Guy Sebastian has left a biting criticism of SAS Australia after the show aired an episode on Monday night where celebrities had to fight one another in a boxing match.
The show sees 17 of our Australian celebrities try to get through physical and psychological tests from the real SAS selection process, led by four ex-Special Forces soldiers.
AFLW player Sabrina Frederick was told she could pick her opponent, and she chose Nick ‘Honeybadger’ Cummins – who didn’t hold back, with many viewers shocked by the intensity and violence of the fight.
Okay so imma have to stop watching after I just saw a white man box a black woman…ummmm whose idea was that?? #SAS #SASAustralia
— nads 💕 (@thelifeofnadss) October 19, 2020
The fight would have been confronting to anyone sensitive to violence against women, and even Guy Sebastian has condemned it, saying it made him feel “sick.”
“My wife and I run a foundation where we deal with domestic violence,” he said on radio.
“I thought that was pretty p**s poor, if I’m being honest.
“I think it makes it very difficult to tell your kids, to tell your boy, ‘You never hit a girl! It doesn’t matter what the circumstance is, you just never, ever hit a girl. Violence against women is always wrong.’
“I felt quite sick if I’m being honest, watching that,” Sebastian continued.
Wow! I was seriously not expecting her to get the shit punched out of her.
I was thinking before the fight it was going to just be an editted, planned out and predetermined for her to win.
But right away he belted her and I was like holy fuck, he’s really hitting her hard.— Kane Vision (@KaneVision) October 19, 2020
Sebastian clarified that he wasn’t “having a crack at Nick (Cummins)”, but was aiming his comments at “whoever is in charge of the show”.
I think Guy Sebastian’s commentary on the fight is really important, and highlights the shitty attitude this country has towards violence against women.
Australian domestic violence stats are terrible, with one woman a week being murdered by her current or former partner, and even more being abused.
Five women dead due to #DomesticViolence in #Australia in just over a week. Where is the outrage?
— Liana Papoutsis (@lpapoutsis) May 12, 2020
Just this week, confronting footage of AFL player Jackson Williams attacking a random woman on the street went viral in the media. In the video, he sneaks up behind a woman, grabs her from the back while covering her mouth, drags her into an alleyway and climbs on top of her before another man intervenes.
Essendon District footballer Jackson Williams found NOT GUILTY of intending to sexually assault a woman when he grabbed her around the neck & dragged her down a city laneway. He covered her mouth & lay on top of her. He admits he assaulted the victim. @7NewsMelbourne pic.twitter.com/rSgEry5GWr
— Jayde Vincent (@JaydeVincent) October 19, 2020
Despite the footage, a Judge said there wasn’t sufficient evidence to prove that there was intent of sexual assault, which goes to show how backwards this country is when it comes for women’s justice.
This is Jackson Williams, he was caught on CCTV attempting to sexually assault a nurse in 2018 and will only be fined a maximum of $2500 or receive 3 months in prison. Apparently forcing yourself on top of a woman in a laneway isn’t sexually provoked. pic.twitter.com/DrD0JClxLK
— Darth Wookiee (@darthwookiee89) October 20, 2020
It’s clear that we have a huge problem with men perpetrating violence against women in this country – and seemingly harmless things like SAS Australia showing a man fighting a woman can actually make it worse, as this just normalises and minimises violence against women.
Is it non pc to say Honey Badger needs to calm down on tackling the women? #SASAustralia
— Dave Hughes (@DHughesy) October 20, 2020
It doesn’t matter that Sabrina chose Nick Cummins as her opponent – SAS Australia shouldn’t be broadcasting women facing violence at the hands of men as entertainment in a country where too many men actually beat women.
Add the fact that Sabrina is Black and part of the LGBT+ community – two factors that make women like her far more likely to experience physical abuse, and the optics of this episode are absolutely terrible.
I’m sure Nick Cummins was just trying to win a game, but the visuals of a man beating a woman are always violent, and in a country that is suffering from a domestic violence epidemic, it’s in piss poor taste and legitimately dangerous in how it could embolden others to behave the same.
Let’s not cash in on the brutalisation of women for entertainment, k?
Image Sources: Twitter
