The power of popular publicity: new social media and the affective dynamics of the sport racism scandal

Abstract

Sociologists have tended to take insufficient account of the importance of emotions to the social power of the institution of media, particularly as altered by the emergence of social media in the current media ecology. This paper compensates for this neglect by means of a brief illustrative case study of the effect of social media on the public reception of the 2011 Sepp Blatter racism scandal and of other ‘race-related’ scandals in the UK. In proposing media scandals’ wider sociological significance regarding the dynamic, multi-accented relationships between emotions and power, it analyses how England’s prevailing climate of ‘postcolonial guilt’ was reinforced and conveyed through social media networks.

Keywords:

• emotions
• media scandal
• power
• racism scandal
• social media

Notes

1. d3w.io/s4dm9I

2. On 24 February 1999, the Macpherson Report was published after a judicial inquiry found that the Metropolitan Police investigation into the murder of Stephen Lawrence (an 18-year-old black man murder in London in 1993 as part of an unprovoked, racist attack) was hindered by institutional racism: ‘The collective failure of an organisation to provide an appropriate and professional service to people because of their colour, culture, or ethnic origin. It can be seen or detected in processes, attitudes and behaviour which amount to discrimination through unwitting prejudice, ignorance, thoughtlessness and racist stereotyping which disadvantage minority ethnic people’ (Home Office 1999).

3. Blatter’s original comments came at a time when Chelsea captain John Terry was being investigated by the police and the Football Association over alleged racist remarks made to Ferdinand’s brother, QPR defender Anton Ferdinand, in a recent game between the two sides (BBC News 2011).

4. Blatter’s racism scandal also coincided with another in English football in which Liverpool’s Luis Suárez was charged by the FA for alleged racist comments towards Ferdinand’s Manchester United team-mate, Patrice Evra. On Saturday 15 October 2011, during a match between Liverpool FC and Manchester United FC, Evra made a complaint about Suárez to the referee during and immediately after the game. The Football Association (FA, (2011)) investigated Evra’s complaint and, on 16 November, charged Suárez with misconduct. The charge brought is that Suárez used abusive and/or insulting words and/or behaviour (i.e. ‘negro’ and ‘blackie’) towards Evra contrary to Rule E3(1), and that this breach of Rule E3(1) included a reference to Evra’s ethnic origin and/or colour and/or race within the meaning of Rule E3(2) (‘the Charge’).

5. According to Suárez, he used the word ‘negro’ in a way with which he was familiar from his upbringing in Uruguay. In this sense, Suárez claimed, it is used as a noun and as a friendly form of address to people seen as black or brown-skinned (or blackhaired).

6. Despite subsequently making a formal apology during a television interview with Sky News (2012), Suárez was widely criticised for the incident, with Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United’s manager, calling Suárez ‘a disgrace’ to Liverpool and suggesting that he should never play for the club again.

7. British Transport police said that a 34-year-old woman had been arrested on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence. The video footage, which sparked a Twitter trend with the hashtag #MyTramExperience on Monday, shows a woman complaining about ethnic minorities living in Britain. She starts by saying: ‘What has this country come to? … with loads of black people and a load of fucking Polish. You ain’t English either. None of you are fucking English. Get back to your own fucking, d’you know what?’ (Guardian, 2011).