What’s the world coming too when our beloved Matilda’s captain, Sam Kerr, faces criminal charges for insulting a police officer? Police allege Sam called an officer “a stupid white bastard,” after a celebratory night out with friends.

The sensitivity of some people is hard to understand. I would expect a police officer to be less sensitive and a lot of things they encounter in the course of their duty would be like water off a ducks back, but the seriousness of causing racially aggravated harassment, alarm or distress to someone cannot be taken lightly. But why did it take twelve months to file charges? If it took that long to determine what Sam’s offence was, was it really an offence or a misdemeanour?

It’s worrying how someone can be accused of a crime so easily. The person facing the accusation has to deal with shame and embarrassment. If they are innocent, it’s not fair. I understand Sam has a responsibility as a sports figure, but criminal charges? This affects Sam’s reputation as a sports icon, and there could be further negative impacts on sponsorships and other things. It affects her livelihood, relationships and those associated in some way.

Going forward, it looks like we’ll all have to be extra careful about what we say to avoid upsetting anyone. It’s like being really meticulous about everything. This could make it hard for us to communicate properly as humans with lots of different feelings and issues. Once again, getting distracted from what’s important means we waste time on small mistakes, while the real problems have free rein.