Posted: Apr 15, 2019 6:23 pm
Blackadder wrote:Israel Folau, an Australian international rugby player, has had his contract terminated for preaching homophobic comments.
I’m not sure where I stand on this. I find his comments repugnant. Yet I am uneasy with punishing people for expressing their views. I would rather see such ideas wither and die from exposure and ridicule. Punishing Christians just seems to stoke their sense of martyrdom and makes them worse. Then again, he is a national figure and signed a contract prohibiting him from making such comments on social media.
What do you think?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/47932231
Firstly, as of six hours ago Folau has not been sacked yet. Secondly, if he finishes up being sacked, the reasoning behind it is not punitive. It is to uphold the image of Rugby Australia as an inclusive organisation.
In August 2014 RA has formulated and published a document titled Inclusion Policy. In part it reads:
Rugby AU recognises that both intentional and unintentional homophobic behaviour exist within society in Australia, and that this can have adverse and potentially significant consequences for some individuals and our game.
Sometimes these consequences mean that individuals who want to play Rugby or be involved in our game, feel excluded and as a result cease their involvement or even hide their sexuality. In some cases, individuals who continue playing may be subjected to homophobic language or actions and are needlessly and wrongfully subjected to discrimination, thus reducing their enjoyment of Rugby. These outcomes are unacceptable and unwelcome in our game.
The policy applies to all members and employees of Rugby Australia, of which Israel Folau is one. He has made a post on Facebook, saying that drunks, homosexuals, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists and idolators will go to hell unless they repent. Hardly an inclusive attitude, is it? He is of course entitled to believe whatever crap he wants, but he is a representative of RA, and the post was public. His entire account is public, and has attracted over 137,000 followers. The objectionable post attracted 9,528 likes in five hours. On his Facebook page it says: About - Rugby Player for NSW Waratahs & Australia. He is a representative of an organisation purporting to have and implement an inclusive policy, and he is breaking it in public for the second time.
Rugby Australia, as well as his club, the Waratahs, are squirming about sacking him. They really do not want to see it happening. Folau is their best player by far, and his performance on the field is a huge drawcard, worth $4 million to his club alone. On the international level the Wallabies are likely to lose to Japan in September without him. And yet, RA must do something about his repeated exclusionist exhortations to remain credible as an inclusionist organisation. To remain credible it will have to sack him. It's a bind.
So, no, though Folau will suffer a huge financial loss, this is not about punishment. This is about preserving a corporate image.
Speaking for myself, I welcome his sacking, should it occur. Falau is a hero to many a young, impressionable rugby fan. I venture to say that many of the likes his post received were more about the fact that their hero wrote it than what he wrote, but the sentiment is made attractive because he is a hero. I very much look forward to seeing him deprived of using his standing within Rugby Australia as a vehicle for propagating his medieval crap. FFS, quoting from a Pauline letter in the 21st century!
