Sunday 7 January 2018

Willy Lose unimpressed by Hugh McGahan's moronic comments (Aug. 2, 2005)

Cast your mind back to January 2003: Radio Sport and Newstalk ZB jock Murray Deaker
belligerently comes out in support of a learned and intelligent
comment, by renowned thinker Martin Crowe, that Maori people "lack
the concentration and mental ability to play top level cricket". A
professional golfer named Philip Tataurangi rings Deaker to protest at
this stereotyping of Maori players.  Instead of debating him, Deaker
merely cracks a few lame jokes and avoids the subject.  This tactic of
cut and run is something familiar to anyone who listens to Deaker with
any regularity.
A week or so later, Willy Lose, a Tongan, working as a comments man
during a Super 12 pre-season game, takes the opportunity to make a wry
reference to Deaker's comments.   After play-by-play caller Andrew
Saville waxes lyrical about the class and professionalism of Auckland
Blues stars Mils Muliaina and Sam Tuitupou, Lose says: "I thought
Polynesians were lazy and lacking in concentration."
Instantly, Lose is jumped on by "sideline eye" Peter Montgomery,
who pleads: "Oh don't go there Willy! You'll never hear the end of
it if you do!" Clearly, it pays not to cross Murray Deaker if one has
to spend time working with him.
But for Lose, a Tongan, Deaker's comments and many other similar
incidents, have continued to rankle.  Every now and again, he speaks
out....
Fast forward to Tuesday 2 August 2005...
Former rugby league player Hugh McGahan has made an ass of himself  by
wheeling out a brilliant theory to explain why the Warriors are
inconsistent.  Apparently, it all comes down to "mental attitude",
and "leadership".  Ya see, it's something that those gifted but
lazy darkies just don't have, according to this latest sporting
Einstein.
Such theories of racial inferiority no doubt fit in perfectly with the
prevailing ethos at Newstalk ZB; after all, the Radio Network is the
employer of such notorious bigots as Deaker, Paul Holmes, Leighton
Smith and Larry Williams.
But Willy Lose is not going to let this one go.  This evening, after
playing a short burst of McGahan running off at the mouth, Lose snarls:
"Absolute GARBAGE!  It must be a SLOW news day.  When the Black Caps
get thrashed I don't hear people saying there's too many WHITE
guys swinging the bat."
Almost without exception, the callers to the show express distaste and
contempt for McGahan's words.
Caller ZANE: I'm bored with that stuff from McGahan.  I've heard
this before from him...
WILLY: These comments get regurgitated time and time again.  These
comments always come out when they're not doing well.  I'm SICK and
TIRED of it.  This crap.... the same old garbage.... It's really
tedious.  Let's hear Hugh McGahan again...
[CUE Hugh McGahan's voice: "I was talking with a group of former
Kiwis the other night and they said the same thing.  Even some of the
Pacific Islanders were saying it.  But they won't say it
publicly..."]
WILLY: That is just tedious claptrap from Hugh McGahan.
Dishearteningly, some of the callers ring in with cock-eyed theories of
their own.  There's a bloke called "Steve" who  reckons he's
got it all worked out...
STEVE:  We all know that Polynesians tend to develop a lot quicker than
their European counterparts. So they don't need to develop skills.I
coached Polynesians, Maoris and Europeans in my rugby teams. Now,
ummmm, when I had a predominance of Polynesians, ummmmm, ya see it's
like this Willy, ummmmm, the Polynesian youngster was willing to LISTEN
but he could not put it into PRACTICE. Ummmmm.... Maoris react to
pressure better than the Polynesian and probably better than the
European too.
WILLY [clearly troubled]: Hmmmmm....
...........................
Caller ALAN: It's temperament, Willy.
WILLY: Hmmmmm.  And what's the basic problem there?
ALAN:  They have a different MAKE-UP. It's temperament.
WILLY:  [troubled]  Hmmmmmm....
..........................
Caller TED: [an American]  They need to get an education --- like
American athletes do.
BREEN COMMENTS: That's nonsense. The standard of "education" for
athletes in US universities is an ongoing scandal. Willy must know
that, but once again, he fails to argue. In fact he rewards Ted with
the ultimate prize: a year's supply of Weet-Bix.
------------------
Caller JIM, an Australian, learnedly surmises that white athletes
"have more leadership skills".  But Lose, obviously appalled, once
again fails to argue.
BREEN COMMENTS: Willy Lose is clearly troubled, appalled and sickened
by the casual racism in sports and, in particular, the bigotry of many
of his colleagues.  He gets good and mad at these chumps, but he has
yet to take the gloves off and verbally deal to them as he no doubt
wants to.
It's hard, though, when people like Michael Campbell, still with that
faux wide-eyed bumpkin schtick that he brought onto the David Letterman
show, talks about being a "lazy Maori"....
https://groups.google.com/forum/?hl=en#!msg/rec.sport.rugby.union/oeLp9e7_A1Q/fYq104c7huwJ;context-place=msg/rec.sport.rugby.union/O_7a6KfauUk/RQHH8cqvCgAJ

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