Blind Hammer calls for an end to yob culture.
Yet again I was more upset by the behaviour of some West Ham supporters rather than the grisly team performance last weekend. For the second time in recent weeks a self-appointed mob of supporters thought it was acceptable, even desirable to ambush and aggressively intimidate an 81 year old man, after he had tried to depart an away game in which the team he supported had disappointed. These are the bald facts. The fact that this81 year life long supporter is also Joint Chair of West Ham does not detract from this unpleasant truth. It is never acceptable that behaviour of this kind should be tolerated or condoned. I have my own constructive criticisms of Board decisions in relation to West Ham. In more general political philosophy I am diametrically opposed to them. However I would never dream of promoting these criticisms during this current climate of visceral hatred. This level of sheer vitriol is completely over the top.
What we are witnessing here is the worrying collapse of basic human decency and respect. The anonymous aggression of keyboard warriors who hurl their expletives driven complaints into the electronic void is fuelling something darker here. The literally irresponsible aggression, with no consequences for the people launching these social media onslaughts, has very unfortunate real world consequences for Gold in particular. The climate of abuse finds him surrounded and hounded by yobs who feel vindicated in their bullying. So far they have confined themselves to bullying and intimidation. I fear much worse if the situation continues to deteriorate.
For the people feeling most loathing towards gold and Sullivan this will, I realise, cut no ice. There are cohorts of people who will never forgive the move from the Boleyn and will probably till their dying day want to punish them for this. What I cannot, and never will support is the way this hatred leads to degeneration from rational debate into vile abuse. This starts with people, including contributors on this site making sneering and lazy name calling attacks rather than relying on any intelligent argument. This includes describing Gold and Sullivan variously as “Spivs”, “Barrow Boys” and making what are supposedly unflattering references to their being more at home in “Romford market”.
I am staggered that it is West Ham supporters making [personal attacks of this kind. West Ham are not Chelsea. They are not a club dominated by arrogant upper class ex-Public Schoolboys who think it is frightfully funny to sneer at people with working class backgrounds. These Chelsea types will snigger if somebody does not have the right BBC, Eton or Harrow accent. We should have no toleration for this Upper class superciliousness. I have no issue with people with upper class accents supporting West Ham but I will argue forever with the view that people with privileged backgrounds are worth any more than any of the rest of us just because of their privilege or accent.
West Ham is a club steeped in the working class traditions of the east End. Our working class roots should be a point not of shame but of pride. . We should certainly never collude with snorting upper class condescendtion towards those ““vulgar East End” types. . . What is wrong with Romford market anyway? What is wrong with having working class origins and then achieving success in life? Attacking Gold and Sullivan on the basis of their accents or allegedly working class origins is lazy unreasoned prejudice.
Surprisingly the people most vociferous in launching these personal attacks do not extend this character assassination to the potential alternative sources of investment they so desperately crave. Instead, seduced by the lure of alternative international billionaire wealth, all critical perspective melts away and disappears. Why anybody should think that a Russian Oligarch, or a Chinese Billionaire, or an Arab royal, all of whom will almost certainly built their wealth on the cruellest and vicious human rights abuses, should have any more of a genuine claim to West Ham identity and support is a mystery to me. Yet these critics are frantic to invite these people into our club at any cost. I do not share their enthusiasm. The sex industry money of Gold and Sullivan is, comparatively, far cleaner than the horrific accounts of abuse which underlies the international billionaire wealth that other clubs are so happy to sell their souls for.
So it starts with this lazy prejudiced and sneering name calling. It then degenerates into more vile social media abuse where they are condemned for being “c***its”, Bas***d” and other equally unsavoury epithets. It ends with people feeling vindicated in aggressively confronting an 81 year old man in his car or car park. They are objects for unreasoned abuse. Gold gets spleen vented at him for decisions over which he has no control, including the ludicrous Wigan carpark condemnation for his alleged failure to “pick” Sakho for the game.
This abuse has to stop. Despite what anybody says it weakens our club and brings us into disrepute. My own view is that all efforts this season should now focus on supporting the club from the trapdoor of relegation. We should debate rationally about the issues at the times when they can be resolved. I disagreed with January Transfer policy, especially selling Ayew to a relegation rival. Others may still want to futilely complain about leaving Upton Park. However there is absolutely no mileage in complaining about these issues now. Now in the face of adversity it is time for respect to re-emerge and create the United positivity that this club needs to survive. There is actually much in the working class traditions of the east End that we can be proud of. Solidarity and hard work are values that West Ham in particular will need in the weeks ahead. There was a time I was proud of the traditions of loyal West Ham support in the face of difficulty. I fervently hope that it is this finer tradition which wins out in the weeks ahead.
COYI
David Griffith