I think we need to talk about Azeem. The whistle-blower at Yorkshire Cricket Club, the most racially abused man in cricketing history (not counting pre-1990 South Africa, obvs), the man who drew the line between what others considered ‘banter’ and what he considered ‘institutional racism’, because HE WAS A VICTIM!!!!

All of which I’m in full agreement with. Yet it appears that Azeem himself isn’t. In agreement with it. Which may seem strange, but in regards the post-woke, hyper-cancellation, extreme end of the PC spectrum no-where does it state that you have to be consistent with your own views, nor that your personal views and actions should in any way be in accord. Hypocrisy apparently rules among the twittering classes.

Because Azeem, for so long the recipient of ‘racism-veiled-as-banter’, himself, whilst bantering with a mate 10 years ago, racially abused a bunch of Jews. Well, in fact, all of them. All of us. Because when you invoke a facile and pathetic stereotypical trope, you are always offending everyone to whom that trope refers.

The timing of this new revelation, just as the cricketing world has gone into flagellation overdrove due to Azeem’s testimony, is revealing. I’m just not precisely sure what exactly it reveals. Other than ‘boys will be boys’, all of whom are pretty stupid.

His apology was heartfelt and sincere. But “I was only 19” is simply not an excuse. If you’re spouting anti-Semitic banter at 19, trust me, it rarely eases with age. Nor do the internalised thought processes which formulate those connections go away as you hit 24. Or 29. Or whatever age this magic is supposed to occur. Which obviously is at a slightly different time to Pakistani-driven racism, because Azeem’s abusers were a bit older. Thus were old enough to be totally responsible for their words and actions, whereas 19 is for some reason a bit more excusable. Because if ‘he’s a different man now’, why aren’t they? 10 years down the line.

The tragedy in all this is that, in my mind, it totally dilutes Azeem’s claims. Makes them a bit ‘one rule for us and a different one for them’. And his claims are totally genuine and do indeed indicate a massive need for cricket to ‘clean up its act’. It’s just as if the whistle-blower’s whistle has lost its pea.

Happy Saturday

A xxxx