I can’t believe the media hype around Adam Goodes’ war dance
celebration following the goal he kicked against Carlton, and the booing that
has followed. If you haven’t seen the
footage check it out: http://www.afl.com.au/video/2015-05-29/adam-goodes-unique-celebration
or here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32PZWtjbtq0
The best example I can recall of something like what Goodes
did is this: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fn83uDUle3o It’s an inflammatory celebration, and no
wonder people booed afterwards.
Goodes has acknowledged that it was a made up dance (not a
traditional Aboriginal dance), and that it was directed at the Carlton
fans. I can certainly understand Carlton
fans being offended, as it can easily be interpreted as an ‘up yours’ type of
celebration, and not that different to showing Carlton fans his middle finger.
Goodes has been a great ambassador for the AFL, and well
deserving of his two Brownlow Medals and Australian of the Year honours. He also happens to be an Aboriginal who
rightly stands up against racism. But in
my opinion these facts are unrelated to the booing he has been receiving. Sure, some idiots might be booing Goodes for
race related reasons, making them racists.
However tarring all those people booing with the same brush (as the
Sydney Swans, and now the AFL have done in recent media releases) is
unfair. I believe the majority of those
booing Goodes are doing so because they don’t like his actions, and feel the ‘war
dance’ was unnecessary, and inflammatory.
It is a similar reason fans boo players after a behind the play hit. Without booing, how else do fans show that
they are unhappy? Fans have been booing umpires
after a poor decision for years, and we haven’t made a big deal out of that. The umpires also haven’t complained or felt
that they were being racially
vilified.
Through all of this drama it has become clear that many
people think that when a person does something that is incorrectly perceived as
racist, then they are unquestionably a racist, simply because of the perception. For example, if one person says to another ‘I
like your hair’, and the recipient of the compliment is offended because they
feel their hair is representative of their nationality/heritage then by their
definition the person giving the compliment is a racist. That is incorrect. Racism is about the BELIEF and INTENT behind
the action or a comment, and not how it is perceived. Learn the facts people:
Racist - A person who shows or feels discrimination or prejudice
against people of other races, or who believes that a particular race is
superior to another. [Oxford Dictionary]
So not everyone who boos at the footy is a racist, even if
the player or umpire perceives it that way.
Whether or not you believe the booing is unsportsmanlike or
racially motivated, it is sad that it has become this big of an issue. I can’t believe this has affected Goodes to
the extent where he is considering not playing this week, or even retiring! A tougher bloke would ignore the booing and
play on, letting his actions on the field do the talking. Goodes’ reaction to the booing and playing
the race card has now made a mountain out of a mole hill, and may see one of
the AFL’s great players leave the game early.
It has also changed many AFL fans opinion of him. All in all it’s a bit sad really.
I hope that Adam Goodes gets the help he needs to deal with
what he is going through. I hope he
continues playing, and standing up for what he believes in. I also hope he gets some perspective.
