Welcome to the Bulldogs: Bailey Smith

[bornadog]

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[hujsh]

Yes he should. All young people with influence should be more engaged in politics.

A lack of engagement from prominent young people in politics is part of the reason younger people get stitched up so comprehensively.

Sports people should be engaged in politics unless it clashes with my politics in which case sports people have no business getting involved in politics

[Grantysghost]

Sports people should be engaged in politics unless it clashes with my politics in which case sports people have no business getting involved in politics

He clearly feels strongly about the mental health conversation in his cohort so as Jee said coming from a place of care.

Not sure about his sources but that’s another discussion !

[SquirrelGrip]

Yes he should. All young people with influence should be more engaged in politics.

A lack of engagement from prominent young people in politics is part of the reason younger people get stitched up so comprehensively.

Josh Bruce has done the same. In particular he is frustrated by the closure of playgrounds.

Just let these guys express their opinion whether we agree or not. Jeemak is right.

[EasternWest]

Don't really mind what Bailey's focus is here and he's right - there are some pretty big bills being paid by innocent people in this.

But James Newbury? James "kick homeless people back onto the streets so we can sell the land to developers" Newbury?

If your entire political platform is profit over people, then you've forfeited your right to be taken seriously on mental health issues.

[Mofra]

During lockdown 5, Pendelbury tweeted that Dan should get help from Gladys. Went down well and has not aged well either.

That's surprising.

Pendles normally disappears completely at the first sign of crisis.

[SquirrelGrip]

Please guys, I come on this board to avoid politics with footy and the Bulldogs my one escape from what’s going on right now. Can we just ease off on all the constant political opinion and chat?

[bornadog]

delete

[EasternWest]

Please guys, I come on this board to avoid politics with footy and the Bulldogs my one escape from what’s going on right now. Can we just ease off on all the constant political opinion and chat?

How 'bout them sportsballers!

[FrediKanoute]

But Covid is not political and should not be made political.

Any restriction on rights is political whether validly motivated or not.

Lockdown's have a quelling effect on questioning the Government's response to something like a pandemic and why, 16 months after the pandemic was declared State government's in Australia are still using the "lockdown" approach to try to eradicate the virus? I'm not against a lockdown per se, but lockdown after lockdown after lockdown with no real plan on how to break the cycle - that is a concern.

[bulldogtragic]

It’s health, not politics. Per his message, 148 kids last week were taken to hospital having self harmed or strong enough suicidal ideation that they required crisis assessment. Now think your one of this weeks kids in this infinite sadness contemplating self death over living. That no one cares about you. That you’re meaningless because no one is speaking your truth. No one acknowledges your pain. Until they scroll across Baz page where they see the famous footballer gets it. He sees me. He hears me. He is speaking my truth.

Now if Baz message helps one kid inch back from the metaphoric ledge, helps one kid see a future that is there but they can’t see, then Baz has eased suffering and perhaps prevented thoughts or actions of lasting consequence. Let me assure everyone, when first responders and military people tried to talk PTSD there was virtually no one taking up a position to advocate for them. They were trouble makers, trying to get a pension or entitlement or somehow political against whatever regime it was (it didn’t matter which). When dead bodies piled up so high, there was shock and alarm then nothing until more dead bodies piled up and some action was taken and a Royal Commission into ADF was only announced a couple of months ago.

Pre-Covid, I was talking to a helper at a hospital in Melbourne who ended up telling she was a psych on the CAT Team (Crisis Assessment Team) that go to peoples houses. She mentioned they just can’t get to everyone so they only get to the worst. Thanks political class for running the system down if politics is to be discussed. She mentioned there was a huge increase (long before all this) owing to social media and young people. That the bullying of the school ground made its way incessantly into the heads of kids when awful comments and worse would occur. If they weren’t going out, the problem got amplified beyond my comprehension. So that, times x 1,000 is the situation young folk find themselves in. Clearly, nobody ‘got it’ and the psychological agony they were feeling. Trapped in a vicious cycle of being addicted to social media which is compounding the problem. Then that famous footy player did not much more than acknowledge their pain, suffering, sadness and truth. But I bet he did more good in one post than we could hope to do in a year. So if anyone is sad about his message, maybe walk a mile in another’s shoes. Their shoes are a shitload sadder and have harmful consequences beyond the entitled trivialities of ‘politics’. Baz could wait for the bodies to pile up like the gutless leaders of the past. Or he could try to do something in the here and now, on a forum understood by the young with a message understand by the young. Anyone thinking that his message is meant for most here has an ego problem.

I was first to pot Baz for his game on the weekend. But *!*!*!*! it if I’m not going to be last man standing defending him, not that he needs it. He’s trying to make a meaningful difference in the world. It’s pretty easy to shut up on your big dollar job while something that offends you is killing people. It has nothing to do with politics or us. I hope that those younger folk suffering from their infinite sadness have their suffering eased because one of our players did something that spoke to them. He should be applauded.

[jazzadogs]

Certainly all entitled to their opinions. Just hope he's focused on Friday. Sure he is.

Personally I just hope that he is feeling okay mentally. I know that I have been very very lucky to be able to continue working and had no financial issues during the lockdowns, but it's still made me feel like crap and I am convinced that my performance at work has suffered as a result.

I don't think we can discount that some of our players might have been dealing with similar thoughts and feelings of flatness for the last few weeks (and while it's disappointing, I don't think it's weak or anything to be ashamed of).

[Grantysghost]

Personally I just hope that he is feeling okay mentally. I know that I have been very very lucky to be able to continue working and had no financial issues during the lockdowns, but it's still made me feel like crap and I am convinced that my performance at work has suffered as a result.

I don't think we can discount that some of our players might have been dealing with similar thoughts and feelings of flatness for the last few weeks (and while it's disappointing, I don't think it's weak or anything to be ashamed of).

I agree, I suffered some personal loss this time last year family wise which was tough but apart from that your story is mine. Almost to a person here in Melbourne what you've described in terms of mood / mental health is paralleled anectodally in what I hear from friends and family.

The lockdown prior to this was the one that felt the tipping point as we were back to semi normal, even seeing our beloved Dogs play.

This one it's just widespread low mood and a real sense of is this ever gong to end?! And I've been relatively lucky.

Hope everyone is doing ok, there is light at the end of the tunnel! (and we might just snag a flag).

[Rocco Jones]

I think the issue here is less about the message and more about sharing a politician's views. It's a slippery path as you can draw links that perhaps are unintended with their other views/positions on topics.

Definitely can understand why someone would feel to share the message. Just maybe a wiser way, perhaps something the club could address. Really a shit time for all unless you are a natural recluse who has a mansion I guess.

[bulldogtragic]

With complete respect, it’s effectively a retweet and ‘retweets are not endorsements’.

Inferring other views or beliefs off one retweet speaks more about those who wish to draw the inference. The view shared was not ripping away social and community support to bring the budget to surplus quicker. The view was there’s a emergency with young people and self harm and supplies the data to back it up. I don’t see the issue. I checked Twitter and numerous players follow left of centre politicians as well as COVID-19 accounts. Do we infer that these players are supporting them based and their political beliefs &/or policy positions on a follow and the slippery slope therein?l I’d hope not.

It was a relatively benign data based retweet, which does not infer endorsement. In the furtherance of his massage. I just don’t see the issue. Had it of been an inflammatory nutty tweet from Tim Smith etc, then sure. But context is everything, it was a data tweet about a topic close to his heart. But as I say, retweets aren’t endorsements of the account holder. When this is the standard, every player should get off social media for fear a retweet may start a slippery slope despite no endorsement. I appreciate your perspective, but I can’t agree with that.

Instead of lauding Baz for acting on his social conscience to help others, the discussion isn’t that, it’s about whether retweet’s equal endorsement and whether the account holder of the retweet infers Baz sharing all his beliefs. I greatly respect people who take a personal position to act on their social conscience to help others less fortunate in community, many trying to kill themselves. Baz saw a chance to do something with his position in society and took it. To me that’s the start and end of the story as I just can’t see the inferences in full context. But to each their own.