The recent events surrounding Matthew Johns have amazed me for the viciousness of the attacks on him in the media and the self-righteous hypocrisy of many commentators, including those who have encouraged the sexual free for all that characterises our culture.
For those who have been under a rock for the last week or so, and those who live outside our fair shores, let me summarise the sordid incident. Seven years ago, in New Zealand, members od an Australian rugby league club team were accused of engaging in what may or may not have been a group rape of a nineteen year old woman. She accompanied Johns, I think, to his room and ended up engaging in sex with between 6 and 11 men (the number varies between reports). It is not clear what level of consent the woman offered.
The matter was investigated by the NZ police who decided that there was not enough evidence to bring a case against the men.
The issue has just come up as the result of a television program about the affair which aired on Monday night.
Matthew Johns has since been publicly humiliated and sacked from several high profile media roles.
I don't condone the original act by the players. However it seems amazing to me that one man is carrying the can for all of this, and the huge double standards being shown by commentators.
My first question is, where are the others? Why is one man being made the scape goat here?
What about the woman referred to as Clare? She did not go to a footballer's hotel room to discuss philosophy. She went as a willing participant. Where her consent ended is not known. Any young woman who takes herself to a sportsman's bedroom is not going for coffee. Any woman with half a brain would know that this was a potentially dangerous place to go alone.
Where is the Cronulla Football Club in all of this? Are they trying to pretend that they had nothing to do with anything that might have happened on their watch?
Of course, it was inevitable people would raise the issue about sports people being "role models" and therefore having extra responsibilities to the community. I'm sorry, but sticking a young man in a football jumper and paying him lots of money does not turn him into a person you should respect.
What about the duty of a whole culture that has elevated sexual adventurism to a collective obsession?
What do we expect when we boost the egos of young men with hero worship, boost their systems with testosterone through constant physical training, fill them up with alcohol and then dangle pretty young women in front of them in the isolation of a hotel in a foreign country? Isn't this asking for trouble? So where are the league administrators? What happened to the old-fashioned chaperones and officials who were supposed to police the behaviour of sportsmen away from home?
Where were the feminists who in the 1970's and 1980's were driving the rights of women to make their own choices? Who overturned the idea of gallantry and respect for women with the idea that you can do what you like when you like?
Why was a woman who champions group sex as a normal expression of sexuality selected as the person to consult with the NRL about changing the culture of football players? Should we be surprised when they act on that information?
What happened to women realising that they are vulnerable alone?
Here's the biggest question about double standards. Why is it so bad for a swimmer to be suspended from the team for viciously attacking a team mate in a pub (a crime for which he was found guilty), but it's the right thing to sack a guy for an incident that has not been deemed to be a criminal offence and which happened years ago?
As I said, I don't condone the events of seven years ago. I'm a bit of a dinosaur in this age as I think sex should be within marriage. But I do look at the reactions of the media and other people involved in all this and I think there is a huge deficit of character, humility and self-awareness in our society.
And don't think this is an isolated incident. As we allow self-absorption to run through the generations, our culture is going to be increasingly lawless. There are no standards of behaviour any more.
UPDATE: The ABC is now reporting that a workmate of the woman at the centre of it was bragging after the event about her escapade. I wonder if Matty will get his job back.
It seems to be a populare idea these days that if it's a person's right, then they should be able to do it with no consequences. You are right, she didn't go to discuss philosophy. I can always hear my mother's voice telling me, that "all things are lawful, but all things are not expedient". Not sure if it was just some good piece of advice or if it came from the Bible, but it's true, even if it is our right, it should be accompagnied by some common sense.
ReplyDeleteThat is a Bible quote from 1 Corinthians, I believe.There needs to be a lot more of what used to be called "common sense" and "common decency", neither of which is common these days. I'm starting to sound like an old man.The latest craziness in this affair is that those who have been getting their fangs into Matthew Johns now want the other men to step forward. Why would they? So they can be publicly humiliated and possibly lose their jobs? Not much incentive there, I think.Interesting isn't it that when christian leaders were warning about "declining standards" in the 1970's and the effect that it would have on society in general and women in particular they were ridiculed and called "wowsers". I think prophets would have been more accurate.
ReplyDeleteI read an interesting comment last year. It described the attributes of a capable rugby league player; things like:- able to act without hesitating- willing to take big personal risks to achieve a short-term goal (like throwing yourself in front of a few big opposition players to get a ball over a line).The point was made that such people are going to get in trouble!We should be surprised to find such a person who is a "model citizen" off the field.With the recent controversy, I got to thinking about what makes an effective host on "the Footy Show". It's not just news about players and teams, but gains much of its popularity from larrikin humour. Again, we should be surprised if such people -don't- end up embarrassing them. The TV network running the show has brought certain difficulties on itself.I'm not interested in judging Matthew Johns - I don't even know the bloke. There's a small number of people who know what really happened, and how it came about. If he's kept his nose fairly clean throughout his career, then congratulations to him!
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