Posts by Paul Williams
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There isn't too much I can say about the investigation by the police. As a squad we have taken a decision that we will not discuss the details in public and I have to abide by that.
To me, this means that entire squad has a question mark over its character. Not because of the allegations, but because of the way they've chosen to respond to them; team first, truth second... alleged victim somewhere even futher back.
My only hesitation is in relation to their right to silence.
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FletcherB, if that was the case, he should have said a lot less than he did. It's hard to give him the benefit of the doubt based on what he's reported to have said. My own view is that any team that gets themselves into a situation like this ought rethink their post-match plans.
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when did it happen because the only coach I heard speak on the matter was Steve Hanson
Friday - NZ Herald; links (and my earlier comment/question) here
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Can we accept that women quite properly leap to the aid of their sisters and men to defend their brothers.
Nope.
In fact, I questioned what the hell Graham Henry was thinking when it appeared that he was doing this.
You ain't my brother when you're acting like an ass.
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yes it is - I think that if you don't you leave yourself open to misunderstandings and you may commit rape without realising it - you need assent from your partner (as does he/she from you).
I don't entirely agree with this.
I'd like to think that consent is more readily communicated and understood within a relationship (perhaps not always) however it almost certainly isn't with someone you hardly know and under the influence of booze. In these instances, and god knows how many relationships start in this fashion, any doubt ought to cool your ardour.
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Che, perhaps I misinterpreted you - if you mean "groups" not groups of men, then I see your point.
There's a critical mass dimension to this too; one or two arseholes might not be enough to make a group go feral, four or five does but.
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take my word for it, this isn't even exclusively a sports thing.
i've know gangs of public servants who behave the same way...
Hmmmm, not all blokes, nor blokes in groups or teams, are sex offenders. I play sport and have had nights out with my team when reasonable quantities of booze where consumed and no one was an arsehole... I've also encountered groups of women who're behaving pretty poorly too.
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__rugby players, or 'thugby" as they call it in melbourne, seem to actually fulfill the negative stereotypes much more than other men though.__
Meh. I think it's men in team situations full stop. There's lots of unsavoury stories about all sorts of male sports teams.
This is sadly all too true (but not true of all teams).
NRL teams appear the worst in Australia, AFL too. I guess it doesn't really matter what the code is... however, to the extent that the ABs are in anyway representative of NZ or NZ men other than as representatives of their code, I'd like to think they'd not behave the way others have and do.
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__I'd be angry if the All Blacks were to act like this on tour. They'd be representing their country, and I wouldn't expect them to celebrate a defeat with binge drinking and dubious sexual behaviour.__
Dan Carter and Ali Williams were two of the All Blacks also drinking at the Pony Club with the English players. Both have said they will cooperate fully with the police if asked to.
Do we all recall Dan's infamous cell phone photos with young ladies in London when he was meant to be in Cardiff? While it was a bit of a slap on the wrist nobody asked what happened after the photos (except maybe his girlfriend).
There surely a line that separates (a) consenting adults from enjoying, directly or vicariously, the trappings of celebrity and (b) sexual abuse. It might not be clear and is easily blurred through the application of alcohol but I agree with RB; I'd be more than a little disappointed in the ABs if they crossed this line. I'm sure there's a down side of celebrity, and I know they're no more worthy simply because they're bloody good a sport, but they are role models (often well paid ones too) which adds to the moral and legal standards they should uphold.
I commented on another thread on Friday; why was Henry offering his sympathies for the English players and not their alleged victims. Why would he take sides absent all the information?
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What's good about PAS:
- There are fairly few wingnuts.
- Almost all of the comments are thoughtful and literate
- The volume is enough to retain interest while not overwhelming.To which I'd add:
- diversity of writers/topics
- consistently high quality of writing
- toleranceTo invoke the 8 tribes analogy, pretty Grey Lynn, whereas talkback is generally Papatoetoe.