Is it racist to tell someone they smell?
That’s the question the French footballing authorities must answer as they look at video evidence of the incident in question.
The incident occured during the Ligue 1 game between Lyon and Rennes.
Lyon striker Milan Baros was shown “pinching his nose and waving his hand at Rennes mdifielder Stephen M’Bia as if he was repelling an offensive odour”.
The back story, that Baros doesn’t know French that well (he’s Czech and on loan from English Premiership side Aston Villa and came in this January) and that M’Bia is Cameroon-born, add to the problems.
M’Bia said after the game that he was “deeply hurt by the gesture”, which I suppose anyone would be if they were being told that they stank up the place. Considering that it happened during a football game where players are supposed to run several thousand meters during 90 minutes and as a result sweat profusely, to be singled out for stinking must really hurt.
Lyon, Baros’ club, felt it necessary to make a statement in response to media criticism:
“Milan Baros merely wanted to tell (M’Bia) something he didn’t know how to say in French: ‘leave me alone and give me breathing space’.
Milan Baros has always denounced any form of racism, in sport and in life in general. Olympique Lyon share Baros’s commitment against racism.”
[Source: Guardian]
So, I guess this boils down to the initial question:
Is it racist to tell someone that they smell?
Football News 24/7
Maybe M’Bia could get a sponsorship from Gillette soon…
April 20th, 2007 @ 19:47Baros might have been referring to his own play.
April 20th, 2007 @ 19:54Dan and Nikos – terrible mates, terrible.
Kelvin – reverse-racism? there’s a term for that, I’ve forgotten, but you’re running it close.
What I was ‘trying’ to get to was the fact that are we really getting to this point in football where such a gesture can be interpreted as racist?
Maybe Baros said something else as well (although from what I’ve read so far, no such thing).
April 21st, 2007 @ 02:42nope, no racism intended firstly by baros who was merely acting the age of his brain (pre-school), hence very childish. secondly by some of the idiotic comments made -who only want a gutter-talk backlash from decent people. we will not stoop to your level. ‘And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.’ N. mandela
April 21st, 2007 @ 02:54Telling someone they stink is not racist jeez!! besides i think not only everyone on that field smelled but the entire Ligue 1 is a stinker:P moreover it a know fact that the French are the smelliest people in Europe that why they invented perfume, because they bathe so little
:P:P:P
April 21st, 2007 @ 04:22AND the french have big egos, AND they are very touchy and take offense at the slightest things, AND they will fight you to the death over the same ‘slightest things’ but let you walk all over them if they’re ‘ok’ with it.
Did I cover all the stereotypes.
5 points for the first person who can name the person I was thinking off when I wrote the above paragraph
April 21st, 2007 @ 04:25lol! Footballer or Politician
:P
April 21st, 2007 @ 04:53Neither.
No more hints
Guess.
April 21st, 2007 @ 04:54I have no clue mate, but just for the fun of it Gerrard Depardieu!!! I just love saying that Depardieuuuuuu
April 21st, 2007 @ 04:59oh hell, where’s hasan when I need him. bastard.
anyway, the answer’s Wenger – big ego, touchy, sensitive fella who’ll fly at you at the silliest things…
come on!
April 21st, 2007 @ 05:02Hehe:P, you’re right, although i think Wenger is probably the best French manager around, far better than the morons they’ve been having take care of their national teams lately… Besides Arsene is one of the good guys, considering that Mourinhio is the Devil’s minion!!!
April 21st, 2007 @ 05:12Ahmed – To answer your question – I think it could very well be construed as racist.
April 21st, 2007 @ 15:36Footballers need to cut out some of this nonsense – although players do sweat and will smell during games…..and I guess will continue to do stupid things in the heat of the moment.
We are all human …. and we should all try to lighten up about race … beneath all the different exteriors I’m sure we are all very much the same.
[...] weeks we asked whether it was racist to tell someone if they smell. Well, the French say that it’s not racist, but it does deserve a 3-match ban. Ridiculous? [...]
May 4th, 2007 @ 13:27This is the new crime of Smellism.
To be odourly challenge and told about it is now a criminal offence. If some person in your immediate area stinks like a horse after a race you must not in any circumstances tell them in fear of hurting their feelings even if the stench is so strong it strips the skin off the inside of your nose.
Its politically correct tripe reaching new heights or lows depending on your perspective.
The Tripe Hunter
May 4th, 2007 @ 14:49Is it racist to say someone smells?
That is one of the most utterly ridiculous questions I have ever seen! No, because you are telling them they smell, not abusing them due to their race, skin colour or religion.
This world has gone politically correct mad, fair enough telling someone they stink isn’t nice but it has nothing to do with race.
Would this question be being asked if Baros made the gesture at a white player? I think not
May 9th, 2007 @ 03:17On the wider issue of what is racist ……… is it racist to call a black person black and if it is, is that a problem that black people have about their colour? It seems to me if you call someone a bald bastard thats an insult but to call someone a black bastard thats racist ………. cant get my head around that one.
May 14th, 2007 @ 16:53[...] müsste es dann auch Smellism geben. Smellism beschreibt den Umstand, dass man bestimmte Menschen nicht riechen mag, andere aber [...]
June 27th, 2007 @ 21:20