What pisses you off?

[Jezza]

Too many people act like dickheads these days, and social media plays a pivotal role in this.

The fact that some idiots thought it would be a good idea to make a joke out of someone presumably harming themselves says a lot about where we are as society. This isn't about football, this is about a person's life and his personal welfare before anything else.

The man has been kicked from pillar to post and while much of it was self-inflicted and he was rightfully criticised, the media has taken it too far harassing him and his family long after this supplements saga has largely ended.

I think he and his family deserve privacy to deal with this. Constant rumour and innuendo and the media hanging out outside his home is not helping readers or his family whatsoever. It's just gutter journalism at its finest.

[think positive]

I'll play devils advocate!

Firstly, no, no one should be making jokes about suicide. There is nothing funny about it.

The four Hird children are the ones who really deserve our sympathy, I just can't imagine how they cope with all this, after the last four years.

Secondly, the media should be herded (oops!) away from the house, that's just plain wrong.

As for the media bullying him though, no I don't agree. In fact over the last few months I haven't heard mention of him at all, and all the Essendon stories have been very positive.

And their behaviour during the saga? This post from big footy sums it all up (in MY opinion)

"Not justifying the media's approach in terms of camping out the front of his family home - but a reality check is needed for many including yourself and Graham Cornes.

Very little, if any, of the media coverage regarding Hird was actually personal.

It was all focused on his role in the doping program, and his subsequent course of action in the aftermath.

His wife went to the media to throw Demetriou under the bus.

His dad used the media on a daily basis to plead his case.

Hird himself had an open mike interview which he instigated himself.

So not all the media coverage was a case of the media hounding him.

Let's be clear about that and not rewrite history.



Regarding the nature of the media coverage of Hird - as far as I recall, it was all pretty much focused on whether or not he, professionally, held some responsibility for the doping program, and what professional consequences should be faced as a result.

It wasn't personal.


Hird told us, many times, via the media, he was innocent and did nothing wrong. He told us that when the truth came out, it'd all be cool.

He had many, many opportunities to tell this truth. He even, via the media, set up an interview to do just that.

But we got nuthin'.


Rightly, the media pushed back.


That's not harassment or vilification. It's the media engaging with a high profile person in s high profile scenario when he says he'll clear his name - then over a 2-3 year period comes up with zilch.

It's the media, and the public, calling bullshit. And rightly so.

The media had an obligation to get something from Hird.

Harrassing his family is not on. But unfortunately, once your wife does her own 'tell all' via the media - she's kind of checked into the game.


The AFL and Essendon paying him whilst suspended, was a sham we weren't meant to know about. But Hird, via the media, tried to embarrass the AFL by leaking it out.

It made his junket in France of public interest. The Essendon members were paying for it after all.



I've said this before, and I'll say it again - this saga will never be over until those involved come clean and stop bullshitting.

And as long as Dank, Hird, Essendon, the players and the AFL keep trying to hope it goes away by lying, weaseling and deflecting - the main players are always going to be under the pump. Rightly or wrongly.


People don't like being bullshitted to - and Hird has bullshitted from day 1."

[Morrigu]

It took death to free you!

RIP Tilikum

[Mugwump]

^^ TP it is not about whether the media were right to pursue the drugs story. Of course they were. And the Hird camp had to put its case in the media, since that is the court of public opinion.

What is not right is the media camping outside the house of a man and a family who are obviously suffering terribly. Those who think that he is unworthy of sympathy because he made a professional misjudgement, or an ethical mistake, or has a house in Toorak, might do well to reflect on whether they too have led a blameless life, and whether they might hope for normal human decency and restraint if they were to be driven to such an act.

I'm not having a pop at you because I know that you do have that sympathy. But I think you are mixing up his culpability for the drugs issue (which is undeniable) with the consequences, which are very sad for his family and for him as a fallible human being. I was pleased the Dank programme was discovered and those in control brought to account. I take no pleasure at all - quite the opposite - at watching a man apparently driven to attempted suicide over such a matter. If it was Julian Knight I would shed no tears, I admit. But the punishment no longer fits the crime.

[think positive]

I agree they should not be camping outside the house, as I said.

What I don't agree with is saying the media, or anyone else, drove him to be suicidal. I also don't agree it was a professional misjudgement, or an ethical mistake. I believe it was a calculated effort to cheat, to try and get an advantage outside the rules. Let's just say it worked. Let's just say we lost to them in a grand final. And then found out later why. I'm still dirty on that Wayne Harmes call, and the $650,000! Just because it didn't work (and it did to a degree, the body size issues etc,) doesn't make it any better.

When you say the punishment doesn't fit the crime, what do you mean? His ban? Because I think it's an appropriate punishment, especially since he still refuses to take responsibility for it.

The media hounding had pretty much stopped. Anything else is a consequence of his actions.



**** and Mugwump thankyou for your rational, well thought out reply, cheers

[Mugwump]

[think positive]

Cheers mate, and I certainly agree with your last sentence.

[watt price tully]

Why is the stuff about Hird in this thread? There is a whole thread devoted to James Hird in the Other AFL section.

[watt price tully]

Staff shortages. Just finished a torrid 4 days on: 2 x 7 am starts (get up at 5.20am) followed by a Police shift (drove in) then yesterday 7 am start - rode bike in for the 7 am starts. Had 8 people to assess which is a hell of a lot with 2 of us.

PM shift was meant to have 2 but didn't realize till it was too late than only one (a newbie casual) was rostered to work. By that time there were 7 to assess as people kept on pouring in. Stayed back & worked till 1030pm & left to rife home at about 11pm

Mrs WPT tells me I slept heavily: went to bed at 2.45 am.

While I'll get 7 hours overtime, today is a bit of a write off. But I do have 2 days off.

[stui magpie]

Back to work tomorrow.

Daughter came over for dinner tonight, somehow I just found myself driving to Finley on the Australia day weekend to get a massage chair from my uncle for her. That means I have to empty it first. Fcuck. I was hoping to avoid that for a while, it's a heavy bastard to get on and off and $100 to empty. Not to mention the 600k round trip

[think positive]

Empty the trailer yeah?

If it's the chair, not sure I want to know what's in it!

Ps that's what kids are for- make you feel useful! Enjoy!

[stui magpie]

Yeah, empty the trailer so I can take it up to get the chair.

[think positive]

Nope not good enough.
Surely there is a sanctuary in a cove somewhere for them?

I remember seeing this show on my honeymoon 23 years ago, and saying gees that tank is so small, there is a comparison to the car park somewhere, bloody ridiculous. Never went back, and didn't go to the Florida one. Thought they would be broke by now, blackfish saw them take a hiding. But then what of the creatures left behind? Man pisses me off sometimes

http://www.unilad.co.uk/animals/seaworld-ends-killer-whale-shows-after-tilikums-death/

[David]

Got burglarised this afternoon � got home to find the bedroom turned upside down and Lola's $3000 camera (which she uses for her work as a photographer) and a few pieces of jewellery stolen. Strangely, they didn't touch a lot of valuable stuff like her computer or some of her other pieces of jewellery which were left on the bed, so it must have been a quick job. No insurance, of course, so we're just going to have to hope the camera turns up on Gumtree or eBay and try to get it back.

[stui magpie]

^

You called the cops, yeah?