Commentators

[AaronKirk]

The "controversy" has been blown up way too much. Have to be PC nowadays so you cannot say on National TV what he said but gee everyone makes mistakes.

Saying that though BT is the worst commentator on TV by a country mile (yes, even worse IMO than Dwayne Russell) so if this "controversy" is the thing that sees him sacked by Channel 7 then I am all for it.

[Mailman the 2nd]

Yes People have blown it out of proportion, but only cause they want to see BT sacked.

[Bill Manspeaker]

Yes People have blown it out of proportion, but only cause they want to see BT sacked.

even if it wasn't BT there would still be a big uproar

[Grazz]

Yes People have blown it out of proportion, but only cause they want to see BT sacked.

even if it wasn't BT there would still be a big uproar

Yeh wouldn't matter who it was the press would be all over it, way to politically incorrect these days , joke or not.

[Ziplock]

Yes People have blown it out of proportion, but only cause they want to see BT sacked.

even if it wasn't BT there would still be a big uproar

Yeh wouldn't matter who it was the press would be all over it, way to politically incorrect these days , joke or not.

homophobic comments should be dealt with in a similar vein to racist comments imo. It's not appropriate, especially in a day and age where athletes already find it incredibly difficult to come out of the closet #ianthorpe

[kilbluff1985]

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2014-07-13/bt-under-fire-commentator-taylors-antigay-slur-not-his-first-

[Ricochet]

Oh please, it wasn't anti-gay. This has been blown up too much
People are far too precious

[Phasir]

Honestly I wish BT & Mick Molloy would stop ruining my football experience.
Sincerely hoping that they both fail to get contract extensions.

[Ringo]

Interesting that BT has only been cautioned whereas the ABC suspended David Morrow and Warren Ryan for a slur a few weeks ago.

So is ai light because Channel 7 has broadcast rights.

[Ziplock]

Oh please, it wasn't anti-gay. This has been blown up too much
People are far too precious

he called someone a poofter because he was giving an effeminate wave while celebrating on the football field.

That's homophobic and suggests that gays are less masculine than heterosexuals.  And it's exemplified by the article kb posted where he said 'I don't want to offend his upbringing or his parents... but he looks gay.', which basically says being gay is a bad thing/ people should be offended if they're called gay.

[tor01doc]

People should read Ziplock's comments in this thread.

Those defending BT should realize times are changing.

Slavery was OK until 1970 in Oman and there were probably slow to shift minorities who thought it was still OK when others had moved on.

' it was not until 1983 that indigenous Australians had equivalent voting rights to other Australians' - this is a quote I found recently.

Women couldn't vote in Victoria until 1908 which presumably means there are women still alive today who lived in an era - thought OK at the time by society - during which they couldn't vote simply because of their lack of a Y chromosome.

Wake up peoples - disclaimer - this is not a left wing rant - but a sign that civilised humanity is waking up.

Those defending BT, the young girl who had a go at Adam Goodes, and similar victims of their own upbringing should stop and ask themselves if that is what they really believe or if they are just making themselves feel better because they haven't really considered the issues in depth or with empathy.

Just sayin'.

[Noz]

So BT gets in danger for calling Harry Taylor a poofter, If he goes then pretty much get rid of the entire saturday night team as they all laughed at his joke. So if they say BT is homophobic then they should go and say the entire Saturday night team is encouraging homophobic behaviour.

Its not like he called Adam Goodes an ape like Eddie, Or claimed that every indigenous bloke is from up north like Dermie did.

Just let him do his job and listen to his awful jokes

[Ziplock]

So BT gets in danger for calling Harry Taylor a poofter, If he goes then pretty much get rid of the entire saturday night team as they all laughed at his joke. So if they say BT is homophobic then they should go and say the entire Saturday night team is encouraging homophobic behaviour.

Its not like he called Adam Goodes an ape like Eddie, Or claimed that every indigenous bloke is from up north like Dermie did.

Just let him do his job and listen to his awful jokes

They're definitely enabling it by laughing at it, but they're also in a situation where they're expected to laugh at basically any crap joke any of them make.

It is actually the homophobic equivalent of eddie's ape comment- it's propagating a negative stereotype based on someone's sexuality, and suggesting that any action deemed as less manly is basically homosexual. Since Harry Taylor isn't gay (I mean he might be, but in this case we'll assume he's not), it's not really the equivalent of eddies comment... really, it's the homophobic equivalent of saying something like

'Wow, look, the way he stole that football you would have thought he was aboriginals/black/an immigrant'

If you think making a comment, or expressing a sentiment like that ^ is racially inappropriate, then you should logically label BT's comments as some form of homophobia.

Unrelated- in these articles it really annoyed me when they referred to Brian Taylor as just Taylor, since it wasn't clear if they were referring to Brian or Harry. Sloppy :P

[Ricochet]

Oh please, it wasn't anti-gay. This has been blown up too much
People are far too precious

he called someone a poofter because he was giving an effeminate wave while celebrating on the football field.

That's homophobic and suggests that gays are less masculine than heterosexuals.  And it's exemplified by the article kb posted where he said 'I don't want to offend his upbringing or his parents... but he looks gay.', which basically says being gay is a bad thing/ people should be offended if they're called gay.

there was absolutely no intent to offend with his comment.  Insults are all about the intent. We can call someone an idiot, a loser, a big girl, in jest and it is be fine, but as soon as there an intent to offend in the way it is said then that is when there is reason to be insulted. And there was zero reason to find the way BT said poofter offensive

[tor01doc]

Oh please, it wasn't anti-gay. This has been blown up too much
People are far too precious

he called someone a poofter because he was giving an effeminate wave while celebrating on the football field.

That's homophobic and suggests that gays are less masculine than heterosexuals.  And it's exemplified by the article kb posted where he said 'I don't want to offend his upbringing or his parents... but he looks gay.', which basically says being gay is a bad thing/ people should be offended if they're called gay.

there was absolutely no intent to offend with his comment.  Insults are all about the intent. We can call someone an idiot, a loser, a big girl, in jest and it is be fine, but as soon as there an intent to offend in the way it is said then that is when there is reason to be insulted. And there was zero reason to find the way BT said poofter offensive

BT could not offend HT by calling him that (unless HT is one and that is besides the point).

However, he does and did offend a lot who are. Now whether he likes it or not, he did. And he apologised.

I agree with Coach Carter when he pulled up his African American players for calling each other 'Nigger'.

Awareness is being raised and that is a good thing. In a few years, decades or generations from now, people will marvel at how insensitive and judgemental we were in the early 21st century. Just as we find it hard to believe people ate each other.