This whole issue around SBS sports reporter Scott McIntyre being fired for a comment on twitter is ridiculous and has seriously gotten out of hand.
Unsurprisingly the mass media has failed to grasp how his tweets were not not advocating for Nazi Germany or Imperialist Japan, but rather opposing Australia's role in it, and the continued attempts to glorify the loss of lives as a means to justify future wars and acts of aggression.
If you are looking for Nazi Germany supporters you just missed them, that was what the Reclaim Australia movement was about... although interesting to note no journalists had their jobs threatened for not just commenting, but supporting a racist movement.
McIntyre's anger over political choices that led to the death of hundreds of thousands of people cannot be compared with Barry Spurr's racist comments, as some conservative voices cried. Anyone that fails to see the travesty over a massive loss of life irrespective of nationality is devoid of it themselves. The main part of ANZAC day is remembering the fallen, I don't remember a clause that said 'only if they were Australian'. As one of his tweets says "pause today to consider the horror that all mankind suffered." All mankind. Not just Australians, not just Turkish, and not just Armenians.
While the anger directed towards McIntyre has mainly come from the conservative class and nationalist elements in society, both of which have been brought up on a healthy diet of racism and xenophobia, the identity attack is not at all surprising when you see how important this day is for the destruction of peace and the political advancement of war and conflict.
A political agenda that differs to the time of WWI when conscription failed a referendum. Driven by both male and female peace activists, there is a proud history of left politics opposing war in Australia. Going back to the Eureka Stockade, more recently in 2003 protesting the Iraq invasion, and today trying to recognise the role of indigenous soldiers. Lest we forgot, selective memory is the mass medias job.
That said, I'm not endorsing McIntyre's comments. It is too difficult to judge from a single tweet his overall perspective of the situation, but, I haven't yet seen anything incorrect. Which begs the question, why he was fired? Managing director of SBS, Michael Ebeidc, said it breached their social media policy. Which apparently means "factual reporting" isn't one of their policies. Ironically, anyone could watch and listen to this information on one of the many ABC or SBS shows in the lead up to ANZAC day.
In an ANZAC documentary "Why Anzac" created by Sam Neill and promoted by the ABC in the lead up to ANZAC day, Sam says "I hate militarism, I loath nationalism, but I honor those that serve". In an interview on Charlie Pickering's new show on ABC he admits to holding back with lines such as "old politicians sending young men to war" which were cut. All of which are heavily critical of the government and very similar to those made by McIntyre. But because he's simply a sports reporter he isn't allowed to have an opinion? Reminiscent of how Wallabies captain David Pocock almost lost his career after protesting CSG mining, possibly only saved by his high public visibility.
A large part of the anti-war movement is against the procurement of nuclear and atomic weapons like the ones used by America at the end of WWII. Such is the level of propaganda that most are led to believe it ended the war. It had nothing watsoever to do with the Japanese admitting defeat or the Russians piling 25 million dead soldiers fighting the Germans before advancing on Japan. McIntyre condemns the brutal use of atomic weapons that killed innocent unarmed civilians -that if performed by any other nation be classified as a war crime- by stating "Not forgetting that the largest single-day terrorist attacks in history were committed by this nation & their allies in Hiroshima & Nagasaki". The tragedy of a single sentence. The forgotten cost of war.
No comments:
Post a Comment