Booing Adam Goodes.

[Remi Moses]

The girl didn't know she was making a racist comment. It can be attributed to Goodes because he chose to do it. I don't purport to know what racism feels like, I don't purport to know how it feels to be marginalised/ostracised/abused because of the colour of your skin. I do know that humiliating a child to make a point is wrong.

Little bit naive to think it wasn't a racial slur .
He pointed out the perpetrator . Should he have asked how old she was while pointing her out?
The media went into overdrive, so how is that attributed to Goodes? The cameraman/ director panned onto her, and again can't be attributed to Goodes. He was rattled after the game and was shocked by the comment.
As you said you have no idea what it would be like to be in His shoes

[AndrewP6]

Why wouldn't she know she's making s racial comment?

Who can know the mind of a 13 year old? Seriously... kids view the world in very different ways to adults. What is a harmless comment to them might be taken the complete opposite way by someone else, and it may be that one needs to point out the fact that they've offended someone. They can also be brutally honest without intending offence. I once taught a child, who was very bright, (a couple of years younger, admittedly) who went through phases of pretending to be figures from history- specifically war history. He was very fond of impersonating Napoleon Bonaparte. One day he was talking to some other kids, when he gave a "Heil Hitler", along with the salute. I had to pull him aside and tell him how offensive it was, and that at some point, someone would be upset with this. He had no idea, simply thought it was the words of someone from a book he'd been reading. He was then horrified that he might have upset someone. It is often how "bullying" starts, with remarks thought to be in jest, taken the wrong way. To that girl, it may well have been just a word. I can't imagine myself at 13 having a good grasp of what constituted racism. The other point is, we don't really know where she is at, intellectually-speaking. It's quite possible she really didn't understand the nature of her remark.

[AndrewP6]

Little bit naive to think it wasn't a racial slur .
He pointed out the perpetrator . Should he have asked how old she was while pointing her out?
The media went into overdrive, so how is that attributed to Goodes? The cameraman/ director panned onto her, and again can't be attributed to Goodes. He was rattled after the game and was shocked by the comment.
As you said you have no idea what it would be like to be in His shoes

She said it, we have to take her at her word. If your "naive" comment was directed at her, well why shouldn't a 13 year old be naive?

He didnt need to ask her age, he said he thought she was 14. Then proceeded to have her kicked out of the stadium.

[Remi Moses]

Why wouldn't she know she's making s racial comment?

Was with a group of kids, and may have been cohersed .
One in the group if not all would know what the term " ape" to a person of Colour means
Funny how history repeats, where the majority had the " sticks and stones" mentality of 20 years ago and the whole " anything to get an edge" ,hello Tony Shaw. Just as gutsy as Long was 20 years ago, Goodes is as well in focusing in on aboriginal issues.

[Remi Moses]

She said it, we have to take her at her word. If your "naive" comment was directed at her, well why shouldn't a 13 year old be naive?

He didnt need to ask her age, he said he thought she was 14. Then proceeded to have her kicked out of the stadium.

I take your point on the naivety, but do you think a group of teenagers don't know the repercussions of calling a coloured person an ape? Really? I take exception on blaming Goodes for the snowballing effect that took place.

[AndrewP6]

I take your point on the naivety, but do you think a group of teenagers don't know the repercussions of calling a coloured person an ape? Really? I take exception on blaming Goodes for the snowballing effect that took place.

Teenagers spans 13-19, that's a huge range. The older yes, the younger, not necessarily. (really!) I've spoken to twelve year olds that believe Santa is real. We can't apply one rule to all teenagers. Fair enough, I take exception to Goodes belittling a child.

[bulldogtragic]

I'm not getting involved. But the young girl seems to a recurrent issue. Eddie McGuire's King Kong remarks towards Goodes after the girl incident and then NO AFL action hasn't been as prominent an issue in the thread. Eddie had no excuse. The AFL had no excuse. The media who didn't pursue this to the end had no excuse. That matter had more opportunity to end racism with decisive action than this circular conversation has over the past few weeks in the media. Nothing substantial happened on an extreme occrance of racism by an AFL club president, about an indigenous player on national syndicated media and we are debating booing from sections of crowds and why it's happening? Would sections of crowd be booing with an level of racism if the AFL actually enforced zero tolerance of racism? It's impossible to kick a punter out of a ground for booing with racist undertones when AFL club Presidents can racistly label the highest profile indigenous player and get a slap on the wrist. I think the problem is deeper than the surface arguments either way.

[AndrewP6]

I'm not getting involved. But the young girl seems to a recurrent issue. Eddie McGuire's King Kong remarks towards Goodes after the girl incident and then NO AFL action hasn't been as prominent an issue in the thread. Eddie had no excuse. The AFL had no excuse. The media who didn't pursue this to the end had no excuse. That matter had more opportunity to end racism with decisive action than this circular conversation has over the past few weeks in the media. Nothing substantial happened on an extreme occrance of racism by an AFL club president, about an indigenous player on national syndicated media and we are debating booing from sections of crowds and why it's happening? Would sections of crowd be booing with an level of racism if the AFL actually enforced zero tolerance of racism? It's impossible to kick a punter out of a ground for booing with racist undertones when AFL club Presidents can racistly label the highest profile indigenous player and get a slap on the wrist. I think the problem is deeper than the surface arguments either way.

Agree totally. McGuire's remarks didn't get anywhere near the pasting he deserved/deserves.

[chef]

Was with a group of kids, and may have been cohersed .
One in the group if not all would know what the term " ape" to a person of Colour means
Funny how history repeats, where the majority had the " sticks and stones" mentality of 20 years ago and the whole " anything to get an edge" ,hello Tony Shaw. Just as gutsy as Long was 20 years ago, Goodes is as well in focusing in on aboriginal issues.

Yeah, I've got a couple of teemage daughters. She knew what she was saying IMO.

[Ghost Dog]

I'm very happy Adam has his 'dancing' ( as in the great Archie Roach song ).
I think quite a few people probably feel deeply jealous of Adam, and this is how they vent their spleen. Where is the 'dancing' in the suburbs?

There is a sort of 'forced' and a little contrived 'multiculturalism message that is entirely necessary, an vitally important, but also is not being met with an appropriate campaign to educate people about and celebrate the roots of anglo-saxons culture in a non-violent, and non-jingoistic manner. And how do you do that anyway? It's complex. But you don't respect others if you can't respect yoursef. Leaning over the fence and just booing him as everyone else is doing it is yobo stuff.

Adam is a champ, but has to be a bit careful, coming out, as Australian of the year and saying ' Australia is based on lies' may not be the best way to go forward. There is right, and there is truth. He has to accept that if you stand up for the weak, you get a few knockers, but look, he's doing it his way, and people pay their money to shout or boo or do what they want, so that's what it is.

[Remi Moses]

The irony of it all is that Goodes is lambasted for bringing up events that have occurred two hundred years ago, yet we celebrate our English head of state's birthday ( even though it isn't) a relic of the past .
The irony of it all

[hujsh]

There is a sort of 'forced' and a little contrived 'multiculturalism message that is entirely necessary, an vitally important, but also is not being met with an appropriate campaign to educate people about and celebrate the roots of anglo-saxons culture in a non-violent, and non-jingoistic manner. And how do you do that anyway? It's complex. But you don't respect others if you can't respect yoursef. Leaning over the fence and just booing him as everyone else is doing it is yobo stuff.

Maybe part of the problem here is what we choose to commemorate as a nation vs what we do not. There's plenty in Australian history and society to be proud of and plenty to be ashamed of. When we celebrate things like Australia Day (invasion day for some) and ANZAC day (which has been completely white-washed in a lot of media) we probably get too close to that Nationalistic culture. I've talked to Asian people born here who have to put up with shouts of 'go back where you came from' on Australia Day (Ironic). Similarly the U18s coach at a footy club I was at like to talk about how the ANZACs died for our freedoms and it made me wonder if he knew what WW1 was actually about.

Maybe if we thought more critically about our history and culture and found real things to celebrate there would be less backlash against people like Goodes.

[GVGjr]

Little bit naive to think it wasn't a racial slur .
He pointed out the perpetrator . Should he have asked how old she was while pointing her out?
The media went into overdrive, so how is that attributed to Goodes? The cameraman/ director panned onto her, and again can't be attributed to Goodes. He was rattled after the game and was shocked by the comment.
As you said you have no idea what it would be like to be in His shoes

At her age it's more than likely something she was mimicking from a family member. Goodes did nothing wrong on that night and if people are holding that against him I don't think that is a great reason.

[Remi Moses]

The biggest issue is our lack of education
It's been so slanted towards the first settlement and has ignored aboriginal history .
Pretty shameful

[Remi Moses]

At her age it's more than likely something she was mimicking from a family member. Goodes did nothing wrong on that night and if people are holding that against him I don't think that is a great reason.

Well said G