For All Things Good.

Liam Stacey tweeted “LOL he’s dead” and worse after Fabrice Muamba’s near fatal heart stop during a football match and will shortly begin 56 days in prison for inciting racial hatred. Now I didn’t get that tweet and I’d guess you didn’t either, in fact it was probably only read by a few of his mates who probably responded with, “Stacey’s pissed again.” I’m guessing from all the general outrage that few, if any replied, “Good point Liam you’ve made me realise all black people must die in unfortunate circumstances.” Definitely not because if they had they’d be occupying the next cell to Liam. So his tweet, one amongst millions, was somehow found, logged and traced to its owner, his address found and a summons sent. And now millions have read his drunken stupidity via newspapers and TV. In fact he’s now so notorious his 56 days in prison will probably be followed by a similar period in the Big Brother house. So who has purveyed racial hated the most, Liam to his pub mates or officialdom and the media? Now Margaret Thatcher is not black or dead but there are some of my acquaintance who are itching to post, “LOL she’s dead.” So should they? In case you haven’t got the message yet let me spell it out. Be careful what you post, tweet, what you say in pubs that might be overheard because ‘they’ have the means to track you down and prosecute. Say only what it is acceptable to say. Never indulge in ironic humour even to those who would recognise it as such. Speak as politicians do basically. And speaking of politicians, the Conservative Party treasurer, Peter Cruddas, caught on camera offering clearly illegal access to cabinet policy for party donations has not been prosecuted. His defence was ‘an error of judgement’, and he was stone cold sober! So if an experienced middle-aged person in a position of power can be forgiven for an illegal error of judgment surely a twenty one year old drunken student can. But no. Our social media that so evidently connects us all is connecting us all in the manner of a flock of emotional sheep running this way and that from one knee jerk reaction to another with no deeper consideration than “I’m offended by all things bad” and obviously “I’m for all things good.”