Ken Morley, 71, was thrown out of the Celebrity Big Brother house after using sexist and racist language, including the N-word.
The majority of his fans have defended him, however, insisting that he is from a "different era" - a time when such racist and sexist behaviour was deemed acceptable.
While I agree that it can be difficult for older people to adjust to our socially diverse society, there is a stark difference between those of the older generation who just use racist / sexist terms, and those who are intolerant of someone of a different race / gender.
To lump them all into one category is largely unfair. Which is why we should NOT be defending Ken Morley's behaviour "because he's old".
After all, unlike many elderly people, he was well aware of the power of his words.
Alexander O'Neill expressly told him that the racist term was offensive, yet Ken continued to use it.
And, despite the fact he had been told that the girls were upset when he referred to them as "sluts and scrubbers", Ken continued to refer to them as such.
We can't pretend that he didn't know what he was doing; before he went into the house, Ken revealed that he is hyper-aware of how times have changed.
He told The Sun: “Groping and grabbing was just part of the course [in the 80s]. It was regarded as normal.
“[Nowadays] You’re terrified of laying your hand on a woman now as a man because you know they’ll say, ‘Christ, I’ve been assaulted’, or ‘You’re in my personal space’."
That's right; many of his contemporaries are being investigated for historical sex offences, yet Ken Morley continued to behave in a brash and sexist manner because he was, in my opinion, too arrogant to temper his behaviour.
He was armed with the information that his words were offensive - so why did he continue to use them? Why did he think it was ok?
By claiming his innate racist and sexist tendencies are down to his age, we are being ageist.
Let's give the elderly generation some credit, and face facts; anyone, of any age, can be racist or sexist.
But equally anyone, of any age, can learn from their mistakes and work not to repeat them.
Ken Morley was offered this chance, and chose to ignore it. He has, therefore, damned himself to be remembered as that racist and sexist one from Coronation Street.
End of.