Never too scared to front up and answer criticism. I never said I was a regular first grader. I said I was a former player. I never said I was a friend of Brett Finch, I said I knew of him. The Australia I grew up in was all about slagging off your mates, putting them down, paying out on them when they f**ed up this is true. As Ive got older and dare I say MATURED I think this is a grotesque aspect of the life I had as a youth in Australia. With the recognition of mental health as a disorder we can discuss now, rather than have it brushed under the carpet, Id hope that we recognise the damage we can potentially do to our mates.
Its not clever or smart to put people down. Its not funny to laugh at others misfortune. GROW UP. Anybody that wants to continue to put their mates down go ahead. One day if your mate suicides because he couldnt stand being ridiculed, or the butt of everyones jokes any longer, for goodness sake dont feel sad that you chose to be an asshole to him, rather than someone kind and compassionate.
Its not about growing balls, or toughening up. Of course anyone who has been in the limelight has had to learn to handle criticism or they would never have survived. For every fan there are 10 that hate you. I know that, be they entertainers, sportspeople, or any other celebrity. My whole point was this: when someone is doing it tough for whatever reason, there is no need to say...."I never liked the prick anyway" ...or "he was hopeless as a player and more hopeless as a commentator"...because to say such things totally belittles any comment you might then make about....oh but I hope he gets better. There is a time and a place to air your dissatisfaction with a celebrity. It is not the time or place to do so in a topic that discusses a personal issue. Its not about being on a high horse. Its called goodwill to your fellow man. Its what living in a society is all about.