Lee Steele - Homophobe???

[Uncle Spielberg]

Try quoting a philosopher next time you're around your footy mates or making a reference to anything that could even remotely be considered cerebral or "highbrow" in any way and see how you get on, bud. In fact, try referencing anything other than cars, football or birds' tits and see how long it is until your sexuality is questioned.

I've got plenty of close mates who I have played footy with, of varying degrees of intelligence. Some bright, others not. I'm not intelligent, but at the same time I don't have the desire to be stupid... unlike some of the people I played football with. Ignorant is a better word for it. And perhaps I should have referred to "dressing room culture" rather than individuals. Its hardly a hotbed of intelligent debate is it?

The simple fact is that any suggestion of sensitivity or a thirst for a knowledge - if expressed in a football dressing room - is generally rounded on by all and sundry. One of my Sunday League football mates was called a "poof" for referring to "Chicken Nuggets" as "Chicken Goujons". See, knowing French words makes you homosexual.

Graeme Le Saux was regarded as gay because he once went to an art gallery.

My general point is that footballers grow up in a culture where they are encouraged to be stupid. Non-mainstream cultural references or expressions of intelligence are sneered at. Is it any wonder when Lee Steele posts something so utterly dumb?

That is 100% spot on, exactly the way it is, its all about the bird you shagged last night, most likely than not complete bullshit, being a macho male and how many pints you had and generally pissing about. I don't think anything even remotely intelligent was spoken or debated in the changing room in my 10 years of playing football. If you did not make out you were a grade 1 alpha male you would get the piss ripped out of you. Chippy Carpenter was made out to be a bit odd because he collected antiques, lived in a caravan and was an intelligent bloke.

 

[BigGully]

Right.
If his joke isn't based on the idea that a gay men sleeping next to a straight man would try and rape him what is it about?

Why did you need to turn a crap joke, into a gay rape scenario, to find the offence.

Of course it meant that, its bloody useless, your reaffirming of the crassness doesnt make it any more offensive.

Its a piss poor joke, that needn't threaten the sensitivities of the homosexual world.

 

[BigGully]

That is 100% spot on, exactly the way it is, its all about the bird you shagged last night, being a macho male and how many pints you had and generally pissing about. I don't think anything even remotely intelligent was spoken or debated in the changing room in my 10 years of playing football. Chippy Carpenter was made out to be a bit odd because he collected antqiues and was an intelligent bloke.

Wasn't it great though

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

Wasn't it great though

I miss it !

 

[Surrey_Albion]

It seems to suggest gay men are rapists?

If that is the way you take it maybe, somewhere deep down you have your own issues to get past, I saw it as an alpha male trying his best to be funny, Not my kind of humour at all but people that make jokes like that hardly have the intelligence to see "between the lines" hidden cryptic clues to suggest or imply all gays men are rapest, He was making a joke not implying anything other than "owwww that man is a homosexual and im an alpha male"

 

[keaton]

If that is the way you take it maybe, somewhere deep down you have your own issues to get past, I saw it as an alpha male trying his best to be funny, Not my kind of humour at all but people that make jokes like that hardly have the intelligence to see "between the lines" hidden cryptic clues to suggest or imply all gays men are rapest, He was making a joke not implying anything other than "owwww that man is a homosexual and im an alpha male"

You, like a few others, don't seem to have understood the joke

 

[Superphil]

WOW - a homophobic footballer.... whatever next?!?

I take it the OP has not played any level of organised football. Homophobia and racism are rampant at all levels. Primarily because most people who play football, are actually, well pretty darn thick.

scuse me, I was merely posting a story that I thought might interest Albion fans, I didn't write it. I suggested it was a shame that someone (who I quite liked as a player and a person having met him a few times), should find himself in this position. What has whether I played football got to do with anything?

 

[Chesney Christ]

They grow up in a culture where they are encouraged to rip the piss out of each other CC.( when in a big group.) It happens when lads go out every friday and saturday night for a drink or to watch the Albion or anywhere else you care to name. Does not make them thick CC. Our group consider anyone who drinks lager a homosexual but that`s how we are. Its piss taking CC.

You're missing my point entirely, Q.

I'm not saying there is anything wrong with banter or pisstake, Q. My closest mates and I (many of whom are people I know originally through football) absolutely destroy each other, Q.

What I was suggesting, Q, was that anything that is seen as a sign of intelligence is most quickly and brutally jumped on, in the context of a football dressing room, Q.

My mates and I rip the piss out of each mercilessly, Q, but it is rarely for the "crime" of saying something "intelligent". This matey banter exists across all friendship groups and class systems, but the nature of banter is different, Q.

And in my experience the banter - Q - in football changing rooms is generally directed more at the "intelligent" ones/intelligent remarks. Hence, my suggestion that footballers are - or at least seem to want to be - well, a bit thick, Q.

Q.

 

[Chesney Christ]

scuse me, I was merely posting a story that I thought might interest Albion fans, I didn't write it. I suggested it was a shame that someone (who I quite liked as a player and a person having met him a few times), should find himself in this position. What has whether I played football got to do with anything?

You seemed genuinely surprised by what Steele said.

If you have played a lot of football, you wouldn't be surprised.

 

[Chesney Christ]

For my two pence worth on Lee Steele.....

He came across as bright and likeable on the Withdean Years DVD.

What he has said is dumb and embarrassing, but overall he seems like a nice chap.

 

[Superphil]

If you see my original comment it was directed at the OP, who said "Lee Steel - Homophobe". I was suggesting that this thread may as well have been started about pretty much any footballer in the country as Steele's remarks were merely reflective of dressing room culture, so his "wow I can't believe a footballer could be homophobic" stance seems a little odd. Perhaps I didn't make that properly clear though.

f*** me I just read further along this thread, if you are going to quote me, at least quote what I typed, "Lee Steel - Homophobe??" the question marks are there because I was questioning the point, I've not said he was a homophobe, but the charges against him by his club, and the press reports say he was sacked for homophobic behaviour.

 

[Superphil]

You seemed genuinely surprised by what Steele said.

If you have played a lot of football, you wouldn't be surprised.

Again, where did I say I was suprised? I said it was a shame, the rest is what was written by the club/press. My experience as a footballer is irrelevent, but for what it's worth I lived and breathed football till I broke my leg, it was a long time ago, we didn't have Twitter then.

 

[Joey Deacon's Disco Suit]

Why did you need to turn a crap joke, into a gay rape scenario, to find the offence.

Of course it meant that, its bloody useless, your reaffirming of the crassness doesnt make it any more offensive.

Its a piss poor joke, that needn't threaten the sensitivities of the homosexual world.

Stop stressing about it all. It's just the way of the world. Women now have the vote, child labour is outlawed, no-one does jokes about thick Irishmen anymore and nowadays people scratch their heads and ask "did people really find comments about "nig-nogs/pakis" acceptable 30 years ago?"

In 30 years they will be saying the same about homophobic comments like this one that Lee Steele made. Society is evolving and it looks like you are going to be left behind, no doubt left to moan about the 'PC brigade' and the good old days when you could call a black bloke 'a spade' (as long as you did it with a smile to let him know you were just joshing with him.)

 

[terryberry1]

That is pathetic. It was clearly a joke. This country has gone mad. I'm sure a lot of us have said something similar in the past. I have but I'm certainly not homophobic

 

[Joey Deacon's Disco Suit]

That is pathetic. It was clearly a joke. This country has gone mad. I'm sure a lot of us have said something similar in the past. I have but I'm certainly not homophobic

and here's another one who can't see that cultural attitudes change.

 

[Surrey_Albion]

You, like a few others, don't seem to have understood the joke

I got the joke, you just read to much into it, the joke was "im a straight man and do geezer sort of things, thats mans gay so he would probably fancy me, I dont know any gay people so I stereotype them all as Julian Clary, if I make a comment everyone will know im a straight Geezer and like to shag birds"
That is the hidden sub context you are looking for , not gay rape, Read some of Chesney Christs posts he seems to sum things up well

 

[Surrey_Albion]

Joey Deacon Disco, not sure how you can preach morality, Your name is extreemly offensive

 

[Chesney Christ]

f*** me I just read further along this thread, if you are going to quote me, at least quote what I typed, "Lee Steel - Homophobe??" the question marks are there because I was questioning the point, I've not said he was a homophobe, but the charges against him by his club, and the press reports say he was sacked for homophobic behaviour.

Fair enough. I read it as "wow, seems like this guy is a homophobe?!?!". Apologies if I misrepresented you.

 

[terryberry1]

and here's another one who can't see that cultural attitudes change.

Get a grip mate.

 

[Superphil]

Thanks CC, yes, I can see why it might have been read that way, but it was a missinterpretation.