By Melissa Pereira
Liam Neeson recently made a confession that landed him in rough waters within the internet world. But do these comments make Neeson a racist person or just someone who is fighting to raise awareness on racism?
In an interview published by the Independent, Liam Neeson mentions that 40 years ago he walked the streets with a weapon for the sole purpose of finding a black person to murder, after a close friend of his confided in him that a man of colour had raped her.
Some people appreciated the confession, and believe that he opened up a closed door to understanding racism and the many factors that contribute to it.
On the opposite side, there are people who think the fact Neeson feels comfortable enough to express these horrifying feelings shows how privilege plays a big part on how minorities are treated and how normalised these acts of racism have become.
In his initial interview, Neeson says: "I asked, did she know who it was? No. What colour were they?"
The colour of the skin seemed to be the main focus, not the age or height. But why did it matter?
The fact that he went on the streets for a week and could not find a person of colour is even more intriguing, as it means he lived in an area where there were almost no black people.
But in those days black people were mostly portrayed as criminals and rapists in cinema, which conditioned the way a generation of white people thought about black men.
Neeson described his thoughts as shameful and shocking, which can be seen as an opportunity for other people who have or have had similar views to recognise their own racism. It can encourage them to talk more openly but also learn how to deal with racism.