August 03, 2015
A Leftist martyr is born
Attempts to stop people booing aggressive part-Aboriginal football player Adam Goodes have backfired. An attempt was made to suppress the booing by branding it as "racist". That caused great offence among the many who simply thought Goodes was a bad sportsman. The outcome was a wave of statements in reply about Goodes being offensive --e.g. here.
I think I should mention that AFL legend Jason Akermanis got booed a lot in his day. But unlike Adam Goodes, Akermanis is white. So, you know. Not racist booing. Akermanis has in fact called Goodes a "sook", which translates fairly well as "unmanly" -- a very bad image in football.
The criticisms have now got to Goodes and he appears to have departed football. After being accused of being racists, the fans would undoubtedly erupt into a storm of booing if ever Goodes stepped onto the field again. His position really is untenable.
Goodes seems to me to be less than half Aboriginal in terms of ancestry but, if he were a tribal Aborigine, a wave of disapproval would certainly weigh heavily upon him. Tribal Aborigines can be, and still are, "sung" to death. The singing consists of the men of the tribe sitting down together and chanting disapproval of the person for hours on end. The target of such chanting will simply die. So it is probable that Goodes is feeling very distressed by the turn of events.
The Left however will see Goodes as a victim and see his eclipse as proof that all Australians are racists. He will be celebrated in song and dance for decades as a Leftist hero. There will undoubtedly be Horst Wessel songs about him. That he might have deserved his eclipse and that he might be to blame for his own downfall will not be considered
As it has been revealed AFL star Adam Goodes has been granted indefinite leave over the controversy involving 'racist' fans who boo him, the mother of the girl he first called out has demanded an apology and said he should 'man up and take' the abuse.
The woman, identified only as Joanne, said the abuse Goodes receives from fans on a weekly basis stems from how he treated her daughter - who racially abused the player in 2013 when she called him an 'ape'.
'If he hadn't have done it he wouldn't be having the problems he'd be having now,' according to the Sydney Morning Herald. 'He probably should apologise because maybe he should have picked his target a little bit better.
'I don't think Julia was treated fairly at all. It was the way he carried on on the ground that made them do what they did. If he hadn't have carried on like a pork chop it wouldn't have mattered.'
The woman also accused Goodes of being too sensitive when it comes to abuse he receives, and said he needs to 'man up and just take it if he wants to play the game'.
The comments come after Sydney announced Goodes would miss at least this Saturday's game with the Adelaide Crows, in a statement released on Wednesday evening.
Swans CEO Andrew Ireland said the decision to grant the premiership champion a leave of absence from the club was made due to the damage the scandal is doing to his mental well-being.
'Adam is sick and tired of this behaviour. It has been happening for too long and it has taken its toll,' Mr Ireland said. 'As a club we are working with Adam and those close to him and supporting him through what is a really difficult time. 'We will give Adam all the time he needs. We will keep supporting him and he will return to the Club whenever he is ready.'
The announcement comes after the debate over fans heckling of the Indigenous star was reignited last weekend following a tribute paid to the star during Sydney's clash with West Coast.
After kicking a goal, Lewis Jetta - another of Sydney's Indigenous players - performed a tribal dance, which he later dedicated to his friend and mentor. The dance included a spear-throwing action, which was directed by Jetta at fans who had booed Goodes throughout the match. Goodes performed a similar dance during a game in June during the AFL's Indigenous round.
On Tuesday, the Swans slammed fans who boo Goodes as 'racist'. 'Should anyone choose to deride Adam through booing, then they are part of something that is inherently racist and totally unacceptable,' Mr Ireland said. 'The people involved in this behaviour can justify it any way they like. Our Club calls it racism.
'Adam is sick of it. He is tired and drained by it. It is something that has weighed down on him for some time. 'He is frustrated that he is constantly the face of such negativity.'
The club's statement came amid reports Goodes was on the verge of walking away from the sport entirely as a result of the abuse he has endured.
The AFL Players Association released a statement on Tuesday, calling for an immediate end to the attacks on Goodes.
We believe that Adam has been vilified for calling out racism, for expressing his views on Aboriginal issues, and for celebrating and promoting his proud cultural background. This is not something for which Adam should be vilified – it is something for which he should be celebrated.'
The race row around Goodes dates back to May 2013, when he pointed out a person in the crowd during a game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground for calling him an ape. The supporter was removed from the ground.
The person who made the comment turned out to be a 13-year-old girl, who Goodes later spoke with to discuss how her comments hurt him because of his Aboriginal background.
Critics of Goodes said he called out a minor who was too immature to take responsibility for the comments, and suggest fans boo him because they dislike his on-field behaviour and not because of his race.
Goodes has played 365 games for Sydney since debuting in 1999, and has twice won the Brownlow Medal - the award given to the league's best player. He was also named Australian of the Year in 2014. [So was the crooked Tim Flannery]
SOURCE
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