Thread:Comments:UK student jailed for 'racist' Twitter posts about footballer Fabrice Muamba/overreaction/reply (2)

i disagree that this form of racism doesn't matter in the face of more physical abuses. it does matter; it goes to people's mindset, from which racism grows. and as for "ruining one black man's mood" -- i am guessing you're white. racist comments do far worse than ruin somebody's mood. systemic abuse and discrimination batters people, every day; it is exhausting to live in a society where so many people treat you as inferior. and honestly, drunkenness is no excuse, and every racist these days claims he isn't racist and some of his best friends are coloureds. i call BS on that -- if you make racist slurs while drunk, you ARE a racist, and i feel sorry for the people of colour who are your friends -- if you do in fact have any, you clearly don't respect them.

however, i do prefer my judges to be above twitter outrage; i want them to be calm and measured instead. i also don't see how the remarks were inciting racial hatred -- i am missing the "inciting" part. he didn't suggest to others that blacks should in some way "pay" for being black. the prison sentence goes too far. i also don't think people should be this easily dismissed from schooling. if anything is gonna get into his thick head about racism, some community service might enlighten him, and further schooling can't possibly make things worse. punishment should fit the crime AND should provide education and opportunity for betterment, or it's really just cheap revenge, which does nobody any good.