Harbhajan reignites racism storm

[Burgey]

You're not going to attack Harbajhan, who turned up in the Indian team shirt, just as Ponting did with his Australian one?

Give me a break. That's such a minor point that it's ridiculous.

It kind of shows how seriously you're taking it all though, doesn't it? They have their corporate attire, I reckon they might have worn it tbh.

On a much lighter note, anyone else notice in the transcript that Gilly wasn't there because he was "sick"?

Given he'd just retired, wonder if it was self-inflicted? Maybe he should head to the Hangover Corner in OT.

 

[howardj]

You're not going to attack Harbajhan, who turned up in the Indian team shirt, just as Ponting did with his Australian one?

Give me a break. That's such a minor point that it's ridiculous.

Didn't see Harbijhan. Only saw the pics in the paper. Anyway, it's not a minor point. It's all about showing some respect.

 

[sideshowtim]

It kind of shows how seriously you're taking it all though, doesn't it? They have their corporate attire, I reckon they might have worn it tbh.

On a much lighter note, anyone else notice in the transcript that Gilly wasn't there because he was "sick"?

Given he'd just retired, wonder if it was self-inflicted? Maybe he should head to the Hangover Corner in OT.

They were probably told to dress smart casual. Given that Harbhajan was essentially wearing the same thing as Ponting, it's ridiculous to attack the Australians alone. I think it's a very, very minor point. And to compare it to the Doggies players showing up to a RAPE case in thongs and shorts is absolutely idiotic.

 

[howardj]

It kind of shows how seriously you're taking it all though, doesn't it? They have their corporate attire, I reckon they might have worn it tbh.

On a much lighter note, anyone else notice in the transcript that Gilly wasn't there because he was "sick"?

Given he'd just retired, wonder if it was self-inflicted? Maybe he should head to the Hangover Corner in OT.

I think Gilly's son started school on Tuesday morning.

 

[jeevan]

Mate, I was happy for him to get off the charge - it was weird he got convicted in the first place.
But I just don't reckon the end always justifies the means, especially when the system that was set up to hear it was sanctioned by all the countries in the ICC. The BCCI said it would take it's players home if he got convicted. IMO the process just should have run its course - both sides of the dispute didn't help in that regard.
I'm not saying that's what caused it get dropped because the judge went through it all (and good on him coz it helped clear the air a lot). That sort of stuff about going home doesn't help things though.

The first time BCCI did it, after shoddy hearing conducted by Proctor, there was some justification to being upset, though perhaps cancelling tour would've been an extreme reaction.

The second time BCCI whispered these things, was before Judge Hansen held his trial. That was wrong, forget the cricket and the $60M, you arent giving somebody a chance to do their job.

As it turned out, he is a real judge and ran a real trial. No one was found to be lily white, neither accuser nor accused - but all the innuendo was taken out of the equation and judgement was delivered. I think Hansen also delivered egg on the face of BCCI with it, and BCCI actually hurt and not helped Harbhajan in this second episode.

 

[burr]

Anybody seeing the casual attire and sunglasses sported by the Australian captain, Ricky Ponting, and players Andrew Symonds and Michael Clarke before the New Zealand High Court judge John Hansen as he considered racial slur allegations on Tuesday may have been reminded of the Canterbury Bulldogs' gormless insensitivity four years ago arriving for police interviews about an alleged rape wearing shorts and thongs.

Fair dinkum, if you were showing up in the Federal Court, is it too much to ask to wear a suit or at least proper pants and a long sleeve shirt. They looked like a rabble, the Aussie boys. There seems to be this macho, rebellious streak in some of them.

They looked extremely hung over is what they looked. Clarkey looked like he was about to hurl at any moment.

 

[burr]

Bogle's article in The Age today was so weak - let all be friends...the Indians had no intention of using that plane. Way to miss the point Mr Bogle.

 

[silentstriker]

Chartering a plane, if thats what they did, was such a childish thing to do. First, they would never have followed through with it, and second, if they thought they could influence the judge with it, they were wrong on that anyway. If it was Malcolm Speed ruling, maybe the prospect of losing $$ might have scared him into making a favorable decision, but the judge really had nothing to do with cricket, so he couldn't give a ****. In reality, it could have massively backfired, if the Judge thought the BCCI was trying to intimidate him, and the judge could have tore Bhajji a new one. Thankfully, he had a cooler head than I would in that situation.

If I found out about that, I'd rule BCCI in contempt of court (or whatever I can within the rules of the ICC), and go to town on their idiot ass.

With that said, there are some on this thread whose reactions are so expected that I have just stopped responding to their ramblings. You know how you can tell if you're hopelessly biased? If someone else can predict which side you're on 99/100 times - chances are you're a dolt. I am thinking of two people from each side here, and from reading their posting history, you'd think their countries sports players have never put a foot wrong in the past hundred years. It really lets people down, especially considering that people may get the wrong idea about an entire country based on the reactions of a few.

 

[Smudge]

Was pretty poor, wasn't it? Saw that photo and they're all sitting there like they're waiting for dinner at an RSL club.

I hear Symonds was as confused as all buggery when a chicken parma didn't appear during the recess.

 

[Jono]

With that said, there are some on this thread whose reactions are so expected that I have just stopped responding to their ramblings. You know how you can tell if you're hopelessly biased? If someone else can predict which side you're on 99/100 times - chances are you're a dolt. I am thinking of two people from each side here, and from reading their posting history, you'd think their countries sports players have never put a foot wrong in the past hundred years. It really lets people down, especially considering that people may get the wrong idea about an entire country based on the reactions of a few.

So true.

 

[ColdSnow]

You have to be careful about what you mean when you say racial slurs. If you simply mean words which hurt Symonds because of his race that's fine. But if you say Symonds race played a bigger part in Harbhajan saying it than Harbhajan's knowledge of the word as simply a word that will hurt Symonds. If it's the former, then you're simply making an example of Harbhajan for something done by players regularly.

I don't understand what the big fuss is. Since when is "monkey" a racial slur??? It is something kids say to each other. Symonds has gone beserk here, totally crazy. Plus, you will have to look at it from the POV of Harbhajan Singh. The word "monkey" by itself cannot be racist. There is absolutely no way that even if Harbhajan used that, it would be racist. Did he WANT to racially abuse Symonds when saying it? He most definitely said it just as a normal thing.

Plus, Symonds started the whole thing and then he goes running to mommy complaining about what he got back. What a cry baby.

 

[ColdSnow]

He said a Test is not a time to be friendly and congratulate your opponent on a delivery well bowled, apparently. My worst bloke ever sig continues to be vindicated.

Though, Harbhajan has now moved into 1st place with the lowest IQ to talent ratio, well ahead of Sreesanth.

Tendulkar should have smashed Lee's head with his bat then, when he patted him on his head.

 

[ColdSnow]

Perosnally, I would find things like "How does Brian Lara's dick taste?", "Bastard", etc much more offensive than "monkey."

 

[Matt79]

I don't understand what the big fuss is. Since when is "monkey" a racial slur??? It is something kids say to each other. Symonds has gone beserk here, totally crazy. Plus, you will have to look at it from the POV of Harbhajan Singh. The word "monkey" by itself cannot be racist. There is absolutely no way that even if Harbhajan used that, it would be racist. Did he WANT to racially abuse Symonds when saying it? He most definitely said it just as a normal thing.

Plus, Symonds started the whole thing and then he goes running to mommy complaining about what he got back. What a cry baby.

Read the past twenty pages of the thread. Just because you've never heard of it before, that doesn't mean its untrue.

 

[Matt79]

Perosnally, I would find things like "How does Brian Lara's dick taste?", "Bastard", etc much more offensive than "monkey."

But there are other racial slurs that would probably upset you more than being called a bastard - and somebody knowingly calling you one of those would be a very low act indeed.

 

[Rajeev]

Interesting discussion

http://www.youtube.com/v/-DDwMfj0Lh0

 

[Bracken]

Tendulkar should have smashed Lee's head with his bat then, when he patted him on his head.

He would have had to call for the twelfth man to bring out a stepladder first.

 

[Johnners]

Should have just banned Symonds & HB Singh from cricket for life for being complete bogans and lowering the intellegence of society as a whole. Maybe then we wouldn't have had to listen to/read all this crap.

EDIT: Also don't get what Clarke has apparently done wrong here either? Are people getting on his back because he says he didn't hear all of the exchange? Or just because they can?

 

[Rajeev]

This guy should be awaded for this piece, what an article,

Shock And Awe

http://blogs.cricinfo.com/meninwhite/archives/2008/01/shock_and_awe_1.php

loved the ending

There was a time in Test cricket (a very long time) when Australia and England were more equal than the rest and the game survived that asymmetry. It'll survive this one.

 

[Jono]

Indians don't think much of Ponting for several reasons. His first tour was dogged by rumours of bad behaviour, his second tour was an embarrassment (he scored less than a dozen runs in three Test matches), his onfield aggression struck Indians as offensive, his unlovely habit of spitting into his palms and rubbing them together left desis wondering how he got people to shake hands with him and not only did he look remarkably like George Bush, he behaved like him too.