TOPIC:

swan42 wrote:

MikeXU1 wrote: I have been thinking about the message the AFL and Fox Footy have been sending this last AFL round - multicutural round. In my opinion I think they have it all wrong.

It was only a few rounds ago we were all taught by the AFL that racisim has no part in the game, yet I find myself, my race and my culture on the receiving end at the hands of the AFL and Pro AFL Channel - Fox Footy.

I am not Aboriginal, I am not Italian, I am not African, nor Greek... What I am is Australian of British decent (like many others). When my family came here does not matter, and nor should it, yet I (and many others) have been singled out as being different this week in the world of the AFL.

Am I looking at this the wrong way? Is multicultural round emphasising the contribution of people from other cultures a far? Quite simply No, I don't believe so.

Fox Footy made a point of 5 players from the past, four of which included Australian's with Italian heritage. Unacceptable!

Does Cricket Australia push the point that Sir Donald Bradman himself was of Italian heritage? No they don't, and nor would the average Australian know that Sir Donald's grandfather was the first Italian to come to Australia. Quite simply Sir Donald Bradman was the greatest Australian cricketer of all time, hands down and thats all we should care about.

Fox Footy also made it clear that Alistar Lynch was a "Pom". What makes him more multicutural than anyone else of British decent?

Why do the AFL make a TV advert advertising that singles out Majak Daw? Surely this is not right. The bloke is Australian, listen to him being interviewed.

Unfortunately to the average Australian male of British decent (Scots, Irish and English) being born here in Australia is a distinct disadvatage. A culture non existant, a no body with no cultural heritage, a lost race, and quite possibly sub-human peices of Sh!t it would seem...

Why is the AFL sending an Australian team made up of those with Aboriginal heritage to Ireland? Is this really sending a unifed Australia message? Again this should be totally unaccepted by any Australian with Aboriginal heritage and the wider Australian community. The AFL are getting away with it.

The way I see it is if we want to be Australian, then we have a fantastic tool in Footy. I don't think the AFL should be doing what they are currently doing and the policies are incorrect. In 20 years we will look back and say it was wrong. Hopefully...

To all footy players of Anglo-Celtic decent (yes this is the official term used by the ABS to categorise them), chins up even if there is no round for your recognition.

Mike.

The easiest part of your comments to respond to is with respect to the team going to Ireland. The reason is simple, a significant number of players who would be picked have chosen not to play in the past. Adding to that has been the spirit in which the series have been played in recent times where the professional Australian footy players have indulged in thuggery to win matches against a group of amateur footy players. The premise behind the proposed team is that they want to play and will play the games in the appropriate spirit.

With respect to the rest of your commentary it is a very complicated issue, but can be encapsulated in a few terms and scenarios. The first and obvious one is the concept of Terra Nullius and the fact it took to the 1967 referendum to recognise our indigenous people.

Also, what the multicultural round is attempting to do is to celebrate the relative success of Australia's diverse population.

Of course this is all about the VFL/AFL players' links to other countries rather than be inclusive of those players who played in the WAFL and SANFL.

The same spirit as Chris Johnson played in..

the afl endlessly preach equality.

reiterating through advertising about everyone being equal.

then they make the australian team to tour Ireland as an aboriginal only team?

yes, nothing brings a nation together like separating one type of human from another type of human.

i find this as shameful as if the afl had sent over a whites only team. it is reverse racism at its best and yet again our gutless media grasp the issue one way. as they always do.

well done to the afl for wasting millions of dollars on tolerance campains. they may as well have just put all that money thru a shredder. another total embarrassment.

Great Post MikeXU1. Totally Agree.

Also very valid point Mikeh.

I just think that if any of this was done the other way round, it would be considered racist. What if we sent a team of only White Australian kids to Ireland....and excluded all Aboriginal/Fijian/Sudanese etc. It would be a massive racist uproar.

Should just stick with Footy being footy and not a cultural issue.

Great Post Mike

I like you am just an Australian on Anglo Celtic decent, my family got here 1850.

I agree the entire multicultural thing is getting over the top, what exactly is the point, and when exactly do you stop being a multicultural person and become a boring ordinary Australian. its a joke.

This whole issue goes deeper than just sport, its a majoe soicial problem it just fracuturing Australia that was once pretty unified and on the same level into a whole heap of different tribes.

Have a look at the debacle in the US re the recent Zimmerman trial, depsite the fact African Americans have been in the US for over 200 years, they still have to make it a race issue, they still cant live as one they live as seperate tribes Black v White..

Get used to it we will have about 50 different tribes here, all at each others throats on BS issues.

Hrmmm... Certainly seems I have opened a can of worms!

For the record I'm not saying I'm better because of my skin colour, and certainly not saying I am hard done by.

In many parts of Australia the Irish and Scots have have been delt a bad hand by the English. During our very short history there have been very distinct areas within Australian country towns where these British ethnic groups have been forced to reside separately from those of English decent until very recently, now categorised as one ethnic group - Anglo-Celtic.

I for one am grateful this is no longer the case.

I'm really not getting it though... Its a step backwards to when the first Australian cricket team to tour England was Aboriginal. I really think as a nation we need to be better than this in 2013.

Hands up who watches their footy team and thinks the bloke who just kicked a goal is different because of his heritage? I really hope no one does, yet the AFL is intent on dividing (maybe untentionally) in my opinion. Impure thoughts on difference is what possibly leads to racisim.

Dividing and to single out is not the answer, but by all means be proud of your heritage and culture and from where you have come, but also be proud of who you are - Australian. Sport can and should play a major part in fixing the fracturing of society.

Mike.

MikeXU1 wrote: Hrmmm... Certainly seems I have opened a can of worms!

For the record I'm not saying I'm better because of my skin colour, and certainly not saying I am hard done by.

In many parts of Australia the Irish and Scots have have been delt a bad hand by the English. During our very short history there have been very distinct areas within Australian country towns where these British ethnic groups have been forced to reside separately from those of English decent until very recently, now categorised as one ethnic group - Anglo-Celtic.

I for one am grateful this is no longer the case.

I'm really not getting it though... Its a step backwards to when the first Australian cricket team to tour England was Aboriginal. I really think as a nation we need to be better than this in 2013.

Hands up who watches their footy team and thinks the bloke who just kicked a goal is different because of his heritage? I really hope no one does, yet the AFL is intent on dividing (maybe untentionally) in my opinion. Impure thoughts on difference is what possibly leads to racisim.

Dividing and to single out is not the answer, but by all means be proud of your heritage and culture and from where you have come, but also be proud of who you are - Australian. Sport can and should play a major part in fixing the fracturing of society.

Mike.

Well said again Mike. I came from a very racist era as a boy in a racist area of WA. A lot of water has gone under the bridge since then and I would like to think that a good portion of my generation has changed for the better - I know I have.
I'll be the first to admit that when it comes to the boat people, then yes I am racist against the queue jumpers - but not against REAL refugees. When I see an immigrant pull on a footy jumper or an Aussie jumper in any sport I just see them as an Aussie. I cannot understand why they would send an aboriginal or ethnic team overseas to promote the game...after all, aren't they all Aussies? Does this send a message to other countries that we do actually see them a different to the white Aussie?

Bazza wrote: Get used to it we will have about 50 different tribes here, all at each others throats on BS issues.

Get used to it? How about instead of getting used to having 'different tribes' we bridge the gap to unify as one? Or are you the type of guy that just gives up or thinks "I cant do anything, its out of my hands".

@58shark - you're racist against 'boat people' but not against 'REAL' refugees? wtf. They are all people. Do you understand the type of shitty lives they would have come from for them to even consider travelling 10000kms on a death trap of a boat? These people are not educated like we are. They get fed lies by the people who smuggle them (who take all that they own in return for the BS promises). They dont know that to get into Aus you need to go through the prosesses properly. How can you possibly be racist against those poor souls?
At least I now know that you are a racist.

yolo you must understand that what most of us have had enough of, is when these people get here and start making instant demands. for people whom you say have no education, they seem to have an awful amount of knowledge about what to demand in a country they have never been to before. in a recent photgraph taken, there were young men getting off a boat wearing addidas gear, gold chains & they had the bodies of a weightlifters in competition.

racist is a very fashionable word used these days. it is used too easily & used too one diamentional.

it is remarkable how australia and its people are the target of such jibes. why is it that the so-called countries these people are fleeing from are not the ones being cited with the same criticism? when these people leave their countries, they do so under disguise to avoid being killed. they come here and they are at least initially being given a safe haven. yet in this warped twisted mentality and with these two points being common knowledge, australia is the country being given that "Racist" tag again.

This is a word that is used so often here these days, i guess people from outside of australia must think this is an horrendous place to live - wouldnt they? Of course not, judging by the influx of immigration in its droves.

why is it the United Nations are not held to account over what is going on in these countries? Do you want to know why? - its because they are basically a useless organization that will prefer to take the easy option of condoning everything australia does because we are not a dictatorship. the UN cannot reason with a dictatorship and given half the representitives of the UN are puppets to their own dictators, they will never go to the core of these problems. they instead target western countries whom are resigned to the fact they will not get the justified back up from a so-called human compassionate organization. they are anything but that.

i have never ever heard one do-gooder in this country (and there are plenty of them) call the middle east racist. Yet we have seen countless fanatical groups cut the heads off western citizens and post them on youtube. Or hang them and burn them alive. And they do this to people who are in the region to help their people. you will argue that boat people are escaping this madness, and i agree. but given these facts about what type people are there, would it not be right for us to have some identification ? does that make us conveniently "racist" yet again ???

the worlds focus and the critics who live here, should refocus their easy lables to the United Nations who are responsible for action against oppression. if you want to lable anyone anything, that is where your attention should target. Australian people have had an absolute gutful of being labled at every turn. the divide in culture is only getting larger because of world leaders who dont lead.

the UN is like a doctor who tells you you have cancer. then proceeds to give you a hair cut and clip your toenails. avoiding the core of the problem at all costs. you call us racists ? just imagine if you took Australia off the map right now. where would these people go? - Africa, the South Pole?

we do more for the oppressed than any other country in the world. and whenever we question our own security, we are labled racist. more than ever, our security and that of our childrens children depends on our actions. we can save a percentage of the world, but your kidding yourself if you think we can save everyone. Back on September 11th 2001, america dropped its guard on a dozen individuals. we all know the outcome. funny how we never heard the term racist to descibe either the hijackers, or the terrorists. i feel for the genuine boat people, but your narrow minded to lable anyone here a racist for not willing to play roulette with our security. Target the UN to do THEIR job. It cant be us all the time.

yolo swaggins wrote:

Bazza wrote: Get used to it we will have about 50 different tribes here, all at each others throats on BS issues.

Get used to it? How about instead of getting used to having 'different tribes' we bridge the gap to unify as one? Or are you the type of guy that just gives up or thinks "I cant do anything, its out of my hands".

@58shark - you're racist against 'boat people' but not against 'REAL' refugees? wtf. They are all people. Do you understand the type of shitty lives they would have come from for them to even consider travelling 10000kms on a death trap of a boat? These people are not educated like we are. They get fed lies by the people who smuggle them (who take all that they own in return for the BS promises). They dont know that to get into Aus you need to go through the prosesses properly. How can you possibly be racist against those poor souls?
At least I now know that you are a racist.

You sound very confused.

jardine wrote: yolo you must understand that what most of us have had enough of, is when these people get here and start making instant demands. for people whom you say have no education, they seem to have an awful amount of knowledge about what to demand in a country they have never been to before. in a recent photgraph taken, there were young men getting off a boat wearing addidas gear, gold chains & they had the bodies of a weightlifters in competition.

racist is a very fashionable word used these days. it is used too easily & used too one diamentional.

it is remarkable how australia and its people are the target of such jibes. why is it that the so-called countries these people are fleeing from are not the ones being cited with the same criticism? when these people leave their countries, they do so under disguise to avoid being killed. they come here and they are at least initially being given a safe haven. yet in this warped twisted mentality and with these two points being common knowledge, australia is the country being given that "Racist" tag again.

This is a word that is used so often here these days, i guess people from outside of australia must think this is an horrendous place to live - wouldnt they? Of course not, judging by the influx of immigration in its droves.

why is it the United Nations are not held to account over what is going on in these countries? Do you want to know why? - its because they are basically a useless organization that will prefer to take the easy option of condoning everything australia does because we are not a dictatorship. the UN cannot reason with a dictatorship and given half the representitives of the UN are puppets to their own dictators, they will never go to the core of these problems. they instead target western countries whom are resigned to the fact they will not get the justified back up from a so-called human compassionate organization. they are anything but that.

i have never ever heard one do-gooder in this country (and there are plenty of them) call the middle east racist. Yet we have seen countless fanatical groups cut the heads off western citizens and post them on youtube. Or hang them and burn them alive. And they do this to people who are in the region to help their people. you will argue that boat people are escaping this madness, and i agree. but given these facts about what type people are there, would it not be right for us to have some identification ? does that make us conveniently "racist" yet again ???

the worlds focus and the critics who live here, should refocus their easy lables to the United Nations who are responsible for action against oppression. if you want to lable anyone anything, that is where your attention should target. Australian people have had an absolute gutful of being labled at every turn. the divide in culture is only getting larger because of world leaders who dont lead.

the UN is like a doctor who tells you you have cancer. then proceeds to give you a hair cut and clip your toenails. avoiding the core of the problem at all costs. you call us racists ? just imagine if you took Australia off the map right now. where would these people go? - Africa, the South Pole?

we do more for the oppressed than any other country in the world. and whenever we question our own security, we are labled racist. more than ever, our security and that of our childrens children depends on our actions. we can save a percentage of the world, but your kidding yourself if you think we can save everyone. Back on September 11th 2001, america dropped its guard on a dozen individuals. we all know the outcome. funny how we never heard the term racist to descibe either the hijackers, or the terrorists. i feel for the genuine boat people, but your narrow minded to lable anyone here a racist for not willing to play roulette with our security. Target the UN to do THEIR job. It cant be us all the time.

Who is getting here and making demands? Last time I checked boats get stopped by customs prior to getting to Australia (bar a couple here and there). We then proceed to throw them in a concetration camp and treat them like prisoners.

The word racism is used a lot these days because people are starting to realise that racism is still rife in our communities. Although we are taking leaps and bounds at obliterating it.

So what you're saying is the people in the countries that the boat people come from should be labelled racists?

I agree regarding the UN. They are a joke and like you stated, rather than getting to the core of the problem they carpet sweep. I am not saying what the boat people is doing is right, in fact it is horribly wrong. I just think people need to give them a little more compassion. In getting to the core of the problem, they need to be educated in the fact that you cant just rock up here on a boat and everything will be honkey dory. There are policies and procedures that need to be followed. If we can educate them with those little facts, then we solve the issue.

The extremists in these countries that do shit like that dont do it because of race, they do it because of religion.
Like I said, I dont deny the fact that these people should be identified and checked prior to living in Aus, I have never said otherwise, I just think that people should treat them with more dignity and respect. They are just like you and I after all.

Also, I have never labelled Australians, as a collective, racists. I simply said that to 58shark as he himself said that he was racist towards these people. If you are racist to one group of people, then you are racist to all. You cant pick and choose.