Besides finally making me marginally interested in AFL, the current Adam Goodes debate has (once again) brought to the surface Anglo-Indigenous tensions in Australia. No matter which side of this argument you are on, it's undeniable that there are some fairly complex issues at play.
Over the last few days I have heard a range of positions on the matter - that Goodes is a bully, that the crowd who booed him are bullies, that 13 year old girls can't be held to account if they tap into the racist undercurrent of Australian society, and that AFL is an interesting sport.
Okay, I'm just kidding about that last one. Nonetheless, wherever you stand, it's a hot topic in our media at the moment and will probably take at least two or three more days to dissipate in favour of more headlines relating to the latest Tony Abbott gaffes or Mick Fanning shark encounters. And whilst Adam Goodes' story might subside with the admirable support that has bubbled up from both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians alike - from Stan Grant to Bill Shorten and Ray Martin - the bigger issue will continue to remain sadly unresolved; true Reconciliation is still a long way off in this country.
So really, what's worse? One 13 year old girl getting reprimanded for voicing an offensive view that she has no doubt collected through social reproduction? Or the attempted cultural and physical genocide of an entire race of people, who are still encouraged today by the dominant majority not to voice their pain, anger or distaste at continuing racist ideologies?
To be honest, I see the girl's involvement in this debate as minuscule and irrelevant... It's the chorus of boos that doesn't sit well with me.
How good would it be to see indigenous footy players doing traditional war dances in matches the way that the Maori celebrate their indigenous culture with the haka? New Zealand certainly isn't perfect but they could teach us a lot about bi-cultural pride. All Australians should celebrate our rich indigenous heritage.
The fact that a crowd can feel comfortable enough to engage in outright vilification of Adam Goodes because he decided to celebrate a goal with an Aboriginal war dance is simply outrageous. This is 2015. Those who support the booing and reject notions of racism worry me a lot. This should be a sobering national debate about indigenous voices in our society and the way Australia still really doesn't tolerate discussion of its troubled past, not an excuse for conservative Indigenous Holocaust deniers to stand up for lowest-common-denominator bogans.
It would be a hugely positive step forward if white Australians could resist the urge to become defensive when our Indigenous brothers and sisters dare to express their opinions and beliefs in the public arena. True Reconciliation would mean a united Australia where everyone is proud of this country's ancient traditions and culture.
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