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I am no particular fan of Rishi but it is offensive and annoying that any thread concerning him never gets very far before it is suggested thaashes employment has to be the product of some kind of positive discrimination…….This is lazy racism IMO…
Lazy racism? Well, it can be but not necessarily.
I’m in absolutely
no
doubt that Persad was appointed to his position at the BBC due to his ethnicity, simply because he is a pretty anodyne presenter who brings nothing original to the table. Had he been white it’s highly unlikely he would have been acquired, precisely for those reasons.
However, such is the paucity of ethnic minority representation within racing, I don’t particularly find that a bad thing. The argument that one should always appoint those most suited to the job is obviously an immensely strong one, but I don’t feel a little positive discrimination in racing – the most nepotic and monocultural sport imaginable – would go amiss.
But he’s still a bit rubbish!
Mike
As for the poster above who knows of any amount of ‘ethnic minorities’ in betting shops who ‘have forgotten more ……etc’ I would love to know what betting shops he goes into because the vast majority of people I overhear in betting shops regardless of their ethnicity are notable for their total ignorance about horse racing……they know plenty about throwing their money away but neither know or care about racing as a sport and but for betting wouldn’t go anywhere near it.
Ah, don’t you just love it when people put words which you didn’t say into your mouth?Are you Rishi in disguise?
"Out of interest, does anybody know how Rishi landed a job in racing in the first place? Walk into just about any bookmakers’ in south London and you will meet both punters and staff from ethnic minorities who have forgotten more about racing than dear old Rishi will ever know. I could find at least a dozen more suitable candidates than him just from the betting shops I regularly visit.
Is there any truth to the rumour that he only got the job because he is friends with Sir Michael Stoute?"
Might be a coincidence but the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago is a lady by the name of Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
So Gladiateur thinks this isn’t suggesting that the people who hired Persad were looking for someone non white to hire at all costs hence why someone so allegedly bad as Persad got the job?
Happy to have got it wrong but what does it suggest then??
Happy to have got it wrong but what does it suggest then??
The point I was raising is that Rishi isn’t the best non-white candidate they could’ve employed. There are many people I have met in betting shops and at the racecourse who have far better racing knowledge than Rishi has so far displayed.
My main question was, essentially, how on Earth did he get the job?
………..and I continue to dislike any suggestion that Persad hasn’t been employed on his merits whether you think he has or not.
Where did the idea come from that Racing coverage needs any particular ethnicity balance amongst its presenters….who cares or has ever even given it a second thought.
Persad’s ethnicity shouldn’t ,doesn’t and I feel didn’t come into it and it’s patronising to suggest otherwise as is the idea of finding ‘better or more suitable candidates’ in betting shops.
Rishi Persad got his job for the same types of reasons as other presenters got theirs and querying how this came to be should steer clear of any racial element unless anyone seriously wants to go down the road of suggesting that all people of non white origin are only employed because they are being done favours to satisfy requirements for ethnic representation.
My main question was, essentially, how on Earth did he get the job?
You could ask exactly the same question with regards Tanya Stevenson. I’ve rarely if ever seen anyone less suited to broadcasting to the nation, she’s little better now than when she first started years ago.
I don’t believe she got the job based on the colour of her skin but how on earth did she get the job?
Indeed you could ask the same question about Tanya, Eddie. Or about Nick Luck. Or Graham Cunningham. However, this thread is about Rishi.
No points missed here apart from the one I am making.
I TOTALLY understand that people query why Rishi Persad got his job on C4 but I suggest that to conclude that it is something to do with the colour of his skin is patronising or even racist.
Find things to criticise him for rather than relying on insulting lazy racist generalisation/suggestion that he only got the job because he is non white.
In Rishi’s case it is possible to see that he is employable as a presenter/interviewer etc….you may love him or loathe him but its not beyond understanding as to why he is employed.
In Tanya’s case who IMO is totally below the required standard for broadcasting,to suggest that she is only employed due to her gender likewise it would be patronising and sexist.
Once again, I am not raising Rishi’s ethnicity- you are.
My question is simply that, assuming that those in authority decided that they had to have a token non-white presenter on their coverage, how did they arrive on such a hapless one as Rishi? There are many more knowledgeable people than him whom I have met both in betting shops and at the races. Assuming that some of these people must’ve applied for the position, did Rishi only get the job due to his alleged closeness with Sir Michael Stoute?
That, not the colour of Rishi’s skin, was the point.
I TOTALLY understand that people query why Rishi Persad got his job on C4 but I suggest that to conclude that it is something to do with the colour of his skin is patronising or even racist.
Persad’s ethnicity was grossly underepresented in the sport and I believe that played a significant part (quite rightly) in him getting the job. Whilst affable and sort-of-competent, nothing distinguishes him from your average daytime TV presenter. For that reason alone, I find it impossible to believe he would have got the job had he been white.
But he is not alone. I believe Peter Scudamore was given a job because he was a great jockey. John Parrott got one because he was a ‘celeb’ with a neat link to another BBC sport. Gary Wiltshire fitted the tiresome
mockney
‘character’ we were meant to buy into at the time and was thus a (feeble) counterpoint to C4’s McCririck. All of these appointments were based on other factors than presenting ability and they were all poor choices. I don’t see Persad’s case as any different – in fact, I find it much more acceptable.
In a grown-up and intelligent society, one shouldn’t be instantly labelled ‘patronising’ or ‘racist’ when one discusses issues around race or ethnicity. We’ve done it far too long in this country and the people it’s meant to supposedly protect are always the ones it damages the most.
Mike
In a grown-up and intelligent society, one shouldn’t be instantly labelled ‘patronising’ or ‘racist’ when one discusses issues around race or ethnicity. We’ve done it far too long in this country and the people it’s meant to supposedly protect are always the ones it damages the most.
Mike
I would not say it is at all racist to suggest someone got a job for other reasons than ability alone Mike. But I disagree with you about Rishi.
He is by no means my favourite racing presenter, but he’s a lot like Thommo. Us, died-in-the-horse-hair racing enthusiasts might prefer the more knowledgeable members of the team. But messers Persad, Balding and Ramsden are there to do a presenter’s job. Probably liked more by the people who watch it for the beautiful animals/people, not the racing.
It’s not all about us.
Value Is EverythingGladiateur says .that c4 racing decided that they needed to employ somebody from an ethnic minority……..’
Where did you get that idea from?
Because Rishi Persad is so bad that he could only have been employed for that reason.
Patronising and racist I’m afraid.
Fine. You carry on interpreting things in your own (incorrect) way.
I really can’t be asked any more.
Gladiateur says .that c4 racing decided that they needed to employ somebody from an ethnic minority……..’
Where did you get that idea from?
Because Rishi Persad is so bad that he could only have been employed for that reason.
Patronising and racist I’m afraid.
Definition of racism
noun
[mass noun]
the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics, abilities, or qualities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races:
theories of racism
prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior:Where and by whom on this thread has this definition been met?
I repeat that threads about Rishi Persad never get very far before it is suggested that there is some link between him having a job and his ethnicity………..this IMO is lazy racism and patronising.
Not the end of the world but it happens time and time again and its annoying and offensive.
There was also a very patronising mention of ‘several people from ethnic minorities knowing a whole lot more about racing than Rishi etc etc.’…….There are a whole of people from all ethnic groups including white who know a whole lot more and a whole lot less…..why mention it?
Rishi Persad is employed by his employers on his merits or lack of them his ethnicity has nothing to do with it and should not be mentioned in this context……I think you need to accept this point and move on.
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