It was meant to be a regular Saturday night. Spectators from two teams getting together to drink some beer, eat pies and watch a good old-fashioned game of footy. Children, grandparents, friends and siblings were present, resplendent in club wear, scarves and beanies. There was some typical ribbing from rival supporters, but that’s all expected in a showdown.
There was also some cause for celebration. It was Eddie Betts’ 250th game with the Adelaide Crows; a major milestone.
Everything was going swimmingly. Eddie scored a goal, and he triumphantly reacted.
Then someone threw a banana at him in disgust, and what started out as an innocuous victory dance turned ugly in an instant.
What is it that turns the most ordinary of people into momentary monsters?
The accused banana thrower was a young lady in her mid ’20s. She had long auburn hair, and didn’t look particularly threatening. She didn’t fit the mould of what we envisage “racists” to look like. No tattoos, no beards, no wife-beater singlet. She behaved so normally after the incident, that she even blew a kiss to a spectator who confronted her.
This image of “normal” was reiterated by the woman’s father. A chap named “Don” called into the Adelaide radio station FIVEaa to defend her.
“She’s very similar to her mother — unassuming, honest. This was so uncharacteristic.”
Don then goes on to argue with the radio announcers Dave and Will that she’s been “demonised” for her behaviour, without actually holding her to account. He didn’t deny that she threw the fruit, but he said that if it was anyone else, say Stephen Milne (a non-Aboriginal player), “no fuss would be made about it.”
Don misses the point entirely.
Because his child might be “beautiful” and “honest,” but in that very moment, she performed an ugly act, an abhorrent act that was caught on camera, and subsequently shared widely on social media.
“It was more an act of frustration than a racist act where she’s thrown a banana. You people in the media you like to lengthen and sensationalise anything … that’s wrong,” Don says.
Well, I agree with Dave and Will. It sounds like Don is a cop-out parent. Being frustrated doesn’t warrant an act of incivility towards another person. What keeps this fabric of society together is a common sense of decency, and a united humanity. It’s called self control.
Throwing a banana at a player is an ugly act, racist or not.
It baffles me as to why some people choose to act out on their “frustrations” in such an spiteful and public way. Like that woman on a train who hurled abuse at an Asian woman during peak hour. She later said she had a rotten day. “I’ve been chasing work for quite some time now. It’s awful what I said to that woman, I do agree.”
We (the public) tend to focus on the perpetrator when these social crimes occur. We want to know what the motivation is behind their actions, what could possibly be happening in their lives to act in such a way?
It is easy to go after those who cannot or will not defend themselves in such moments of confrontation. And it is easier to blame others and lash out irrationally for what might be your own insecurities and frustrations.
But it is our job as parents, friends, confidantes and indeed, the media, to call out this behaviour when we see it. We might not be able to stamp out the ugliness entirely, but recognising and acting upon it is the first step. The Port Adelaide Football Club reacted admirably in this regard.
The lady in question has agreed to participate in a “cultural awareness program,” and scores of people have come to Eddie Betts’ defence. He has laid low and hasn’t commented much on the incident, but he doesn’t need to.
Society has come together in overwhelming support of Eddie, and that is a beautiful thing to behold.
Featured image: Getty
Top Comments
Is this really a racism issue? Perhaps it is, perhaps the banana was symbolic, on the other hand maybe she just happened to have a piece of fruit and that was what she threw. I guess we will never know for sure what was in her mind.
I think what is the real issue is what makes people think they can throw things at others? Whatever she threw, and whoever she threw it at, it was the act of throwing something at someone I think is horrible. But having said that I notice that people's behaviour is really quite different at a game than elsewhere, for instance if a player is injured often people from the other side cheer etc, people I know have done this, yet if they saw someone injured in the street they would help, I think at games people seem to almost not perceive the players as real people who deserve respect. On one hand that is quite bad, on the other hand perhaps this banana throwing is a result of that animalistic behaviour that often comes out at games whereas the same person would not normally do that.
Anyway I would think, that hopefully, she has now learned her lesson.
I absolutely hate when people cheer if a player is injured. It's disgusting and that's why the vast majority of spectators don't do it.
We know, form nearby spectators, that she referred to him as a monkey. Whilst it is possible she did not know that people with dark skins have historically been likened to monkeys and other primates it is very difficult to believe. In any case, how long will it take people to learn this?
Adam Goodes has also been called an ape. At the time, it was dismissed by some as being an insignificant insult- just a randomly chosen insult apropos of nothing.
The racism runs deep. In the 70s this kind of racism was considered funny because it was so old-fashioned and wrong. The problem of likening people with dark skin to animals has to stop and we have to stop believing it's coincidental.
Other spectators also claim she made several racist remarks, which indicates the banana incident did have racist motives.
I thought the same as you at first: Perhaps that was just what she had handy to throw? But witnesses have said she combined that with calling Betts a monkey, which makes it pretty clear the banana throw was racially motivated.
Regardless, throwing anything at players is not on.
The huge majority of Australians against racism was evident at this very football match as the people around this woman turned on her and reviled her actions. Eddie Betts had/has the full support of the spectators and the public.
That one person only displayed racism amid the huge majority who didn't once and for all puts to bed the myth that this country is racist and anyone who persists with the myth has other fish to fry and, for whatever sinister reason, a completely different agenda.
It's similar to the incident at the footy last year where the bloke hit a women in the stands. Every man within a 10 metre radius was out of their seat trying to reach him to defend the woman and yet it was still used to highlight violence against women.
Exactly.
yep, why are the disgusted reactions of the hundreds of people around her and even from her own team condemning this action this being ignored?
This should be a great story showing how Australians are tolerant do not accept this sort of shitty behavior. Instead it is made to sound like one person is representative of an entire nationality.
LiSao, we agree! How about that. :)