell if the racist abuse against Kean was constant throughout the game, but it clearly only became newsworthy abuse after Kean provoked the fans. Therefore, Bonucci merely advised Kean to not give in to the temptation of provoking fans, that leads to a battle a player can never win. Why he talked about this during a press conference and privately with Kean is beyond me. Besides, could he have chosen his words more carefully? Sure. Saying the blame is "50-50" isn't quite right. But it doesn't alter the meaning of the message: A plea for a great player to keep his head on straight. And still, the internet erupted.
Look, I understand that racism is never okay. It's not, no matter what. After all of its' dirty history, it's understandable that people react so harshly to anything not condoning racism. Yet, this is ridiculous. Bonucci's statement merely reflected his desire for Kean, a world-class talent but still inexperienced and naive, to learn how to mature by not provoking the fans. Bonucci was not addressing racism. He was addressing Kean's reaction after scoring the goal. Because he felt that Kean's provocation of the fans had led to that abuse. And that would make sense, right? If Person A feels insulted by Person B, wouldn't Person A be more likely to attack Person B? I have not been able to tell if the racist abuse against Kean was constant throughout the game, but it clearly only became newsworthy abuse after Kean provoked the fans. Therefore, Bonucci merely advised Kean to not give in to the temptation of provoking fans, that leads to a battle a player can never win. Why he talked about this during a press conference and privately with Kean is beyond me. Besides, could he have chosen his words more carefully? Sure. Saying the blame is "50-50" isn't quite right. But it doesn't alter the meaning of the message: A plea for a great player to keep his head on straight. And still, the internet erupted.
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