The past week has provided the Australian public with a small window into Australia’s massive race issue – something of which many were unaware.
It has been far too easy for the long list of media personalities to point the finger at others and blame them for inequality, without actively attempting to eliminate the existing cultural diversion themselves.
The boos that Adam Goodes has been receiving all season are underserving and childish. What fully grown man feels the passionate desire to heckle someone by making a ridiculous sound whenever he comes into possession of the ball?
Nevertheless, booing exists and it has become a problem, which climaxed last weekend when Sydney visited Perth to play West Coast. As we are all aware, the Eagles fans continued what has become a common theme of 2015, booing Adam Goodes.
For media personalities such as Mark Robinson, Rohan Connolly and Peter Hellier (to name but a few), to cry out and typecast the large crowds of booers as being ‘racist’ – whether they have literally done this, or implied it – has been as cowardly as those who have been subjecting Goodes to the boos with racist intent.
Firstly, I have no doubt that some ‘booers’ have malicious, racist intent, as evidenced by the West Coast fan’s taunt of “go back to the zoo”. However, for some to have the arrogance to assume that they know of each individual booer’s intent, and then to ignore all of the variables that exist within the four walls of each individual’s head which may make them boo, is mind-boggling.
How easy is it for them to sit behind their computers and typecast good people as racists! Never mind that these ‘racists’ are the ones paying their hard-earned to support Australia’s unique football code, and that the critics have never met, seen, or heard most of them.
It’s such a high horse, isn’t it? I would love to see many of these critics become involved in proactively doing something to end racism. I wonder how involved Mark Robinson is in the Recognise campaign? I wonder how much money he donates to remote Indigenous communities? I wonder if he has ever visited them?
It’s all well and good for these people to sit behind their desks each day and night writing and speaking football, but if you’re going to begin incorrectly typecasting your fellow citizens as racists, at least prove that you are not! If you can argue that people who boo are undeniably racist, I can just as easily say you, who refuses to bridge the gap between inequality in this country, are also a racist.
So instead of being a reactive (and over-reactive) cog in a media-driven, sensationalising movement designed to split the community and sell papers, why not slow down, disembark from your moral high horse, and attempt to be a part of the solution instead? Actions speak louder than words.
The Adam Goodes issue is minuscule in comparison to the centuries of abuse the traditional owners of our beloved land have had to endure. But it depressingly took a footballer’s feelings to awaken the social conscience of mainstream media.
Davo
Guest
Your point about "giving COMFORT to the racist element" is actually a good reason for everyone to stop booing. It is also the first time I have ever heard this. Most of the public comments I've heard, including from the Swans Chairman and a cavalcade of minor celebrities and bandwagon jumpers, said that "anyone who boos Adam Goodes IS a racist". This is why so many additional people now feel outraged and alienated by this issue.
Rob McLean
Guest
I'd expect the same level of booing to be directed at Steve Johnson when he returns from suspension, after all, he has, once again, been proven to be a thug and, oh, doesn't he love to play it up to the umps feigning for free kicks with that permanent look of dopey incredulity on his face. Will we?
jax
Guest
Goodes spat the dummy last week and said the booers were racist. He dominated the news, talkback, this forum and the water cooler discussions across the nation for a week and I am still waiting for him to speak up about the injustices his people face and his plan to fix the problems. Has he asked to meet with the people that booed him? What has he actually done besides getting the AFL, media and public on his side to help them stop people booing him personally? Adam, if you cared for your people more than ‘your legacy’ you’d be speaking out now and you would not be letting the debate fall away so quickly. Unfortunately it does seem to be all about you Adam! I wish you well in your comeback and I hope the booing stops but I think that you have let a lot of people down with your inaction and inability to drive real change. Very disappointing,
DaveM
Guest
Jason , I quoted from the first lines of the article we are replying to. No implication , just the facts
DaveM
Guest
Jason , I quoted from the first lines of the article we are replying to.
DaveM
Guest
No Jason I was not implying anything. I simply quoted word for word from the first lines of the article. Did you read it ?
TahDan
Roar Guru
Yeah, the Quadrant's resident shrink and unironically commentator lambasting commentator must be right. We shouldn't make too many assumptions about the people booing, just the people who arguing the booing has gone to far. It's completely ok to make assumptions about them, and those making the assumptions aren't trying to service their own need to feel moral superiority, because that would be hilariously ironic.
TomC
Roar Guru
An ism like proselytism?
MH
Guest
The proselytizers will always find an ism to call out. If they don't constantly feed their moral superiority they might have to examine their own inadequacies. https://quadrant.org.au/opinion/qed/2015/08/pc-taggers-vs-boo-brigade/
slane
Guest
Mate, the reasons people have for disliking him are patently absurd. That's the problem. Bullies a girl? You have to be joking?! "People need to get around her. She's 13, she's uneducated. If she wants to pick up the phone and call me, I'll take the call." "I've got no doubt in my mind she's got no idea what she was calling me last night." "It's not a witch hunt. I don't want people to go after this girl." -Adam Goodes
jutsie
Guest
Goodes gets booed because people dont like him. yes thats correct but why dont people like him? because they are r@cists who cant handle when a proud indigineous man stands up for himself and exposes them for what they are. You care more about the feelings of a 13 year old (yes she was 13 not 12 so stop calling her a 12 year old) who hasnt been taught proper manners by her parents than you do for the continous mistreatment of our first people. you can paint it anyway you want but you and all australians who share your viewpoint are bigots.
Ryanno
Guest
Empathy for a bloke who has been booed for nothing more than standing up for his rights as a human being and saying racism is not on. Saying no to be called an ape, a black * and go back to the zoo. Why would people continue to boo a bloke who is obviously emotionally effected by it. When is enough enough. Does it make you feel like a big man if you boo him? Are you jealous of his wealth? Does that make it ok to racially vilify him? Shut up and take it, you're rich and it should roll off you back. There's nothing impressive about the mob mentality and wealth does not remove problems past and present from ones life. She was 13 and should have known better, at the very least her grandmother should pulled her into line prior. It's disgusting that her family are now blaming Goodes for the incident and ignorant fools are jumping onboard with it and calling it bullying by Goodes absoultely defies belief and common sense. How in god's name can you possibly fathom that he bullied this young girl who was 13. He called her out in a crowd and stood up for himself that it was unacceptable, she and her family should take responsibility for her actions. Everything that he did following the incident was to draw attention away from her as an individual. You need to reread the coverage from the event. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-05-25/goodes-gutted-but-places-no-blame/4712772
Mick Gold Coast QLD
Roar Guru
Empathy for what? Goodes gets booed because people don't like him. That has been re-stitched by the traditional grievance industry into something quite different. How does that deserve "empathy"? The man is an immensely wealthy bloke who has enjoyed fabulous opportunity at the top for a decade or more yet he whinges about his lot and very publicly bullies a girl just 4 days past 12 years old. How does that deserve "empathy"? When what he has fashioned for himself draws more ridicule from the crowd he runs away and blames everyone but himself; and whole teams of footballers are instructed to line up and say they agree with him and his cheerleaders. How does that warrant "empathy"? Do please offer me the routine clichéd retorts - don't disappoint will you.
Ryanno
Guest
Albo you need a refresher on what Goodes actually said and did after the 13 year old girl incident. It seems like you view the incident as something Goodes orchestrated or enjoyed, nothing could be further from the truth. http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/adam-goodes-gutted-after-13-year-old-girls-racial-slur-who-called-the-sydney-champion-today-to-apologise/story-fni5fan7-1226650256245
Ryanno
Guest
No Jax it's called being a decent human being. Make a choice to join and be part of this bullying behaviour against a bloke who has the gumption to stand up to those who have racially vilified him and say that it's not on. The sheep are the mindless mob who continue to boo even though common decency says enough is enough. Heaven forbid you might take a step back and show some empathy.
Albo
Guest
"Both incidents reek of stage management to coincide with indigenous round." The whole issue has been staged by Goodes and his indigenous industry crusaders (even his week off), so as to maximise the media storm, the handwringing responses, all generated by the confected narrative that "racism abounds at the footy" and needs to be eliminated. They have hijacked the sporting arena that has long been a haven of genuine equality & respect for all participants, to selfishly promote their political crusade . Goodes has promoted himself as the face of indigenous politics in Australia, just as that 13 year old girl was " promoted" by Goodes as the " face of racism in Australia". This is nothing but a political campaign orchestrated for maximum media coverage by playing it out on our TV drenched AFL sporting arenas. And this is why plenty of footy fans are booing him !
TahDan
Roar Guru
Ethan, I really didn't think my response was "fueled with aggression," but apologies if it came across that way. If your intention was to argue essentially that it'd be nice to see this level of commitment in fight racism and disadvantage in the indigenous community more broadly, then I wholeheartedly agree. But that's not how your piece read to me; much of it focused on how it was unfair to label the crowd members yelling the boos as racist, and how some commentators didn't appear to be sufficiently fighting for equality elsewhere I take umbrage with that first part because for the most part the commentary (in Sydney at least) hasn't ever claimed everyone booing were racist; simply that there was clearly an element of it, which is hard to deny when you have people heard to be yelling "go back to the zoo." Again, the point was more that with the conversation very much having moved to the point where we all acknowledged there was a racist element in it, to "hitch your wagon" to that lot is a little like endorsing it even if your own motives are different. I'm glad we're on the same page on the Melbourne soccer player Griffin, but I dislike the tactic of attacking someone like Mark Robinson for essentially supporting the stance on Goodes because you're not convinced of his commitment as a more active anti-racism campaigner. Are you suggesting that he, as an AFL commentator by trade, shouldn't make any comment about this while the Andrew Bolt's of the world are out there saying the real victims are the faceless members of the crowd? If so, why? Why shouldn't Robinson be entitled to have a view on this just because his level of commitment in supporting indigenous community welfare isn't as thorough as others?
Jack
Guest
Seriously, if I didn't know any better I'd say Ethan's mates are commenting here... Honestly, this piece is far from neutral (indeed it only attacks one side on the issue and offers implicit support for the booers) and its not even a good defence. All Ethan does is present the age old "this racism/sexism isn't as bad as all the much worse forms out there and therefore no one should complain" line. It's akin to telling a woman who gets sarcastic whistling directed at her every day at work to just suck it up because "hey, in Islamic State the sexism is far worse!" The bloke is obviously angry that people are suggesting that the people booing are anything but magnanimous, but honestly why are we worried about the booers feelings anyway? No one knows there names or even what they look like for the most part, so it's not exactly defamatory.
Dalgety Carrington
Roar Guru
He was booed last year too jax.
Jasper
Guest
What is it with AFL types that they have to belittle the efforts of other codes, even in the middle of the biggest of all national debates? How is that an unseen AFL boys team war dance has more national meaning that than the annual NRL Indigenous team's? Ridiculous. "More recently, of course, the NRL indigenous All Stars have created their own version which answers that question emphatically in their own unique way. We’ve never had something to capture the national imagination, to make us all feel like Kiwis do before Tests. It took a group of 15-year-old footy players to do that for us and a group of their elite AFL heroes to make it famous." http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/opinion/the-adam-goodes-war-dance-started-with-flying-boomerangs-indigenous-development-squad/story-fni6unxq-1227468376476