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

[MC Extra Dollop]

you still dont get it.

ITS YOUR PERCEPTION thats its racist. Not mine, or many others. For you to claim it as some kind of if you boo him you support racism umbrella is the height of horse shit. its like some scare tactic you are using to try and make people stop booing him, by basically saying they support racism if they do it.

When i see people booing Goodes its because hes a spud. Not because of a racial driven agenda. That is my perception.

One of the best 50 or so players in the history of the game. Guess that makes as much sense as anything else.

 

[Big_Birdy]

And that's where the inconsistency lies. There are so many players out there who have been consistently dirty their whole careers who don't get booed.

And there were many who did.

Some got booed just because they were good and weren't even dirty.

I'm not sure if Hayden Ballantyne has ever even been suspended, and he isn't even that good, and yet....

 

[TheMightyEagles]

The argument I often hear is this: people who boo Goodes should stop because they otherwise provide cover/support for the racist minority in the crowd.

On that basis, should we also stop criticising Naitanui when he fails to take enough marks in a game or collect enough uncontested possessions? Surely the same argument hold weight here. There are people who may criticise him because they are threatened by a successful Fijian man. Or how about when people make fun of Heretier Lamumba and his prince having the last laugh speech? I'm sure some people think someone with his background shouldn't be so outspoken.

Such views would be and are reprehensible. We don't, however, tip toe around these discussions out of fear of some joker's possible reaction. So what makes Goodes special?

 

[BlakeyNoFlakey]

I think people mostly boo Goodes because, let's face it, he's often a dirty player. Scragging, diving, and knees planted firmly in backs during marking attempts, under the pack cheap shots, and so on. We've all seen him do it time and again.

I admire Goodes overall for what he has achieved as an AFL player (you don't play over 300 games and win 2 Brownlow's if you're a hack) and as an ambassador for Aboriginal Australia, but to suggest people only boo him because of his race is inflammatory in itself and will ultimately cause him to get booed even more.

White players get booed too, I really don't see the difference. The more they make a big deal of it, the more people will do it.

 

[DuckYeah]

Go to the UK and casually say "wog", you will quickly find it relates to a completely different heritage and is not well received. Just because you don't think the word is harmful, doesn't mean it isn't to others.

Maybe people need to harden up then.. The term Wog, 60 years ago was regarded as offensive, but its not any longer, wogs (me) thrived on it, "if youre gonna call us a wog, well then its exactly what were gonna be".

We arent in england and words have different meanings depending on where youre from.. Nappy is considered offensive in the States..

Because one person finds it offensive, doesnt mean everyone finds things offensive.. Everyone is different.. Booing is not racist or should be taken offensively

 

[Easy Slips Catch]

...Those who boo Goodes have surely made their point, have they not? What is their end game?

Do you really think people yelling at a footy game have an agenda?

 

[sherb]

If there was a thread on the main board called, " players who went around one year too long "

Would you consider Goodes to be a fair candidate on that list, considering he missed the pre season, played as a sub while publically stating he wasn't going to, struggling with form and getting pantsed by a first gamer on the weekend.

He may well have.

That doesn't mean that now he has played on, he should have to leave the game to solve the current "issue" though.

 

[Reginald Perrin]

Of course you wouldn't to have wanted to be pointed out for calling an indigenous man an Ape on live TV. But then again, hopefully you'd have a bit more sense than to do that in the first place.

The fact is she did call him an Ape and we as a nation were suddenly made to ask "Is racism so ingrained into our culture that a 13-year old thinks it's good sport to call an Aboriginal man an ape?"

Do you really think that a 13 year old girl represented the racist face of Australia by calling an aboriginal man an ape, or is it just possible that she called a big hairy footballer an ape without realising that it would affect him in a way that she was unable to understand?

You use the term indigenous when referring to aboriginals, because you probably haven't had a discussion with an aboriginal elder who has explained to you that they find the term offensive. Does that mean that racism is so ingrained in your upbringing that you are doing it for sport, or is it that you just don't realise that it affects some aboriginal people in a way that you are unable to understand?

 

[kickazz]

So no booing anyone ever? Is that where we are at? Lets just solve the problem by outlawing it because that always works right?

Not sure anyone has asked for it to be banned. They've just asked people to exercise judgement and consider not doing it.

 

[bungwahl]

Do you really think people yelling at a footy game have an agenda?

We all know that we're talking about a bigger issue here.

 

[Medika_J]

Those who claim they boo Goodes because they think he's a bad person, please make a reasoned case as to why? And statements like he's a campaigner don't cut it. Until you can do this, the rest of us are going to believe you can't handle an outspoken and proud Indigenous man who's prepared to point out racism, even (or maybe I should say especially?) when it's coming out of a child's mouth.

This is becoming embarrassing on an international scale.

 

[Thunder_Dan]

The afl and in particular adam Goodes need to realise that unfortunately for him not everything is racially motivated.. God forbid people just think he is a dirty player.
Paddy Ryder was booed Saturday night against essendon but you didn't hear adam Goodes and the afl come out and say you can't boo him.

What happens if someone of the same skin colour as adam calls him an ape

 

[Dacksaredown]

Those who claim they boo Goodes because they think he's a bad person, please make a reasoned case as to why? And statements like he's a campaigner don't cut it. Until you can do this, the rest of us are going to believe you can't handle an outspoken and proud Indigenous man who's prepared to point racism, even (or maybe I should say especially?) when it's coming out of a child's mouth.

This is becoming embarrassing on an international scale.

Cue the tried and true responses. Throw in a Ballantyne reference? Seems the go to argument so far.

 

[ChampRevesby]

I do understand your point. What I'm trying to convey here though is that as adults we are beneficiaries of life experience and have developed skills and attitudes to guide us. We know the concept right and wrong, even if we disagree with other adults.

But after all that, even if as an adult we know every possible thing that is right or wrong, we must also understand the rules apply differently to children.

Ask any parent. You only have to do the wrong thing once. If you do the wrong thing it's permanently wrong. You don't have the choice of reasoning, revising, or taking it all back.

That's why we're careful around children. That's why we put up with a lot of their crap. The rules are different!

Justice system also agrees (rightly or wrongly)

 

[WideOpenRoad]

Wow, I've seen some overreactions about this issue but this is truly the biggest one, well done.

I think you're grossly underestimating how serious this issue has become.

 

[Sprout]

I'm not a fan of some of the things that Goodes has said and done. I think many of his actions have been more divisive than constructive.

But I also think the booing has gone on long enough. Whatever point needed to be made, it's been made. Goodes isn't universally liked. He knows that beyond a shadow of a doubt. But to continue booing him now is verging on hateful, and that isn't what the game is about.

However people may feel about him, he's a two time Brownlow medallist and should play out what little is left of his career being recognised as such. You don't have to applaud him. just let him play the game.

 

[MC Extra Dollop]

Bah! Typical response from the lefty fascist scum that runs the AFL and the media these days. Falling into Goodes' trap of playing the victim.

Those darn lefty fascists are at it again...

 

[Easy Slips Catch]

We all know that we're talking about a bigger issue here.

We all dont.

So now you are saying you are the voice of the community. What is your end game?

 

[krisholio14]

Goodes has been a fine footballer for many years but that's not to say I like the guy at all. I lost a lot of respect for him after he bullied a 13 year old girl because he was referred to as an "ape" by her.

I feel like the timing of Goodes 'making a stand against racism' was extremely convenient as it happened to occur in Indigenous Round when he knew he could make a big story about it and as a result use a member of the general public as an example that racism is supposedly still prevalent within football and society in Australia.

I'm not sure the 13 year old girl knew what she was saying when she said the word 'ape' towards Adam Goodes but I doubt there was a racial undertone to it.

This whole situation with Goodes just reeks of political correctness going too far and when political correctness rears its ugly head, people from the general public will react against it and stand up to it and that's why I believe booing is occurring in a larger scale at the moment.

One thing that is irritating me though is this insinuation that booing Adam Goodes automatically means you're a racist and I've heard it from everyone in the media, the AFL and football clubs who have to tow the company line. For example, Paul Roos on AFL 360 said that if Adam feels getting booed is 'racist' it's therefore 'racist'! What rubbish!

Some people may be booing him for being an Aboriginal man but that's extremely unlikely in most cases as we would see boos directed towards other Indigenous players in the competition as well. Most likely, people are booing him for various reasons such as:

• The politicisation of football and sport! I understand he's passionate about Indigenous causes and he has every right to do so but Adam doesn't help his cause when he says things such as “Europeans, and the governments that have run our country, have raped, killed and stolen.” When he's referring to Europeans is he referring to my family who emigrated to Australia in the 1950s and 1960s or people with a European background of some sort? I find those comments highly offensive.
• The divisive nature of his character. Rather than going down a path of reconciliation and unity like Michael Long did twenty years ago he'd prefer to be provocative even if it's not intended by him possibly. The way he conveys his message annoys people.
• Goodes' in general is an unlikeable personality if his public profile is anything to go by.
• He bullied a 13 year old girl and humiliated her human decency! Even if her comments were offensive why target her specifically especially if he's not a first time victim of racism. That moment reeked of him wanting his 'Nicky Winmar moment'.
• His diving antics and his habit of trying to play free kicks is one that annoys many opposition supporters and will receive boos. That's why Lindsay Thomas receives boos as well and why the likes of Didak and Ballantyne have also received boos over their careers due to their playing antics.
• Some boo just for the sake of booing! They have no clue why they do it but they bandwagon because others do it.
• Their may be a very small percentage who boo him for racial reasons but I think the overwhelming majority do not do it for racial reasons.
• When the likes of the AFL and the media constantly tell people not to 'boo' him specifically this prompts people to rebel against the status quo of the AFL and the media and boo him harder. Would the AFL tell us to stop booing if another player was a target of such boos?

Now maybe i missed something, and if I have perhaps someone can point me to the relevant threads, but I have found that usually if there are supporters spouting vile abuse at players (especially of a racial nature), that there will always be supporters of the club in question that come on here and start a thread making comment about it. I know those kinds of threads have bobbed up on the Geelong board from time to time, and have also seen them on other teams boards.

For all the hullabaloo after the Hawthorn game, I don't recall any anecdotes relating this kind of abuse being mentioned. If it had been as bad as what the media and some others have made out, I would have thought there would have been numerous examples of foaming at the mouth racist Hawthorn supporters being shared with us.

I am living in the US at the moment, so haven't been to a game for 12 or so months. Prior to that I had attended over 400 games in the previous 16-17 years. While I heard quite a few players cop some frightful sprays from the crowd (Stephen Milne heading the list), not once have I heard an indigenous player be vilified. I'm not saying that means it doesn't happen, but considering I've often stood or sat in amongst the more vocal supporters among us, I would think I've seen enough of a cross section of games and supporter groups to say it is nowhere near as common as is often made out.

 

[peppy la pew]

Come on mate, complete the thought.

Until...

When that all went down my little girl, who was 10 at the time asked me what was happening, obviously been to school and everyone was talking about it.

I explained that the girl in question shouted* that Goodes looks like an Ape, she looked at me bemused and said " but he does look like an ape "

This is the same kid that is now head girl at a catholic school, not a racist bone in her body.

We explained that while that may be the case, it was hurtful to him to hear that, she agreed and understood the ramifications.

Imagine if Goodes had pointed the bone at a certain member of the cheer squad,

* am only going on media reports what was said

 

[Coolangatta]

Tony Abbott is the face of racism in Australia. If I were Goodsey, I would've refused to accept the AOTY award from that prick. Now that would have been a commendable act.

 

[Easy Slips Catch]

When the Roos fans (rightfully) booed Hodge, the Hawks fans started cheering and tried to drown out the boos. How come Sidney fans dont support Goodes? What is wrong with them? Do they know something?

 

[JohnnyFontane90]

Maybe people need to harden up then.. The term Wog, 60 years ago was regarded as offensive, but its not any longer, wogs (me) thrived on it, "if youre gonna call us a wog, well then its exactly what were gonna be".

We arent in england and words have different meanings depending on where youre from.. Nappy is considered offensive in the States..

Because one person finds it offensive, doesnt mean everyone finds things offensive.. Everyone is different.. Booing is not racist or should be taken offensively

and i bet your ancestors didn't piss and moan on national tv about how unfair their underprivileged background was and how evil the world was. they put the head down, got to work and showed this country how they can contribute and that they belong.

 

[Docker Alyssa]

The difference here is that you had your parents define your self worth. Imagine now for a second that your parents had no self worth and whose own parents had none. Now imagine being part of a minority group. Now imagine being a woman in that minority group.

See the difference

Sent from my SM-T330 using Tapatalk

No I don't. And how cute you know me do you? Say hi to my parents next time who apparently are the only cause of my resolve, self worth, and ways of handling hardship. How presumptive of you. I get it, you had to for your point to make sense

 

[Medika_J]

I'm not a fan of some of the things that Goodes has said and done. I think many of his actions have been more divisive than constructive.

But I also think the booing has gone on long enough. Whatever point needed to be made, it's been made. Goodes isn't universally liked. He knows that beyond a shadow of a doubt. But to continue booing him now is verging on hateful, and that isn't what the game is about.

However people may feel about him, he's a two time Brownlow medallist and should play out what little is left of his career being recognised as such. You don't have to applaud him. just let him play the game.

The people booing Goodes have made a point, but perhaps not the one they intended to make. They've made Goodes's point.

Also why is their booing of him not 'divisive' if Goodes speaking out about colonialism and Indigenous issues is?

And lastly, perhaps it isn't for you or me to decree how an Indigenous person addresses these issues?