GarryP

I think Waleed Aly, as he often does, painted it in broad brush "you are either with me, or you are a racist" terms. Nice, simplistic, no need to think or question. Black and White, if you will.

And it's THAT behaviour, more than anything else, that's at fault here. A divisive kind of ignorance that says "Boo Adam Goodes and you are racist"; that tries to divide at the same time it sets up Goodes as 'special' because of his colour.

JoeBloggs80

Yeah I suppose we should just let parents teach their kids that it's OK to call him an ape. If its only a small percentage it's fine right?

GarryP

Strawman.

If you don't see what's happening here, the double standards, try this thought experiment on for size:

Imagine Goodes got caught tomorrow for taking performance enhancing drugs. Would the reaction of Waleed Aly be

1. "The stresses and strains of the racist taunts have driven Goodes to dabble in supplements to overcome the hardships he faces."
2. "He is a cheat and a terrible role model that needs to be removed from the game."

You know that it would be 1) rather than 2), despite the reality that AFL are hardly unknown to take drugs and the non-racist reaction would be to treat him equally to others - which would be the 2) option everytime.

Everything that is going on here is being cast through the prism of racism, if it is or isn't, and in the process people like Aly are trying to excuse that its Goodes actions, and the actions of the talking heads like Aly, that have made this blow up. According to Aly, Goodes can do no wrong, and it's all due to racism from elsewhere.

Which is in itself a racist attitude.

JoeBloggs80

Its OK mate, you can stick to Channel 7 and Alan Jones and Andrew Bolt. They tell it how it really is, none of this prism of racism bollocks

GarryP

Still strawman I'm afraid.

See what I mean by trying to cast EVERYTHING as shades of racism?

True equality is allowing the other guy to be a dickhead too.

JoeBloggs80

Maybe I should stick to ridiculous what-if hypotheticals

I do get your point, and agree to an extent, but I think its insignificant in comparison to the wider issue.

There is quite obviously a problem in Australia in relations with the Indigenous community. Surely you can admit that. Not everyone, not every AFL fan, not even every person who boos Goodes. But it's there. It should be discussed, people need to be confronted with it.

And yes, for Goodes and most aboriginal folks nearly everything IS about different shades of racism. How can it not be? Read this for greater insight

Stan Grant: I can tell you how Adam Goodes feels. Every Indigenous person has felt it | Comment is free | The Guardian

Beoz

And as your last people suggests, Adam Goodes deliberately winds up white people or/and opposition crowds, thrives on it, but then when stones are thrown in glass houses ...... hhhhmmmm

carolinephillips

At 13 girls will know that calling anyone an ape is wrong. She was not the innocent her mother would have you believe. If she was brought up in a culture of racism then something fundamentally needs to change.

OzTennis

Paul Gallen gets booed because he isn't liked; Adam Goodes gets booed, therefore (like Paul Gallen) he isn't liked and this is why he is booed. I suppose that's comfortable logic for some.

Paul Gallen has been a thug all his career (pleaded guilty to raining blows on Nate Myles in S of O recently), has been endlessly banned, fined by the NRL for offensive tweets and is an admitted drug cheat and there's the State of Origin thing when he's in Queensland.

Adam Goodes has been Australian of the Year (for his work with the Go Foundation and for his stand against racism) and lives the life of a nun compared to Gallen .... but he's part aboriginal and Gallen isn't and Goodes speaks out. Goodes father is of British descent and his mother is aboriginal so that might make him half all right in some eyes.

GarryP

And there, unintentionally, I think you highlight the problem.

Everything being viewed through the prism of racism. It distorts your viewpoint, colours your perception in shades of blame. Maybe, whatif, just possibly, everything is NOT about racism, nor as a result of it. What if the problem is elsewhere?

Take the Vietnam boat people as a sanity check on your bias: starting from less, with more racism, less support. Compare and contrast.

JoeBloggs80

We’ll Decide When We’re Being Racist, White People Tell Black People – The Shovel

Beoz

Who gives shit. You are trying to push this into a racist thing. Why?

If Paul Gallen was ginger there would be bogan Queenslanders sitting in the crowd saying "Ginger cock" taking the piss sub contentiously out of his celtic heritage. But no one would care because being celtic is cool or something. Why should an indigenous man and his left wing following take the hypocritical high moral ground because it suits whatever agenda they want pursue.

Best thing for the left, is to see everyone as equal, rather than seeking to repeatedly divide cultures, people and history.

Amazulu

The left in Australia hate this country

GarryP

So your viewpoint is "only black people can tell white people they are racist, and they must be agreed with"?

That's a nice, non-discriminatory, position.....

OzTennis

It's not worth arguing against a closed mind like that.

Just in case you didn't know; Adam Goodes is speaking out about people who aren't equal and he would like them to be treated this way. For this he gets accused of taking the 'hypocritical high ground' (whatever that is), being leftist etc. So it's shut up, just think you are equal or just think yourself lucky you aren't a ginger Celt eh?