Tony Veitch's latest rant shows an appalling lack of self-awareness
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Tony Veitch's latest rant shows an appalling lack of self-awareness
by LAURA MCQUILLAN, October 20 2015
Tony Veitch's Facebook rant, lashing out at critics over his poor choice of words, shows his total lack of self-awareness. In terms of picking one's battles, the sports commentator made a very poor choice during the All Blacks vs France match, having a giggle online that he "didn't get" the difference between "a punch" and "a fist to the face".
For anyone with a short-term memory, the irony - of a convicted woman-beater making this quip - was deafening. But it's clear as day "Veitchy" still sees himself not as a man who lost it all as a consequence of his actions, but who had it taken from him quite unfairly.
Defending himself and that earlier post, he's written a message to his haters: "I have worked my ass off to re build my life and career and learn from what was a hideous relationship!" He's referring to the time he kicked his ex-partner so hard that he broke her back.
The story's well-known: in 2009, Veitch pleaded guilty to injuring his former partner, Kristin Dunne-Powell, with reckless disregard. After the allegations hit headlines, Veitch made it clear who he felt was to blame for the incident, telling media: "I broke and lashed out in anger".
"As pathetic as it may sound ... I lay there with my fingers in my ears, pleading for her to stop. And then I tried to leave the room." In his own eyes, he was the victim then, and still is now.
To a degree, I understand his frustration: that same old chapter of your past being brought up relentlessly. But perhaps that's because his mea culpa's have had so much emphasis on the "me", and so little on the "culpa". In six years, he's shown little remorse, except for his own fall from grace. He lost his jobs at TVNZ and Radio Sport - the latter of which, he's since regained.
While he's no doubt got support in the upper echelons of the radio station, I imagine there have also been plenty of facepalms around the office this week. During the Rugby World Cup, there's been a push by Veitch's Facebook haters to convince their friends to stop giving this guy a platform.
One of my friends wrote earlier this month: "Now only three people I know continue to like the Veitchy on Sport page. That's a 50 per cent reduction in support by my friends in less than twelve hours! And they say activism doesn't work."
While "likers" may come and go, leopards don't change their spots.
Veitch ended his rant saying "time to grow up". Indeed, Tony, it is.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/
by LAURA MCQUILLAN, October 20 2015
Tony Veitch's Facebook rant, lashing out at critics over his poor choice of words, shows his total lack of self-awareness. In terms of picking one's battles, the sports commentator made a very poor choice during the All Blacks vs France match, having a giggle online that he "didn't get" the difference between "a punch" and "a fist to the face".
For anyone with a short-term memory, the irony - of a convicted woman-beater making this quip - was deafening. But it's clear as day "Veitchy" still sees himself not as a man who lost it all as a consequence of his actions, but who had it taken from him quite unfairly.
Defending himself and that earlier post, he's written a message to his haters: "I have worked my ass off to re build my life and career and learn from what was a hideous relationship!" He's referring to the time he kicked his ex-partner so hard that he broke her back.
The story's well-known: in 2009, Veitch pleaded guilty to injuring his former partner, Kristin Dunne-Powell, with reckless disregard. After the allegations hit headlines, Veitch made it clear who he felt was to blame for the incident, telling media: "I broke and lashed out in anger".
"As pathetic as it may sound ... I lay there with my fingers in my ears, pleading for her to stop. And then I tried to leave the room." In his own eyes, he was the victim then, and still is now.
To a degree, I understand his frustration: that same old chapter of your past being brought up relentlessly. But perhaps that's because his mea culpa's have had so much emphasis on the "me", and so little on the "culpa". In six years, he's shown little remorse, except for his own fall from grace. He lost his jobs at TVNZ and Radio Sport - the latter of which, he's since regained.
While he's no doubt got support in the upper echelons of the radio station, I imagine there have also been plenty of facepalms around the office this week. During the Rugby World Cup, there's been a push by Veitch's Facebook haters to convince their friends to stop giving this guy a platform.
One of my friends wrote earlier this month: "Now only three people I know continue to like the Veitchy on Sport page. That's a 50 per cent reduction in support by my friends in less than twelve hours! And they say activism doesn't work."
While "likers" may come and go, leopards don't change their spots.
Veitch ended his rant saying "time to grow up". Indeed, Tony, it is.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/
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