When those things that we do have the potential to hurt other human beings there is no excuse for them now and there was no excuse for them in the past. There is no excuse for racism, homophobia and misogyny either now or in the past and it ill-behoves us to be too free with the "of their time" getout.

At the risk of upsetting by repetition, I have already said I agree with that. But that neither goes far enough, nor addresses quite what I was talking about.

Suppose, for example, we are aware of things that have the potential to hurt, etc, even if they aren't racism, homophobia or misogyny. Should we also be criticised if we know about them and do nothing? Before you leap in with an answer, there were two reports I heard on the radio this week concerning things about which I can easily imagine someone in the future saying "How did the people of 2011/2012 let that happen?" (one definitely, one probably). And I use those dates rather than last week because I have known about them for years, and I strongly suspect you have as well.

So it is not the racism, homophobia or misogyny I am referring to: it is all the other things that happen that we are aware of, and tut-tut about when we are reminded about them, but actually do nothing about. Of course, I have no way of knowing how you behave in real life, so you may well be an active campaigner on these two issues, but as far as the Mudcat persona is concerned, if you have posted on those topics I have missed them.

I have deliberately not said what the two items were, because that is the point: it is the things that aren't in the headlines that we know are happening but we let go by that I am concerned about.

And just to reiterate once again: yes, I agree there is no excuse for racism, homophobia and misogyny either now or in the past.