I found it a little disappointing and surprising to read some Eddie McQuire quotes in The Age this morning that seemed aimed at generating some level of sympathy for the teenage girl that racially abused Sydney Swans player Adam Goodes on Friday night.
Since moving to Victoria, I’ve been impressed with the omnipresent media guru Eddie McGuire.
He’s articulate, interesting, is clearly very widely respected and has consistently taken a publicly visible, admirable, anti racism stance.
This is even more significant given his extremely close ties to the institution that is Collingwood Football Club.
On the whole, I think McGuire has shown good leadership in his handling of this ‘ape’ incident. I particularly like his quote, in the same Age article, about how fans should be able to enjoy supporting their footy team “without bile coming out your mouth” directed at opposition players.
However, it seems that today he has clouded his own message a tad.
“Teen didn’t know ape was racist, says McGuire.” The Age headline doesn’t beat around the bush.
The first paragraph states that Eddie McGuire has spoken to the girl and doesn’t believe she understood that using the “ape” as an adjective when describing an indigenous player could be offensive.
The writer quotes McGuire directly from an ABC radio interview this morning when McGuire reportedly commented that she: “didn’t even know that it was racist.”
This is where I started to get worried.
Reportedly he went on to say: “she didn’t even know it was the Indigenous Round. She was 13-year-old girl from… country Victoria, she had no idea what she was doing, what she was saying, or anything else.”
This is where I got irritated.
Eddie could have the combined oratory skills of Barak Obama, JFK, Christopher Hitchens and Kevin Rudd and I would remain unconvinced.
Ape: (Noun) A large primae (families Pongidae and Hylobatidae) that lacks a tail, including the gorilla, chimpanzees, orangutan, and gibbons.
We all know that apes are basically unevolved humans that have dark skin. They have an IQ level in the 35-49 range which is the official classification of being: ‘moderately retarded.’
My belief is that you would have to be living under a rock, in an extremely isolated place, without any exposure to televisions, internet, school teachers and books to not understand that aggressively describing a man of dark skin, at a footy match, as an ape, is extremely racist.
The girl’s age is irrelevant at this point. She’s young enough to lack refined judgement, to be vulnerable to peer pressures and misguided adults. But she’s definitely old enough to fully understand what she’s saying and what she’s implying.
As for the girl being from the rural Victoria, this changes nothing. In this media saturated age where over two thirds of the Australian population has access to internet, no-one can use rural lifestyles as an excuse anymore.
It is sad that this girl has exposed herself to such a high level of public scrutiny at a young age. But others should be careful not to downplay in any way what she has said because that lessens the severity of the offence caused and waters-down the severity of the real issue.
The real issue is that somewhere along the line she has heard someone refer to a dark skinned person as an ape.
It would seem that she thought that she could easily get away with yelling it at an opposition club’s player in an aggressive effort to reduce her own frustration, while he put in an outstanding performance against her beloved Collingwood.
That’s inexcusable. It’s clear-cut racism.
She should seek out Adam Goodes, ask whether she can appologise to him face-to-face and hope for his forgiveness. So should the adult male Collingwood supporter who was filmed racially slandering both Goodes and teammate Lewis Jetta.
They should both be banned from attending Collingwood games for at least five years. That’s the only kind of consequence some people fully understand. It would send a crystal clear message to the entire sports loving public.
Racism is racism. It’s totally inexcusable. No ifs, no buts. No qualifications.
Just Julie
Guest
Quite simply as a mother I am ashamed that other mothers allow their kids to shout abuse, racist abuse, and to have no self respect in public. I teach my kids by example and to act in accord with how they wish to be treated ie TO HAVE RESPECT for others. There was no respect shown by the girl, and although perhaps extremely naive and maybe even a scapegoat ,nevertheless she exemplified exactly what indigenous round was NOT about. It is not for me to have pity on her for being singled out, others are certainly doing well enough creating a martyr. It is well broadcast at the ground that anti-social behaviour is not acceptable with constant mobile no's screened for others to report so that MCG security can deal with it. Children are not held to be responsible and I feel that the parent/guardian should have been involved instead. There also should have been immediate further media blackout of her name and video as a matter of Policy. However interviews were given quite separate to AFL and MCG influence and I shake my head that the the family did not shield her from more exposure, and feel sad they just did not get it. That being said more education is needed. Goodes was given the ammunition, he did nothing to create it except play a game of high level footy. He made a stand and he will be remembered in the tradition of Winmar, the girl will not. I hope this serves to put footy ground abusers and racists on notice so so make a better place for my family to attend the game.
Floyd Calhoun
Guest
Why should I? Why should anyone?
Pot Stirrer
Guest
Im curious Floyd, she said she didnt know it was racist, Why wont you believe a 13yr old girl ?
Pot Stirrer
Guest
No mother woud reply like that.
Joel Tiller
Guest
'Deep Thinker' - Cyber Bullies hide behind ridiculous pseudonyms. I haven't identified the girl, her family, or where she lives. I don't agree with Bob Anderson but at least he has the balls to use his actual name.
Bob Anderson
Guest
Everybody gets called names sometimes, including whites. Good grief, what a waste of energy to care about what someone says about someone. I remember an old adage about "sticks and stones." The hyperpoliticizing of everything is absurd.
Floyd Calhoun
Guest
Is she your niece or cousin or something? Indigenous round 2013 (not 1983), she calls an indigenous player an ape within earshot, & we should not only pardon her, but indeed, should bring Goodes to task over his ratbag reaction?! Are you on the same planet?
Floyd Calhoun
Guest
You can say that again!
Joel Tiller
Guest
I have been to, and participated in, many live sports fixtures in my country of origin and never heard anyone say racially loaded comments like i have heard repeatedly here in victoria. People - usually middle aged men- say blatantly racist things in a kind of off -hand, casual, way that is astounding at first. My partner decided to stop wearing a treasured piece of family (non white) jewellery to work because people born here kept asking her questions like "so what do think of those black New Zealanders..." These kind of bizarre questions made her so uncomfortable that she decided the best strategy was to just nip these questions in the bud by not wearing it anymore. What do we think? We don't regard anyone in NZ as being black or white or yellow we have New Zealanders of African origin, we have New Zealanders of Pacific Islander origin, we have New Zealanders of Asian origin, etc etc We don't go around labelling each other as "black" or "abbo" or "ape" NZ society has its issues but people, on the whole, mix far more easily than here. 'Deep Thinker'- you have a right to believe my article is overly harsh on the 13 yr old girl. I hope her parents are taking sensible steps to shield her from the debate that she has generated - if you actually read the article carefully you'll understand that the main focus of my words is on the danger of McGuire, or others, watering down the impact and ramifications of careless language or sly racism dressed up as careless language. That's become even more relevant today with that kind of fine line- or dodgey mentality- catching Eddie out today
Deep Thinker
Guest
I just felt the need to point out that my praise for Eddie McGuire's intervention in the matter was before he made the King Kong comments.
Nathan of Perth
Guest
Dropping into some frothiness there, Pot Stirrer. Go stir your pot elsewhere, I'm not going to mount a defence of a strawman argument I never raised, for your satisfaction.
Just Julie
Guest
I do - 4 ,and I'm a CFC member ,and I was at the game and I did not see it til news later. I stand by my comment. It is not about a 13 yo kid - it is about the beliefs held by our society and how the society should act to make it a better place. Allowing such abuse is same as enabling social racism. I stand up for the right for Goodes to make a stand. CFC / AFL have to make a stand and educate against abusive fans. This is not just a personal issue at all n neither for the girl, or the indigenous player Goodes .
Pot Stirrer
Guest
If she knew what she said meant which she says she didnt, why ont anybody believe her ?
Just Julie
Guest
Just Julie said | May 29th 2013 @ 2:59pm | Report comment Oh comeon…, this is not about the girl! AND She has already been scarred if she thinks its ok to shout abuse, even more so if she does not recognise the meaning of what she’s saying. This is a public arena, which has rules of engagement. Her family should be ashamed and not be allowed to hide behind ignorance.
Just Julie
Guest
so there is racism and then there is racism. There IS no merit to racist comment. (My eyes roll)
Pot Stirrer
Guest
Get over your self
Pot Stirrer
Guest
Just Julie, you do realise she is only 13, do you have kids ?
Just Julie
Guest
Oh comeon..., this is not about the girl! AND She has already been scarred if she thinks its ok to shout abuse, even more so if she does not recognise the meaning of what she's saying. This is a public arena, which has rules of engagement. Her family should be ashamed and not be allowed to hide behind ignorance.
Just Julie
Guest
Supporters are meant to support their team not fire up the opposition with insults racist or not! As to your Q. Goodes put it into the public arena therefore he lost rights to its control . It should be debated as the comment was intentionally abusive, was heard; because it was a slur on the indigenous player; and also the indigenous commemoration of the game round. It should not be swept under the carpet. It is not just a storm in a teacup but encapsulates the attitudes - the hurt, the anger, the underlying beliefs, and the lack of compassion for others. The game is not to win at all costs but to win fairly - supporter abuse needs to be stamped out of the game too. Goodes possibly regrets his actions too but he acted from his heart at he time, as did the girl. We as a society should be examining our moral character in this incident if we want to progress to a better world where even at a footy match respect reigns over everything else.
Reason
Guest
Well Eddie certainly had something to say today.