Andrew Bolt: Monstering of the Collingwood Fan who called Adam Goodes an Ape
Andrew Bolt enters into the debate regarding the “monstering” of the Collingwood fan who called Adam Goodes an ape. “Girl, 13, was rude but she’s not the bully” suggests that the girl is being treated far too harshly for her actions.
The title of the blog “Girl, 13, was rude but she’s not the bully” projects to the audience that while the girl was rude, it isn’t her that is the bully in this situation but instead Goodes and some involved in the media. This headline helps paint the girl as a victim in the eyes of the reader and encourages the audience to feel sympathetic towards her. The opening line of the blog “I DETEST racists” immediately helps establish Bolt as a person with good morals and it encourages the reader to take on what Bolt says. The opening line also helps to establish that the actions of the girl were not racist as otherwise Bolt would not defend her, which further persuades the audience to agree that Goodes and others have gone too far with their treatment of the girl. Bolt goes on to describe Goodes as “bearded” at the time the time of the girl. The journalist also mentioned the fact that Goodes was beardedness adds more weight behind the argument that the girls words were not out of racism but merely because Goodes was hairy like an ape at the time. Thus positioning the audience to agree with Bolt that the girl was not being racist but just rude.
Bolt continues his blog by going on to give reason as to why the “TV commentary”, “Police” and “AFL” have blown the actions of the girl out of proportion. Andrew Bolt believes those groups agree with Goodes’ labelling of the incident as “shattering” as they “fear” that if they didn’t they would seem ‘racists themselves’. By giving this reasoning for the over exaggeration of the incident it persuades the reader into believing that it has been in fact over exaggerated therefore they are more likely to agree that the treatment of the girl is unwarranted. Bolt sates that the 13 year old was
The title of the blog “Girl, 13, was rude but she’s not the bully” projects to the audience that while the girl was rude, it isn’t her that is the bully in this situation but instead Goodes and some involved in the media. This headline helps paint the girl as a victim in the eyes of the reader and encourages the audience to feel sympathetic towards her. The opening line of the blog “I DETEST racists” immediately helps establish Bolt as a person with good morals and it encourages the reader to take on what Bolt says. The opening line also helps to establish that the actions of the girl were not racist as otherwise Bolt would not defend her, which further persuades the audience to agree that Goodes and others have gone too far with their treatment of the girl. Bolt goes on to describe Goodes as “bearded” at the time the time of the girl. The journalist also mentioned the fact that Goodes was beardedness adds more weight behind the argument that the girls words were not out of racism but merely because Goodes was hairy like an ape at the time. Thus positioning the audience to agree with Bolt that the girl was not being racist but just rude.
Bolt continues his blog by going on to give reason as to why the “TV commentary”, “Police” and “AFL” have blown the actions of the girl out of proportion. Andrew Bolt believes those groups agree with Goodes’ labelling of the incident as “shattering” as they “fear” that if they didn’t they would seem ‘racists themselves’. By giving this reasoning for the over exaggeration of the incident it persuades the reader into believing that it has been in fact over exaggerated therefore they are more likely to agree that the treatment of the girl is unwarranted. Bolt sates that the 13 year old was