Being righteously offended on behalf of another person or group is a popular pastime in the social media age.
It can serve as an opportunity for virtue signalling or just to generate a digital pile-on.
So, it was after the Motherwell match at the weekend.
Apparently, by saying “good girl” to reporter Jane Lewis, the Irishman was suddenly a member of the Taliban.
The Stenography Corps were on a feeding frenzy, and the Ibrox klanbase was suddenly exercised by the prevalence of everyday sexism.
Context is everything, and this was simply an opportunity to have a kick at the Celtic manager.
The fact that he is also an Irish Catholic just made it sweeter for the chaps who think that one million dead in An Gorta Mór is hilarious.
For the record, Jane Lewis was doing her job in the post-match interview in pressing for an answer to a question that the Celtic manager clearly didn’t want to answer.
I’ve been in pressers where the ONLY question I was asking was the one I knew that the Celtic manager (Neil Lennon) didn’t want to answer.
Indeed, that’s why I was there.
Then there are the vagaries of Hiberno-English, especially the Ulster variant.
As a regular visitor to the Six Counties, I’m always charmed when people in shops tell me to “put your wee pin in there”.
I wasn’t aware that the Personal Identification Number for my debit card was particularly diminutive!
Perhaps it is part of a writer’s make-up to notice the idiosyncracies of everyday speech in a particular locality.
I recall meeting up with an American journalist over twenty years ago in the Kingdom of Kerry.
Yes, they speak English there too, but it’s a scéal eile!
Thankfully, I had the presence of mind to realise that the African American chap sitting across from me was about to enter an undiscovered country.
“Everyone here will call you ‘boy’, I said”.
I saw his face tightening.
Of course, that word addressed to a man of colour across the Pond has a terrible history.
“They call everyone ‘boy’ here, including women,” I said.
He looked at me askance.
Then, as if it was scripted, we entered a café in Tralee, and the woman behind the counter did precisely that to a young girl she was serving.
“Well, boy!” was how she greeted the young female customer that she clearly knew.
Then, a mother struggling with a gaggle of daughters exclaimed, “Ah, lads!”
The reporter from Chicago looked at me amazed.
We then went to the business at hand, which was why Martin Ferris was going to beat Dick Spring in the upcoming election!
Some culture warriors in the mainstream were able to get some mileage out of the “Good Girl” non-story while it lasted.
However, being offended on behalf of someone else rapidly runs out of the road when the person in question says they were not offended.
That happened yesterday.
Which was awkward for the outraged brigade.
I thought that the Irishman dealt with it very professionally in his presser.
Sadly, there will be more of this disingenuous performance art along in due course.
Discover more from Phil Mac Giolla Bháin
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Come on guys – if I had called one of my female colleagues at work ‘girl’ it would not have gone down well. To use this term to a grown woman in 21st century is patronising.
Is it a hanging offence? of course not. Brendan R has worked long enough in UK to know this.
Jane Lewis comes out well as she has defused the situation when others were milking it.
Shouldn’t the fact that Brendan said No seven times have been understood that No means No!
I got a giggle out of the gaggle’s outrage.
Brendan Rodgers is very PR savvy and handled the SMSM to great effect during his first stint. Hats off to Jane Lewis for ruffling his feathers during that interview, look forward to the same being done with Chairman Calm et al.
Hang on a wee minute on this one.
Brendan may, very well, not have meant anything demeaning… I’m 100% on board with the fact that nothing was “meant” by his “good girl” comments.
BUT!
Name me even ONE male reporter that he would have used a diminutive towards in that situation. Bottom line is, yes, Brendan Rodgers has spent most of his life, and all of his working life, in a very male-oriented world… but that doesn’t make him not wrong in this situation.
Jambboyoungy -Brendan says ‘good man / good lad ‘ on a regular basis . He did an interview with sky directly before or after the one with the bbc and signed of with ‘good man’ .
Your entitled to your opinion but it’s wrong in this instance .
You really can’t see the difference between “man”, “lad” and if he’d called them “good boy”.
That one level more of diminutive is actually pretty important.
Not really. At worst he was being derogatory. Jane Lewis kept pressing him for an answer after he said no. Remember no means no ! She should have been respectful to BR when he gave her his response on several occasions.
He’s entitled to be derogatory if he wants . As much as JL is allowed to push him for an answer.
He was derogatory to Gordan Duncan before the Scottish cup game recently . (Listen back to the post match presser) I didn’t see the public outcry from anyone on that occasion or anyone wanting BR horsewhipped through the streets !
“girl”, in that context, is demeaning, pure and simple. If you can’t see that, then I can’t help you, mate.
Even if it were, as you seem to think, “only” derogatory… why did he think that was okay? He was a manager under a bit of pressure, of course she was going to ask him about that, it’s her job.
If you watched his end of game chat with the Sky reporter he finished with good man and shook his hand. He always finishes his interviews with Good man or Good girl and shakes their hand. Watch his end of game interviews.
Many moons ago I was once deep in conversation with my soon to be father in law, in the original God’s country, South Armagh(sorry Phil). He described my wife as a “good @#@×” of a girl. If it was said in Glasgow a fight would have broken out.
Context and location can mean totally different things.
The ‘compliant’ Sevco supporting scribes t.v media were clearly enraged & seething about something ‘else’ than the cordial conversation in question, I would hazard a wild guess that Celtic overcoming Motherwell in the 94th minute is the UNDERLYING MOTIVATION FOR THIS NONSENSE. So here’s something with more substance for them to write/complain about. It’s that time of the year again for MORE WORTHLESS SHARE CONFETTI, what’s that I hear you say…? Yep exactly what I thought CRICKETS….🤫🤐
I have 3 daughters and 1 granddaughter. I will have to consult my PC dictionary before complimenting them in future!
While Brendan’s comment was patronising, I don’t think it was sexist. He’s just not that sort of person.
The problem that we have at the moment is that the pendulum of political correctness has swung too far to the right-on and people are easily triggered.
This is a perfect example of people being offended on behalf of someone who wasn’t offended.
Jane Lewis, the Journalist, has publicly stated that she wasn’t offended but the press, in particular the BBC, have run with the story and will milk it for all it’s worth.
As we all know, a negative story about Celtic hangs around a lot longer than a positive story.
Plus ca change.
Interesting article. I’ve just got off the phone after having an interview with a woman from Liverpool. At the end she said, “Tarra, Luv.” My first thought was, “Yep, Scouse.” Not “Oh my god I’m so offended.” If anybody from Sevco had this, instead of Brenden, it would not be a problem.
All these so called goody, goody, people whether it’s broadcasters, papers, twitter etc bringing up this absolute crap to try to have ago at us BUT they never have a go at the bigots singing up to our knees.
It’s weird society we live in, when saying, “good girl”, to a young woman, can get the same response as saying, “bitch of hell!”
Or saying, “good girl” causes outrage, but singing about, “wading up to the knees in Fenian blood”, is completely acceptable.
BBC…. Bigoted, Biased, Culture.
It was Brendan’s own fault for being:
A) Irish.
B) Catholic.
C) The Celtic manager.
These are 3 elements that will not be tolerated by the Klan led media and will always result in his every word being analysed in their search for controversy.
The same BBC guys who are supporting their colleague were strangely silent in there backing for Jim Spence when all he did was tell the truth.
Where were they then when he was taken off air for and essentially sacked for stating the uncomfortable truth.
These professional proxy complainers give me the absolute “ boak” Sitting in their wee single room or their parents basemen desperately waiting for a notable person to say or do something innocuous which ignites their juices. Forgive the language here Phil. I regard them as pathetic fuckers. Chapeau to Jane Lewis .
I wonder what would be howled if Brendan had said “ Good Lads “ ?
BBC billy boys club
The thing that annoyed me most is the weight it was given by BBC employees. The same organisation that has a “House Paddy” got so offended by the good girl comment.
Now I do believe good girl can be exist, however it also depends on the context. The lead up and behaviour of Brendan did not suggest a sexist intent. But hey, what does that matter, Brendan called a woman good girl. Just wait till they find out he spells girl with an h.