As a broadcaster being able to speak is a fairly standard pre-requisite. However, I was reduced to speechlessness last Friday on Radio Sport while chatting with morning host Martin Devlin. Jamie Mackay and I talk to Marty each weekday about half an hour before we go on air to preview what's coming up on the Farming Show at midday. While this is the basis of our 'chats', it can go in many different directions depending on whether Marty's had his meds or if Jamie's particularly sensitive that day.
Last Friday Jamie was cycling a leg of the Farmstrong Fit4Farming Cycle Tour of New Zealand. Unfortunately someone decided to take some photos of Jamie and his mates, the MAMIL's (Middle Aged Men In Lycra). I sent the photos through to Martin's producer Haydn ONeill accompanied with the text, "tight lycra, pasty white legs and a gap where a p^*#s should be".
Well, Marty picked up that ball and ran with it. When I spoke with him later that morning he went ballistic with a number of quality gems like, "what happened to the sausage part of the sausage and eggs?", "we're calling it the Hurricanes, the only team not to make the play-off'!s", "keep the car, the money and everything else, you need as much compensation as you can possibly get!". It went on mercilessly for the next few minutes, "I'd rather stand up and go to the toilet!", "was it cold that day!?" "The runt of the litter!!!", "I think they made a movie about it, it was John Bobbitt before it got cut off!" And then a pearl of wisdom about men in general; "it doesn't matter what your position or status is in life, when you're standing in the urinal THAT defines you, does it not?" I was rendered speechless, crying with laughter as Marty's three-minute tirade reached a crescendo. The photos were then shared on various social media platforms giving everyone else a chance to have their say, as it were.
It's at this juncture I remember the point of the previous two paragraphs. Did Jamie choose to have the photos taken and shown to the world, or was it done surreptitiously? It happens all too often - people assume you want your life displayed on the interweb as much as they do. This is the line that should never be crossed. As much as you're entitled to tell us all what you eat, what you think and what you do, people also have the right to refrain from engaging in this manner. And this is the crux of the issue; choice.
It's been interesting and revealing to hear what Warriors playmaker Shaun Johnson has had to say over the last week or so regarding his social media habits. After a string of losses to start the NRL season and the subsequent abuse, Johnson swore himself off various platforms until the Warriors snapped their colossal losing streak. He told Newstalk ZB's Tony Veitch the criticism was ridiculous and showed people are clueless about an athlete's life. He's probably correct on both points but the nub of the issue is, again, choice.
By choosing to indulge in any type of social media is opening yourself up to both vindication and criticism in equal measure. You have a choice whether to engage or not, as Johnson clearly demonstrated by his abstinence.
