As expected, ABC’s Four Corners piece on the gang bang culture of NRL lit the mainstream blogs up with comments from a ranting public. Predictably, they’ve ranged from boofhead defences of Matthew Johns and his mates to indignant condemnations of all males as rapists and calls for mass-castration. (Why do I keep reading this shit? Out of some perverse anthropological investigative urge, or an enduring trash aesthetic, or…nah, it’s something baser, but let’s not waste time on damaging self-reflection here.)
The unfortunate New Zealand “bun’s” description of what went on that night set me pondering. She painted a picture of debauchery that could have inspired Fellini to surpass the decadent reaches of Satyricon: NRL buddies queued up for their turn at her, while others sat around the room naked, watching on and masturbating. A retired ex-coach explained this sordid scene away as a form of “team bonding”.
Amongst all the online banter I have not seen a single post expressing my reaction, though I can’t imagine I am alone in formulating the following question. Slap me down with a sweat-soaked jockstrap if I’m astray here, but for all the blokey posturing, isn’t the notion of a group of buff young male athletes sitting around bicep to bicep, disrobed and wanking over their peers stirring each others porridge, a trifle…erm…gay?
It certainly is. And they don’t hold back on a bit of buttock massage on the field either.
Consider amateur proctologist John Hopoate, and the amount of time they spend in frocks and heels on the Footy Show.
National Gayby League.
Hahaha!
On Hopper: he might have copped the chop from the NRL, but he didn’t take long to find his way back into the ring…
Rugby has its share of gay boys .. geez Alan Jones was the national coach .. and they spend half their game with their heads stuck up a teamate’s ass as they do their group “hug”, sorry scrum.
My penis got erect reading this.
Yes, good point IMHO.
Professor,
Thanks for sharing – I think.
“find his way back into the ring”
bwaaahaaahaaa
Annabel Crabb in the SMH did an excellent commentary along these lines, with humour (apparently disqualifying her from being a feminist!), and managing to work a mention of Troy Buswell in as well
http://www.smh.com.au/national/group-sex-and-bunning-its-all-greek-to-me-20090514-b42g.html
Ian Roberts, the only openly gay league player (I think he’s now retired?), was quoted somewhere as saying he can’t imagine anything less erotic than ‘bunning’.
Greetings Lisa!
Thanks for that link. Yeah, good stuff from Annabel.
I guess many would view as a valid generalisation the proposition that feminists are not renowned for their belly-laugh-inducing take on the world. Wot these feminists need, of course, is a few well-aimed mysogynistic funnies from some jolly, well-meaning males liberated from faggoty notions of political correctness. I’d step up to the plate, but am testicularly challenged by the prospect of such a grim and dangerous assignment. But never fear – I believe we can find just the right lads for the mission in abundance right there in the NRL.
Long live Troy…lest we forget.
Yes, I’m with Ian Roberts. I’m buggered – whoops, I mean damned – if I can see the erotic appeal of “bunning” and the accompanying matey mass-onanism that seems to go, erm, hand in hand with it.