Wayne Carey: Your typical angry white male

Grifter says:

10:11am | 23/10/09

Brilliant.

Jason says:

10:17am | 23/10/09

That’s an interesting take on his appearance on Enough Rope… he struck me as less than sincere, to be honest.

Why is it so hard to believe that he’s just a genuine, A-grade, 24-carat prick? Why try to explain away his sins as the product of a less-than-perfect upbringing?

I know plenty of people who had it rough growing up… and plenty more who found success early.

Granted, I don’t know him, but Wayne Carey strikes me as the most awful sort of person there is. Arrogant and selfish.

I hope they have to pulp this ghost-written pile of self indulgent tripe due to poor sales.

Simmo says:

10:59am | 23/10/09

I still to this day find it odd how Carey seems to have been made out like he was the only one in the wrong re: the bathroom incident. Last time I checked there was another blokes Mrs in the room with him who was a willing participant in “the deed”. Any other woman in that situationwould be labelled a slapper (or even worse I am sure), but because it was with “The Duck” she missed getting any attention…..

Also I found it very distasteful on the part of the Tiser in Adelaide to run Carey’s face on the front paper instead of Don Lane….

Eric says:

11:05am | 23/10/09

“Typical angry white male”—what a bigoted headline!

Would you ever describe someone as a “typical angry black female”? I can think of some examples that would fit just that title as much as Wayne Carey fits your characterisation.

Why do you need to smear a race and a gender to make your point?

John says:

11:33am | 23/10/09

Simmo - Mrs S probably has the attention you talk about, but she was not the face of the national sporting code.

If it had of ‘just’ been an affair, which lets face, happens all the time (why they do is another disucssion altogether),  rather than an affair with his team mates wife, it probably would not have even been a story.

I think…....could be wrong though.

Adam says:

11:51am | 23/10/09

Hey Eric, if the shoe fits…....

Dave says:

12:34pm | 23/10/09

The header should have been .. “Typical angry white Australian bogan male” which is the majority of AFL players and fans.

Jason says:

12:49pm | 23/10/09

I agree with you Eric. The headline is totally unwarranted and distasteful, and here is hoping that the editor end’s up in court over it.

MKW says:

01:38pm | 23/10/09

@ Simmo - Carey cheated on HIS wife in that whole toliet affair…..But I guess you probably don’t care much about that….. He’s a bloke, so cheating is fine for him right??
I find it hard to feel sympathy for Carey. I see the point this piece is trying to make about stripping himself bare in a bid to for redemption maybe….
But I’ve seen too many honorable aspiring sports stars who through misfortune never get the rewards he was handed. He didn’t appreciate it, and there are SO many who would.

Simmo says:

01:55pm | 23/10/09

MKW - Never mentioned Carey wasn’t at fault, just have always found it hard to fathom that he seemed to end up being the one who got all the blame and NO I don’t think it’s alright for blokes to do such things, I personally think Carey is one of (if not the biggest) tools ever to be put in the spotlight….

Eric - what is your deal matey, do you assume every article written on this site is anti-men or something????

Suzie says:

02:10pm | 23/10/09

Isn’t it time we all moved on & stopped giving this moron anymore media attention.  God knows there are more important things happening in the world.  Who cares about Wayne Carey, there are a million blokes like him in this world & you don’t read or hear about them all the time.  You do the crime, you do the time Wayne, STOP trying to get the publics sympathy vote!  And what a disgrace to be photographed with you little girl to promote your book…..............SHAME ON YOU!!!  You had great opportunities in life & you blew it big time.  Get over it & just GO AWAY….........

Fergus says:

02:22pm | 23/10/09

Oh please Eric, yet another ludicrous and shallow point. If you were as worldy as you obviously think you are, you would know that “angry white male” and its variations are established euphemisms for “average person in our western society”.

Dispense with the bravado, and say what you really mean.

That trash is just symptomatic of the feverish defense of white people we sometimes see, at the expense of all others.

You’re a white male (no doubt) so suck it up. We’re not discriminated against, we have property, we’re not forced to flee our country, we’re healthy, educated and employed. You have nothing to complain about, NOTHING.

I can’t believe you have the nerve to protest to that, when REAL “bigotry” and “racism” are experienced by racial minorities every day.

Steve says:

02:25pm | 23/10/09

Judging from his pathetic begging for some sort of coaching job when he recently appeared on ‘Footy Classified’ and now the release of this book, Clown Carey is obviously out of cash.  Couldn’t have happened to a nicer bloke.

Jessy says:

02:28pm | 23/10/09

I am fascinated by the story and I agree with Luke McIIveen that Carey’s story is relevant. Suzie says: ‘there are a million blokes like him in the world’ - and I want to know why?? Why do men behave like this, is it an individual or a societal problem? Do men like this feel remorse for the people they hurt, or do they just feel sorry for themselves?

Freddo says:

02:36pm | 23/10/09

I don’t usually agree with Eric but this time he does have a point.
I can just imagine the outrage if the headline read:
———————: Your Typical Angry Aboriginal Male.

The headline doesn’t really relate to the story, so what’s the point of it?

James says:

02:49pm | 23/10/09

Come on punchers, you wouldn’t publish a headline that said “your typical angry black male” so why have this headline?

All men (and women) of all races can be angry.  Colour is irrelevant.

Pathetic double standards

Mike Turner says:

03:04pm | 23/10/09

Hey, good on ya Wayne Carey. The media has plastered your face all over the papers with stories of your sometimes pathetic activities for which you should be ashamed and embarrassed, but by doing that they sell millions of papers and make millions of dollars. So while your still in the public profile go make as much as you can. Ive brought the book as im sure millions will, and everyone will have an opinion. At least he is facing his demons, and im sure he will eventually put back into the game which made him what he is today. The sad thing is that he will not be remembered for being a champion footballer, a bit like ben cousins.

stephen mclennan says:

03:09pm | 23/10/09

re angry white male headline

Luke’s obviously the only one who knows for sure , but my stab in the dark is that it’s in some way a play on words related to the movie entitled Single White Female

Is it really such a big deal?

AGW says:

03:13pm | 23/10/09

I am incensed at the headline.  Why do people find it perfectly acceptable to make racist comments when it is about a white person?  The author of the headline should be hauled over the coals and answerable for this deplorable and irrelevant headline.

Stephen says:

03:19pm | 23/10/09

Good point Fergus,
i had completely forgotten the my Racism is more important than your Racism rule.
As long as there are people like you around who are willing apologists for certain forms of discrimination we will never have true equality.

jonathan says:

03:21pm | 23/10/09

yeh, the headline shouldve been “Your Typical Overpaid D***head”.  Keep white and male out of it: I’m both white and male and don’t want to be associated with this twat.

Fergus says:

04:00pm | 23/10/09

You don’t capitalise racism, it’s not a pronoun.

That headline is not racist, not in the least. I mean honestly, it’s a euphemism, a cliché.

Besides, white people hardly possess a history that warrants sensitivity and political correctness.

Yes, there should be double standards. They’re not always a bad thing. Take positive discrimination with women, for example, a necessary move for women’s lib.

Razor says:

04:03pm | 23/10/09

AGW - have you forgotten?  It is only racism if it is against anyone who isn’t white.  You can’t be racist against whites.  And as we know from the election of Obiwan -  race trumps gender.  Don’t Forget it.

Bernie Lomax says:

04:30pm | 23/10/09

“You don’t capitalise racism, it’s not a pronoun.”

So you should capitalise pronouns?

Mal says:

06:45pm | 23/10/09

I think you mean Ksubi jeans pal, the logo just makes it look like a t…..

hoofman says:

09:04pm | 23/10/09

Yes, Eric, Razor and Stephen, you’re right. We must do everything possible to defend white males against racist discrimination in the media and society generally. White males are under attack everywhere you look. We need to form a political party and then get a leader we can really look up to, one who will lead us back to our rightful place as heads of our society…..

Eric says:

08:35am | 24/10/09

Hoofman, your first three sentences are truer than you think.

The crude attempt at satire in your last sentence is silly.

The point is that we must strive for true equality. A society in which white males are vilified is no better than one in which any other group is vilified. Apparently this concept is too subtle for you and Fergus to grasp.

John L says:

09:57am | 24/10/09

Nice insightful article Luke

Jimmy Moore says:

10:33am | 24/10/09

It’s ironic that this guy Wayne you’re talking about has written a book, when most of the people who could learn something from it can barely read.
Perhaps the cretins with the chips on their shoulders about being white could look up the word ‘racism’...
  1.

    The belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others.
  2.

    Discrimination or prejudice based on race.

.. Alright. So Wayne Carey is your typical angry white male. Or as the article (had you bothered/been able to read that far) observes, and example of ‘many poor, angry white males of his generation’.
The author isn’t saying they’re angry because they’re white, or male.

Eric, your assertion that the author is racist would also have to apply to anyone who said that aboriginal youth of a certain generation or origin were more likely to commit crime because that group had no jobs, no money, and no positive role models. I.e. your ‘typical angry young aboriginal’.
However, the rest of us would see that as a commentary on the problems that people face.
If young black females of a certain level of education exclusively were bashing the crap out of each other at nightspots every weekend and creating an extremely negative atmosphere for other punters, and then Serena Willams turned up at the Prince and beat a couple of guys senseless, and wrote a book about it, what do you think the reaction would be?
Another example is an article about ‘hard working asian students’. There exists a generation of young students who are in Australia solely to get degrees and so they work hard for those degrees.. so what? Basically there will always be people who get their backs up about any reference to race, because they believe that any such reference is racist by definition.

If the article had been called ‘your typical white male’ then technically it would have been racist because it would actually refer to race. As it stands, it refers to a group of people, to which perhaps you fear you belong- working class people who don’t work. Not sure if you’ve noticed but there are a whole lot of them and they’re starting to be a drag (not for Ksubi of course).
Lastly, observe that the author is a white male. But he’s not angry. Or perhaps he is, having spent time writing a piece that has been received with imbecilic incomprehension.

tata my lovelies

bec says:

10:51am | 24/10/09

Man, if over-sensitive crybabies think this headline is racist, Ben Folds must be their Malcolm X.

Word of warning, though: “y’all don’t know what it’s like, being male, middle-class and white” was making fun of you, not telling you to take up arms and march for your right to be unquestionable douchebags.

marley says:

07:49pm | 24/10/09

Forget the racism stuff - in this case, it’s neither here nor there. Carey is a genuine idiot, of a type that transcends race, religion or sex.  A boofhead with an IQ smaller than his shoe size.  Great footie player in his day, clueless about anything outside the football field, and now scrabbling for a life.  I wou;dn’t give him the airtime.

Superdave says:

06:33am | 25/10/09

Care factor zero. These footy stars get treated like gods and have people wait on them hand and foot, and tons of freebies thrown in - will he break into “Don’t cry for me Argentina!” the next time we see him? As a person he had far more opportunity to change himself, as well as the access to the support and cash to do it. A bit different from your average bloke who is trying to make ends meet. This reeks of PR management telling him to put out a book, with a few ad-libed moments to generate some sympathy. Does his puppy get run over when he is 8, or should I wait to see the tele movie?

Jason says:

08:49am | 25/10/09

I’m impressed that any AFL footballer is smart enough to write a book, let alone Wayne Carey - probably the most pathetic character to come out of that sport in years.

I don’t know which is worse - the fact that news.com.au/the punch are helping this tosser sell his drivel, or the implications of the headline that typical white (male) culture involves excessive alcohol abuse, physical assault and adultery - you are confusing “white” with “professional AFL player”.

shane says:

09:10am | 25/10/09

Can’t see the problem with the description myself. Which part is a lie????  get over the racial garbage.
The guy’s a tool but he didn’t do what a lot of other guys have done. Not saying it’s right but it’s not a hanging offense to have sex with your wife’s best friend. Pretty slack but not a crime.
Hitting women is another scenario althogether and that not only is a crime but a cowardly act.

I’m buying the book.

Jason says:

09:34am | 25/10/09

Shane - adultery *is* a crime in many nations around the world, and this includes several states in the USA.  Sleeping with another man’s wife in particular.  While criminal proceedings are rarely initiated, it’s still quite common for adultery to be considered a crime in divorce hearings.  Rather than reading Carey’s attention seeking garbage, how about reading something informative.  I’m with you on the woman bashing - why reward him?

Susan says:

09:45am | 25/10/09

I’m finding the daily coverage re him on news.com.au including excerpts of his book a sudden ‘nightmare’. It’s like he’s hired the best marketing person in town with the best contacts and all of a sudden its a pity party towards Wayne. WHY is he suddenly a focus? To sell his book? His grubby little ‘tell all’ tome that’s a mirror of all those that have come before from a raft of other lying, cheating ‘stars’ who’ve suddenly reached middle age and realised they’re running out of money? Why IS he deserving all the FREE publicity?

Ben says:

12:09pm | 25/10/09

This forum is disproportionately prone to gross generalisation. An exception is that I find the majority of eric’s comments ludicrous.
It’s sad because his comments obscure the sense in what I think is a fair observation - that it still reasonable to blame the patriarchy for all of our social ills ranging from the fashion industry’s distorted representation of women, eating disorders among women, ageism against female executives etc etc. Isn’t this ignoring the real power and accomplishments of women?
But eric’s hyper-sensitivity and paranoia leads him to a ‘reds under the bed’ mentality where there is femanazi ready to stick it the blokes at every turn!
The whole true equality thing is yet another example of the whole chip on the shoulder approach.
Wouldn’t it be wiser to push more true mutuality. Where the differences between women and men are acknowledged and accepted and our joint responsibility for our community acknowledged?

Pete says:

02:23pm | 25/10/09

The difference is I don’t care if I’m called a “typical whie angry male” I know what it means and thats that. there s always someone trying to make it worse than it is and an issue. Its not and Carey is one. He may be / is a tool of the highest order but he has bared his soul here and that takes balls. Like or love it…. it takes balls. Glad the lads at Geelong are good boys!

Primmy says:

06:50am | 26/10/09

Carey is a tool.  At least he now recognises that.  How on earth did he get away with it for so many years as CAPTAIN of his club I cannot fathom. No constraints, no limits, no one saying no.  He may have been an outstanding footballer, but obviously that does not mean he was an outstanding human being.  Finally it looks like “enough is enough” has gotten through to him.  I hope.

Sir Lolsworthy says:

12:40pm | 26/10/09

The thought patterns of these males, from my experience, can be summed as ‘I want this, therefore I will have it and f*ck anyone who disagrees,’ displayed most obviously through poor impulse control. Since big name sportball types are pandered to endlessly you can see how that’s a recipe for disaster. It all comes home to roost eventually, you can’t just keep sh*tting on people in your life and expecting them to be grateful for it.

Ish says:

01:34pm | 26/10/09

I think the headline is quite apt. There is a societal problem with angry white males in this country, they do get loaded up on the booze and fight and cheat and lose their minds completely. Wayne Carey is a toolbox, I have no sympathy for him or other guys like him. They think they can do what they like and bugger the consequences. So perhaps instead of just having a whinge about it he could do something useful like start up a youth centre or anti-domestic violence campaign rather than flog a book which I’m guessing he would be hoping to make a pretty penny from.

And to those getting their back up about the white male reference in the headline point out the time in history were white males were persecuted? Treating everyone as equal is all well and good but I think you need to make it a level playing field first. And no I’m neither white nor male.

Elizabeth says:

09:11am | 28/10/09

Why do people get hung up with the headline???
Surely the most important part is always the conclusion….Read it because it has some interesting things to say about addiction, love and how hard it can be for a man to outrun his past.
Having had close experience to a man similar to Wayne (he never reached Waynes heights, tell me how many do?) I am interested to understand his psyche.  What most people fail to realise is that there are so many, many men out there just like Wayne.  They are husbands, fathers, brothers, uncles.  They appear ‘normal’ and get away with loads more than Wayne Carey has ....it’s just not in the glare of the public eye.  Gosh, we are all so self-righteous about ourselves and yet we live with ‘angry white males’ day in and day out!

S.L says:

03:21pm | 28/10/09

A guy misses his wifes birthday because he’s on the grog with the boys and he thinks at the time that’s the norm? I don’t think so! He blames his rough upbringing for having an affair with a team mates wife? How many excuses does this high profile ex sportsman think he can get away with? Even if I read and believed Mr Careys book it would not change my opinion of him (which isn’t good).

David Schroeter says:

09:08pm | 23/07/11

White? Who said he was white? I thought I heard somewhere that he had Koori bllod in him (probably to garner more sympathy). As if being of any different cultural group could excuse this boofhead’s actions.