As Bears know only too well, there is a somewhat dedicated ‘anti-Rangers’ sector within the ‘discredited press’. That is, writers, bloggers, and self-proclaimed ‘journalists’ who are unable to break into the mainstream press (not for the want of trying, you understand) and consequently resort to using social media, blogs and word of mouth to spread their relentless agenda against all things Ibrox.
These people, rightly, exploit the privilege of free speech and democracy to peddle their views, and as the old cliché goes, we might not agree with their (pathetic) content but we would defend to our death their right to produce it.
That is what democracy and free speech give you – as long as the expressed prose is not illegal (which some of this content admittedly approaches the line of), the right to say what you want without being locked up.
Unfortunately, these souls, who clearly cherish the right to espouse these views, as they should, rather hypocritically will not accept anyone else doing the same.
Recently the Rangers Supporters’ Trust’s chairman Gordon Dinnie had a truly nail on the head piece published in the Belfast Telegraph – one which exposed the arbitrary weaknesses of everything these peddlers wreak.
It defended Rangers fans against the attacks these bloggers have incessantly made, highlighted their own evident prejudices and sowed neatly in a bow all that is flawed about them.
Their response?
“Really disappointed that @BelTel published this without scrutiny – my life was turned upside down by these people”
In other words:
“We can say what we like about you, but you do not have the same privilege.”
Oddly enough, when The Scottish Sun scrutinised their content, they scrapped the serialisation of a certain literary publication they were otherwise due to produce.
Rangers haters have their right to speech, their right to reply, and their right to say what they wish within the bounds of the law – it is just a crying shame they will not tolerate anyone else enjoying the same benefits such a privilege bestows.
We actually enjoy their content (personally I find online meltdowns by the ill-informed and endemically prejudiced rather amusing) on the same principles of the appeal of the circus freak:
A sad thing who everyone stares at and laughs at.