What a brilliant article:
Folau
got exactly what he deserved
by Shannon Molloy
I believe that if the ice cream machine is
constantly out of service at a McDonald's restaurant, it should be burned to
the ground and never rebuilt.
You know what I mean.
You roll through the drive-through with a
hankering for a McFlurry or a shake, only to be told that the machine is broken
or being cleaned. Again. Just like it always seems to be.
I believe you should be able to raze the joint
with all the fury of a man denied a soft serve. That's my view and I'm entitled
to it.
However, as a person with something of a
platform, I have to be careful what views I express - particularly if they're
extreme, out of step with community sentiment, potentially upsetting to a large
number of people or could cause my employer harm.
Let's say my boss asked me to keep my ice cream
extremism to myself.
They don't share my view, like a number of our
readers are unlikely to, and my constant bleating about it - no matter my
staunch belief - isn't helpful.
It's not even really related to the job they pay
me to do.
So, why should Israel Folau get a free
ride for blatantly and repeatedly disregarding his employer's
requests to not screech about the damnation of gay people?
Israel Folau was content to
appear on the front of a gay newspaper a few years ago.
He's done it before and it plunged Rugby
Australia into controversy and chaos.
The governing body had to crisis-control his
very public and unapologetic sharing of his contentious and, let's be fair, extreme views.
And they asked him not to do it again.
So, when he decided he would, they were right to
tear up his contract.
Folau is paid millions of dollars a year to run
around with a ball, watched by a huge number of people - including young fans.
He has a responsibility to conduct himself in a way
befitting someone with a huge public presence, and who is a role model.
He has failed to
do that. Again.
I could talk about how his Bible-bashing is
hypocritical and selective.
I could point out that his decision to cover his
body in tattoos is a sin.
Or that God told us to not judge, lest we be
judged.
Or that Jesus preached love and acceptance and
tolerance, and never said a single word about homosexuality.
Or that just a few short years ago, when he was
eager to boost his profile, expand his fan base and pick up lucrative
sponsorship deals, he appeared on the front page of a gay newspaper.
I could mention that gay youth are six times
more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers.
I could talk about the youth mental health
crisis gripping Australia and how unhelpful being told you're going to hell
might be.
And we could faux-debate his right to free
speech, even though he was perfectly free to say whatever he liked but not be
free from consequences.
WHY is the Maccas ice cream
machine always broken or being cleaned?
We could even ponder what the response might be
if Folau had beliefs that called for women to be stoned to death for adultery
or wearing immodest clothing.
But the fact of the matter is that Folau signed
a contract with his employer, for which he was paid handsomely, and made a
series of commitments to not bring the sport into disrepute, not to distract
from his on-field activities, and not to target specific groups in a hateful or
offensive way.
He has breached that contract. His sacking is
entirely of his own doing.
Judge lest he be judged.
If Folau wants to force his narrow views onto
other Australians and not have it interfere with day job, perhaps he can go and
stand on a street corner with a megaphone and a fire and brimstone-themed
placard, and scream furious warnings of eternal damnation at passers-by.
Perhaps he can ride the
train with that bloke who loudly bothered a carriage full of people
with his views about the world's sins.
Or maybe he could just choose to play football
and shut up, as he previously agreed to do.