Was David Starkey right ?

[The Last Word]

David Johnson wrote:

> David Starkey is an ignorant rent-a-gob who gets trundled out
> on programmes like Question Time and Newsnight when said
> programmes are looking fir someone with a trite, shallow,
> stupid theory to cause a bit of aggro in the discussion. It's
> Jeremy Kyle for the so-called intelligent.

Nods roughly in agreement. The Newsnight riot talks were becoming a joke.

Still, from viz/twitter:

NEWSNIGHT. Get informed expert comment on 21st century urban rioting by interviewing historians of the Tudor period

[Arginald Valleywater]

Enoch was right and was chastised by so called do gooders 'til he died. Working in social housing gives you face to face experience of the lower ends of society and while there is a hard core of honest working folk the chavs are on the rise, whole families on benefits who are borderline illiterate and are unemployable as their lifestyle couldn't cope with an 8 hour day never mind shifts in a factory. The offspring of these families do dress black and have heros like Wayne Looney, Snoop Dog and some MMA thugs who get hard ons out of beating the shite out of someone for "sport"...

[David Johnson]

"The two pc types were mired in the growing-up-in-the-ghetto idea and completely failed to accept that there ARE very negative aspects to black culture"

What is "black" culture? What is "white" culture? What is "brown" culture? What is "half white half black" culture? I can understand that some black people are into gangsta rap as white people are. I can understand that some black people are into gospel singing.

Could you explain because I don't understand how you can generalise about an entire race in terms of their culture?

I thought you had already dispensed with this idea when you stated
"The error he made was talking about 'black' culture when he should have blamed 'street culture' "

Cheers
D

[David Johnson]

"he wasn't really allowed to develop his theme and that stupid air head Stephanie Flanders could only sum up by saying white equals good and black equals bad"

First it was Emily Maitlis not Stephanie Flanders. Secondly her summary seemed to be an accurate one re. Starkey's argument. For example, Starkey argued that one of the main problems behind the riots was that "white kids" had become "black" i.e. bad, because they were following black culture (all this gangsta rap stuff according to David) i.e. very bad.

David Lammy on the other hand, the black Tottenham MP, according to David Starkey "close your eyes and listen to him speaking, he sounds white" i.e. cultured, well-spoken etc and therefore, good.

So a white is good, black is bad conclusion based on what Starkey was arguing strikes me as a sound appraisal of his line.

Cheers
D

[David Johnson]

"She actually summed up by actually saying white equals good and black equals bad."

I know. It is an accurate summary of what Starkey suggested.


"David Lammy does sound like a white man, it's a statement of fact" "An educated person is hardly going to use black street slang are they?"

What does a white man sound like? Don't answer, David Lammy please.

So a white Glaswegian, a white Geordie, a white Brummie, a white bloke in Cornwall all speak like David Lammy do they?

In short, black people subscribe to different cultures, black people talk differently. White people subscribe to different cultures, white people talk differently.

That is why Starkey and you appear to be floundering around.

PS Do black people only come from the Caribbean? I must redo my geography lessons. I thought some of them came from Africa, Brazil and Chelmsford.

Cheers
D

[David Johnson]

Over-generalisation and stereotyping is the problem.