Mega Thread The Adam Goodes Megathread - Now with Added Poll!

[MC Extra Dollop]

Oh dear.

I didn't say Polly for AOTY, I distinctly said "someone along the lines" of Polly, - someone with his social standing already having an MBE and the respect of the community. Polly is 80 years old, hardly at an appropriate stage in his life to do the job himself.

Ok, I'm all ears. Give us a name. 'Someone along the lines of Polly', but obviously not too much like Polly, because he'd be an absurd choice, obviously.

 

[Scoopar]

This thread, several others on BigFooty; twitter and facebook is full of admissions & views by thousands of footy followers justifying their abuse and/or booing of Adam Goodes.

Ummm....why do these people feel the need to do that? I haven't seen a comment yet from Goodesy whereby he has named a particular person and asked them to justify the abuse.

Why can't people shut the hell up and just stick to the adage if you haven't got anything nice to say then don't say anything at all?

Really, Adam Goodes doesn't want to know why you abuse him nor is he seeking you to justify it.

Personally it appears to me to be all out about them. They have a hatred for Goodesy and they want to get it off their chests, regardless of the feelings of the bloke himself or his family for that matter.

He just wants to play out the twilight of his career in peace. But sadly that's not going to happen.

It is, as Gerard Whately said the other day, one of the most shameful periods in our sporting history.

 

[sherb]

Just one example of several dirty sniping plays by Goodes where the AFL just let it go. Fair bump play on.... apparently

So your issue is with the AFL here.

 

[Malifice]

Whenever I head out with the footy club there is always a huge amount of hate directed at Goodes and one or two guys will always start mentioning how he gets away with things because he's black especially once they have a couple of beers. Occasionally someone will go "come on your better than that mate" which is good but it still shows that their is a decent amount of people who are clearly against him because of his race or political views. Its not as bad as when I go home to country Victoria where its just open slather. There is a large enough percentage of racist boo-ers to make all the booing racist so while you continue to boo I'm sorry your part of that group and that makes you seem just a little bit racist

Nailed it.

Article in the West today about how it's 'political correctness gone mad' when you can't say to an aboriginal man 'go back to the zoo'.

Some people still don't get it.

 

[HoopsAhoy]

Aside from being factually incorrect and irrelevant to anything not much.

If I have a grandfather that is Italian I am not 25 percent Italian. It doesn't work that way. Ethnicity is a social construct.

Awesome!

I'm socially reconstructing myself as Japhod Mrzlbling from the Martian Real Estate Corporation and I am opening up a new branch office here on Earth.

Beat the Martian Real Estate Bubble and get in on the ground floor with House and Land packages from a measly $50,000 Martian Zploods - not yet traded on XE.com but each Zplood is around AUD0.50.

See I told you it's a bargain. Now don't crowd or push. There's plenty for all, just form an orderly queue so i can get your details and you can transfer the funds. This offer can't last!

Qartish! Qartish! Qartish! (Hurry ! Hurry! Hurry!)

 

[momentbymoment]

If he admitted he is getting depression then yes I'm sure the crowds would stop. At this point it just looks like he's having a sook though.

Do you think he would dare admit how he feels?

He has been branded a sook for making a stand against racism. Its unbelievable what you guys are putting him through ...

 

[Fletched]

The girl is clearly a little child and Goodes is 90-100kg muscle bound adult. Maybe send out a complaint to security at qrt time or something to ask why children are saying things that "could" be interpreted as racist.


Yes I would defend my young daughter from pretty much any crime, when she is old enough and knows she can't be make childish mistakes anymore than my opinion will be different.

Quarter time?! there was 1 minute in the game left that shows how little of it you've actually taken notice of everything

In defending your condoning what was done though

 

[ashep]

The bit where he said she's the 'face of racism', I think he was pretty obviously saying we are all the face of racism. A 13 year old girl, a 50 year old man, etc. It can be anyone. Quite beautifully put actually. Went over your head though obviously.

That's a bit high-concept for this crowd mate

 

[momentbymoment]

If the booing has been going on for so long, why has it only become racist in the last few weeks.

It's been racism ever since that incident in 2013. Where have you been?

 

[Summer Nights]

My facts are straight. Adam Goodes said nothing offensive in his AOTY speech about our military history nor did he say that we should be ashamed of our entire history. His speech amounted to little more than stating that a) this country has treated its first peoples horrifically for centuries (FACT) and b) there are ongoing consequences for that treatment that need addressing. (FACT)

If you're offended by that then you are offended by reality. If it makes you feel ashamed of what your grandfather did in WW1 then you have serious issues and should probably see a psychologist.

He didn't acknowledge Aborigines' murderous and revenge-filled past. Blainey has demonstrated that the killing as a % of population between tribes surpassed the % of lives lost of partipating nations in the world wars.

Any Aborigine who chooses to ignore this but at the same time highlight white Australia's crimes against them is misrepresenting the total perspective.

 

[Docker Alyssa]

The book is written, they're probably just tidying up all the foot notes now. Should have a pool on what month next year it'll be released.

He loves this rally to get players publicly backing him up, especially white players, leaders of other clubs. Then down the line he gets to say his stand had with it a showing of "solidarity" among the football playing fraternity, and stood against all this "racism" in the country he was being subject to. Even though most just don't like the guy from well before any racial issues he mentioned, or how he tries to spin everything since them. A millionaire playing for oppression brownie points in sanctimonious victimhood.

 

[Suma Magic]

the point is that if you boo him in the future you are lining up with the racists

I'm talking about the past. The accusations made by the swans weren't limited to the future.

 

[jc12]

lets get the facts right, goodes was not booed like this before the girl incident.
since that incident he has been booed badly
incident with girl had to do with racism
goodes is outspoken about racism afterwards but makes up with girl
people did not like that he was outspoken and being told what to do so they booed him
other people saw it was a thing and decided to join in
booing was stemmed from racists who didnt enjoy being told off by a supposed lower class aborigine, some others booed and just made up the excuse that he was a dirty player, the fact is there are many dirty players who do not get booed as much as him, the booing started from him instinctively defending himself. its pretty sad this has effected him so much, the people booing should be ashamed, dont understand why they cant just ignore what he says if they dont like it

 

[Pessimistic]

As an aside, is this now becomeing the biggest footy story of 2015 ? And more so because of the collateral damage. Fans v journalists, brereton v bec wilson etc etc

Also seeing as bigfooty is a significant platform, do the mods think a thread where fans can encourage Adam to see our the season would work ?

I joined in the booing in round 8 but saw it as a 23rd man type thing, us v them, and from adams comments after the "war dance" I assumed he was of that mind. Even though I was a 'booer' I found his war dance to be given in great humour and took It as giving it back to the crowd a bit. I wasnt actually at the ground that day but you can see individuls peoples reactions varying from stunned, angry and quite a few smiling.

Is it the reaction from others which has superimposed this great darkness upon the whole thing ?

Subsequently It seems the humour has been squeezed out of it. He should finish the season, we should tone it down and move on. (If he wants to finish that is)

 

[DERIBERATE]

If only people could summon up the same outrage at 200+ years of disenfranchisement and dispossession of entire nations of indigenous people than they seem to be able to summon for one 13 year old girl.

If only this forum had better choice in moderators than you, who seems to think "like it or leave" is an acceptable "joke" to level at anybody.

 

[melbournehammer]

I was wondering this as well.

Sydney didn't say much about this over the last two months when they were winning but after a few big losses in a row they've "had enough of it".

And there you have it. The endless chip on the Hawks shoulder.

 

[Dacksaredown]

It's been racism ever since that incident in 2013. Where have you been?

Woke up today and saw Bigfooty thread. Decided to post. Didn't work out.

 

[Liverpower]

A great deal of this discussion is at cross purposes because of different views about what constitutes racism. The basic or primary definition is relatively uncontroversial: "any action or attitude, conscious or unconscious, that subordinates an individual or group based on skin colour or race." Note that this basic definition does not require a power imbalance to exist and is focuses on behaviour at the individual level. On this definition both white and indigenous people could have racist attitudes to each other, though let's be honest, it is much harder for a white person to be subordinated in Australia because of the colour of their skin than an indigenous person.

Institutional racism is more subtle and complex. One definition is that it is "a system of procedures/patterns in education, housing, businesses, employment, professional associations, religion, media, etc., whose effect is to perpetuate and maintain the power, influence and well-being of one group over another. It originates in the operation of established and respected forces in the society; and thus receives far less public condemnation than does individual racism."

Power relations are front and center in institutional racism and I would have thought it was fairly obvious that indigenous Australian have been and continue to be victims of institutional racism, whereas white Australians have not and indeed cannot.

What does all of this mean for the Adam Goodes debacle? I have no doubt that most of the people that are booing him do not regard themselves as racists or think of it as a racist act. However, I think those that boo him regularly, or think that it is okay to do so, should ask themselves some difficult questions.

If people "just don't like him", why is that? He is certainly far from the dirtiest player to play the game, or the player that has begged for the most frees. Indeed, over the course of his career he has given away 51 more frees than he has received. So, why is the booing of Goodes more intense and regular than for any other player that I can recall in 25 years of watching football? Is it not possible that some of the negative perceptions of him as a player are tied to the political stance he has taken on indigenous issues? Was his response to being called an ape (which has a very long history of use in Australia, the US and other countries to dehumanise people of different races and black and indigenous people in particular), really so unreasonable that it deserves this response?

There will always be debate about the historic rights and wrongs of the treatement of Australia's indigenous population, but there is little doubt that the subject makes a lot of people uncomfortable, particularly when it raises the prospect that the poor health and living standards of a large proportion of indigenous people today is linked to historical mistreatment and institutional racism that lingers today. Remember, racism does not have to be conscious - little differences in behaviour and attitude that people are not concsciously aware of matter too.

And even if you disagree with me on most or all of the points above, can we not agree that Goodes and many other indigenous players, past and present, including the teams that we all love and support, perceive what is going on as having a racist element? That even if it began as something non-racist, it has morphed into something more destructive? That it is hurting an important section of the football community that players and officials have spent decades trying to ensure have equal opportunities to play and be successful at football? That some genunie racists are using this as a cover to express their own distasteful attitudes? Quite simply, the booing should stop.

 

[sherb]

If he admitted he is getting depression then yes I'm sure the crowds would stop. At this point it just looks like he's having a sook though.

It's pretty clear that it's already affecting him. You don't need to put a name to it.

 

[Ron The Bear]

Google result for Richmond greyhounds race 8 today .....
Racists.
4 BOO 2.60 1.70
6 ROCKET TO GLORY 2.80
8 UP AND UNDER NO DIV
SCR 5

The favourite.

Everyone loves a good boo.

 

[Kummerspeck]

Are there any Swans fans who agree with their club's accusation that every single person who has recently booed Goodes has booed for racist reasons?

I think they have no issue aligning themselves with those who do. Or they consider the "right to boo" more important that distancing themselves from those who are racist. Not really quality no matter which way you dice it.

 

[StevenwellerHFC]

So if people boo Goodes but cheer other aboriginal players they're racist.

I finally understand.

 

[Maddhew]

Are there any Swans fans who agree with their club's accusation that every single person who has recently booed Goodes has booed for racist reasons?

Some are racist, the rest are just uneducated bogan sheep incapable of original thought or actions that deviate from their mundane lives.

 

[MC Extra Dollop]

The bit where he said she's the 'face of racism', I think he was pretty obviously saying we are all the face of racism. A 13 year old girl, a 50 year old man, etc. It can be anyone. Quite beautifully put actually. Went over your head though obviously.

And that the fact that it was a 13 year old girl probably hurt him more than anything.

But yeah, he should have just loitered around the boundary line, waiting for someone closer to his size to abuse him, so he could go full Cantona.

 

[jsd09]

Don't worry guys this will be short lived. It'll be back to Hird bashing in no time