Imagine having a bizarrely altered face like Sam Newman’s and then having the gobsmacking audacity to refer to someone else as an ‘it’.
In case you’ve been living under a rock – as many ageing, white men who think they are funny have been – on The Footy Show this week Newman made transphobic remarks (not jokes) about the American Caitlyn Jenner, who is transgender.
At a time in his life when the 72 year-old oafagenarian could be spending his time doing something meaningful like hiding his own Easter eggs, he’s instead sitting on his Channel Nine throne waiting to hurl insults at vulnerable people in a sad attempt to prop up the increasingly fragile part of his ego that is unable to be rectified by cosmetic surgery.
The defence of Newman as trying to ‘be funny’ is paradoxically laughable. As Newman, journalists Mark Robinson and Eddie McGuire have all been forced to discover, being funny is much harder than it looks.
Being a minimal-thinking jerk with a flagrant disregard for the feelings of others, however is much easier, which is why so many lazily choose that path.
I’m not transgender so I can’t speak for people who are, but I am a human being who considers the impact of my words and actions on others. I also have a mate who recently announced that she is transgender and I can’t begin to imagine the complex emotional experience she has lived up until this point in her life.
Compare that to the emotional experience of Newman, deciding who to insult every week in the name of cheap laughs. My mate has more courage, integrity, intelligence, humour and compassion in her new wig than Newman has in his entire being.
(AAP Image/Joe Castro)
That Newman was set up by Billy Brownless is a cowardly, pathetic excuse. Who could seriously expect any different from Billy, the Geelong simpleton who has previously and publicly called women ‘hookers’ and compared his wife to a wallet?
Sadly, Brownless thinks he’s being funny too, though unfortunately for him he is unencumbered with the neurological apparatus required to be so, unless of course your humour gene is trapped in the 1970s when punching down was accepted as funny.
The defence of ‘humour’ no longer stands. Unlike the intellectual states of Brownless, Newman and others, the world changes, which is why sexist, racist and otherwise hurtful comedy is now exposed as the base rubbish that it is.
That people who are clearly incapable of higher level thinking are continually given public platforms to disseminate their vile and stupid thoughts is the only part of this that comes as a shock.
None of this is about the ‘nanny state’ or ‘political correctness’, it’s about not being a mean and nasty. Commercial television fails to recognise this in the pursuit of ratings and revenue, and viewers are complicit from their lounge rooms.
Vicitm blaming is usually frowned upon, but not by me. If you watch The Footy Show Sam Newman’s cruelty is exactly what you deserve. Could anyone seriously expect any different?
But thankfully, everything is okay now as Newman has apologised.
Just like Mark Robinson apologised when joking about Alex Fasolo’s mental health and Eddie McGuire apologised when joking about Adam Goodes and Caroline Wilson, and Wayne Carey apologised for whatever he did and the St Kilda Football Club always apologise when their club’s archaic culture is exposed.
The only problem with these apologies is that no consequences are attached to them. They are so insincere and meaningless that the repeated transgressions by the blundering buffoons are entirely expected.
That St Kilda of all clubs chose to castigate Newman in defence of transgender people has got to be one of the greatest examples of token altruism since Ted Bundy wrote a thesis on crime prevention.
I’d sooner accept vaccination tips from Pauline Hanson than moral platitudes from the Saints.
St Kilda would be better served ‘doing’ rather than ‘saying’ if they want the public’s perception of them to change. In their defence, the mistakes of young men are far more forgivable than those of old men.
Peter Cook once said, ‘I have learnt from my mistakes, and I am sure I can repeat them exactly.’
As can Newman, McGuire and Brownless. Now that’s funny.
I eagerly await Newman’s 2018 apology.
Sean Woodland
Roar Pro
Thanks Caroline. Apologies for the tardiness of my response. I don't always read all of the comments but in this case I'm glad I did. My part was easy. The credit goes to you and Cassie for being the honest, courageous and determined people that you are.
Don Freo
Guest
That's what should happen in these instances. That's not what has happened in this article...or in the many condemnatory responses.
northerner
Guest
It's not fine to put down an aging bloke because he's aging; it's just fine to put down his aging ideas, though. It's the ideas, or lack of them, that matters, not the age of the person expounding them. And I personally don't have any particular issue with pointing out a certain level of hypocrisy in those ideas, either.
yawn
Guest
In the case of people like Caspar “average people”= “silent majority”= semi-literate halfwits. Hey, you just just hurt my feelings .....poor me.
hal
Guest
Andrew Bolt uses the same line. I am a far left, so no doubt he thinks far leftists are even more fascistic.
Kaniel Outis
Guest
Well said Lord Paul. I have a friend who is transgender, and I also work with a transgender woman. Transphobia is prejudice.
hal
Guest
Micky C: Firstly The Guardian and Huff Post aren't Marxist. Marxists advocate the over throw of the capitalist system by a workers revolution. Marxists want to establish a classless society which does away with all forms of bigotry. You use Marxist as a throw away term, without showing an understanding of what it means.I have never read any articles in the Huff Post that are advocating for a workers revolution. The Huff Post doesn't act as an organizational tool for anti statist and anti capitalist collective action. Your idea of privileged elites is laughable. The elites are the ruling class, the monarchists, and their parliamentary puppets. Malcolm Turnbull is a privileged elite. Real power is exercised in the board rooms of the transnational and multi national companies. The politicians rule on their behalf. When does the Guardian have editorials that say this? The Liberal left is not the Anarchist left or the Marxist left. I am part of the far left (I am a blue collar worker and so are most of my comrades. Before commenting on the left check your facts. The far left don't call upon the state to censor and ban things. The far left put forward counter views outside the parliamentary system. Sport is a part of society. Society is structured along class lines. We work for minimum wage while the wealthy ruling elites are living it up on our labor. The political elites attempt to divide workers with racist, sexist, homophobic, and transphobic dog whistling. This article was a great article. You don't have to be an anarchist to believe in decenty to others.
Kaniel Outis
Guest
Me too. It's an excellent show. It's good to see RoCo on it now. I totally agree with the sentiments expressed in this article
hal
Guest
Excellent article. Bashing minorities is not funny, it is just bigoted, reactionary crap.
hal
Guest
+1 I thought it was a great article.
Don Freo
Guest
I get that you don't like him...he makes me cringe too...although I hardly watch since Lyon and then Brayshaw went. Sam, however, does not have a low IQ. If you don't recognize that, maybe there's a limitation in how you see things. Bright people have the capacity to be offensive...sometimes because of their elitism and arrogance.
The Original Buzz
Guest
I am a big fan of Marngrook because they tend to be serious about footy and not carry on like idiots. If you want to watch some meaningful and intelligent footy talk, watch Marngrook.
The Original Buzz
Guest
Well said, Pauly and James. I agree wholeheartedly.
The Original Buzz
Guest
I fully agree with you Sean, the likes of Newman, Mcguire, Brownless and co. should be banned for 12 months for those kinds of remarks. There are no consequences which makes it ok to hurl insults at any and every person they feel like. Sam Newman is not a legend, he is a sad, pathetic person with a low IQ and very little self esteem who is desperately trying to make himself look big and tough to his mates. If he wants to see an "it" he only needs to look in the mirror. He is a racist, misogynistic, sexist, homophobic that should not be let out in public let alone on television. I have seen one episode of the footy show and have not watched it since due to his ignorance and biases. Once he and Brownless go from that show, I will watch it again.
Don Freo
Guest
Hmmm..just read this. I agree with the sentiments of most responses. If you are offended by the way Sam puts down others, the one thing NOT to do is to be guilty of doing the same thing. This is just an explosion of hatred. "Old man", cosmetic surgery...how discriminatory. Why is it ok to put down an aging bloke just because his anachronistic values don't accord with yours? Is an opinion piece more virtuous than TV mockery?
I ate pies
Guest
Peer reviewed science....lmao, lmao
Caroline Layt
Roar Rookie
Thank you Sean. I am transgender, I have a rich personal sporting history, I'm a journalism student and I write for the ROAR. Great article BTW. Thank you for sticking up for us. When I first heard about Newman's comments I felt sick to the stomach and it made me sad. I started writing myself and thinking about the impact his mocking words would have. I thought about writing an article - an opinion piece for the ROAR as a transgender woman in response to his BS and then I thought it might not be well received. You've given me the courage to write a follow up to your article and thanks for sticking up for us again. Your transgender friend and I are very pored of you for taking a stand.
The_Wookie
Roar Guru
They simply can or they woulldnt be on tv - outrating the NRL version and not languishing on NITV after being dumped by ABC2 like Marngrook. They are however being beaten in Melbourne at least by Sevens Front Bar from time to time.
Dalgety Carrington
Roar Guru
lol, some grade A takes on science there. Science is an observational method, left wing/right wing are concepts that don't really exist and will serve to blind you to observational realities, like the overwhelming peer-reviewed evidence showing the high probability of human causality in climate change as you take a "side".
Judy
Guest
I'm home reading this and clapping madly well said, couldn't have said it better