My mum got robbed by black boy on pedal bike

[Robert Poste's Child]

For what it's worth, earlier this week in another thread I identified someone as a white male. No one voiced an issue with it.

[rendelharris]

Robert Poste's Child Wrote:

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> For what it's worth, earlier this week in another

> thread I identified someone as a white male. No

> one voiced an issue with it.

I'm trying hard to keep out of this and not let the frothers continue frothing, but you mentioned a white male and gave a very detailed description of him - would you have just said "a white male" without any other description? Would have been a bit pointless, no?

[Louisa]

What I find most offensive about this thread is that, taken at face value, a forum member has reported the brutal mugging of a elderly unwell relative who has suffered injury, and despite this fact, it has been clearly taken off topic for trolling purposes by a user with just five previous posts all of which are blatant attempts at trolling, and the regulars on here, who should know better, have fallen for this BS and consequently managed to take a serious topic off into a debate about what is and isn?t a politically correct way of identifying a criminal.

Good work everyone.

Louisa.

[DuncanW]

I agree that the most important issue is the shocking assault on the OP's mum and like Rendel I don't think any malice or racism was intended. But as the choice of words has come under the spotlight, I think it has to be said that it's not the best choice of phrasing. Skin colour can be used perfectly reasonably as an identifier in all sorts of situations, but the use of it in a negative headline which doesn't appear to be in the context of identifying the perpetrator isn't great.

I hope they catch the one that did this and wish the OP's mum a speedy recovery.

[rendelharris]

OK Louisa, I withdraw from the thread and shall make every effort to look out for a black boy on a pedal bike.

OP, sorry that the thread's been derailed (not, originally, or even secondarily, by me) and wish your mum a full and speedy recovery.

[Robert Poste's Child]

rendelharris Wrote:

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> would you have just said "a white male"

> without any other description? Would have been a

> bit pointless, no?

I see your point, RH, but think it depends. When I posted that, I was feeling annoyed and frustrated as an observer but not in the shocked state of someone who's been a direct victim of a crime or someone close to them has. When my glasses were stolen practically in front of me a few weeks back I couldn't say much about the perp other than gender, ethnicity and age group.

[Sue]

To throw in something else, I'm wondering about the "boy".

What age are we talking about?

[Penguin68]

Can I suggest that many posters are (probably) leaping to conclusions about the OP's ethnicity (and indeed age) in their comments. His posting name (Peckhamguy) suggests he is male, but otherwise we know nothing about him, other than that his elderly mother has been brutally attacked. I wish her well.

[Jacbuc]

What we do know is the OP had only joined the forum less than two days earlier and posted six innocuous messages on different threads between 6.00 and 10.30 that evening. At two in the morning they posted this distressing message as if it had just happened. Whilst it might be technically possible for their mother to have been attacked, suffered a stroke and become a changed person in three and a half hours it surely raises a question as to whether this did actually happen or not. Either way they did not post further information on the thread which might at least have indicated when and where it happened - something had they wished to be helpful to local people would have been useful. Instead they have continued to post on other threads with no indication of any family crisis going on. I am genuinely sorry if this incident did happen but the background has left me with a question about it.

[Mick Mac]

Yes - I thought the same thing, and checked the posting history - but to be honest, couldn't be bothered to comment. It looked like a troll from the outset.