Dear Editor / Letters Page, @ Sheffield Star,
I am writing to complain strongly against your competition, the prize of which is to go out for a drink with Mike Tyson.
As you will know, Mike Tyson is a convicted rapist and when he attempted to come to this country several years ago there were national protests, in particular by women's groups.
Your description of him in the competition literature discusses his boxing success but makes no mention at all of the controversy in other aspects of his life, including the conviction of rape.
Promoting such a man is appalling and irresponsible, and I understand that in other parts of the country protests are also mounting. In Derby, for example, a Domestic Violence group called Next Step are running a campaign, supported by local people, against a visit there.
Giving any publicity to such a man - never mind suggesting going for a drink with him as a prize for a competition - is a measure which will outrage and upset many people in Sheffield and South Yorkshire. The Sheffield Star's part in this suggests a complete disregard for the women here and elsewhere who have survived rape, sexual violence and domestic violence, and those who haven't survived.
Sports men and women are more and more considered heroes and role models. Please don't let this man appear that way to any of the young people who will come across your paper. We need to stand up against bullies and rapists, not celebrate them.
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See also: Indymedia Article.
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Technorati tags: mike tyson; protest; incurable_hippie; anti-rape; sheffield.
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5 comments:
Go hippie!
Can I copy and forward this on to the Sheff Star too?
you guys are jokers.
your basically saying that a crimainal shouldn't be allowed to earn a living.
You seem to forget that it might be an honour for some members of the public to meet one of the greatest sportsmen who ever lived.
But of course you clowns are a bit too narrow minded for that.... try removing your blinkers!
Ah, I think that's over simplifing a little.
Tyson is a convicted rapist. It is irresponsible to promote him as a personaility without considering this. Just because he is a famous sports person doesn't make him a 'great' person, and glorifying him through this promotion serves to glorify his lifestyle not just his sports achievements.
Granted, people make mistakes but still need to be able to make a living and be members of society, but there may be more appropriate ways and means for this to happen.
I'm not challenging his right to earn a living, I am challenging the Sheff Star's particular promotion.
Yeah, because it is totally not blinkered to think that being good at a sport - a pretty violent one, btw - excuses someone from responsibility for their actions.
Well said Hippie!
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