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

[dispute]

Yeah fair enough then. I used to be of the opinion that the boo's weren't racially motivated. But that doesn't matter anymore, if he has taken offence to it, and if HE feels it is racist. Then we should stop. Simple as that. (We as in AFL community)

So what reasoning can the umpires use to stop the booing? If they come out and say that the booing is hurting their feelings that should be enough?

Why do no other players get boo'd as much as Goodes? Maybe because no other player carries on as much. They just ignore it.

 

[Go_Blues!]

It doesn't matter if the boo's are racist or not in my opinion.
If it is taken as being racist then you should stop. It is like saying something accidentally racist, you don't keep doing it if it shown to offend the person. You would just be a knob that way. In other ways though, this is setting a really shitty example for kids. They will sit there and see everyone booing the one player, and just follow their parents.

This is a great post. Really not much more to say on the matter. If a person interprets an action as racist, given the depth of the hurt we know is caused, surely, as human beings, we would stop. The motivation probably does not matter much.

 

[Suma Magic]

Yeah fair enough then. I used to be of the opinion that the boo's weren't racially motivated. But that doesn't matter anymore, if he has taken offence to it, and if HE feels it is racist. Then we should stop. Simple as that. (We as in AFL community)

Yeah in one way it's silly that players of one race can't be booed.

But upholding the principle that everyone can be booed probably isn't as important as ensuring that players feel they aren't be racially vilified, even if for the most part, they aren't.

 

[Hawkers]

It doesn't matter if the boo's are racist or not in my opinion.
If it is taken as being racist then you should stop. It is like saying something accidentally racist, you don't keep doing it if it shown to offend the person. You would just be a knob that way. In other ways though, this is setting a really shitty example for kids. They will sit there and see everyone booing the one player, and just follow their parents.

So we can't boo now?
No one can boo?
Or we just can't boo Goodes?

 

[Hodginator]

So we can boo anyone except Goodes? Or will there be a press conference every time a player is booed?

 

[iGNITER]

This is not going to end well.

 

[Maddo11]

Carey on talking footy just absolutely missing the point by comparing Ryders reaction to his former fans booing him to what Goodes had been subjected to in the last two years since the Collingwood game.

He flat out said there's no racial element to it, and Goodes should just let it go.

He's lost the plot, but he almost had a coherent point in that Gil McLaughlan asking for it to stop will basically achieve nothing.

(inb4 i boo him for being a flog not because he's black)

 

[Hawkers]

This is a great post. Really not much more to say on the matter. If a person interprets an action as racist, given the depth of the hurt we know is caused, surely, as human beings, we would stop. The motivation probably does not matter much.

What if a player objects to be yelled at from over the fence because it hurts him. Do we stop yelling at all opposition players?

 

[Chism]

So only Forward Press is allowed to start threads on the Goodes/Booing issue? I noticed two threads were made yesterday regarding Jetta were shut down by FP within minutes.

Why take a Pot shot at individual Mods for? As many Moderate this board as a group even if one Mod may be more exposed and publicly active than others. Maybe the 2 threads you are referring to discussing the same issue were already being talked about elsewhere etc.

You know how hard it is to Moderate this place and especially this board??? No matter what decision is made the negative critique is never far off no matter what card the Mods play, as pleasing everyone is never easy and literally impossible.

Discuss the topic playing by the rules and a fair game ensues, a simple P.M to the Mod in question may have also answered your question rather than a public bake.

 

[Cleric]

Its been pretty stupid by the AFL and even Jetta.
Now everyone knows it gets to Goodes so it will most likely continue.
Noone likes been told what to do by people who think they are more important than you (lookin at you Gill) and so they will buck up against the man.

 

[JohnnyFontane90]

On one side you have the entire AFL community and (one would presume) the entire Indigenous population of Australia.
On the other you have Neil Mitchell and Andrew Bolt.

Which side you think is the right one?

if by afl community you mean the publicist of all the afl clubs then i agree. however the booing of goodes at matches shows that the vast majority of the real afl community (the fans) are sick of goodes' antics.

 

[Scotland]

b) a lot of footy going people have an inherent issue with outspoken members of the Indiginous community who play football

Such as...?

 

[sherb]

Brilliant idea Gillon. Tell people what they can't do. That will work.

Or maybe make it worse.

What would you have him do, say nothing? Of course he's got to come out and say something.

We've got thousands of brainless sheep booing a particular player each week and it doesn't paint the game or those involved in a particularly good light.

 

[Stan_Darsh72]

How about they stop telling us fans what to do

 

[Hollins]

I think this issue is now exploding.
The AFL is now beginning to pay the price for it's partiality and favouritism.
I don't have sympathy for Gil because he was part of the previous administration responsible for this crisis and I don't have sympathy for Adam Goodes because he's done some pretty dirty things on the field.
Definately feel for the younger Indigenous players such as Jetta who are new to all this, done no wrong and unfortunately have been encouraged by the prevailing ideology of political correctness to default to easy explanations such as racism for more complicated issues like this.

 

[Scotland]

On one side you have the entire AFL community and (one would presume) the entire Indigenous population of Australia.
On the other you have Neil Mitchell and Andrew Bolt.

Which side you think is the right one?

Gee I wonder which side of the outrage fence you'll fall on.

 

[ManWithNoName]

if by afl community you mean the publicist of all the afl clubs then i agree. however the booing of goodes at matches shows that the vast majority of the real afl community (the fans) are sick of goodes' antics.

I mean clubs, players, officials etc.

 

[beta_condition]

I don't think we should turn a blind eye to potential racism involved here but I don't feel comfortable claiming this to be racist just because Adam Goodes feels it's racist, I personally feel the boo'ing is due to Adam Goodes speaking out not specifically the racist stuff but in a general sense that footballers should just be footballers, has made him an easy target and the follow the sheep mindset has taken to its current state.

 

[ManWithNoName]

Gee I wonder which side of the outrage fence you'll fall on.

Are you capable of discussing the topic this time?

 

[Go_Blues!]

So what reasoning can the umpires use to stop the booing? If they come out and say that the booing is hurting their feelings that should be enough?

Why do no other players get boo'd as much as Goodes? Maybe because no other player carries on as much. They just ignore it.

I guess one facet of this argument is that from the perspective of a Goodes admirer (and I openly admit to being one), it is really hard to understand why anyone would boo him. His acheivements both in the game and outside of it are just glittering. He stands for a really important and worthwhile cause; evidenced by supporters even now, in 2015, being ejected for racist comments, and he does it with great humility and articulation.

Of course, there may be all sorts of reasons for disliking a player, footy is an emotional game, but from my perspective it is hard to understand anyone not liking Goodes.

 

[Sttew]

It is human nature. Tell the masses not to do something and it only amplifies the problem.

Gillon lost me this morning on radio when he said it was okay for Jetta to gesture to the WCE crowd in a provocative manner but it was not okay for Mark Murphy to give a crowd the finger. I really do not see the difference.

 

[Hollins]

How about they stop telling us fans what to do

Yes, agree with you here, Cooky.
I think the afl is not in any position to lecture their customers.

 

[Back One Out]

Hopefully the footy fans keep expressing themselves in any way they see fit. Australia is a free country, the last time I checked.
If people think Adam Goodes is a flog and they feel like booing him, then who the f**k is the AFL & media to tell us what we can and can't do? They're just parasites anyway. When was was the last time Gillon McLachlan, Andrew Pridham, Gerard Whateley or Mark Robinson paid their hard-earned cash to get into an AFL game? Flogs. If they played footy they'd probably get booed even more than Goodes.

It's laughable how they try to preach to the public about right and wrong after the shit they've pulled over the Essendon peptides scandal.

I don't understand Goodes anyway. This is exactly what he wanted. He purposefully set out to be be an antagonist, to shed light on racism, to make people think, etc. He used his football platform to provoke a public reaction, but now he's upset because he's getting a few boos. A classic case of wanting your cake and eating it too. It just confirms he's a bit of a flog. If he wanted unqualified applause and pats on the back, then he should've smiled all the time like Brad Johnson and been a non-controversial football champion instead of doing war dances.

 

[Footy Is The Win]

It doesn't matter if the boo's are racist or not in my opinion.
If it is taken as being racist then you should stop. It is like saying something accidentally racist, you don't keep doing it if it shown to offend the person. You would just be a knob that way. In other ways though, this is setting a really shitty example for kids. They will sit there and see everyone booing the one player, and just follow their parents.

The only way somebody can be offended is if they choose to be offended. Every action you perform has the potential to offend somebody else, if they choose to be offended.

But let's follow your logic and ban everything that someone can 'choose' to take offence to.

 

[BEEG]

Sorry Gill but as a proud Australian who is a tax payer, I have the right to do whatever I want within the laws of the Australian government. So get ****ed.