Monday, May 4, 2009

Dokic - 2 Things

Jelena Dokic has gone public with the sporting world's worst-kept secret - that her crazy nutjob father used to physically abuse her. I feel for this girl, always have.


One Thing


I am reminded of the time I unwittingly made the front page of the Herald-Sun. It was Jelena's first match in Australia representing Serbia. The Herald-Sun (and other tabloid outlets) had made a big deal of it in the lead up, suggesting that people would jeer and boo because of her seemingly unpatriotic decision to represent the country of her birth rather than the country that raised her. But, as always, the tabloids undersetimate the average intelligence of the common person. We could all see that it was her crazy father's decision, not hers. She was 17 or 18 at the time, and clearly under the thumb of a despot.

So when she came out to face Lindsay Davenport, nobody really jeered. Oh, there was a clown or two up the back, drunk, trying to join a mob that failed to materialise in the first place, but from my seat, one row from the front, all I heard was a mix of quiet and generous applause for Jelena. I cheered louldy for her. We knew the poor girl was suffering under her father, and our cheers were as much in sympathy as they were celebratory.

But the tabloids ignored the real event. Front page of the Herald-Sun the next day came an article saying the crowd had 'mixed feelings', and ran a shot of some people cheering, some not. There, right smack bang in the middle of a close up of a randomly picked section of the crowd, was me. I was eating sushi, and my mouth looked like it was in a frown. They clearly took the photo at some other time, because when she came out on to centre court, I was cheering for her.



My Mum rang: "Did you boo that poor girl?"
Me: "No Mum, Jesus. I was eating sushi. I cheered."
My Mum: "And who's that girl you're with? She looks pretty."

Seconds later my sister rang from Sydney.

"Did you boo Dokic?"
"Did Mum ring you?"
"No, you're front page of the Sydney paper."
"For fuck's sake."
"And who's the curly-haired chick?"

The Sydney one was worse, because the picture was much bigger and the headline was, 'Fans Boo Dokic'.

The calls and emails kept coming, and worst of all, Damir Dokic, the anti-christ himself, was interviewed and he got a hold of the paper and pointed at me saying I was a disgrace for jeering his daughter... but I didn't! I would've jeered him because he was a cunt, but not hs talented and obviously abused daughter.

Sigh.

But anyway, years later, of course, the tabloids are now throwing so much support behind her that you can smell their guilt in it.

Second Thing

I hope that none of the resident TSFKA-ers with kids even remotely act like Domir Dokic (I'm sure you don't). I remember as a kid doing aths and footy - there were some parents of other kids that were insane about their child's sporting performances, and as even as young as 10 years old, I knew that their parents were acting stupid. I'm not a parent, but I'd like to think that if I was, I'd give support to my kids' sports, but never ever be one of those parents on the sidelines screaming abuse. My Dad was perfect... he was the athletic club's treasurer and volunteer, so he was involved as such, but never once did he become angry or even pressure me to perform better. He helped me to perform better, but never insisted that I do.

Domir Dokic is of course the extreme opposite of this. He is a failure at life, a failure as a father, a failure as a real man, and for that, he punished his extremely gifted daughter. I have nothing but sympathy and support for Jelena.

I just hope they don't make a schmaltzy film about it. But they will.

21 comments:

Ramon Insertnamehere said...

So.

Who was the curly-haired chick?

Lewd Bob said...

As a producer of fine quality videos, I know only too well the power of taking people out of context. Of course I do it to make people look better, but it is so easy to do just the opposite. Channel 9 editors are generally excellent exponents of the art.

That's why politicians are so well trained at delivering one-line, stand-alone, repetitive, door-stop statements. They're much harder to take out of context. The more you ramble, the easier it is to fuck you over.

Anonymous said...

I too, would like to know the identity of the mysterious curly-haired chick.

If you were taken out of context, why didn't you contact the papers to release a statement of your own? That's what any other person of your level of celebrity would have done.

Perseus said...

Perseus:

"Hi, I'm Perseus. You may recognise me from my blog that eight people read and my band which plays support for other bands that are famous. I demand you run a front page apology for taking me out of context. I was eating sushi!"

Herald-Sun:

"Up your arse, pleb. But, anyway, who is the curly-headed sheila?"

Anonymous said...

I can see the headlines:

"Occasional blogger and Silverchair frontman, Daniel Johns, demands apology for front-page misquoting about secret flame Jelena Dokic, who he regularly 'feels' for."

Ramon Insertnamehere said...

Maybe you should contact Media Watch, Pers.

Perseus said...

You, nine years ago when it happened, I was gunna, but I didn't.

Ramon Insertnamehere said...

Who's playing you in the schmaltzy film?

patchouligirl said...

I knew someone who was unfairly targeted by a current affairs program once. They took it to court and the tv station kept delaying proceedings by airing snippets of the piece in their ads. It cost them a lot more than most people would be able to afford to finally sue the station and the process took years. They weren't allowed to disclose the outcome. The moral I guess is that if you get slandered or misrepresented by the media unfairly you may as well cop it sweet.

Anonymous said...

Patch, you didn't tell us you were friends with Mercedes Corby.

Ramon, I think Ralph Fiennes could play Perseus. And perhaps Reese Witherspon as Jelena Dokic, and special guest appearance by Minnie Driver as 'Curly-Haired Chick in second row".

Ramon Insertnamehere said...

"Booing cunt in second row - Ralph Fiennes"

Anonymous said...

Natalie Imbruglia as "Pony girl".
Brian Blessed as Damir Dokic.
Kevin Spacey as Ramon Insertnamehere.

patchouligirl said...

friends with Mercedes Corby I said unfairly targeted boogey.

Ramon Insertnamehere said...

Kevin Spacey as Ramon Insertnamehere.

More like Neil Young, Boogey.

Perseus said...

Until he's prepared to pronounce his name properly, Ralph Fiennes ain't playing me.

"Rayf." Jesus.

I also knew a Sean who insisted on being called "See-Ann".

Perseus said...

Russell Crowe as the violent and crazy Dad. Oh yes.

Anonymous said...

A female friend once insisted on calling me 'Sean the Irish killer'.

Which I thought was odd because a) my name isn't Sean, and b) I'm not Irish.

I have killed a few Irish in my time so perhaps that was it. But in my defence, they were asking for it, what with all that wearing of green, and the lilting accents, and the "Begorah, begorah" and drinking of Guinness and hiding of pots of gold and all that.

wari lasi said...

I like to go with the theme of being a good sporting father.

I'm back in Moresby now (lovely, 30 degrees if Melba's tuned in) but I dropped my 16 yr old to rowing training this morning at 5 before heading off to the airport. Public Holiday and all. How do you not support a kid who gets up at that hour 5 days a week? For sport. And she loves it.

Damir Dokic is a fuck head. I think most people feel for Jelena. Even shitful sushi eating pricks booing her. Shame on you Perseus.

And who is the curly headed chick?

This was roolly hard to tipe atfer 10 erd wnies on hte lpnae.

Ramon Insertnamehere said...

No point in me screaming at The Boy at footy training* as he has a tendency to wander around in his own little world.

Much like his dad, really.

*Not that I would, of course

Melba said...

I am a supportive, non-shouty parent (to do with sport). I can get a bit shouty about other things (towels on floor, teenagery 'tudes with no respeck.)

And thanks Wari for that. I always want to know.

Perseus said...

In today's online paper, Damir Dokic has responded to his daughter's assertion that he was physically abusive, by threatening to 'blow up' the Australian embassy in Belgrade.

Slavic Ted Bulpitt.