My thoughts on the Rio Ferdinand "Choc Ice" tweet

I'm going to start this post out by saying that racism in ANY form is wrong and doesn't have a place in civilized society.  Racism is used by ignorant people who use differences in our skin color to marginalize people that they don't understand and never will have the desire to understand.

That said I live the USA. I, as an American citizen, believe in the right of free speech. I do not believe that anyone, let alone a government, should be allowed to tell me what I can or cannot say.  The double edged sword to all of this is that this also allows ignorant, short sided, close minded fools to say whatever they want. (See Westboro Baptist Church for example.) I, as an American, have a tough time with the fact that in the UK being a racist is illegal.  Doesn't mean I think it's OK to be a racist prick it just means that I don't like anyone shutting it's citizens up by using the law regardless of whether or not I agree with their ideas and ideals.

Regardless of my thoughts on free speech I can't seem to understand what in Rio Ferdinand's head thought that it would be a good idea to make a racial innuendo about a black player who testified at the trial of a man who was accused of racism AGAINST YOUR OWN BROTHER!!!! All Rio did was set back what the British Law was attempting to accomplish by taking this to trial in the first place.  What type of example does this set? Rio Ferdinand has been around long enough to know better and there is no excuse for this type of behavior especially given his unique position around this trial.


Via AP-LONDON -- Derbyshire Police have opened an investigation into alleged racist comments against Chelsea defender Ashley Cole on Twitter, four days after club teammate John Terry was cleared of racial abuse.

Cole, who defended Terry in court from charges made by Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand, was reportedly referred to as a "Choc Ice" by a Twitter user.

The term is believed to mean black on the outside, white on the inside.

Ferdinand's older brother, Rio, who plays for Manchester United, responded to the tweet on Saturday with: "I hear you fella! Choc ice is classic hahahahahaha!!"

The following day, Ferdinand tweeted: "What I said yesterday is not a racist term. It's a type of slang/term used by many for someone who is being fake. So there."

Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press