An appeal for Eddie

[dimelb]

I agreed with Daniel Cherny's main message, but am disappointed about his shifty fence-sitting on Goodesy, especially on the girl who was removed from the MCG (which Adam followed up in an empathic way), and allowing the booers excuse (BS if ever I smelt it).

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/...14-p4zljn.html

[Hotpotato]

Another 100 years of education and it might be eradicated , but I doubt it.
Adam is going about his business . Addressed a conference with Micky O my sister attended recently.

[Bloods05]

Calling Goodes "a highly political figure" is a sly attempt to justify his treatment. If he was highly political, it was merely because he tried, in a variety of ways, to issue a direct challenge to Australians to face up to the reality of racism. Those who didn't, and don't, want to do that, who want to remain secure in their comfortable delusions about the state of race relations in Australia, reacted with fury to being challenged in this way. It is simply beyond dispute that his treatment was racist. Cherny has wimped out here.

[KSAS]

This article is crap. Journo is making a distinction that Betts is a more innocent/loveable figure than Goodes and because of that is more incensed about Betts being racially abused, because he sees Goodes being politically motivated and more or less brought the abuse upon himself! Racism has NO EXCEPTIONS!

[bloodspirit]

Nothing has no exceptions.

Personally I find that absolutism and dogma suffer from the same problem as racism, namely being too close minded.

[Blood Fever]

This article is crap. Journo is making a distinction that Betts is a more innocent/loveable figure than Goodes and because of that is more incensed about Betts being racially abused, because he sees Goodes being politically motivated and more or less brought the abuse upon himself! Racism has NO EXCEPTIONS!

We've generally never liked our indigenous people to be up front and confrontational in their protests. Too uncomfortable. Gooodesy suffered huge backlash. Very intimidating for him.

[KTigers]

Calling Goodes "a highly political figure" is a sly attempt to justify his treatment. If he was highly political, it was merely because he tried, in a variety of ways, to issue a direct challenge to Australians to face up to the reality of racism. Those who didn't, and don't, want to do that, who want to remain secure in their comfortable delusions about the state of race relations in Australia, reacted with fury to being challenged in this way. It is simply beyond dispute that his treatment was racist. Cherny has wimped out here.

You hit the nail on the head here Bloods05. "A highly political figure"? Really! I read the Cherny piece and almost fell over when I read that one. Cherny should go watch the new Spike Lee movie if he really wants to witness an overt political statement. Adam spoke and continues to speak about issues in a way that is comfortable to him. Just like Spike Lee does. It's not up to anybody else to determine what is the "acceptable" way for others to express their politics.
The booing of Goodsey and the completely gutless reaction of the AFL to it in 2015 is such a scar on the game.

[AnnieH]

The article was written from a position of white privilege.
Unless you have personally been racially vilified, you have personally been told to "go back to where you come from", have personally been told that because you are brown you are not good enough, you are talking directly from your arse.

[KSAS]

You hit the nail on the head here Bloods05. "A highly political figure"? Really! I read the Cherny piece and almost fell over when I read that one. Cherny should go watch the new Spike Lee movie if he really wants to witness an overt political statement. Adam spoke and continues to speak about issues in a way that is comfortable to him. Just like Spike Lee does. It's not up to anybody else to determine what is the "acceptable" way for others to express their politics.
The booing of Goodsey and the completely gutless reaction of the AFL to it in 2015 is such a scar on the game.

+1 That what got me. So many editorials & people at the time had a go at Adam for making a "Invasion Day" reference during his Australian of the Year acceptance speech, when it was obvious they hadn't heard his entire speech. It was taken completely out of context & if they had bothered to hear his speech they would've seen how passive it was. But no, he was instantly labelled as some sort of political activist which still carries on to this day judging by this article.

[Meg]

So many editorials & people at the time had a go at Adam for making a "Invasion Day" reference during his Australian of the Year acceptance speech, when it was obvious they hadn't heard his entire speech. It was taken completely out of context & if they had bothered to hear his speech they would've seen how passive.

In fact the reference to �Invasion Day� was done in an extremely conciliatory context. So much so Goodes was attacked by more activist indigenous leaders (in effect being called an �Uncle Tom�).

[stevoswan]

+1 That what got me. So many editorials & people at the time had a go at Adam for making a "Invasion Day" reference during his Australian of the Year acceptance speech, when it was obvious they hadn't heard his entire speech. It was taken completely out of context & if they had bothered to hear his speech they would've seen how passive it was. But no, he was instantly labelled as some sort of political activist which still carries on to this day judging by this article.

Thanks to the Bolt's and Jones's of this world......and the fact that the 'too political' label they pinned on him got picked up and ridden with by the mainstream media gave a lot of journo's all they needed to keep their articles safe for a majority non-indigenous market (and still does) and it also gave the AFL the 'feedback' they needed for a response (or lack of it) that ultimately enabled the haters and for an absolute champion of the game, Adam Goodes......irretrievably failed him.

[KSAS]

In fact the reference to �Invasion Day� was done in an extremely conciliatory context. So much so Goodes was attacked by more activist indigenous leaders (in effect being called an �Uncle Tom�).

Thanks for that insight Meg, wasn't aware of that which makes you feel even more for what Adam was going through.