Should today’s generation be made to pay for the mistakes of their elders? Our answer? No, they shouldn’t. In the last couple of weeks, one of Australia’s wealthiest women, Gina Rinehart, has been in the middle of a dispute with players of the Diamonds Netball team. According to an article dated October 15 from the West Australian, the sports team has taken a stand after Rinehart’s company Hancock Prospecting, became a sponsor, and the logo would be their uniform.
Now, you might be wondering why this would be a problem. Sharni Norder, the former captain of the Diamonds Netball team, takes issue with the comments Rinehart’s father, Lang Hancock, made almost forty years. To add a bit of context, we’re going to include the quote that has offended:
The ones that are no good to themselves and who can’t accept things, the half-castes” − to collect their welfare cheques from a central location. “And when they had gravitated there, I would dope the water up so that they were sterile and would breed themselves out in the future, and that would solve the problem.
Lang Hancock – Television interview in 1984.
Lang Hancock made the comments in 1984, was a renowned racist, and died in 1992. Gina has not apologised for her father’s comments, which is why the Diamonds netball team has taken a stand. Though, her father’s racism has nothing to do with Gina, she is being made to suffer for it.
The Reason For The Netball Protest
Norder told Fox Sports Australia that the team was okay with wearing the uniform in their competition against New Zealand. However, they were protesting against the logo for their home series against England, featuring Donnell Wallam, an Indigenous goal shooter, making her debut.
Wallam told the team she was uncomfortable wearing the logo of a company whose founder was a racist. Right, fair enough.
We will be the first to say that, yes; Lang Hancock was a racist. There is no denying that. His comments were unwarranted and horrid, especially to those who called Australia home long before Captain Cook arrived in Botany Bay. We do NOT condone what he said, but what do his comments have to do with his daughter?
Nothing. He said the words. Not her. Just because she doesn’t apologise doesn’t mean she agrees with them.
Gina Rinehart Is Not Her Father – She Wanted To Support Netball
The Fox Sports article indicates that Rinehart and Hancock Prospecting have supported elite sports for years. They’ve sponsored swimming and rowing and have a deal to keep the Olympic team until at least 2026. They’ve also been linked to NAIDOC since 2012, as well as the Cambodian Children’s Fund.
Just because a racist founded Hancock Prospecting doesn’t mean the current generation believes the same ideologies. That’s like if a person’s grandparent hates a particular ethnicity. It doesn’t automatically tell that their descendants feel the same.
If the Diamonds don’t want to wear the logo, that’s fine, but that doesn’t mean the sponsorship has to be axed. Instead, it appears the team has gotten its wish as Gina has withdrawn the subsidy, according to the ABC. Netball Australia has been accused of virtue signalling, and its boss, Kelly Ryan, has addressed the issue.
Not all members of the Diamonds team were against the sponsorship. Former skipper Liz Watson was in favour. So, does this mean she’s in support of racism against Aboriginals? No. Hancock Prospecting’s sponsorship was worth $15 million.
The Fall To Wokeism – In Our Opinion
If Gina had the same mindset as her father, she would NOT have supported NAIDOC. She probably loved her dad, but that doesn’t mean she thought the same way. It’s like saying Ivanka Trump doesn’t condone her father’s actions. There was one story about Donnie Boy that came out when he wanted to do something, and Ivanka and his wife, Melania, said, “You can’t do that,” and he backed off, a rare thing for Donald Trump.
In all sincerity, props to the Diamonds for standing by each other. However, they need to think about the bigger picture. It has since come out that, according to 9 Wide World of Sports, there had been conversations where it was agreed upon that the Diamonds would not be required to wear the logo of Hancock Prospecting in their series against England. Nor did the players want the deal to fall through.
The pulling of the deal makes both sides look incredibly bad. Rinehart and her company had it fall through to avoid offending anyone. Meanwhile, Netball Australia now has to deal with the fallout where they now lose a financial lifeline. $15 million could’ve gone a long way.
The Media Overplays Everything
Also, the media is well-known for overplaying situations to get views. As Sarah Harris said on Studio 10 this morning, why should Gina Rinehart have to apologise for her father’s comments when they had nothing to do with her?
Now, we understand that everyone, regardless of ethnicity, will have an opinion. However, one thing that needs to be made clear is conversations, uncomfortable or not, need to be had to ensure everyone is on the same page BEFORE anything is made public.
Having players and the corporations involved agree would put aside any controversy. It’s not like the Diamonds didn’t know about the deal beforehand. Hopefully, next time a massive financial deal is brokered, politics and wokeism to avoid offence will be thoroughly fleshed out before it goes to the press.
Finally, not everyone is going to agree. A rule should be placed where it’s a majority ruling, not unanimous. One person’s opinion should NOT affect someone else’s financial future. Not wanting to offend someone is the way of the world, and it is because wokeism has been used as an excuse. We do not condone racism or any form of bigotry, but there is nothing wrong with debate. It makes life interesting.
