If it were not a black man and instead a fat man who raped his friend, would people feel the same way, or just laugh and think it was a joke he made? If it were a skinhead who committed the crime, he'd have gone looking for one of them, and I don't think they come in black. It's not racism, it's just identification. Not logical or fair what he thought and did, but it's not racism we have here.
9
History shows that the range of human behavior scours the noble and the profane. We are—all of us—capable of horrible acts. Short of outside force, we each must count on our own sensibilities to restrain our actions—and reactions, including the words that come out of our mouths whenever they project our worst proclivities.
Mr. Neeson may have felt an entitlement of celebrity, or even race, to speak his mind in-and-out of season; he was wrong. And given the elevated platform that his fame affords him, he also showed a deplorable ignorance of its power through his ill-considered statement. It is sad to witness such a talented man commit such an unnecessary mistake in real time and so publicly.
If, as many comments here suggest, Mr. Neeson was trying to be honest about his past, deep-seated, racist reaction and thus provide us all with a "learning moment," then he clearly needed to finish his own education about the realities of race and how hideously loaded an issue it remains to this day.
His best contribution to racial understanding would have been simply to continue mastering his own worse inclinations whenever they arise—no matter how human they may be—and to make less noise about it.
6
Neeson is privileged enough to get away with admitting something ugly, then denying the obvious reason for its ugliness.
8
What these comments prove is that the vast majority of people who can defend Liam Nessons actions have possibly had similar thoughts and feel the need to exonerate themselves from the label of racist. It doesn't work that way.
8
"Liam Neeson drew immediate criticism for remarks he made about wanting to kill a black man years ago after someone close to him *was* raped by a man *she said* was black."
The wording of this caption perfectly captures a sensitivity to two current cultural phenomenon. That she was raped is presented as fact ("was raped," #MeToo) but her identification of the perpetrator as black is suspect ("she said was black," #BlackLivesMatter). Congratulations to the editor for this elegant avoidance of offending!
7
Some things are better left unsaid and this is one instance of such.
8
How can we even began to have a conversation on these sensitive issues if the minute someone opens up about an incident they themselves feel "ashamed" to admit, they are immediately hectored and shouted down? Both sides need to listen.
31
Massive and glaring piled-up shards of glass houses destroyed by stone-throwing over this incident loom large, even as the stone hurlers consciously don blinders of denial. The hypocrisy is astonishing, even during an era of mindless political correctness run amok.
Liam Neeson has confessed to indulging in racism, hatred and desire for revenge. But he avoided taking any willful steps to act on his bigoted emotions. Nobody was killed. Yet the court of political correctness has found him instantly guilty and immediately sentenced him to social pariah status.
In 1992, after Rodney King was brutally beaten by police officers (later convicted and punished), riots broke out in central Los Angeles. Thousands of Asian shops were plundered or destroyed, over 50 people died, most for no other reason than their ethnicity or where they worked. In a subsequent newspaper column, Jesse Jackson dug into a myriad of long term festering causes which had helped provoke the riots, but made no mention of any personal responsibility of rioters to behave like normal law-abiding citizens. He suffered no disinvitations, banishments or public pillorying for those remarks.
Racism runs deep in America, and a quite egregious example is the hypocritical racism of those ignoring Neeson's point, and condemning him, while denying the bigoted selectivity of their own sanctimonious outrage. Most outrageous of all, however, is that their ignorant hypocrisy lays solid cornerstones of support for Donald Trump.
22
Sorry Liam Neeson. You managed to trivialize the rape of your friend, seeking to avenge her rape by demonizing a race of people simply because one person of that race allegedly did the deed. Not exactly the best way to promote your film. And certainly not a way to win new fans or maintain old ones.
9
The Thought Police are out once again for this week’s Outrage du Jour. Northern Ireland 40 years ago? Are you kidding? They cheerily beat the ever living daylights out of an Englishman who wandered into the wrong neighborhood where Neeso lived. I got beat up (and was a girl) in Ireland in the 80s for a lot less than being the wrong religion. CONTEXT PEOPLE. No one’s saying it was the right way to react, including Liam Neeson. Seriously, people need to chill out! People need to be able to speak about these things without a hysterical mob coming after them. They cancelled his premier. If you think Trump is ushering in 1984, think again. The left is doing it and I say this as a lifelong liberal. Big Brother is here and it’s all of YOU who are destroying a man’s life for talking about something that happened 40 years ago, in the context of revenge, not in the context of one particular race. Ireland had about a 1% minority population back then. My friends at school called black people “sunburned”. Is that okay? No. Was it literally just the way people were then? Yes. What do you want? To go back and punish all the white people who ever existed for living within their historical paradigms? Apparently you want to punish the ones who are still alive even if they have totally seen the error of their ways? What did your parents or grandparents used to think of gay people? Probably not so into it.Should we destroy their current lives now?We’re not talking about Nazis for goodness sake.
30
I don't believe him when he said he would have gone hunting for an Irishman, any Irishman, if a white man raped his friend. Only black people are judged guilty for crimes committed by others who look like them. The prisons are full of Innocents whose punishment somehow placates some racist need for vengeance. Any black man will do in a pinch
13
Liam, sharing this did not help the state of the world, as I think you hoped it might. If anything it has lowered you in the estimation of a good many people -- thank God you didn't hurt anyone that week. Perhaps your point would have been better illustrated by using allegory, and all retellings of this unfortunate event reserved for your therapist(s) alone.
6
I think if we begin to censor and condemn people like Liam Neeson, who is talking about something he felt and did not act on we are missing the point. Did no-one out there read Soul on Ice?
Better to admit that you have dark thoughts and feel genuine shame than be a finger-pointing hypocrite?
25
Who hasn't said, "I wanted to kill that guy", but not actually meant it. If the moment had presented itself to Neeson, I doubt he would have killed another person (just guessing), but maybe the search was what diffused his rage to a degree. I believe it is brave for him to admit those thoughts whether to promote a movie or just unburden himself.
15
it is good that he can admit such an imperfection. and this can be a springboard for a conversation. similar to his thoughts, i have read a story of a caucasian man who said he became racist because a friend was raped by a black man and the rapist used words during rape about the woman's Caucasian race. obviously he was wrong but i had some inkling of understanding the connection he was making. and to the opposite i have read of a Caucasian mother who said her son became fearful of any black male he saw because he had witnessed a black man rob his family's home. i had no sympathy. it made no sense. i have been the victim of a crime(s) I didn't blame it on race. or come to racial conclusions. let's use his story to help us all understand better and develop.
4
I accept his explanation. My sister was killed in an automobile by a reckless driver and my brother was insane for a few weeks, was so unhinged that he was after the driver's friends, family members....anyone remotely connected to the (white) guy. He was temporarily insane.
24
By his (albeit emotional and sudden) logic, if it had been a white man, would he be deserving of that same random violence?
3
We are nearing thought crime territory here, people. That should be noted.
15
Sounds like good publicity for an upcoming movie!
4
I don't see Liam Neeson as a racist but rather as an individual who felt compelled to find "justice" for the egregious act of violence committed by a black individual against a female friend of his. I believe he would want "justice" if the man was white, Asian, Latino or any other race. In this case, the attacker happened to be black. This does not make him a racist. It makes him a potential murderer.
What I find alarming and disturbing is that he wanted to kill an individual even though the woman was not killed. That is not justice. That is revenge. There is a difference.
Thank goodness his wish/desire/intent was not effectuated. I sincerely hope he seeks out professional help in learning to identify and manage his anger. Sitting in jail on a murder rap helps no one - the victim, the victim's family not to mention Neeson's family and ultimately himself.
Frankly, I think he emotionally crossed the line after playing the lead character in those movies, "Taken" once too often.
3
"Mr. Neeson said he sought help, eventually talking about the episode with his priest and friends."
Now what does he think about the pedohile priests in Holy Mother Church?
apparently as we go through life we are no longer able to learn, grow, develop or evolve and become better people. if we did something 30 years ago when perhaps we were young and stupid, or just stupid, we are unable to evolve and change our opinions or feelings in that time since then. we did it, or thought it, once in our lives, so that's who we are forever. wow, thats some standard to live up to: perfect from the day or birth.
I'd like everyone who has never had a mean spirited, vengeful, racist or violent thought in their lives or anyone who has never done anything they regretted or wished they could take back or just said to themselves, "um yeah that really wasn't to good what i said/thought/did, to please stand up and raise your hand. I'd like to see who both of you are.
17
Probably should have kept that to himself.
5
So he didn't actually do anything...he had racist thoughts, didn't act on. Cue faux outrage.
8
@Jacob but admitted he would have if given an unjustified reason to do so...
3
Leeson doesn’t seem to realize how messed up his comments are, not to mention the low level threat as a joke to the journalist. So what would Leeson have done if his friend’s assailant was white? Would he feel better about what happened to her, or would he ask her what she was wearing and on a witch hunt ( see his Me Too comments)? Doubt he’d walk the streets looking to beat up some random white guy? This is truly disgusting because people of color, especially Black people in this country, are never allowed individuality. We are responsible for every random black persons crime, and we can never make mistakes because we let down the entire race and only get one chance. So I guess the black director and co-stars he worked with on “Widows” should have been watching their back the whole time. I’ve lost all respect for him and his hammy acting.
10
Today is Trayvon Martin's birthday. Trayvon ran into a man who had a fantasy a lot like Mr. Neeson's. We know what happened.
11
@laura174
Thank you
What can one possibly say in response to that. I wonder if Liam Neeson even knows who Trayvon Martin was.
3
If he were a Republican senator would be so willing to look the other way on his deeply racist impulses?
3
White male hubris..not held responsible or indeed self awareness by a society created in his image. A society that holds the power writes the history and metes the justice. Indeed being a woman of color being raped by a man of color when I was an adolescent and never telling a soul..having no idea my basic rights as a human being and internalizing the rape shapes all I need to know.
5
It was so simple, when there was only real news and fake news...
Now add to that folks pitching scripts for sequels or for next season...
Or second terms...
Or simply staying in office...
PS
A fantasy a sci-fi AI bot actor might have...
That Google – while scanning the pictures and words in every book ever printed since the 3rd century BC – forgot to crack open the binders on any yearbooks for any US schools for any of the years 1910-2010
...not to worry
Elon says this AI stuff isn't going anywhere, for a while – all just a bad dream...
Mr. Neeson is a good actor, so I'm gonna assume he was just having a bad day when he talked about this.
2
@A. Stanton how does being a good actor pertain to this?
5
He's telling the truth about something horrifying that he did that appalled and surprised him afterwards.
I think people who don't realize that all humans are capable of and vulnerable to such reactions would be unprepared for how they might respond if, God forbid, someone had violently assaulted a loved one (regardless of the assaulter's color/gender/other group).
Better to acknowledge one has that primal area of the brain and watch out for it. It's not a product of thought.
15
As Bob Dylan said, "If my thought dreams...could be seen...they'd probably put my head...in a guillotine...
Applies to all of us!
11
@saraeasy
Theres a difference between a thought and an interview broadcast to millions of people. Adults know the meaning of taking responsibility for what we say. His words were either unprocessed entitlement or calculated to drum up business. Meanwhile chalk one up for racism.
5
“primal urge”, An excuse for violence, hatred against a black man, someones son, brother, father, husband perhaps. Mr. Neeson, face yourself, leave your pain and agony away from others, because shouting your ridiculous behavior from the rooftop does not help you, your family or any other person. You should feel shame and humiliation, that means you are healthy. Shoving this situation off onto others in the way that you have makes no sense.
5
Most racists today claim that they are neither racist or wrong. Liam Neeson quite clearly states that his thoughts were both racist and wrong. For that honesty he deserves some credit.
7
@berkeleyhunt
Why? I’m rich and not apologetic about it. Do I deserve some credit? I never understand why being honest matters. I’m not sure what that even means. Does it mean I care so little about your opinion of me or having your respect that I’ll freely say something hurtful or self-defaming? If I ignore social grace, it’s because I have zero respect for those around me. Honesty doesn’t really matter. Kindness, grace, and respect matter. Discourse won’t cure racism.
2
do you want to know who the most hateful judgemental people on the planet are? its not the liam neesons of the world. the man comes out and says, years ago this is who I was and what I thought and felt and it was wrong. I was a.terrible person to think and feel that way. simce.that time I have come to realize how bad that was and I am no longer that person. so if today you are judging that person from years ago and not the person who has evolved and grown into a much better person over time, then you are of the most hateful judgemental people on the planet. it is you who perpetuate the hate and divisiveness in this world and it is ty ow who should look into the mirror.
10
This is the James Harris Jackson true story that replaces an innocent victim with a black "rapist" to justify a planned act of terror. Yet Neeson says he is not a racist. If you have to say "I am not a racist," you probably are.
6
“If she would have said an Irish or a Scot or a Brit or a Lithuanian, I know I would have had the same effect,” Mr. Neeson said on Tuesday.
Really, Liam? And since you're implying they all have the same skin color, how would you tell which of those is Scot, Brit or Lithuanian? Listen for an accent or dialect before you beat them to death?
Those violent roles you've made so much money with - you realize they're supposed to be pretend, right?
An apology wouldn't have been worth much to one of your victims. But thank God you're not a racist.
6
You do realize he was in Northern Ireland then and they knew EXACTLY who was British (read, Protestant) or Scottish or Irish and/or Catholic within seconds of meeting? The prejudice between the two religions was far more contentious than between black and white because there were about 5 black people in Ireland 40 years ago, which is probably why he never found one.
6
What is wrong with people in the movies? What an idiot. So many articles about actors and actresses and most of them seem worse than useless. I’m voting for this interview as a publicity stunt,as in “just spell my name right”.May it come right back at him.
3
“Homo sum. Humani nihil a me alienum puto” —Terrence.
“I am human. Let nothing that is human be alien to me.”
5
He may also feel guilty because he found out he almost killed an innocent black man over a lie. That's also happened.
1
We should always focus on the thoughts of others. 100,000 dead babies in Yemen? Forget about it.
2
Read the full interview: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/liam-neeson-interview-rape-race-black-man-revenge-taken-cold-pursuit-a8760896.html
NYT going after outrage-bait as usual. I understand why: it sells.
4
Liam has been making too many bad violent movies that his sense of reality is skewed. This is not to justify what he said. I am sure the audience for his movies will speak with their legs and not go to see his movies anymore.. It is too bad because he is a great actor.
2
Fantasies, good or bad, should not be punished. It is conduct that matters in the end. The more people proclaim their mental purity, the greater the pendulum will swing in the other direction. Did we learn nothing from the Catholic sex abuse scandal? The key to ethical living is not ridding yourself of unethical or hateful thoughts. It's recognizing them for what they are, and living ethically in spite of them.
5
My favorite posts are those who feel Neeson's reaction to his family member's story was a normal human reaction. Yet the reaction of black people isn't. Implicit in your comments are your beliefs that black people aren't human and have no right to human reactions. A common belief amongst racists.
12
@Hellen Very well said. That's why so many sympathize with Neeson and not with any of innocent Black men whose lives were in danger when he went hunting for them.
4
@Hellen A negative, irrational human reaction may be normal, but it's hardly a good thing. No matter who does it.
1
In Hollywood, all publicity is good publicity. He's selling movie tickets. The substance of what he says is irrelevant, so long as people pay attention.
It is quite likely that he made this story up. It's truth or falsity is irrelevant to the goal of selling tickets.
2
Could be he made it up.
On the other hand, if I had a club in my hand the day in the late 1980s when a guy walked by me, belted me in the stomach so hard I bent double and stayed that way, only turning around in time to see him smiling back at me as he strolled away, I would love to have brained him dead.
After I could straighten out and if I could catch him, that is. A white guy. A needle in a haystack on Kings Highway.
3
It took courage for Mr. Neeson to tell his story and reveal an ugly part of his past. His telling may encourage others to be honest about their past failures. The stories hurt, but in the long run may lead to healing.
6
Commenters here should be THANKING Mr. Neeson. After all, if he hadn't been so candid and honest about his past, the commenters wouldn't have had this opportunity to bewail his reaction, comforted by the knowledge that, of course, THEY would NEVER have felt the same way had it happened to them.
11
The problem with over-reacting to Liam Neeson' 's thoughts decades ago --- which he himself admit were wrong and shameful -- is it distracts from the real issues facing minorities today, ranging from inequitable treatment in the hospitals to the schools to the courts. I recently learned about redlining and how it propagates inequality. Let's focus on that stuff instead rather than something decades ago for which the transgressor has already acknowledged was wrong.
(And don't even get me started on the NYT article about how the glamour of fur went down once Black people were able to afford them. Fur was repudiated because of its cruelty to animals.)
4
Wow! Liam Neeson speaks honestly about an incident that happened 40 YEARS AGO, about his irrational rage and anger at the time and everyone is outraged. He admits it was wrong and that he didn’t actually harm anyone. Why aren’t we just as outraged by atrocities that are actually being carried out in this country and around the world, such as police brutality and families being separated at our southern border? Jeez, give the man a break. He’s just an actor promoting a movie.
6
Mr. Neeson definitely walked a racial line in his thoughts and actions, but never crossed over. He came to his senses and deeper understanding. It's called evolution, and all humans are capable of it. As an actor, that dark place he acknowledges continues to inform his consciousness and his work.
26
It's safe to say that the article and these comments are exactly what Liam Neeson and his publicity people were aiming to accomplish with those remarks. People have now heard about the movie and are curious. Does anyone think that he spoke about this off-the-cuff, that it wasn't strategic? Why does anyone even assume that what he said is true? It's marketing.
6
Yeah right, a strategic move that will either promote his new gig or ruin his career. Do you really think that's how desperate he is to draw attention to a movie?
3
@Glen Ridge Girl
Cynical but accurate.
1
It seems wrong to condemn someone confessing an episode told with regret. Because if that is the only reaction that is socially compatible, how would you want to have an honest dialogue?
23
I’m concerned, yes, but Neeson is a private person even as an actor. He confessed to a dark episode in his past and should not be condemned for his honesty since he did realize his own error. It’s those who purport to represent the American people in their capacity of local, state and national officials who are the ones deserving of closer inspection. Whether it’s racism or sexual abuse, these faults point to serious errors of judgement and are more deserving of condemnation.
4
The only thing that makes sense to me is that Neeson is trying to get his name out there for his latest movie. It is pretty interesting that many commenters are saying this is the kind of thing that all of us do, and a very human reaction to what is seen as a tribal assault. I think this is the most bizarre story I have heard in years, and I certainly hope that it is not something that happens to people all the time. There is also the question of why Neeson would want to repeat this strange piece of pathology to anyone, knowing it would forever become the first thing his name brought to mind.
5
This speaks to his upbringing in Northern Ireland where for a long time violence would beget violence. It is a way of looking at the world and acting in the world. It is brutal, sad and not unusual. It is the code of Hammurabi and also there are plenty of Biblical examples - people are treated as members of a tribe. They belong to one sect or another. If their gang hurts one of yours you can indiscriminately hurt one of theirs. That is the definition of gang violence and even warfare. Evolution made us like this (I have no doubt), but our culture and society has liberated us from that jungle. Let's hope we never descend to a Mad Max world of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. God help us all.
11
Reading these comments, I see that the Purity Patrol strikes again, once again without actually reading or considering what was said or intended.
Liam Neeson appeared to realize as the interview concluded that he had said too much— been too honest — and, given the political climate, he probably should not have spoken.
But is that what we want? What Neeson said was that all of us respond impulsively, often with rancor, when those close to us are threatened. The experience taught him something about himself, a lesson he drew upon in creating a movie character.
Self-knowledge is not a virtue that the Purity Patrol prizes. If it were, they’d see that Neeson is pointing to them as well — to everyone who is human — to say that we all have feelings and instincts that our better natures would and should deplore.
But honesty is also a virtue devalued by the allegedly anti-racist, anti-sexist Taliban that has taken over Twitter, Facebook, cable TV and the media comments pages.
Liam, you were right - you shouldn’t have spoken. But not because what you said didn’t need to be said.
19
A few years ago, Neeson appeared on the Jon Stewart show and without a lead in question, and without provocation, went on a tirade against Mayor De Blasio for the Mayor's position on the horse drawn carriage "industry" in NYC. It was an ugly and bizarre performance.
In a way, I'm not surprised at this repeat performance by a man who seems quite pleased with himself, despite his obvious shortcomings.
As a result of Netflix and Hulu, one can't get totally away from this bad actor, but one can boycott his movies.
Since his most recent spate of movies involve a spin off of the character he describes as out hunting for revenge, one can only wonder if he thinks this is a good way to advertise for his next one.
It isn't, and he's just bringing himself down.
5
@James Barth
I'm so glad you brought this up. I mentioned it in an earlier comment. Doesn't seem like anyone else has. I could never stand watching him again after witnessing that ugly episode. He is definitely a man with anger, and apparently racist, issues. I'm sure these were not the only times he's exhibited these traits and more stories about him will come out.
1
It must be so difficult to be the only person who has not experienced a desire for unreasoning revenge after becoming aware of unjust injury to a loved one. Too bad you must live among those of us who have had evil thoughts which we regret. I wish nothing but continued bliss and fairness for you.
1
In comments attached to another NYT article about a certain Governor who is embroiled in a scandal right now, many of the respondents used the argument that those with slip ups in their past should come clean BEFORE they are caught and outed. The implication was that if you wish those wronged to forgive, you have to be proactive and honest up front.
Based on comments here, it would seem those arguments are invalid.
12
We have become purely reactive beings existing within a constant cycle where we are simply darting our heads back and forth as new viral stories of outrage/shame demand our attention as the headless juggernaut at the center of this cycle steamrolls over truth/due process/mercy, leaving a continual trail of undeserving victims in its wake. The juggernaut is online outrage and only the news media can push back against it and attempt to contain it. But of course, the news media does exactly the opposite.
Every day from here on out we will have a new person to hate. And by pouring hate all over all of these figures, we won’t get better as a society. We will not cleanse or purge our society of ‘bad thoughts’. We will simply push honest dialogue deeper within ourselves and forcing ourselves to only speak in the most bland platitudes as long as we avoid becoming the next target for all the hate.
9
He made a mistake. He has admitted so, and that he's ashamed. And perhaps most importantly, he learned from the mistake and became a better person.
Which is all a lot more than I can say for the GOPers 'leading' our country these days.
9
What exactly is the outrage about? The fact that a man had racist thoughts when he was young? I can't see how anyone can imagine themselves well informed and exercising a "woke" mind while being shocked at the _fact_ of such thoughts on the mind of a young man.
There's a certain disingenuousness to expressing outrage over this story: The man essentially owns up to his youthful prejudice and acknowledges it as a shameful moment in his life.
Anyone who believes that racism is ubiquitous could paint a better picture of how you'd like this story to turn out.
The fact of racism and acknowledging it - even in oneself - isn't a racist act. It's honest and direct.
13
The increasing present-tense-ness of progressive outrage is difficult for me to understand.
The point of the anecdote is that it was a horrible, and obviously learned, response. One that he's had to wrestle with as he's gotten older and one that brings him shame. The point of sharing it is to sap its power, to investigate it, to deal with it.
But, the response seems to reflect something bordering on mental disorder: because I learned about this episode of racist rage today, it may as well have happened today.
Neeson seems to go into it in the spirit of healing, reflection, and moral instruction. But for progressives, something happening at one time is equal to it happening at all times - Neeson is permanently in a state of racist rage.
Our culture is something out of science fiction.
7
Contrary to the knee jerk reactions of many on this thread, I think this confession by Neeson is anti racist. I admire him for admitting to these base instincts and overcoming them. His is a far more powerful statement than that of those who demand strict political correctness in everything we say or do.
20
What is most striking to me is the comment Neeson made in the GMA interview. When asked if he would have thought/felt the same way had the rapist been white, Neeson goes on to say he would have felt the same if the rapist were Irish, Scottish, British, or Lithuanian. However he didn’t ask his friend if the black rapist was Irish or British, etc. In the GMA comment, Neeson effectively equated race to nationality which demonstrates a level of racism, whether he realises it or not.
5
I agree. If the perpetrator had been a white man, it seems unlikely he would have tried to seek out a random white man in the same way.
Sounds like Mr. Neeson really knows how to drive the publicity truck for maximum publicity attention for his new film.
I often wonder why the listener often only partially hears what the victim is divulging to them.
A few years past I moved into a 620 sq foot apartment without anything except a bistro table with 2 chairs, and my bicycle. I had one plate, one cup, one spoon - fork - knife and one pot with no lid. I had 3 changes of clothing. That was it. Well, not quite. I had to have telephone because I worked at a hospital. That was just before cellphones came out.
I wasn't excited to be finding myself in this unanticipated situation, but we all do bring our the lives we own to fruition. While sitting on the side of the tub, waiting to air dry so I could put on my scrubs and go to work in the OR, I suddenly thought that and that I could use this adventure as a new learning opportunity or I could blithely continue on.
I chose the former. I take a few weeks every year now to listen to others. What I have found is that it doesn't work well over the phone. I've come to a conclusion about today's estate.
We no longer are interested in one-another. We are interested in only what affects ourselves.
Perhaps we have always been that way? After all, 'empathy' is a unique word for a unique state of being.
Perhaps it has always been so for us humans. I say that because it is so rare a condition, empathy, that we make a saint or a lunatic of an empathic person.
I cry for not what has been lost but what remains.
1
Oh my God an actor who went off his talking points and told a personal story. Yes what he did was terrible. Yes I'm sure many other people would have done the same thing. That's the problem with only seeing the color of someone else's skin. But why vilify him. He understood what he did was terrible and he took responsibility for it. And no I don't think it was a publicity stunt because I am a publicist and I would never have let him say that. Why? Because all people see is the headline or the story told. The rest is never covered. And that is what's wrong with the media today.
10
"Embrace your vulnerability, and accept your imperfections, knowing they represent a small part of your past, but not who you are in the present, or who you can be in the future."
Amit Sood, MD
10
Actors, perhaps more than other people, play with scenarios and emotional truth. In this instance, he came close to acting out his feelings in real life.
However, he never laid a finger on anyone. As he realized that he was being poisoned by his reaction to the rape of his friend, he got help.
Newsflash: thoughts, ideas and feelings are not crimes.
We have the actual rape of a woman and a man’s anger and desire to take it out on someone— normal reactions that came to nought. Let’s be mindful of the victim and stop the hysteria about whether he’s a racist thug. Actions speak louder than words, and Mr. Neeson’s actions in the heat are the moment did not cross the line.
7
Unfortunate example of candor on his part. But he was asked a question and he answered it honestly. He admitted it was a bad reaction to have in the first place. He extrapolated his mistake into a broader context. For all we know, he might not have ever attacked a black person if he did come across one.
He was enraged. He was out of his mind. He was going on the one identifying feature his friend gave him. It could have been a guy wearing khakis and a green blazer. He would have sought out a preppie to bludgeon.
Everyone, including him, is lucky that no violence ensued, no matter what color their skin is, how famous they are, or how bad their fashion sense may be.
7
you know who the most hateful judgemental people in the world are? it's not the liam neeson's of the world. it's the people who judge him for who he isn't today but for who he was years ago. he comes out and says this is who i was and what I thought and it was wrong and I was a terrible person for thinking and feeling that way. but since then I've come to understand how wrong and how bad that was and I am no longer that person. so if you are judging him by the person he once was and not by the person he has evolved into, then you are the most hateful judgemental people in this world and it is you who perpetuate the hate and divisiveness.
9
Well, we now have our first conviction for thoughtcrime, 35 years after the beginning of 1984. Exactly how is it shameful for someone to admit having had thoughts of indiscriminate violence after hearing about a terrible crime? Just about everyone has had these thoughts or something like them, but now that Mr. Neeson has admitted to them why, off with his head!
Some people love to read about this kind of thing, which I call "dining on shock." The people who carry on about what Mr. Neeson said are much more dangerous than he is.
13
It's cool how he uses that line from one of his movies to drop a hint, that he is Liam Neeson and you know what that means. KAPOW!
I’m going to cut him some slack on this one. He’s an actor who has played people seeking revenge. I’m sure he draws on this incident from his life to play a part well.
We all have primitive urges where we’re locked into our old, reptilian brain. This sounded more like a confessional - something he did that haunts him. Yes, he was completely irrational to simply want to kill any black person who started something with him, and he knew even then that he was out of control and needed help. He knows it was wrong. He’s not proud of this. He was triggered by the rape of a friend and probably triggered by some violence in his childhood. That kind of rage is usually connected to impotent childhood rage.
He didn’t commit a violent act on a random black person. He and we have no idea if he actually WOULD have if the opportunity had presented itself.
I’d rather focus my outrage on practicing racists who believe they are right to behave in a prejudiced manner and who hate anyone who is “other.” One of those people occupies the highest office in the land and will spew that hate tonight in the State of the Union Address.
5
"If she would have said an Irish or a Scot or a Brit or a Lithuanian, I know I would have had the same effect,” Mr. Neeson said on Tuesday. “I was trying to show honor to my — stand up for my dear friend in this terrible, medieval fashion.”
Except, hard to tell from a distance whether the target was Irish, Scot, Brit or Lithuanian. Dark skin not so difficult to lay collective blame on.
Skin color is a jersey for Mr. Neeson and his like—opposing team, the 'other'.
White people have this uncanny built-in ability to instantly organize for violence against the dark jersey.
No matter how much you think you know them, white people are always conscious of skin color. And in any conflict physical or verbal, it always comes down to that differentiator
4
@Cosby
I’m white, 56 years old, and after many, many years of thinking and soul-searching, I believe that what you say may unfortunately be true for the majority of whites. But, the real problem is that most of us can’t only not admit that we are racist on a very, very basic level, we literally are unable to “see” it. I’m shocked at how dense I can be in this regard. It blows me away at how stubborn my brain is about unlearning some things. Primarily, hyper-awareness of color (I work with numerous people of color, including African-Americans) and a somewhat sub-conscious desire to see someone else as “the other”.
For any white readers - just to be clear - I grew up in a “liberal, educated, forward thinking” household in Chicago where I never heard one blatant racist comment but I did hear words like “they” usually around empathetic ideas. The “they” and an implied social distance was the problem along with a lack of personal exposure to black folks as friends, classmates, neighbors etc.
Regarding Liam Neeson - he is oblivious to the inherent racism in his comments and he appears to be trying - but who knows. He’s a bit famous to be so cavalier.
2
And that's not true of black people when they think about whites?
To me, behavior is everything. If you behave like trash, you are trash, true for blacks, whites, and rich men with orange faces.
3
All people, regardless of race, see race. You are lying to yourself if you say otherwise. Young children usually are the only ones who don’t.
1
Neeson should have told this to his therapist, not a reporter. I hope this doesn't wreck his career.
8
I was sexually assaulted about 25 years ago. One of my male relatives, with whom I was very close, stopped his life and flew halfway across the country so he could be with me while I recovered. I don't think he ever roamed the streets looking for someone to kill, but I do know that he told the police chief he'd donate $1 million to the department if, when the suspects were identified, the chief gave him their addresses and then didn't investigate too hard when their bodies turned up. My relative is a very passive, kind man. But he said seeing what the rape did to me brought out a rage in him that he'd never experienced before. It wouldn't have mattered what race the suspects were; his reaction would have been the same. I imagine the same would have been true for Mr. Neeson.
I was fortunate to have a doctor who understood the impact rape can have on the victim's loved ones. She convinced my relative to get counseling for himself after he made sure I'd be OK, and he was able to deal with his anger. It would have been nice if we had used Mr. Neeson's comments to start a conversation about the effects sexual assault has on secondary survivors. But an article on that topic wouldn't have been as titillating as one about a white man saying he wanted to kill a black man, so ...
51
@TexasTabby - you are so right to speak about secondary trauma. I wish Mr. Neeson hadn’t told this story in this manner. It’s a story deserving of discussion and it’s a complicated and important story. Telling it in this format? Not so much.
5
While I appreciate Liam's honesty in revealing to the world his angry episode, what I can't forgive is his wanting to hurt someone - anyone - Black. I've been hurt, belittled, treated meanly numerous times by white people but I don't desire to hurt someone just because he/she is white. So while opening up to the world about his fit of anger and momentary racist anxiety, I would ask him and others to examine those feelings to hurt someone because he is Black. We have a very long way to go in this country to arrest these feelings of hatred towards someone because of his skin color.
20
Of course white people dont get the anger and horror of black people over his confession. They never had to worry about a black family member being beaten and returned to slavery after obtaining their freedom, beaten or murdered for being in a sundown town after datk, having whole communities burned down because of one criminal, or finding a family member lynched by some angry white men angry over some issues in their lives or just for sport.
As hurtful and horrifying as it is I am glad he confessed because what he contemplated has too often actually been carried out by white men with badges. Newsom opened the door to something that needs to be talked about no matter how uncomfortable it feels. At least he isn't some hypocrite and is willing to admit he was raised with some ugly beliefs .
26
@Hellen I'm willing to bet the rape VICTIM experienced a lot of trauma, too.
4
“White people dont get the anger and the horror experienced by black people”? What?
Liam Neeson grew up in Northern Ireland when terrorism was the order of the day and Protestants and Catholics hated each other with a burning and murderous passion, far exceeding police harassment and dirty looks at Starbucks.
Grow up.
You do not know what other people experience- none of us do- and it’s about time we stopped with the free pass for any grievance aired by someone, ostensibly over their melanin content, and how its presence or lack creates an unimpeachable class of the best moral actors in every situation based entirely on whether they are black(good) or white (bad).
5
If you are a white person who believes you have never had a racist thought, or prejudged or treated another on the basis of race, you are not paying attention.
My respect for Mr. Neeson has only increased on hearing his account of self examination, repentance, and public confession. This is the White Man's Burden for our time.
22
Thank you for writing this. Shaming someone who is examine the ways he directs anger (especially based on skin color) is counterproductive.
3
Is it just me or is does this sound like a publicity stunt to drum up attention for his upcoming movie of the same theme?
11
@Kapil Desai
No...
1
@Kapil Desai
yes...sounds a little fake...not something an actor of his caliber would confess to
1
One of the problems with racism is that many people won't/can't acknowledge they are capable of racist thoughts and behavior, will tell you they aren't racist, but deep down they harbor those kinds of thoughts. Mr. Neeson mentioned a time when in response to a horrible situation he reacted in a racist way, but also acknowledges it was horrible, he outright expresses horror at what he did and why it was wrong, not exactly like the governor of Virginia.
As far as the black commenter in this thread showing false outrage at Mr. Neeson, how blacks never did that to whites after everything that happened to them as a people, save it, claiming moral superiority fails the test of truth. Without denying one bit the injustices blacks have had to live with, it is a falsehood to claim that some or many blacks have not had at least thoughts of revenge, and at times acted on it. When riots happened, victims were often chosen because of who they were, Denny after the Rodney King verdict, or the Korean storekeepers who were victimized, at other times Jews were targeted simply for being Jewish, as in the case of the Crown heights riots; to deny this is to claim some kind of super humanity, and it isn't true. At the very least Mr. Neeson was honest that he could be racist, wasn't glorifying it, wasn't saying he was justified, he admitted he was human; and compare that to those who justified what happened after the King verdict, or those who justify vigilante action based on racist assumptions
67
@bill d Hundreds of years of oppression and Crown Heights and Reginald Denny is the best you can do? Neither event would have happened if a racist incident didn't precede it, ie: two children being run over by a speeding car racist cops getting away with brutality.
White folks didn't have to cower in fear when 4 Black children were blown up in church. Or when NINE Black people were gunned down in chuch.
1
@bill d
Thank You.
2
True, but don’t forget blacks are way way more likely to be a victim of black on black crime.
I think what this speaks to is Neeson's ability to go deeply & obsessively into a dark place & remain there to explore where his feelings take him. His friend described a painful experience & through empathy & connection, he took an intense psychological journey based entirely on another person's experience.
After a week, he snapped out of it & resumed his normal life.
I don't think Liam Neeson's a racist. I think he psychologically 'took on' her experience of being sexually injured by a black man & worked his way through it - without doing anything destructive. Merely fantasizing.
Neeson didn't prejudicially assume the assailant was black. The race was a fact of his friend's experience. A given.
He wanted to know what it would be like to experience so much pain that he could commit a terrible "revenge" crime.
Which he did not do.
This dark journey of empathy and rage, taken for a week to experience & understand it - then drop it - is exactly the quality in his personality that makes Neeson a fine actor.
What Neeson described was about empathy & imagination rather than racism.
He's portrayed vigilantes, warriors, killers, criminals, drifters, lovers, intellectuals, devoted fathers, cuckolds, heroes & scientists.
He's probably taken lots of strange imaginative journeys to embody those characters. They're not all like him. He has to find a way to understand how they think and feel.
Perhaps Dostoevsky did something similar before writing "Crime and Punishment."
44
@fast/furious
Agreed...
1
Why is everyone so much angrier at Mr. Neeson than they are at the rapist?
76
Because racism is important to a large group of Americans of many hues and persuasions, it is also fashionable to run around denouncing others as ‘racist’ while ignoring the fact that you send your kids to private school and would never allow affordable housing or a treatment center in your neighborhoods with your children.
Women, on the other hand, are a group universally reviled and whom no one supports, except as ‘feminism’ which is now supposed to include the needs of everyone but poor women.
4
amen!
2
@me
Why accuse "everyone" of something the comments don't support?
2
Here's whats weird; instead of asking his friend what could he do to help her get through the trauma he asked what color the person was?
America has a history of lynching black men because a white woman accused a black man of rape. Often the "White Citizens Council" would just grab any random black man......kind of what Mr. Neeson was thinking of doing.
19
@Lim
What he said: "“But my immediate reaction was, did she know who it was? No. What color were they? She said it was a black person.”
What would the cops have asked her?
7
@Lim
history of lynching? there may well have been as many Whites lynched as Blacks as lynchings occurred mainly where there was a need for immediate justice and there were no courts......and there were cases of Blacks lynching Whites and when reviewed....apparently justified by those in the territory...so it went both ways....
and when we look at rape stats....Blacks have a virtual monopoly on interracial rape...
As for Black on Black rape it is extreme...yet being a within the race thing...it largely goes unreported and so unpunished
1
@Lim, one difference being that back in the days of lynching, an all white jury would find the murderer not guilty.
1
I admire Liam Nesson’s honesty. But, of course, in today’s climate of fear and recrimination, he would be attacked by the PC police. But if you really support free speech in our country, you would take Nesson’s side in this controversy. I served in Vietnam as a medical corpsman, and on my first day back in the world, three longhairs in the crowded concourse at the Seattle Airport passing in the opposite direction gave me the Nazi salute and screamed “Sieg Heil!” at me. I went after them and chased them through the concourse. I was so enraged, I blacked out. I learned many decades later in therapy, I had a rage blackout. Actually, I’m glad I blacked out. If I caught up with them, I would have probably spent my first day back in the world in jail. That was then. I’m no longer that way. Though I never witnessed nor committed a war crime, I did participate in a criminal war. The anti-war protesters were right and I was wrong. This morning I saw on the Headline News channel, tweets criticizing Nesson.They told him he should have expressed his honesty in the confessional or in therapy. He was just admitting how self-destructive and self-defeating rage can be when you allow yourself to be in the grips of hate. I even now support those longhairs who humiliated me at the Seattle Airport. They were exercising their right of free speech. But I was so emotionally damaged and wounded, I flew into a rage and wanted to strangle them. So here’s to Liam.
45
@George Hoffman
Thank You for understanding and for sharing your story.
I remember those years and I was horrified what was said and done to the Vietnam War Veteran's when they came home. That was a disgrace. Expressing an opinion doesn't mean you have to put someone down.
I am glad you are able to reach your peace.
Thank You for this.
3
@George Hoffman thank you for your service.
2
In these strife-torn days you should never say or write anything to anyone about anything at all. Anything you say can and will be held against you in the court of humanity.
Neeson should know this.
Oops, I shouldn't have written this.
29
Why is this news and why do people feel that others are interested in every inane thought that comes into their head? Why does the NYT and NBC news, where I saw this "story" first feel it warrants printing and broadcasting? I'm really stumped!
13
@KG
Don't be stumped. You read it in the "If-it-bleeds-it-leads-NYT."
These kinds of stories make a lot of money for the media.
3
@KG
Because it shocking and unexpected.
I applaud Mr Neeson's honesty in his response to how he could understand and play that character.
Listen to his sharing the story with the reporter there's pain in his recounting the period.
4
@KG It gets clicks. And clicks beget advertising dollars.
2
What Neeson admitted to is a very natural human impulse. It is a basic part of our psyche to see ourselves not just as individuals but as part of a group. Throughout most of human history, the impulse to respond to someone from another group hurting one of our own by taking revenge on that group was not just normal, but regarded as brave and noble. What kind of man lets someone from another tribe rape his kin and does nothing?
Neeson has met his own dark side; understanding it will help him resist it. Most of us have this in us. It's the ones who don't know they have it in them that I worry about. They're the ones who can go on thinking they're the good guys while they write the orders for the gulag.
And btw: “The fact that black people have been able to not blame every white person for the deeds of racist whites is a tribute to our character as a people.” Sure. Ask a white person who grew up in a tough black neighborhood about this. Or, say, Reginald Denny.
27
@Tom. If we can ask a white person how grew up in ta ough black neighborhood then that means they are alive to talk about. Just as Denny lived, the only example you have over centuries. Now if you can resurrect all the black people lynched or murdered while unarmed py police officers then we can have a real conversation.
3
File under:....things you should probably just keep to yourself.
11
No... one of the important we Americans have to take as individuals and collective is acknowledging the human impulse to categorize people. Someone makes me angry and I find myself wanting to categorize them based on the most obvious “identity” (wealthy, gay, Latin, etc). We all have to watch for this propensity but not be fearful that it indicates “racism” as in some sort of permanent branding.
1
He described a fantasy, that's all. He never took action based on it. End of story. Get over it. Bigger fish to fry (insert cliche). No wonder the white supremacists have such an easy time playing the victim card
14
@Ned Kelly
Walking the streets, holding a club, looking for any excuse to kill any black man is not a fantasy. He took concrete steps to maim or kill someone, which is not a fantasy.
3
Oh what a shocking response to a rape. I guess we should ban Neeson from all movies and ostrasize him any number of ways. This racism guilt trip is so far out of control. The fact of the matter is that blacks commit a percentage of crimes that grossly exceeds their percentage of total population. What kind of reaction do you expect him to have had. You leftists are so out of control it's ridiculous. I can't imagine how small the percentage is of crimes by whites against blacks. Now, let's hear the political correctness bellowed from the left's high heaven.
12
@Bryan
A crime does not permit vigilante violence against innocent people.
Check out investigative reporter Ida B. Wells.
3
@Bryan Remember the Susan Smith murders? Was there even a black man involved here?
1
Archie Bunker is Dead
- Long Live Archie Bunker.
Why bother publishing the moronic utterances of someone who is paid to recite lines written by other people?
5
Why are his "utterances" to a rape victim "moronic?"
I could be wrong but I don't see what he said is racist. His friend was raped by a black man and he said he went looking for the "black bastard." He didn't assume the rapist was black he friend told him the rapist was black.
13
@Julia
He was aiming to kill anyone who was black and male:
"Some black bastard would come out of a pub and have a go at me about something, you know? So that I could kill him.”
6
@Julia
Agree. The cops would have asked her the color of the attacker, too.
4
Of course, none of this is defensible, including the Comments that are re-writing the story he told. He said he was looking for a black man coming out of a pub that would make a go at him. He was looking for a trouble maker, one that was black, hoping (unrealistically) it was the one who violated his friend. He did not say he was walking the streets looking to find a black man waiting for a bus so he could walk up and murder him.
Sorry Liam, I always liked you up to now. But not anymore. You probably look at a rough guy walking down the street in sagging pants and pre-judge him. Or noticed an immodestly dressed woman and snuck a peek at her cleavage. Or saw two guys making out in public and thought “yuck, that’s not for me.” Nope, not me. None of the rest of us ever hold such private thoughts, because to do so makes us a racist, a misogynist, a homophobe. You sir, are truly evil.
4
Without intending to excuse Mr. Neeson, perhaps he's trying to raise the issue of impulsive response we all have, down to screaming at our children out of anger that would seem to make no sense after the fact. I still recall the senseless killing of Vincent Chin by a bunch of laid off auto workers in Detroit out of anger towards Japanese auto makers........and he wasn't even Japanese, just another yellow skinned person in the eyes of angry ignoramus. What is the difference between that and this? A man who is admitting to feeling the anger and killing no one, while the other, many men not admitting to anger, but definitely killing an innocent man. Which would be a better learning lesson?
14
As a black person, I find it hard to condemn Neeson. It happened several years ago, he didn't act on it, and he said he is ashamed.
Yes, it's upsetting and disappointing, but I'd rather know what people are really feeling and be able to challenge them if necessary. Back in the 1970s, I was in a consciousness raising group, an activity in which women gathered to discuss their lives and relationship to the world.
I was the only black woman and the youngest member. A white woman started talking about her sexual fantasies, including being raped by faceless black and Asian men. It was an awkward moment because the whole point of the group was for women to speak freely and frankly about personal matters, but I did express my dismay that she was objectifying men of other races.
25
I am baffled by the "shock and disgust" expressed by the sanctimonious.
Mr. Neeson's actions were entirely unremarkable, and a fairly ordinary human response, which we have seen over and over for millennia. The urge to go and "get" a member of the "other" group when one of "them" is perceived to have committed an offense is practically hardwired into our brains. The facts that he ultimately didn't hurt anyone, changed his behavior and mindset, and learned something about human nature, are all good, and should lead others to congratulate him, rather than criticize him.
He made a (harmless) mistake, learned from his errors, and grew.
And Mr. Russell from the NAACP should get off his high horse and see reality. Growing up in NYC in the 1970s, I had plenty of chances to encounter people (of both sexes) of African ancestry who were more than happy to try to kick my pink Euro-descended behind for no reason other than that my skin was the same shade as that of people who had mistreated them. As we get older, we grow past these things. That is good.
55
It increasingly feels like some of the "woke" folks keep moving the goal posts. They command: "Understand the minority experience." Then they say: "You'll never understand the minority experience." They accuse others of racism and then they claim that those who genuinely apologize are simply showing another level of privilege. If a person complains about any of this, they are told they should remain silent because none of their suffering will ever compare to that of the downtrodden. I went through a similar time during the 90s when I came out of the closet but was informed by militants that I wasn't the right kind of lesbian. After a while, the greater good gets lost behind the virtue posturing. What the world needs now is empathy, sweet empathy. For all.
34
@Claudia Unadvised
They, they, they, they, they, . . . blah blah blah. Where's the "sweet empathy?"
2
The only way to end racism and bigotry is to accept and admit that these thoughts have been at some point in everyone’s mind. Liam has taken the first step of talking about it publicly. One day we might just not take ourselves so seriously and embrace the humanity in all of us. We just to need to start trying.
18
He apparently was explaining how he was able to summon up the character that he plays in "Cold Pursuit." He should have kept his mouth shut or saved the confession for Actors Studio, particularly in this political climate.
On the other hand, he recognizes that his reaction was irrational, racist and ugly. So now we are pillorying, not only those who commit racist acts, but those who acknowledge and deplore their own prior racism?
No repentance allowed, honesty punished: the purity mob finds a new target.
I wasn't planning to see the film -- had never heard if it, in fact -- but now I will. Liam, next time, save the confessions for Father O'Toole. The purity mob knows no religion other than it's own self-regard.
21
I heard the interview and I think it's commendable that Neeson now recognizes that revenge is wrong and self-defeating, but he doesn't seem to have dealt with the idea that attacking an innocent person because they're the wrong color is not revenge at all. It's merely victimizing another innocent person. I do understand his description of the influence of the Troubles on his world view, but those conflicts were inter-ethnic conflicts in which attacks on one individual were intended to be attacks on the group. Rape is about one individual exerting power over another. Except, perhaps in cases of war or where there is an explicit expression of racial animus, it is not an expression of racial or ethnic hatred. Nonetheless, that is how he perceived it.
I think he'd have served himself and racial dialogue better if he had come out and said that even if revenge is justified, attacking an innocent person for being the wrong color isn't a legitimate form of revenge.
@RTB
I agree with your comment but as a human being I also understand how what he felt as retribution for a major disaster. Inflicted on a person (who is loved by another) called can be distorted by a worldview where someone who is not like you is the "enemy".
Growing up in Ireland during the "Troubles" if you have any idea what was happening explains much of what he felt at that time. I am sure if the person who did that to Mr Neeson's loved o object of his rage was anyone be them Chinese, Western European or of anyone from outside the "Normal folk" of Ireland they would have been the the object of his rage and vengeance.
What is so hard to understand about this? I am not excusing this I am only trying to share what I believe he was trying to share.
What he said at the end of this mess is his comment that he thanks G-_d that it did not happen.
I truly believe he should be commended for his honesty and in being true to what he felt then as well as how he feels now. That's no small thing.
1
Wiill we ever have an honest discussion of racism in America?
An actor talks honestly about his experiences (from forty years ago) in a religious and politically-divided Ireland, how he tapped into feelings of revenge, how he examined and worked thru ingrained attitudes which made no sense... and he's castigated in the public square as racist.
There's a song in the musical 'Avenue Q' called 'Everyone's a Little Bit Racist.' And yes, we all are. Honestly. If we admit it, look at it, try to understand it and are honest about it, we get raked over the coals.
Maybe America needs to take a 'First Step,' as they do in recovery programs, admitting we're all a little racist? Thank you, Mr. Neeson for opening up honestly even if it means being shamed by those who want to portray themselves as without character defects.
17
I find his willingness to share something awful about himself in the context of the interview refreshing. Attention seeking, perhaps, but it seems to me like he was leaving it to the interviewer's discretion. A little bait to satisfy his curiosity. Perhaps the interviewer just got played. Perhaps he was imparting a little lesson of his own.
1
@Westy
I agree... if you saw the interview he was asked how he could portray a person bent and obsessed with vengeance could act on that.
That was very brave and honest.
2
Not sure how to respond. I'm white and was raised in Philly, and if an African-American person was arrested for a crime, I obviously didn't blame the entire race. Strangely enough, as a kid, I could see 'the whites' as the oppressors and the African-Americans as the oppressed even though I did not have those sophisticated words in my vocabulary, and I was always confused why the oppressors were usually 'angry' and the oppressed were 'calm' and 'forgiving.' It short circuited my eight year old brain which was, in fact, logical.
The trouble was: The rest of our American society wasn't so logical.
Maybe, Mr. Neeson grew up in a society that was, possibly, too homogeneous.
It's up to other people to forgive him.
6
Racism is not an indictment accusing a person of being evil (although there are many evil racists): it's conditioned thinking that some races are better/worse than others and participation in actions that support this. I am glad to hear Liam Neeson confess to racist actions, because it helps people (mostly whites) see that racism lives everywhere- even in well-intentioned hearts and repentant souls. I don't know if Liam Neeson is a good person or bad, or even if he's overcome his racism or not. But now I know he is honest, and I wish the rest of America would join in that honesty, instead of demonizing flawed people and refusing to self-evaluate.
6
Why did Liam ask his friend "what color was he"?
The fact he thought to ask this question under such a circumstance is to me the most revealing part of his story. It speaks volumes when you unpack it.
Why would that question even come up unless he wanted to confirm his own racist beliefs, which by the way, are self perpetuating.
9
@MS
If you "unpack" the questions the cops ask crime victims, you learn a lot.
Male or female? What race? What accent? How old? Obese? Hirsute? Drunk? Drugged? Height? Clothes?
Etc.
2
It's telling that liberals are so much angrier at Mr. Neeson than they are at the actual rapist. And not one liberal has expressed concern for his friend, who endured a truly disgusting and terrifying experience. I hope she's ok, and has been able to put the trauma behind her. And I think it's great that Mr. Neeson cared enough about his friend to get angry on her behalf. And he's still a good actor, who chooses interesting roles.
9
@me
Commenters have expressed concern over the victim.
The article states the victim died 5 years ago.
'Getting angry on her behalf' is a normal. However, looking to kill someone because of his skin-color is abnormal.
3
I assume Mr. Neeson will get an amazing amount of flack for admitting how he learned revenge is to be avoided. I wonder if the Puritanical stone-throwers, the finger-pointers in our 'gotcha' culture will go beyond the soundbite he provided and look at his regret as well.
His feelings were a natural human response though incredibly wrong when acted upon. He and a dark skinned gentleman are quite lucky they dd not find each other.
Had he or the writer of the article framed his admission as a lesson learned, he might have been spared our 21st century sledge hammer of justice that operates without mercy and without any sense of context and without the ability to decipher subtlety.
8
Blaming all people of a certain race or ethnic group for crimes committed by some people of the same race or ethnicity lies at the heart of racism. For example, today white Americans are commonly blamed for slavery although none of them own slaves.
10
I know how he felt. Once, about forty years ago, I was driving along, listening to Rush Limbaugh. I hadn't heard him before, and I was horrified to hear an anti-woman harangue like nothing I had ever heard.
It was infuriating, so much so that I wanted to kill a man. Any man.
At that moment, a man walking on the sidewalk turned and stepped off the curb into the street. I came very close to swerving my car the little bit it would require to hit him.
I didn't do it, but I can understand the irrational need to kill someone who would stand in as a representative of a whole group of people.
11
@Pecan
Thanks Pecan for sharing your story. I've felt the same way every day ever since p---y grabber was elected president over the most competent candidate in the entire field. Unfortunately, unlike our Liam here, I still havent recovered.
1
Another layer of the onion that is humanity is revealed.
Apparently this was 40 years ago.
How do we discuss this part of all of us in a way that leads us to the right way to teach children how to watch for and correct such mental lapses?
So having a "racist revenge fantasy" that doesn't actually materialize is worse than raping someone? Is racism and implicit bias (which everyone has, by the way -- it just manifests differently among different people) now a greater crime than horrific acts of violence?
The New York Times and other media sources (CNN) exhibit their own bias every time they choose to make a news story over a POC being accepted into an Ivy League school. Ask yourself why these media outlets think such an event is so noteworthy.
6
Neeson admitted something terrible from his past was...terrible. The governor of Virginia, when something terrible from his past was made public...apologized. I’m not quite sure what more people want than that—that we never face our past poor behavior because if we do we are forever tarnished with that irreparable sin? Interestingly, progressives who seem to be animated by that impetus hold quite different beliefs around redemption when it comes to the criminal justice system.
2
The movie Taken was racist and prejudiced. Actors play roles close to who they are. Who would say this remark to a journalist and not a therapist? Especially a well educated, wealthy, renowned individual. Just wanted attention and to unleash frustration. And the New York Times could spend better time writing informative pieces than tabloid stories and we could spend better time planting trees than reading the imperfections of a so-so actor.
1
@Jackie - "Actors play roles close to who they are." - duh, doesn't this just mean they are good actors since they seem to be able to convince you that their role is really them?? Like say, gay actors, who play straight parts?
@Jackie Albanian is a race?
@Bigmamou I don’t know anymore. I liked what the other commentator said about needing to hear these thoughts so as to form discussions around it. I think my comment before was too quick to judge.
I was harsh and wrong. How can we have solutions if we get offended by honesty and cover our ears? As I did earlier.
1
Proposal for an alternative title to this article:
"Man with racist thoughts years ago lambasted by other people who pretend to have never had racist thoughts, and the whole exercise gets us no closer to actually dealing with racism"
19
Exactly right.
Blame the 24/7 news cycle - readers will continue to be fed nonsense like this which is deemed newsworthy. And the anonymity and ubiquity of comments adds to the nonsense we are reading from commentators. This happened 40 years ago. He is sorry and ashamed. And he says so. The thought police should be eliminated.
@S.T. best comment of the day.
1
I am not especially fond of Neeson but "Schindler's List" was the best movie of the 1990s. I refuse to stop watching it over this.
1
What exactly was the point of bringing this up, though? Was this a conversation about race in the first place? Nothing is really clear in this article.
It's amazing to read the all the comments praising Liam Neeson for NOT murdering a random Black man. Maybe that's a big achievement, for White people. At the end of the day, do White people congratulate themselves for NOT murdering a random POC?
I'm not appalled by what Liam Neeson THOUGHT. I'm appalled at what he DID. He walked the streets, armed with a weapon, hunting a Black man TO KILL. Even today, he doesn't acknowledge the ugliness in his soul. He gives the standard 'racism bad' statement and expects applause and to be let off the hook. AND HE WILL BE.
39
@laura174 And it doesn't bother you one bit that this black man raped someone...because it's racist to object, even mildly, to blacks raping or killing whites, apparently.
12
@laura174
"Even today, he doesn't acknowledge the ugliness in his soul."
Please, please, READ the article before you post. He most certainly does acknowledge the ugliness of it, repeatedly!!! That's the whole reason he's sharing it. It's positively Trumpy to write that he doesn't acknowledge it, when the fact that he does is sitting right in front of you in black and white.
All of us, regardless of skin color, have done awful things that we feel awful about. It was extremely brave of him to share one of his worst moments and will hopefully allow others to examine their own. Never forget:
"John 8: 'He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.'"
13
@me We're not talking about the rapist. Because Liam Neeson didn't do anything to help his friend get justice for HER assault. He just wanted to assuage HIS |racism. Hopefully his friend went to the authorities and the rapist was found and prosecuted. And hopefully she learned that her 'good friend' Liam was a piece of garbage.
2
Anything goes and everyone knows nowadays. Better the truth be told now than later. Can't say that for President Donald J. Trump. And The "State of the Union Address" is on tonight on network TV. Let's see how many tune in and believe everything he says.
As for actor Liam Neeson comment I am not surprised by the reaction. Too many people judge people in an extraordinary way because of where they're from. And coming from Northern Ireland and at the timeframe you have to take it into context. Not saying it's appropriate but times were different back then too. Lifestyles were different. Crime stays the same, however. Can't say lifestyles are for the better now. But let's hope we can admit that what goes around comes around. Paybacks are "Hell" literarily and figuratively. But no one want's to meet his or her maker. Or go to prison either.
Good on him. This kind of thing happens. And it's not always white men either, as Ralph Ellison once attested. Hope we might gain some insight and compassion, and take heart in our power to recognize and cast aside wrathful impluses.
50
Everybody talks about needing a dialog on racism in America. But then they jump all over an honest person who confesses a regretable episode when grief and anger left him vulnerable to the worser angles of our nature. There but for the grace of God go all of us. Nice try, Liam. But America can't handle the truth; we prefer the comfort of lies and lying leaders.
265
@John
Yes, exactly. What’s useful about a dialog about racism that doesn’t admit racism wherever it occurs?
8
@John - his red carpet event has been called off. It was a confession about something that happened that haunts him. It is often stunning, to ourselves and others, when we admit to having a shadow side. I am sorry this has unfolded in this manner. Seems like a lot of “first stones” are being cast.
3
Sounds like Mr. Neeson, who I wouldn't know from a cord of wood, wanted some attention and decided to day something stupid.
4
Ha ha. Guess he has been cast as that vengeful angry white guy in so many movies for good reason!
4
I do not know Mr. Neeson and can only respond to what has been printed. He has been in the public eye long enough to know how journalism works so he had to weigh his desire to convey his message against the myriad ways it would be edited. He must have decided that the message was worth the effort.
I interpret the message as the rage we all feel that fuels a revenge reaction. Mr. Neeson grew up in a community that long suffered from revenge reactions so he knows first hand what he is warning of and knows revenge only moves a problem's resolution farther away.
Personally, I grapple with escalating revenge fantasies with everyday's barrage of tweets from 1600. Like Mr. Neeson, I tamp them down, do not act on them, and shift to stay focused on the problem. My mantra is 2020.
39
Obviously, a terrible thing to have thought, but Mr. Neeson knows that: “It’s awful. But I did learn a lesson from it,” he said. “I understand that need for revenge, but it just leads to more revenge, to more killing and more killing.”
Is he to be hated and ruined for having had an immature and racist reaction to something years ago? Isn't it beneficial for the general public to see that people they admire have not always behaved perfectly? Can't we evolve, learn and grow and put our past behind us, provided we didn't destroy others in that past? Are we all without sin?
143
Boy, white folks sure do start crying when a white actor says something horrific. As some have commented, a black man confessing this type of behavior would not get your tears.
"Can't we evolve, learn and grow and put our past behind us"? If a large, scary looking lack actor said they had revenge fantasies about killing whites, and walked around at night with a gun (perfectly legal!) hoping a white person stumbles drunkenly out of a bar so he can shoot them just for fun? Please.
Stand up to people who say "Isn't it OK that happened since I've learned and am a better actor now?" No, it wasn't OK. Studios can still hire Mr. Neeson's talented self; he's not ruined. Firm stand, America against trump/bannon/Miller fascism. That's the way to make it stop.
8
@deba
"...a black man confessing this type of behavior would not get your tears." And you know this how?
1
It feels like we’re a little too quick to call people racist and throw them under the bus these days. I’m not saying he’s a good person or it’s excusable to pick a random POC to kill, I’m just saying that I’m noticing a trend of stories where were looking through people’s past to determine who might ever have been racist, and this isn’t going to end well. This is not reconciliation, it’s revenge.
68
I'm wondering if the outrage about Mr. Neeson's revenge fantasy has been misjudged in this article. When I read his statements I wondered if it should be more correctly viewed as psychotherapy. By his own admission, to carry a cosh to bludgeon someone is pretty dark behavior. In Jungian psychology that would be called "assimilating his shadow." And the only method that he really he has to 'fix himself' is psychodynamic psychotherapy. During that process he would first have to realize that he has a problem (much like an alcoholic must first admit that they're a drunk), and then develop and carry out a psychological strategy to change his behavior. That usually means he would first need to publicly recognize and admit his problem.
This seems to be exactly what he's done. According to the article: "In the interview, Mr. Neeson said he had never publicly talked about the episode before. It was horrible, horrible, when I think back, that I did that,” he said. “And I’ve never admitted that, and I’m saying it to a journalist. God forbid.”"
Before we judge Mr. Neeson too harshly, we should first decide how someone might go about curing themselves of their prejudices. There are, after all, a lot of prejudiced people in the world. They need a way to cure themselves.
55
@W I agree with your comment, and am troubled by how we cure ourselves. For better or worse, some of the activity which is now headline for others is not far from my own thinking, feeling, believing, and acting. I do not have a position to fall from as do those who must now address transgressive behavior from the past, but am still called to account in my own reflection.
“It’s awful. But I did learn a lesson from it.”
Except for the very pure, can any of us throw the first stone? It is better to look for the log in our own eye, which is what I think Mr. Neeson has publicly, and courageously, done.
4
I feel it must also be pointed out he didn't actually do anything. He didn't make the first move, but he would have been more then willing to make the last move had he had the opportunity.
That doesn't mean he wasn't being a horrible person. Just that the horribleness never actually materialized anywhere beside his head. Until the interview anyway, as now it is in our heads as well. But he never actually murdered a random person now did he? How many of us have fantasized about destroying someone or something, and maybe even visualize what we would need to do to make it happen, but then of course never did it? It is the not doing that makes us decent people. Pretty much has those thoughts at one point or another. It just so happens Liam's thoughts were racist. But he didn't actually assault or murder anyone. and it appears he learned from it. None of us are saints. But he likely didn't do himself any favors for his acting career by admitting such a thing.
10
@Still Waiting for a NBA Title Was the rapist being a good person? Why does no one blame the rapist?
1
@me
Probably because the rapist is no more at fault for inciting feelings inside Liam compelling him to consider killing a random black person than if someone were to feel that way towards a random Arab because of 9/11.
@me
Liam blamed him.
The reaction Neeson describes was terrible, but it's good for people to acknowledge their past mistakes and call them mistakes. If everyone who ever had a racist impulse kept quiet and papered over it, we wouldn't as a society recognize the prevalence of these impulses and be able to move past them. We need to allow space for people to admit mistakes and problematic behavior, and redeem themselves.
29
@E
" We need to allow space for people to admit mistakes and problematic behavior, and redeem themselves."
"An unexamined life is not worth living"--Socrates
2
Well, there goes HIS career. Confession may be good for the soul, but not for the pocketbook.
9
@Observor Not so. He has always been popular only with those who could take movies like "Taken", and those people are writing about what a great confession this is. He will keep his base.
1
I think it is a shame that we shut down and those that are willing to share sides of them that do show flaws. I did not read the original interview, but it did not sound like he was bragging about this period of extreme racism, rather using it to highlight how he once thought and reacted to a terrible event. If he had acted on that hatred, my reaction would be negative, but it was not; and instead, he was honestly sharing something he knew was wrong. We need to allow people to talk about racism openly and speak about how they feel or have felt. We need to applaud when people do change and move toward equality and acceptance. Those things need to happen in order for society to begin to heal and move forward.
24
Full disclosure--Liam Neeson is one of my favorite actors. I have no idea whatsoever what his political leanings are and his politics wouldn't influence my enjoyment of him as an actor in any way. I think he was very brave to share his story about his negative feelings and revenge fantasies towards black men after his friend was raped by one. I hope his career and personal life don't suffer as a result. It is wonderful that he has resolved those feelings now and felt confident enough to share them. One of the main reasons that prejudice and racism exists is because of negative experiences that people have with a member of whichever group they are prejudiced or racist against. A lot of people experience feelings similar to Liam Neeson's at one time or another, whether they admit it or not, because of experiences they have had. Of course, just because a person has a negative experience with a member of a particular group, that doesn't mean they would have a negative experience with every member, or even most members of that group. We are all individuals. It is important that we start having honest conversations about prejudice and racism and its causes and cures--without the fear of being judged and banished--if we want more unity in the United States. Lately, it feels like we are worlds apart.
56
All the negative comments just tells me people don't want to hear honesty. Here's a famous person saying that he transformed his way of thinking and wants to use it as a lesson for others and all he gets is criticism. Then everyone complains there's no honesty in the world. No wonder, when the world is so cynical and resigned, few will take that chance to be ridiculed. Why don't you look inside yourselves for the darkness and I'm sure you'll find many moments you're not proud of. The difference is that Liam Neeson is willing to look not so perfect like all the Hollywood do-gooders, which is a lot more real to me...
87
This appears to be part of an actor's search for his character's motivation. Today, though, random musings can be deadly. "Wrong" thoughts are outlawed.
Interesting story that I'm sure he regrets. Will he ever work again?
I'm sure the studio wants it killed but what about the mob? I'm conflicted: I hope the story doesn't proliferate but I’m morbidly curious about whether they’ll be calling for his head.
4
I don't understand the outrage here. So he had a revenge fantasy. Did he act on it? No. Did he commit any crimes? No. Did anyone get hurt? No. Did he say that his fantasy was a bad thing? Yes.
What more do people want? Would they prefer that actors and celebrities simply lie and make stuff up when questioned about their past?
135
@Byron This revenge fantasy came from his racist mind.
2
@Byron his revenge fantasy was not against the rapist, but against ANY BLACK MAN. And you don't see a problem?
10
@Judy
Yes, and he clearly regrets it, feels horrible about it, thought about it, became a better person and left the racism behind. Isn't that what we WANT people to do? Stop being racist?
Instead of unthinking outrage about a confession of past bad behavior, having an honest dialogue about how people can change might actually help a bit.
John 8: "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her."
5
But wait, was the rapist ever caught? Or are we just going to be shocked because Liam was obviously transported to a dark place upon learning that a woman close to him was raped? Had she said Arab, Chechnyan, or Mongolian I imagine the reaction from everyone would be a bit different. No political points to score and no attention to gain if that was the case. Give the man a break. He’s giving us a lesson on revenge.
37
It’s a terrible thing to admit; an understatement. But I’d rather people be honest, especially when he has evolved and learned a better way to be. Now if he had actually assaulted someone, I would find it harder to forgive.
This does illustrate part of the peril faced by any minority - everybody is automatically assumed to be the same - and often bad - and we know some of the consequences that flow from that. Hopefully admissions like this will lead to people taking a breath instead of lashing out at people of color or whatever other minority they encounter.
11
The man openly described a state of mind experienced in the face of tragedy. He himself cast the story in incredulous terms - remarking how unacceptable his out-of-control feelings were. To my knowledge, he put the racist invective in air quotes.
Nobody on the face of this earth should be held accountable for what they think - only for what they do. The “outrage” expressed at his ill-advised but laudable honesty is either insincere or disingenuous. As if all of us have never had unacceptable thoughts!
52
@James
The problem James and the many other commenters is that he did act on what he thought. By his own admission he walked the streets with a cosh looking for a black man to not just harass, intimidate or browbeat but to kill him, and not to avenge the death of someone special to him, not to minimize the horrific experience his friend was subjected to.
He doesnt say how close he may have come to committing a murder, did he not encounter someone "worthy" of his wrath during a week long crusade?
I find dubious his assertion that if the attacker of his friend was white he would have behaved the same, certainly in Northern Ireland finding a white person to savage while Liam was white with rage wouldn't have been a problem.
If this incident helped Neeson come to grips with his inner demons and grow as a man, congrats to him, but I'll never be able to watch his revenge/avenge movies again with the same sense of entertainment.
6
@doug
You think he was unable to find a suitable victim? I doubt it. More likely he didn’t follow through with his idea, and won’t.
The man has made a living for decades portraying people in the throes of blood lust, being paid millions for it. He’s not an idiot and likely was attempting to throw some light on a relevant personal experience so as not to appear clueless about what he does. Or maybe to give himself some sense of relevance to his occupation; who knows.
I’m any case, up to you if you watch his movies anymore. But don’t look too deeply into the psyche of any entertainer lest you never allow yourself to be entertained again.
3
Hypothetically speaking, if a regular person has a fantasy about Liam Neeson, and then walks around his neighborhood trying to meet him so he can live out the fantasy (it’s not violent!), and then posts it to his on-line dream journal blog, the constables are going to be at his door within the hour.
I know this because it actually happened. Not the way it was written up above, but at a different time and place with another celeb.
Or take the case of Taylor Swift. Why is it ok for her to have a small army of security, and to use facial recognition software against her fan base at concerts, but it’s not okay for her fans to watch her just as closely?
In short, I think we’re wildly off the mark in how we’re interpreting this case. It’s not a case of white privilege and racism, but rather a case of celeb privilege and fan exploitation. We love and we love and we love our celebs, and how do they return the support that literally lines their pockets? They respond by playing the victim, and by walling themselves off from us. Or worse, they and other elites try to distract us with tales of racism and sexism that only serve to divide and confuse us.
This is the real crime!
2
Well said. And I'm alarmed at the number of people who think it's no big deal because nothing happened... had an innocent black man approached him from behind in the dark (to ask for directions, to ask for his autograph), he probably would have found himself bludgeoned to death. The only reason nothing happened was because the opportunity didn't present itself -- Neeson said himself that he was walking around looking for the chance to perpetrate a violent act. Very disturbing. Yes, we've all had terrible thoughts, but personally I've *never gone out armed* and looking to kill someone. That's a big difference. I've been attacked by Whites, I know others who have, but I don't know anybody who holds their race accountable and goes looking for revenge on random people. I can only assume that all the defenders here are White, and racist. If someone were to admit to wanting to go kill a white man or woman because his friend/family member were raped or killed, what would happen to said person?
7
Dear " celebrities ",
You don't need to spill everything you've ever thought, said or done. It doesn't make you more accessible or likeable to your Fans. Often, you just appear clueless and desperate. Just say nothing.
Seriously.
18
@Phyliss Dalmatian
Yeah, let's keep it all inside, not in the open. Who better than celebrities to look at their inner demons and conflicts? Americans put actors on pedestals. Who better to speak the truth? He was asked a question about how he finds feelings of 'revenge' for his films. He responded honestly. And now some tell him to say nothing. Sad.
2
The appropriate response to a confession of this sort--even accompanied by some post-remark triste--is to nudge the confessor toward a mental health professional. What is accomplished by publicizing Mr. Neeson's mental torments?
1
I’m in a bit of a hurry here and I don’t have time to do the proper research but I’m sure some other commenters here could quickly find any number of biblical stories that parallel this one — the Prodigal Son comes to mind — in which a person says, does, or believes something wrong and later comes to realize the error of their ways, and is forgiven.
Apparently our modern climate of persecuting politically incorrect ThoughtCrimes does not afford Mr. Neeson the benefit of this ancient tradition.
20
Understand the impulsive need for revenge but walking the street for a week trying to entice someone to approach you to kill is taking it to another level. Totally abhorrent
15
Lately, we keep hearing the phrase “this is not who we are”. Mr. Neeson had the courage to talk about a THOUGHT that he once had, a thought that he was ashamed of, a thought that he never carried out, but one that helped him in the role of his new movie. For this THOUGHT, he has been bashed by the social media mobs, who have now called him a racist. Is there a person on this planet who has never had a bad thought ? Few people ever talk about their ‘bad thoughts’, but are we now going to judge people based on some ‘once upon a time bad thoughts’ ? For the sake of humanity, I pray that this is NOT who we are...nor becoming.
21
To any producer: Go ahead and put him in your production; movie, play, etc. And know that when I don't view that production, I'm protesting him and you for supporting him. Neeson needs to be left to wallow in shame, alone, forever.
5
Context is everything here. Within the context of what he was talking about--the launching of revenge cycles and the tragic pointlessness of it all--there is real value in his acknowledgment of the misguided rage that inspires it. That he felt that rage and intended to target any black guy crossing his path is certainly racist, but it appears to be largely because the rapist was identified as a black man.
Rage over feelings of impotence in the face of random assault is human. The trajectory of hate and a return to one's higher senses could be a valuable lesson here.
11
I’m puzzled as to why he would discuss this incident during a pr tour for his new movie.
2
He connected it to his preparation for the movie role. Who would have conceived that expressing such a thought from a while back, a thought that he admitted he was ashamed of and one that was never carried out, would be treated today as if he HAD carried it out.
So, the thought police want this man punished. In Jimmy Carter’s Playboy interview back in 1976, he admitted that “I’ve looked on a lot of women with lust. I’ve committed adultery in my heart many times”. In these ‘me too’ times, should he too now be punished ? The technology for reading someone’s thoughts cannot be that far away. I’m only glad that I probably will not be around when that happens.
5
Well, if you changed the headline to something like, "Liam Neeson Learns Valuable Lesson After Indulging in Fantasy Revenge Scenario," it wouldn't be so click-bait-y, would it?
47
@Allison
Very insightful comment. Bravo.
You remind us about the reality of living in a twitter-bully society.
3
So nobody else got hurt, Neeson stomped around for a week like a fool, and now he’s both told the story of acting like a fool and described himself as having been a fool.
Well, obviously he needs to be burned at the stake.
By the way, if you want to yell at the man—yell at him for doing all the revenge fantasies. I mean, we’re way past “Taken,” at this point.
12
Taking offense is the new stoning...and all those bent out of shape over this confession might want to remember the bit about he who is without sin casting the first stone.
15
This man is despicable. So he refrained from running out and killing an innocent black man. What does he want, a medal? In the past, mindsets like his resulted in hundreds of innocent black men hanging from trees. Are black people like me supposed to forgive and forget? News flash, Liam: we do not forget, and we will never forgive.
11
The Thought Police are ready for action!
9
I assume those outraged at the Neeson comments actually read the whole article? Otherwise presumably they would have also read the part where he expresses regret at his ugly thoughts and actions. PS I wonder what the angry mob made of this week’s story about Azealia Banks’ hate-filled rant against Irish people. I hope she would eventually take a page from Neeson’s book and express some regret over that episode.
15
Does he regret the revenge fantasy, or the racism?
1
@Woman It doesn’t seem like it. He probably doesn’t think searching for a random “black bastard” is racist. After all, a completely unrelated black man did rape his friend and all blacks must be all alike.
6
I'm sorry...what about the rapist???? the one person that committed and actual crime?
12
I doubt that Neeson ever did what he said, nor would he reveal it if he did.
Neeson was in the mode of selling his new movie about revenge and made up a crazy anecdote to make it sound real. He did not think ahead of how stupid he will look in this tale.
I love how he told the journalist to be "careful" with this story, just to make sure she would print it.
5
I don't think Black people are shocked that Liam Neeson revealed himself to be a violent racist. Our history doesn't give us the luxury. I think what surprises most people is his comfort in telling this story. He's admitting to planning the murder of an innocent man to sell a movie.
I'm sure a lot of Mr. Neeson's friends will leap to testify that he isn't a racist. Poor Viola Davis' phone is going to be ringing off the hook. But Mr. Neeson tells on himself. He asked the race of the assailant. And in his story he doesn't roam the streets looking for THE Black man. ANY Black man will do. A Black man walking the streets who happens to bump into Mr. Leeson? A Black man waiting for a bus on his way to work? ANY BLACK MAN WOULD DO. And, like millions of Black families, that Black man's family would wonder WHY.
Black people aren't allowed to hate ALL White people, no matter what White people do. My father was killed by a White man leaving my mother a widow to raise her children on her own. Every day a White man gives me a reason to hate the entire White race if I gave myself the permission to hate White people do. But I don't.
My mother raised me to believe that we're 'better than them'. Mother was right.
95
@laura174 he's roaming the streets looking for a black rapist...not just any black man.
2
@laura174 I think there are many black people who hate all whites. That's their explanation for every difficulty they experience, including many that are their own fault.
3
It seems like your comment is very similar his.
5
Terrible behavior and mindset described by Liam, atrocious and terrifying really. On the other hand, we seem to be in a situation where our psychology is very defensive and we never admit when we've been wrong, so him airing this dirty laundry has value. Even for fans that can see it that way, from a longer perspective of a guy who admitted something bad from a long time ago and not be mad at who is right now, it sorta ruins the experience of watching a crazed revenge killer movie like the kind he traditionally makes twice a year. I think this might ruin the fun...
13
Furthermore, if she'd said it was a white man, we don't know if he wouldn't have gone looking for a white man.
33
@Kim
Actually, we do know: he wouldn't have. Otherwise, why would his one question be: "What color was he?" That was the only thing on his mind.
26
@Kim Get real. If the attacker had been white, are we to believe he would have gone out looking to kill any white person? Maybe his son or his cousin? Why not just kill himself if that was the case. He asked about color because he saw the attack in tribal terms. He interpreted one violent incident (assuming the truth of the allegation) as an attack on his group by all the members of another group. That speaks to a very primitive, tribal mindset. It's mere pretense to claim otherwise.
10
@Ellen
Exactly
5
He is an idiot. Watched him go into a rant on the Colbert show years ago against people who protested against horses in Central Park. A very nasty man.
7
Must be nifty to be able to judge those you’ve never met this way. Myself, I generally can’t. I’m stuck with agree or disagree, loathe or like what I’m seeing, stuff like that.
Shame not to have osychic powers, really.
1
So people are going to be doing this...coming clean about their thoughts. We need to listen and hear what they're saying. He said he's horrified and later came to understand the ugly ramifications of revenge. That's a good thing, right? If we're going to crucify every person who ever did a bad thing or had a bad thought, there won't be too many people left on this planet. We need to appreciate when a person comes to a better point of view and focus on changing the minds of those who haven't done that yet. If you're going to get lambasted after making the changes be a better person, a lot of folks are going to say "No thanks, what's the point, damned if I do, damned if I don't."
273
@Kim Kim makes an excellent point. Liam did this bad thing for a week many years ago.. He has spent the rest of his life reflecting on the fact that revenge is destructive and he speaks from experience coming from the "troubles" in Ireland. If people now get run out of town for saying and admitting they did anything bad years ago, we will all tape our mouths shut and just let the thoughts in our minds fester away.
15
I am racist. Please read on.
Yes, we need to be able to listen when people say, "It was horrible what I thought, and I learned a lesson from it and would not think that way again."
(The Times did no good with the headline "Neeson describes racist revenge fantasy" -- a more accurate and valuable hed would be "Neeson admits horror at own racist thoughts".)
** What is extremely difficult for most folks to realize is that we are ALL in our own way racist (or tribalist or genderist... "own-groupist" let's call it) due to factors in society and background and who knows what else. I am racist. So are you. ALL of us. Whether we be black or white, male or female, etc. Even when we think we aren't. (Studies support this.) **
The important thing is, what do we each choose TO DO about it? How does each one of us acknowledge and counter our own internal tendency of racism/groupism?
Seems to me Liam Neeson is doing it the right way - by talking it out, acknowledging the error of his discriminatory thought process, regretting it publicly and explaining the lesson he's learned. No sense crucifying him for that. We all would do well to follow the same process.
Yes, even you.
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