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Bucknor received racist letters


mister

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Former Test cricket umpire Steve Bucknor has revealed he was the victim of racist abuse earlier in his career. The Jamaican, 62, retired as an elite umpire on Sunday after standing in 128 Tests and 181 one-day internationals. He told BBC's Test Match Special: "Nobody made me feel black on the field but I did get a letter in London saying 'you black b******' or 'you n*****'. "You don't want to talk about it but people write these things. You have to let these things lie. I grew up tough." Bucknor, who grew up in poverty, added in a wide-ranging interview with the BBC's Kevin Howells: "I have no fears in talking about what I went through as a youngster. "They were very, very tough times. I had one pair of shoes to go to school in, to go to church, to go anywhere. I didn't eat until I got home in the evenings." He also said that although many people had tried to persuade him to continue his career, he felt he had reached a natural time to retire. "There are some who would want me to stay around, my body feels good but 63 ought to be the cut-off age. I have seen people go beyond that age and have suffered because of their inability to see properly, hear properly. I am pretty close to that age now." Bucknor, who stands an imposing 6ft 3in, had a distinctive way of delaying his decisions, a mannerism that earned him the nickname "Slow Death". He stood in five World Cup finals, the last of those in Barbados, which was also the venue of his final match - an England win against West Indies. A former football referee, he once officiated in a World Cup qualifier. And despite retirement from cricket, he is likely to remain busy in other fields, particularly athletics. He is being invited to work in development programmes in Jamaica, and serve as a track official. :nervous:

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He may have been an awful umpire where India was concerned...but the racism he must have experienced is not anything to be laughed at...most probably from whites early in his career when he was a lone black umpire in an all white profession at the international level...

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He may have been an awful umpire where India was concerned...but the racism he must have experienced is not anything to be laughed at...most probably from whites early in his career when he was a lone black umpire in an all white profession at the international level...
At telstra dome when Niti took a wicket a guy in the row behind me called him "You ****ing Black bastard" I felt awful & since it was during my first month in Aus I didnt know what to do .. Thats why I dont find it amusing when people call symo Monkey and then say it was a joke...
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He also said that although many people had tried to persuade him to continue his career, he felt he had reached a natural time to retire. ========= yes, we know, Ponting and Clarke would have tried their best, they want you to officiate in their matches. plz oblige, u r so young, u can use a wheel chair and perhaps a telescope and Bose speakers too!that may help u in identifying nicks but u r such an egoistic sh!t that u dont aproach the 3rd umpire when indians appeal. get lost.dont sob.u dont deserve sympathy.

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At telstra dome when Niti took a wicket a guy in the row behind me called him "You ****ing Black bastard" I felt awful & since it was during my first month in Aus I didnt know what to do .. Thats why I dont find it amusing when people call symo Monkey and then say it was a joke...
Desi, Tell me one thing since you live in Aus? How do you find the general attitude of people towards people of color or minorities? Is there racism in the society that would bother you. If someone said "You black Bastard" out in public here in the US in a stadium packed with people, he would be in great trouble. I have always wondered about the racism situation in Aus.
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Desi, Tell me one thing since you live in Aus? How do you find the general attitude of people towards people of color or minorities? Is there racism in the society that would bother you. If someone said "You black Bastard" out in public here in the US in a stadium packed with people, he would be in great trouble. I have always wondered about the racism situation in Aus.
It used to happen quite a lot out here...it's less acceptable now. Though this is also part of the rough edge to Aussie exchange in general...so sometimes it may not be that the person is consciously being racist but they speak rough so the most obvious characteristic is picked on. I find that the best way to deal with it is to give it right back and sometimes harder. They back off and give you respect then. That's the way it was around here...it's not so much now.
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It used to happen quite a lot out here...it's less acceptable now. Though this is also part of the rough edge to Aussie exchange in general...so sometimes it may not be that the person is consciously being racist but they speak rough so the most obvious characteristic is picked on. I find that the best way to deal with it is to give it right back and sometimes harder. They back off and give you respect then. That's the way it was around here...it's not so much now.
I have realized that a lot of time racist comments are made not because the person is racist by nature, but he or she just wants to say something bad enough to hurt or embarrass the other one...though he or she not necessarily hates everyone of that skin color.
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He also said that although many people had tried to persuade him to continue his career' date= he felt he had reached a natural time to retire. ========= yes, we know, Ponting and Clarke would have tried their best
:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:
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I have realized that a lot of time racist comments are made not because the person is racist by nature' date=' but he or she just wants to say something bad enough to hurt or embarrass the other one...though he or she not necessarily hates everyone of that skin color.[/quote'] Yes that is true- we do this too when making fun of Pakis even though we may not be hating every one of them or knowing that not all of them are bad. (Okay maybe thats not a good example)
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Bucknor is one to talk. There are some nefarious reasons for his paternistic dismissal of Indians and that being his nascent hatred for Indo-Guyanese, Indo- Trinidadians and more recently Indo-Jamaicans making inroads into WI cricket which was seen as a bastion of Black pride. Bucknor grew up at a time when though independent the WI teams were typically led by White West Indians mostly Barbadians (Red Leg type) yet the teams were predominantly Black. Further there is also a fear in him that Blacks are now moving towards the sports patronised by their gigantic neighbor to the North basketball , football and athletics. There is a lot of racism in the West Indies, Black vs White, Black vs Indian, ......vs Chinese/Lebanese and what have you.

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Yes that is true- we do this too when making fun of Pakis even though we may not be hating every one of them or knowing that not all of them are bad. (Okay maybe thats not a good example)
Dont care - hope the lot of them goto Heck (thats Cartman speak for Hell) Theyre well and truly on their way anyways.
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