Cody Walker refuses to sing national anthem at State of Origin

[Dawgfather]

On the surface, perhaps. In reality, the anthem was written at a time when Indigenous people were hardly recognised as people, let alone equals and a strong argument can be made that it represents colonialist interests which are completely out of step with modern day Australia's values. You might think it spreads a message of unity, but the problem is, a lot of people disagree and given the historical period in which it was written and policies which were in place at the time, a strong argument can be made to support that belief. If some don't feel they can get behind it, I think it's perfectly understandable....

So the argument to date (from the players) and anyone else, doesn't seem to be about anything specific, no words or lines in the anthem. Just a general 'vibe' that because the anthem was created decades ago, that it should be changed, because some people have a 'perception' about Australia's societal values at the time the anthem was created.

I'm not saying we can't change it, but if that is the rationale, then we have some issues.

 

[Dawgfather]

Bloke who never played Origin before wants to turn things into a political song and dance.
I watch the game for relief from that shit. Protest in your own time ffs.

Or at least Ado-Carr and Walker could grow a set of balls and put their money where their mouth is.

At the moment they are apparently "SO CONCERNED" about this 'awful anthem', that they are staging protest where there is absolutely no personal cost to them. No loss of money, sponsorship or contracts etc.

If they're going to protest, at least take Folau's example and be prepared to lose something. If this actually was an issue for them, then they wouldn't be playing the game at all (that would be a much bigger protest and would get them a lot more media).

These guys are money hungry, and I don't think they genuinely care about these issues, or they'd be staging a very different type of protest.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

Nation Making Some Big Assumptions That The Rest Of These Blokes Even Know The Lyrics

CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT

Conservative media commentators and furious photos of dirtbikes and jet-skis are still outraged today, after Rabbitohs player Cody Walker doesn’t seem to be budging on his decision to not sing the national anthem at next week’s State Of Origin match.

The 29-year-old Indigenous star this week confirmed he will stay silent during the singing of Advance Australia Fair – stating that he ‘didn’t feel the anthem represented him’.

Since then, he has since been joined by fellow Blues superstar Josh Addo-Carr, who says he feels the same way and that’s how it is.

However, the same people who were enthusiastically defending Israel Folau’s extremist Christian homophobia on Instagram have today sent another battalion to the front line of the culture wars. With many keyboard patriots calling for the black footballers to be dropped for being so disrespectful.

However, as one sports psychologist points out, if you really look at their mouths during the anthem – none of the players actually sing it.

Professor Nigel Clutterbuck from The Betoota Dolphins Centre Of Excellence says it requires a lot of effort to be outraged by Walker and The Fox’s decision to not sing the anthem, considering none of these blokes really know the lyrics.

“You are gonna tell me that Cherry Evans knows every single word to the national anthem?” he said.

“Its a really big assumption that any of these blokes know the first verse, let alone the second, which no one knows, not even ScoMo”

Blues coach Brad Fittler this week said he will sing the anthem but supports Walker’s right to have his own personal opinion because he’s a rugby league coach and not a fucken social commentator.

 

[Mr Invisible]

Right on cue: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...original-Blues-players-boycotting-anthem.html

I wonder... are Walker or Addo-Carr fully indigenous, or is one parent Australian?

 

[GrogDog]

I see now Will Chambers is donning his sheep costume and boycotting the anthem. These guys are that fukin stupid that they don't realise that they are shitting in their own beds. How come no stance during the indigenous round, are they waiting until Caucasian round? Nope the NRL won't do that because it's racist? Why play for the "National" RL if you have racism grudges, why get rich off it. Take a stance and not play at all.

I see this as the biggest threat to State of Origin in it's history. Average Joe is sick to death of this daily sorry bullshit that we are all expected to carry around. RL fans like their politics well away from the footy field, do they think people will keep watching when they take this beyond the piss take? This game use to unite the people of each state against eachother, all they are doing is taking that division in our Country and bringing into our game. I for one won't keep watching when this level is reached!

 

[COVENS]

The most frustrating thing about this argument is simply a lack of an alternative being put forward. Criticism is fine but not coming up with a solution is unhelpful

 

[blueyedsamurai]

Right on cue: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...original-Blues-players-boycotting-anthem.html

I wonder... are Walker or Addo-Carr fully indigenous, or is one parent Australian?

Neither are full aboriginal.

 

[coach]

Right on cue: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...original-Blues-players-boycotting-anthem.html

I wonder... are Walker or Addo-Carr fully indigenous, or is one parent Australian?

Mate there’s very few 100% indegenous people left in this country

 

[Nate DAWG]

So the argument to date (from the players) and anyone else, doesn't seem to be about anything specific, no words or lines in the anthem. Just a general 'vibe' that because the anthem was created decades ago, that it should be changed, because some people have a 'perception' about Australia's societal values at the time the anthem was created.

I'm not saying we can't change it, but if that is the rationale, then we have some issues.

I think the line, 'young and free' is one of the issues. I'm not Aboriginal but I assume that referring to Australia as young means that it does not include the thousands of years that Aboriginals were here. I assume free is also an issue because of the over representation in lock up and stolen generation history. These are things I've heard from talking to other Aboriginal people. Not sure what Walker and the boys think, I don't think they made a specific statement.

 

[craigo]

Wonder how many of the players would sing if they made a spare of moment choice to play the 2nd verse of the anthem. Are we the only country in the world that doesn’t play the whole song

 

[COVENS]

Right on cue: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...original-Blues-players-boycotting-anthem.html

I wonder... are Walker or Addo-Carr fully indigenous, or is one parent Australian?

What's your point?

 

[Gubanaculum]

Wonder how many of the players would sing if they made a spare of moment choice to play the 2nd verse of the anthem. Are we the only country in the world that doesn’t play the whole song

God save the queen has seven verses and is not all sung. The last one puts shit on the scotts lol.

 

[dogluva]

Mate there’s very few 100% indegenous people left in this country

Truganini the last surviving full-blooded Aboriginal Tasmanian died in 1876. No full castes left and only 3.3% of the population are classed as aboriginals.

We will never be one people until what happened in the past is put to rest and the continued agitation by a few is what keeps the hatred alive. I know quite a few indigenous people ( there are a lot up here) and it annoys them no end the way in which some go on.

 

[Nate DAWG]

Agitation is not the only thing that keeps 'hatred alive. There are Aboriginal people who lived through the stolen generations, when they were not classed as people and were not allowed to vote. NZ is far from perfect and they treated the Maori and even Samoa poorly but the cultural relationship between Maori and the pakeha highlights the difference. The recognition if Maori in their constitution, the recognition of Maori in their anthem and how culture and language is taught in schools. Every pakeha knows the haka and can perform it. They embrace it. Non Aboriginal Australians know very little of Aboriginal culture.

 

[Flanagun]

Agitation is not the only thing that keeps 'hatred alive. There are Aboriginal people who lived through the stolen generations, when they were not classed as people and were not allowed to vote. NZ is far from perfect and they treated the Maori and even Samoa poorly but the cultural relationship between Maori and the pakeha highlights the difference. The recognition if Maori in their constitution, the recognition of Maori in their anthem and how culture and language is taught in schools. Every pakeha knows the haka and can perform it. They embrace it. Non Aboriginal Australians know very little of Aboriginal culture.

Yep.... and we have peoplw on this page advocating we revisit our stolen generation methods .... because it worked so well the first time. It’s no wonder some people can’t stand the anthem. Many of those who defend it continue to show Indigenous people no respect.

 

[Mr Invisible]

FUN FACT: Josh Addo Carr was shown on camera singing the Australian National Anthem at both the 2017 and 2018 Grand Finals.

What's your point?

Anyone with a full blood aboriginal parent, and a white aussie parent is only 50% aboriginal.
Anyone with two half blood aboriginal parents are only 50% aboriginal (hence as much aboriginal as they are white).
Anyone with a half blood aboriginal parent, and a white aussie parent is only 25% aboriginal, and hence actually 75% white australian.

There are Aboriginal people who lived through the stolen generations, when they were not classed as people and were not allowed to vote.

And times change? Only in the last few years woman have been allowed to drive in some arabic countries!

Point is... Why punish the current generation for things they didn't do?

They want to embrace the benefits / pros of living an Australian lifestyle (as a result of white colonosation), as everything they have today is due to "the white man". So when it suits them they are happy to accept the lifestyles afforded to them due to white colonisation.

If these whingers want to reject white/modern Australian society, they are always welcome to head back to a tent (oh wait can't have that, the white man introduced that).. they are always welcome to strip off their clothes, hand over all their food, and sleep under the stars on a rock with only a loin cloth, and go hunt for all their food. I'd hazard that most of them banging on about Aboriginal rights couldn't even start a fire with a bow drill.

The fact is: if it wasn't for the white man, they'd have all been dead by now.

If they want to take a stand on something worthwhile, take a stand on the ever increasing number of indigenous kids being brutally raped in remote communities by aboriginals.

 

[dogwhisperer]

Can someone please explain to me in laymen’s terms why they are not signing the national anthem please? I’m a little slow lol

 

[Flanagun]

When did I say they where second class citizens? They receive much better benefits as citizens then I do. That would make me the second class citizen if anything.

I feel you've never been to any true remote town to see these issues first hand, if you believe they retreat into destructive and law breaking behaviour due things like Australia Day date and the national anthem impacting self worth. Trust me, we change these two things nothing changes they have 0 impact, the child rape and prostitution do not change. The people in these rural communities couldn't give a flying fuck about these issues the left from Melbourne seem to drum at yearly. Their issues I would say are honestly ingrained in the DNA at this point, the only solution at this point is full blown intervention and removing children from families early on to break the cycle leaving them be to fix the issues themselves isn't working.

We tried that approach once and it didn’t help.... in fact, it did the opposite.

With all due respect, having witnessed the problems first hand does not mean you are raising practical solutions....what’s that old saying about insanity and doing the same thing twice and expecting different results?

We need to work together with the Indigenous community to solve these problems. We can’t do it by ourselves any more than they can....and a respectful relationship and ability to discuss these issues maturely and openly is the best way to promote unity between the Indigenous population and the wider community. Shouting down these players and attacking their character for exercising their freedoms is the opposite of constructive action in my opinion.

In their DNA? What nonsense. A lot of these problems are pretty common amongst dispossessed cultures. Self esteem and difficulties with self identity are a huge part of the problem.

If parents continually tell a child they are no good, the chances are significantly increased they will grow up to live up to those words. Again, basic human psychology.

 

[COVENS]

@Mr Invisible, I'm trying to understand your point of view on this. So if someone is only 25% Aboriginal and 75% White, they should only be 25% bothered about Australian history regarding treatment of the Indigenous people?

 

[Flanagun]

So the argument to date (from the players) and anyone else, doesn't seem to be about anything specific, no words or lines in the anthem. Just a general 'vibe' that because the anthem was created decades ago, that it should be changed, because some people have a 'perception' about Australia's societal values at the time the anthem was created.

I'm not saying we can't change it, but if that is the rationale, then we have some issues.

What do you mean perception? Are the time it was written, they were treated as second class citizens who didn’t have voting rights. I don’t see where perception comes into it. Advance Australia Fair replaces God save the Queen as our anthem in the 80s because we felt as a society we had moved past the point it was representative of us as a nation. No reason we shouldn’t reevaluate again.