The Roar
The Roar

Giovanni Torre

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Joined August 2015

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Giovanni Torre is a journalist currently working for the Community News Group, and is an occasional Fairfax contributor. He wrote for The West Australian from 2007 to 2009, covering news and sport, including the 2008 WAFL season. He reported on news and sport (WAFL, soccer and cricket) for the Herald Newspaper Company in 2005,2006 and 2009.

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Just as an FYI the original version of this yarn, which was too long I admit, went into some detail about the effects of various illicit drugs, including meth which is a nightmare and does a great deal of damage.

Thank you folks there are some really thoughtful, really intelligent comments here.

I always learn something from reading the comments at The Roar… which is something you can’t say about a lot of websites.

Zero tolerance of drug use would cause more trouble than it would prevent

Valid point – I think an important issue is whether the drugs you use represent a threat or a danger to other people. In transport, as in many industries, it makes a lot of sense to ensure workers are at the top of their game.

Same thing would apply in the medical professions, of course!

Zero tolerance of drug use would cause more trouble than it would prevent

Cocaine has a very short term high. The long term effects, if anything, would be detrimental to your performance on the field.

Meth screws you right up and Ketamine induces a kind of trance-like state that isn’t much use on the field at all.

Zero tolerance of drug use would cause more trouble than it would prevent

You raise really excellent points in your comment – thank you.

Zero tolerance of drug use would cause more trouble than it would prevent

What is it with this “Cultural Marxism” stuff being linked to identity politics?

Marx never wrote anything about homosexuality, and Engels expressed homophobic views.

Marx was also pretty far removed from being a feminist, for the record.

“Cultural Marxist” is a meaningless phrase.

There is a place for politics in sport, but not for fascism

I’m not saying “one side” should be expressed and one side shouldn’t. Politics is more complex than that. There’s a huge range of political views that have currency in this country and very few of them represent an active danger to the wellbeing or freedom of other people.

Maybe zero tolerance is easier than drawing a line. After all, who decides what’s offensive and what isn’t? Community consensus has a way of making decisions on what’s acceptable and people are influenced by that through socialisation… but when you have 60,000 people gathered in one place, a captive audience, you don’t really have time for social norms to moderate debate. However, zero tolerance raises its own questions.

There is a place for politics in sport, but not for fascism

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