Goodes and booing

[mcs]

I can't understand the ignorance of some people.

On 5AA callers have said he bullied at 13 year old girl. My understanding of event were that someone yelled a derogatory racially vilifying term, he stopped & pointed to the general area when the vitriol emanated from & it just so happened to be a 13 year old girl. He expressed his dismay that a 13 year old would say such a thing without knowing why it was offensive; he personally talked to her & she now understands. It was handled with class.
Until Eddie, who weeks earlier feigned concern about the incident, then ... on national radio ... jests that Adam should be promoting King Kong. Blatant passive racism.

Fast forward, Adam has been promoting racial awareness & tolerance. He's recognised with an Australian of the Year nomination. He didn't nominate himself. His good work evidently ultimately warranted the accolade. He makes comments about racism. Now these 5AA listeners are saying some of them boo him because of his public social stance. Really?! He is awarded an honour for a reason & now you don't want him to discuss that reason?! Rosemary Batty is awarded Australian of the year for her stance against violence children, should she not use it as a platform to promote her cause? Did they expect Fred Hollows to stop his altruistic eye surgery when his honor was bestowed on him?

The majority of the public simply have no idea.

The lack of logic in this numpties shouldn't astound me (it is Australia after all) but it continues to do so.

People can't comprehend that what is racist isn't decided by the perpetrator, but the person it is directed towards.

The hate he is getting is a sad reflection on a part of Australian society, and shows just how far we have to go to truly stamp out racism in this country.

As Waleed Aly and others have said, no one has a problem with an Aboriginal being a star on the field until he 'gets out of his place' by standing up for what he believes in.

[S.S. Bleeder]

Wow. Cant believe it has come to the point where he needs some time away.
What a shame to think our time to appreciate him has been potentially cut short by bigots. Even if it is just for one game, that stinks.

It must be really affecting him. He's the type of guy who wears his heart on his sleeve.

I would have given him a few days off but not told anyone. If the opposition supporters know that he is getting upset by it, they will only be further encouraged.

Up until now the media exposure on the issue has only made the matter worse as, I feel, that the people have been boo'ing him simply because it was the thing to do. However, it now appears to have come to a head since jetta's actions on the weekend. Hopefully this will be the end of it.

[i'm-uninformed2]

Here you go: Open Letter from Andrew Ireland - sydneyswans.com.au

[Mel_C]

The abuse that Goodes has been copping is like us being at work and having thousands of people yelling abuse and booing us for the whole day. Eventually it is going to get to you.

This situation just makes me feel so sad. I hope that he plays this week and the swans supporters come out in force and show him their full support.

[Untamed Snark]

If Goodes does play on Saturday I'd love to hear the same "Goodesy" chant we had at the preliminary final.

[annew]

The abuse that Goodes has been copping is like us being at work and having thousands of people yelling abuse and booing us for the whole day. Eventually it is going to get to you.

This situation just makes me feel so sad. I hope that he plays this week and the swans supporters come out in force and show him their full support.

Yes just imagine - I would have cracked long before now

[giant]

This is all making me very sad. If it could be organised, and if Adam misses Saturday's game, I'd happily boycott Saturday's game as a way of saying that we're not going to stand for this anymore.

[Nico]

I am waiting to hear from the man who struck up the band, the conductor of the orchestra; Eddie McGuire. Then again he is a mate of Brereton and unfortunately the person who said right after Goodesy's dance, that he felt threatened, or something of that ilk, by the dance. All his flogs of mates fell in behind him. What a discraceful excreta of a human being.

[Ludwig]

I am waiting to hear from the man who struck up the band, the conductor of the orchestra; Eddie McGuire. Then again he is a mate of Brereton and unfortunately the person who said right after Goodesy's dance, that he felt threatened, or something of that ilk, by the dance. All his flogs of mates fell in behind him. What a discraceful excreta of a human being.

Bec Wilson took on Dermott today on SEN and they had a real go at each other. Brereton even threatened to sue her. Wilson said the Goodes booing was the worst example of racism in sports she has ever witnessed in her life.

I have previously commented that the Footy Show that Eddie McGuire lauds as the best thing that ever happened to footy has been a breeding ground for racist, homophobic and sexist behaviour. It should have been driven off the air in the '90s. And is one of the many reasons why Eddie is the greatest blight on football I have ever seen, and things won't get better till he's gone from the game.

[WauchopeAnalyst]

Eddie controls the AFL due to the TV rights and the production of all games. Eddie signs the cheques and most stand in line with their hands out. Very few are willing to take on Eddie, due to his power and wouldn't have jobs without the AFL. WHATELY and ROBBO has had a good crack at idiots and BRERETON threatens WILSON, a female, with a lawsuit. BRERETON you are an imbecile with CAREY and JAKOVICH racing to catch up.

[neilfws]

Rosemary Batty is awarded Australian of the year for her stance against violence children, should she not use it as a platform to promote her cause?

I kid you not - I read a comment in a thread recently criticising her with "logic" not unlike that used by some against Goodes. Something along the lines of "I'm not violent, why does she tar all of us men with the same brush, should pull her head in" and so on. Yes, there are people who feel that a domestic violence campaigner of all things is some kind of threat to their rights and lifestyle.

Now I need to go and read something positive about the human race.

[0918330512]

I would urge anyone to respond to some of the ridiculous comments in this msn article about Goodsey

Sydney Swans give star Adam Goodes time off as club admits he has been affected by consistent booing from fans

[bodgie]

I find it hard to comment neatly on this issue. I admire Goodes and what he is trying to do, with very little support. To be taunted as a grown man with schoolyard insults 'go back to the zoo' 'ape' 'should promote King Kong' etc on the oval where shines with skill and genius must be utterly humiliating. And being a leader and thinker on his peoples problems and tragic 'recent' history must make it even more galling. This booing thing is utter crap. It reflects our shabby political debate on many issues, where bigotry is a proud right to be defended.
That said I don't think footy should be a place for overt politics. If a bloke can't do an aboriginal war dance in indigenous round without kicking up such a stink just shows that footy crowds and specialists aren't necessarily cultural and politically equipped to deal with Womans round, Anzac, Indigenous or whatever especially if it kicks up hostile responses in sections of the audience. The football game is a place of theatre. We all have our heroes and villians we like to cheer or boo. And part of the fun (OK for me anyway) is the wit in the crowd around me. It isn't always politically correct.
How can we control a huge crowd to behave as we think acceptable for a good day out?

The black Americans who stood up at the Olympics with their salute back in the 60s have and will be remembered for many years.

[barry]

The greayest symbol of support a boycott of games Goodes sits out.
i will not be going this weekend. Stand by Goodes.

[churry]

This is a sad indication of where Australian society is at. As a young Australian I can't recall anything like this in Australian sport. I'm not sure whether it's better or worse that Adam is near the end of his footballing career, imagine if this went on for 10 years? Sitting in the stands at the MCG watching the Swans play the Hawks I didn't think it could get worse although Sunday it went up another level. Despite the efforts of those in the media and the AFL I'm not convince it will improve, I've lost a lot of faith in the values of many Australians. What year is it?

I'm not sure if Brereton directly encouraged people to boo but the way he said it on radio screaming at Rebecca Wilson didn't sound good. You can listen here, http://www.sen.com.au/news/07-15/goo...on-vs-brereton