“I’m not defending what he said, but…”
JUST STOP TALKING, ALL OF YOU.
So the AFL’s Indigenous Round has been a dismal failure. It’s timed to coincide with Reconciliation Week, to honour the contribution of Aboriginal players to AFL. Make no mistake, Aussie Rules is their game. We all know what happened, let’s get to the point.
I’ve no doubt Eddie McGuire feels sick with regret, but he is not worthy of sympathy or pity. You expect the kind of shit he said from the racists who wear their views on their sleeve as clearly as the Australian flag on their car and the Southern Cross tattoos on their arse. Not from someone who has worked to promote Indigenous equality. In fact to my mind it is worse that these words were uttered by him. Because no one believes for a second it was a ‘slip of the tongue’. Regardless of how off the cuff the remark was, at some point in his thought process (if you could call it that), Eddie McGuire saw validation in his utterly scummy comments.
But what’s shitting me most of all today is the idiot broadcasters, from Jonathan Morrell on ABC Radio in Perth to the clowns on AFL 360 and plenty in between, pulling out the “I’m not defending what he said, but let’s give him a break,” line. If you’re not defending him but you are making excuses for him, well guess what, you are defending him.
These people need to stop thinking about Eddie McGuire and start thinking about Adam Goodes. Because if you think Eddie is feeling bad, imagine how Adam is feeling. Neither of these racist incidents were provoked. Yet if you search his name on Twitter, the messages are not all supportive. On Facebook; from the reasonable people I call my friends, the one or two status updates over the weekend suggesting Adam Goodes was over reacting. On Wednesday even Father Bob hopped on the bandwagon, commenting that this day marks the end of Aussie larrikinism, or some shit. Get a grip Father Bob. We’re all human, and we all deserve to be treated with respect. It really is that simple.
This furore will die down because Adam Goodes is a strong, proud and honourable man, whose strength of character has been demonstrated by the forgiveness and humanity he has shown this week. I doubt I could be as forgiving.
But in the meantime, all you broadcasters with jumped up egos and unasked-for opinions, just shut up. Be silent. Cease your worthless posturing and stick to your vacuous chatter about sport.
Personally I just want to give Adam Goodes a hug. Stay strong, mate.
