Francesca Rudkin: I hoped we'd grown out of trolling

The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

It's been a week after the Paris Olympics wrapped up, and still the global interest in Aussie break-dancer Raygun continues.

A huge amount of energy is going into trolling, bullying, abusing, mocking – call it what you want – the 36 year old Breaker Rachael ‘Raygun’ Gunn.

I don’t understand why people are wasting time and energy on an embarrassing performance by a break dancer at the Olympics. Australia has had one of its best Olympics and there is much to celebrate, but one errant performance is getting disproportionate attention.

I would have thought failing to score a point and being judged 0 would have been tough to deal with – but no, the keyboard warriors felt obliged to really rub it in.

Raygun showed us that you might be able to fulfil your Olympic dreams in unlikely ways, and gave us a laugh. She became a meme, but her story should have not lasted longer than 48 hours in the news cycle.

Raygun is not the only one to put themselves out there and be responded to with hate and abuse.

New Zealand singer Marla Kavanaugh has also faced abuse after singing the anthem at the All Blacks match against Fiji in San Diego. The death threats and hate mail she received online lasted weeks after the performance. People attacked her and her cleft affected child – which is so not appropriate – and she’s afraid to return to New Zealand.

And yesterday, the brother of Blues and All Blacks rugby player Harry Plummer spoke out about the endless amount of hate professional players receive. Benjamin Plummer talked about how his brother has put up with years of abuse, death threats and personal attacks since missing a kick in 2019.

I think most of us have respect for those who dedicate themselves and reach the pinnacle of their sport. But as fans, we seem to think we have the right to get personal, rather than have a constructive and rational chat about a game of footie.

No one should be at the end of the death threat for singing an anthem, dancing like a kangaroo or playing a game of sport.

The tall poppy syndrome has been part of life in New Zealand forever, but as we’ve watched more and more Kiwis achieve amazing things both locally and globally, I’d hoped that we’d grown out of this silliness.

But thanks to social media we’ve been empowered to anonymously throw in our nasty 2 cents worth. It’s time to simply calm the farm. We should put our energy into celebrating the good rather than piling on the hate. These people are only human, and no one is perfect. What do we achieve by tearing each other down? I can tell you. Nothing.

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