Gray, Keys and Society in Tatters

It is just over a week since the Richard Keys and Andy Gray sexism row exploded into the nation's conscience.  They have both lost their jobs and women all around Britain are giving themselves a collective congratulatory pat on the back.  To use a phrase much uttered by Andy Gray himself, 'take a bow' ladies.  Both men's reputations lay in tatters, their professional careers ruined, destined to be remembered not for their excellent coverage of football for close to twenty years but for a gaffe which some would have you believe was akin to worshipping Satan himself.  Before all the feminists dismiss this article as another prehistoric dinosaur protecting his own, hear me out.

For the record what Keys and Gray said was wrong, there can be no doubt about that.  Their 'banter' was at best unprofessional and at worst deeply offensive to over half the population of Britain.  To question the professionalism of an official based purely along the lines of gender is to dismiss the rigorous training regime she went through and quite simply she had to meet the same standards as her male colleagues.  What I do question, however, is the ridiculous outpouring of condemnation and at times vitriolic bile directed at Keys and Gray from the national press.

It seems like over the past decade, Britain in a self conscious need to modernise its beliefs and values in the face of an ever increasingly diverse society has lost all remnants of common sense.  To the men reading this article, how many times have you battled with the iron in a vain attempt to make a shirt look respectable? How many times have you thought to yourself, I wish I had learnt to do this as a child?

Or spent fifteen minutes staring at all the different letters on the washing machine as if they were Egyptian hieroglyphics and marvel at how your mother is able to operate this incomprehensible machine.  Ladies, have you ever struggled with a flat tyre or DIY projects and longingly looked for your knight in shining armour to ride to the rescue?

If any of this rings true then I am afraid that you are probably as guilty as Mr Keys and Mr Gray.

What the above examples have done is reinforce unfair, unsubstantiated, prejudiced stereotypes which have no place in the 21st century.  I can hear you all shouting at the screen accusing me of a massive over reaction but placed into context it is exactly the same reaction that the public have come out with this week.

I am not saying whether it's right or wrong but the modern world is filled with stereotypes and we reinforce them every single day of our lives either consciously or, more terrifyingly unconsciously.  For example, have you ever been sucked into the notion that all bankers are greedy, good for nothings who happily collect bonuses whilst the rest of the population suffer?  Again, unconsciously and consciously everyday we are faced with gender, racial and sexual stereotypes which by and large the British public ignore or are comfortable with.

The difference between this and the Gray and Keys uproar is that every now and again something strikes a chord with our collective conscience.  We need an episode like this every now and again to feel good about ourselves and reinforce this translucent notion that Britain’s values are at a utopian level where everyone is whiter than white.  To be honest the reaction of every single media outlet has turned what is a sackable professional offence into a glorified witch hunt which will not satisfy the public thirst for ‘justice’ until these two men are adequately humiliated.

Furthermore, I hate to use clichés, but the silence from the ‘injured parties, that is, Sian Massey and Charlotte Jackson has been deafening.  They have hidden behind this wave of public anger and remained silent.  In the ‘real world’ if someone has a complaint or feels offended enough they usually have something to say about it.

Unfortunately we are not privy to what these ladies may say in private or how they are feeling yet I can’t help thinking I am not the only one who is shocked at their silence whilst everyone else seems to have something to say on the subject. In time, they may well make a public statement and I will be forced to issue an apology, but until then I regard this episode as a national disgrace which Britain should not be proud of.  That includes the reaction of the public and the remarks which Mr Keys and Mr Gray came out with.

It has taken Mr Gray and Mr Keys to highlight just how far behind the rest of the modern world Britain is.  To see the dire situation in Egypt relegated to the middle pages whilst these two men adorn the front pages is nothing short of Britain on an egotistical tour de force.  We feel the need to show the world that we are a tolerant society where dinosaurs like Keys and Gray are vilified for showing we are maybe not as modern as we would like to think. Surely it would have been much more appropriate to devote one day of news to the story and then move on.  By holding this episode in such revere I fear that Britain has shown the world exactly what it was trying to hide, that is, we are not as socially advanced as we like to think.

After reading that I would urge you, if you haven’t done so already, give yourself a pat on the back.  If you are like me, however, take a moment and think about what this story has done to highlight the fickleness and hypocritical nature of every person who has basked in the collective glory of ‘defeating’ sexism.

Matt Ward