Why do we live in London?

I found this article offensive and in bad taste. This man was acquitted of all charges against him. I suspect your words are libellous. He was a licensed firearms owner, something that is relatively common “in the sticks”. The couple was locked out of the hotel. That happens when hotels are run by families, not multinational corporations, who need to sleep. Again, something more common outside London than within.

Using swear words is neither big nor clever.

For me, the most discrimanatory point was the issue of the double room. Here, I agree, that he was certainly acting homophobically. However, is that really so bad? At least he let them in. Have I been turned away from bars and clubs in London? Yes. Why? Not wearing the right clothes, not being cool enough, whatever. Which to me, are even more superficial reasons. I don’t hear anyone complaining about all-black churches or all-women sports clubs.

I used to buy people like you a copy of Play More Music by Consolidated, but it got too expensive. Congratulations though – I haven’t heard that particular argument in over a year. I thought people were getting smarter, but obviously not.

You don’t hear anyone complaining about ‘all-black churches’ and ‘all-women sports clubs’ because the two groups you choose to single out have been discriminated enough over the centuries. You think straight white males are now a minority that is open to abuse?

At least he let them in

Yes, but then he locked them out again. So after having them pay for a room he forced them to sleep elsewhere purely because they were gay. That’s discrimination. He was acquitted of firearms charges because the police didn’t find a hand gun. I guess he just bought a handgun box in case he ever found one. He wasn’t acquitted of being a dick because he was one.

he was certainly acting homophobically. However, is that really so bad?

If you need someone to answer that question for you then you’re in worse shape than I thought.

I found this article offensive and in bad taste.

Feel free to go read something else. The internet doesn’t have an off switch as such but there are plenty of websites out there that won’t annoy you.

Using swear words is neither big nor clever.

I don’t recall saying it was. That you have a hang up over a few words and yet are so quick to jump to the defence of a homophobe, does however speak volumes. By the way, ‘homophobically’ isn’t actually a real word so you may want to put the bag of stones down and close the curtains on that particular glass house.

mike, while i agree with your sentiments, your elitist, snobby attitude is annoying and indeed, “offensive and in bad taste.” get off your moral high ground.

Hey Anon, surely moving off the moral high ground would put me in some kind of low lying immoral backwater? I think I’ll stay put and enjoy the view.

Mike,

You seem to think majority discrimination is better than minority discrimination. In my opinion, it’s not. Surely no discrimination has to be the aim. Having activities or venues that exclusively allow one minority group merely encourages segregation. I don’t think straight white males are now a minority open to abuse, nor did I suggest so. However, they are an ethnic group that is often subject to derogatory stereotyping and subject to abuse.

after having them pay for a room he forced them to sleep elsewhere purely because they were gay.

No. You are jumping to an incorrect conclusion because you have the red mist of your hatred of the ethnic majority clouding your judgement, I suspect. If you take a step back, you will see in my original comment that the reason they were locked out is because they were late, not because of their sexual orientation. People are locked out of hotels relatively frequently. Just because a gay couple was locked out of a hotel does not imply that they were locked out of the hotel because they were gay.

If you need someone to answer that question for you then you’re in worse shape than I thought.

I have no idea about your sexuality, but I will assume that you are a straight white male (on the basis that straight white males are the majority and therefore most likely, probabilistically). What are the attributes you look for in a partner? Blonde hair? Fair skin? Fit? Tall? If you answered yes to any of these, then clearly you are being discriminatory on a subconscious level, against ethnic minorities, disabled people, etc, etc.

Feel free to go read something else. The internet doesn’t have an off switch

Thanks. I do read many other things. I happy to enjoy most of the articles on Londonist. I would recommend a review of your readership policy if it is such that you recommend readers stop reading whenever they have a comment to add to an article.

I found the tone of your original riposte quite aggressive and unnecessary, although perhaps understandable. However, I am not an anonymous poster and I am interested in furthering this discussion and hearing your response. Shall we keep blows above the belt though? Snide personal attacks on me aren’t the most effective weapon.

Constructing a level playing field means that those who have had the run of things so long need to give up some of their toys. That isn’t being discriminatory towards a majority, it’s simply telling them to wake the hell up and make some room.

Until the majority can learn to control themselves then there will be a need for places where certain groups can relax. For example, I’m a big fan of female-only gigs even though that means I myself get excluded from some great shows. If a woman wants to have fun at the front of a gig she should be able to do so without being groped or hit in the face by the elbow of some idiot bloke twice her size.

I am jumping to a conclusion over the reasons why the couple were locked out. That’s partly based on the idiot’s smirking behaviour the next day. I’ve slept in many a small hotel in my time and if they had a locked front door policy then they also always had a key or porter on hand to allow guests access. If this hotel didn’t have such a system then it’s another example of how backward the place is. Even if it was simply a matter of them being locked out by accident then why no apology?

What are the attributes you look for in a partner? Blonde hair? Fair skin? Fit? Tall?

None of the above. It’s all about the smarts. I try my very best not to discriminate about a damn thing. You think I’d reject someone because of a disability, their hair and/or skin colour? I’d reject them if they were stupid, but that’s about it. Life’s too short to suffer fools and I don’t give two hoots for the packaging.

I didn’t suggest you stop reading Londonist because you left a comment, I suggested you stopped reading because you found that post objectionable. It’s far from the most controversial thing that I’ve written for the site in the past and I’m sure to hit a nerve again in the future.

Glad you stuck around though and I do appreciate you not being anonymous. Sorry if my reply seemed to be a personal attack as I do enjoy banter and especially with those that I don’t see eye to eye with.

If a woman wants to have fun at the front of a gig she should be able to do so without being groped or hit in the face by the elbow of some idiot bloke twice her size.

I agree that women should be able to have fun at the front of a gig, but I don’t agree that the answer is women-only gigs. Surely it is about policing gigs effectively to make sure that those who grope and hit others are punished accordingly?

Until the majority can learn to control themselves

So I guess you agree with me. And maybe, women-only gigs are just an interim measure until the majority controls itself. Only, there is the danger that these measures are never stopped. For example, areas of london that are predominantly black still run events that exclude whites, an ethnic minority in these cases.