There’s been plenty of questions in the wake of the Australian cricket team’s ball tampering incident. But are they right ones? Or at least the most important ones?
I have a few of my own, and here they are:
Why is everyone so shocked that good people make mistakes? (Have you never made a terrible mistake yourself? I sure as shit know I have, I’m just lucky enough that for the most part I’ve either gotten away with them or they haven’t been splashed all over the media.)
Why are so many people, most likely some of those who were calling for a public flogging just a day or two ago, suddenly so supportive of the guys now that they’ve seen how badly they’re hurting and have their pound of flesh?
Why isn’t everyone that supportive? How the fuck are people still hurling abuse and demanding more retribution?
Would people be so angry and abusive if it was someone they knew?
Do those angry people realise plenty of someones do know them? They are sons, brothers, dads, friends…
People are quick to question the culture of the Australian cricket team, when are we going to start questioning the culture of the Australian cricket fan?
When are we going to question the culture of the media’s role in all this?
When are we going to question our culture in general?
Who thinks it’s OK for some wanker from the Kyle and Jacki O show to make a stupid joke in the middle of Steve Smith’s press conference? Shouldn’t there be a penalty for that?
When did it become OK to level abuse at the family of the Australian cricket coach? Shouldn’t there be a penalty for that?
Who thinks it’s OK for the media to fire off their camera flashes in the faces of David Warner’s two young children as he arrived at the airport? Shouldn’t there be a penalty for that too?
Why aren’t we talking about media ethics and penalties for them? And if we are talking about that, why are we blaming David Warner and/or his wife when all they did was arrive at the airport and want to go home and get some sleep?
Speaking of David Warner’s wife, when did it become OK for cricket ‘fans’, and South African cricket officials, to try and publicly ridicule and/or shame her for some of her past actions?
When did players’ families become fair game?
Is targeting someone’s wife with a hurtful, personal attack, more despicable than tampering with a ball in a game?
Is a $10million+ ‘penalty’, (the actual figure could well be much higher all up), excessive considering the ‘crime’?
Do we remember this isn’t actually a crime and that actual criminals get much less severe penalties?
And, of course, the question so many are asking… how did this incident generate more outrage than other, much more despicable and desperate situations that affect the well being of humans all over the planet?
When did our priorities get so fucked up that we care more about a game of cricket, or more to the point, crucifying a couple of cricketers, than we do about people who are dying?
And most of all, why are people so very, very angry? About everything?
But that’s my next article, so I’ll save that for another day.
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