Danielle,

"Unlike Goodes, who appears to have been the only fair-minded and rational person in all of this..."

Ain't that the truth!

Although, you wouldn't know it from the way onthebeach has been attacking his status.

"It took the sight of a 13 year-old girl guilessly flinging
the insult around to wake many up to this. And as Trioli
says, "She didn't understand what she had said - and that
should horrify us."

How many people, who don't associate with racists, would know that "ape" was a racist epithet.

I certainly didn't.

Undoubtedly, as a young woman, I would have categorized certain men along this line indiscriminately. But, being polite, I wouldn't have screamed it them. Then again, I wasn't interested in a sub-culture where abuse was not only a vital part of the game, but also a necessary part of audience participation

What is emerging from this debate, is that we need to have a dictionary of racist epithets with their meaning and origin. Only this way, will we be confident of not inadvertently hurting another's feelings. And yes, racism is abhorrent.

Poirot,

I would hope that many would recognize that Goodes was the only person who stood out starkly from the rest as fair-minded, calmly rational and with generosity of spirit.

Unfortunately, Goodes seems to have been lost as a mere footnote to the events.

csteele and Lexi,

It is accepted and expected that you would want to attack me personally for defending the rights of a child.

Lexi quotes Virginia Trioli, who with her rude gestures on camera towards a federal politician, exemplified what is going wrong with the ABC. Honestly, since when was Virginia Trioli an expert on the care and rights of children anyhow?

The left authoritarianism and extreme political correctness that permitted that to occur are abominations wherever they occur and a foul blight on Australian society.

It is truly disgusting that anyone would turn a blind eye to the ruthless, excessive, cruel and politically convenient treatment of this child and not be demanding redress, let along seek to defend and justify it as you do.

It is NOT RIGHT, it is NEVER OK to warp the rights of a child and treat her like that.

onthebeach,

"It is accepted and expected that you would want to attack me for defending the rights of a child."

It's not your defence of the child that's being critiqued (not attacked) - it's the way you're hysterically impugning Goodes in the process - and in addition, anyone who speaks out in his defence or in dismay at the culture of abuse into which this "child" has been indoctrinated.

By inferrence you're holding Goodes and those critical of crowd abuse responsible for the way the girl was treated

poirot: It's not your defence of the child that's being critiqued (not attacked) - it's the way you're hysterically impugning Goodes in the process - and in addition, anyone who speaks out in his defence or in dismay at the culture of abuse into which this "child" has been indoctrinated.

For once I agree with you poirot.