When will people learn to think before they speak?

So it's happened again. Another political figure being slated in the press for blurting out what is seemingly the first thing that pops into their tiny brain. Conservative Councillor John Cherry, commenting on the plans for a boarding school in Stockwell, West Sussex for ethnic minority children from London, has reportedly said he has 'concerns' about how the school would affect the area:

"Ninety-seven per cent of pupils will be black or Asian," he said. "It depends what type of Asian. If they're Chinese, they'll rise to the top. If they're Indian they'll rise to the top. If they're Pakistani they won't."

Wait. It gets even better.


"Stockwell is a coloured area – I have no problem with that," he said. "To be honest, I would far rather Durand took over a secondary school in London, rather than shoving everybody here."

Well. If that's not racism I don't know what is. Talk about sweeping generalisations. And the language too; coloured? I believe that term went out of vogue about 25 years ago. I also think it's funny how he wasn't available to comment for The Guardian but found the time to talk to The Mail on Sunday who did the whole expose in the first place. Which by the way ties in very nicely with their whole thinly veiled racist ethos. I have a sneaking suspicion that this story might have been deliberately slanted in this way by those sneaky Right-wing journalists, and they have suckered him for a fool but this raises my point - why do people not think before they speak?

Seriously, do these people have no internal monologue, forethought or just plain fucking common sense? A friend of mine summed this whole thing up quite succinctly saying: 'This is a fake right? No-one would be stupid enough to actually say this, even if they thought it, surely?' I mean putting the whole racist thing aside for a minute, what kind of moron says such outlandish and controversial stuff TO THE PRESS??? I can't actually decide what is worse; people in authority having and voicing clearly racist views to the public, or having people in authority who are so lacking in self-awareness and basic common sense to just blurt out this kind of shit.  

For Christ's sake. Think on! I'm perfectly aware that they are people who do hold those kinds of views but it seems people will never learn that when you are in a position of authority or power or in the public eye, you can't just say whatever the hell you like and expect it not to come back and bite you in the ass. Because it will. Like Paris Brown, the (now) former youth police and crime commissioner who had to publicly apologise over racist and offensive tweets before resigning. To be fair to her (and I'm not in any way condoning the things she wrote) she was just a silly little 14 year old teenager when she put this stuff on Twitter, I mean what teenager doesn't say stupid things they later wished they could take back? But that is my point, there is a lesson to be learned here people: say something on Twitter and once it's out there and been read you can't take it back. It's not the playground where people will have forgotten by the next day.

Then there's Sergeant Jeremy Scott who quit The Met following comments about hoping Margaret Thatcher's death was painful and degrading.  Now he's not a silly teenager and should probably have known better. He's probably kicking himself now having ruined his career for a few thoughtless Tweets. It just seems a bit thick to me.

People are allowed their own opinions about everything, of course they are but it doesn't seem to be sinking in that when you put something out there into the world people will read it and react to it. These are not the first examples of this sort of thing and I am certain they will not be the last, but people of the world, take a little bit of advice from me: think first, speak second.