We express our strong support of Goodes, who has shown extraordinary composure in shameful circumstances. There is opportunity here for truth-telling and ultimately for peace-making, which means the hard work of constructing more respectful and equitable relationships.
Dr Matthew Klugman, a researcher at Victoria University’s Institute of Sport, Exercise and Active Living (ISEAL), has offered expert advice to the mounting discussion over the booing of Goodes, labelling the display “an act of racial hatred”.
“Booing passionately is a longstanding privilege at the heart of the game. Indigenous players are also central to the game and the stories the AFL tells and sells,” Dr Klugman explained. “But both cannot go on when so many spectators have turned the art of booing into an act of racial hatred. The AFL has a cultural crisis on its hands.”
The SSH supports all nonviolent measures of resistance to racial hatred, including the right of players to exit the playing field, and the suspension or cessation of play. Let’s get real and let’s grow up.
