The Australian ABC TV News Program ‘Four Corners’ ran a journalism piece concerning the mis-treatment of Australian cattle exported live to Indonesia. A few days later Eliza, Jane and Doris (See About Us) had the following conversation. We decided to share it with you…
Eliza: The response to ‘Four Corners’ was pretty quick. I didn’t watch it and I’m not going to watch it on iview.
Jane: I didn’t watch it either, but I noticed a couple of comments about it on Twitter. The comments stopped me changing channels…I don’t want to watch anything being killed. I know there is stuff that goes on but I don’t like to see it.
I did hear about it the next day on Australian national radio. There were a lot of people calling in, all upset. Then tehy’d talk about the specifics of what upset them.
Eliza: Even though I didn’t see it, I noticed the whole deal snowballed pretty quick People seemed really outraged. Why don’t they kill the cattle here?
Doris: I think there is a religious reason for that. It has to be done in certain circumstances …kind of like kosher requirements…not the same but there is a set of rules etc.
Eliza: It seemed like just a few days and there were reports that the Government was going to ban the exports to Indonesia.
Doris: It all happened so fast. I guess there is such a thing as people-power.
Jane: some other aspects of it all really worry me…
Doris: I know what you mean, now there are farmers that say they are losing up to $70,000 a day. They have had such a tough time in last few years.
Eliza: I heard there are discussions to maybe set up an appropriate slaughter facility here, to then freeze the meat and ship it.
Jane: What really worries me is the speed at which the public can rise up and demand humane treatment of cattle in Indonesia, but remain largely silent in terms of Boat People, refugee applicants being sent to Indonesia for ‘processing’. Why are we so indignant about the beef but not about the people?
A young man I know recently called to my attention the words of the 2nd verse of our Australian National Anthem.
Doris: Really? I don’t know the second verse.
Eliza: Hardly anyone does…
Jane: well maybe we ought to; because our National Song is meant to be what we believe…surely.
It goes like this (she didn’t sing it, thankfully)
Beneath our radiant Southern Cross
We’ll toil with hearts and hands;
To make this Commonwealth of ours
Renowned of all the lands;
For those who’ve come across the seas
We’ve boundless plains to share;
With courage let us all combine
To Advance Australia Fair.
The young man suggested that the Government might not be acting in accordance with
The Constitution, or at the very least with the stated attitude of Australians, given we, the Australian people chose the National Anthem.
I asked a couple of times on Twitter about why we are standing up for the cattle’s rights but not so much for the boat people. I didn’t get much response. I wonder why.
Eliza: Now that you mention it, I am wondering why as well. I wonder if lots of people are like me, and just think about it but do nothing…or don’t know what to do.
Doris: Or just feel too busy to do anything. There are so many important causes now. But I wonder what other women think.
What do you think? Do oyu care how cattle is killed? Did you protest against the cattle exports?
Have you ever protested in any way for the rights of the boat people?
We would be interested in reading your views and of your protest experiences.
Read how we acquired our current National Anthem.
http://www.dfat.gov.au/facts/nat_anthem.html
(Copy of letter sent to Four Corners, long but well worth reading)
Eliza, Doris and Jane participated in this conversation. Meet all 3.
The footage is shocking. I agree with Jane. How can there be an outcry at this when asylum seekers are going to be sent to Malaysia? Worse yet, it seems to appeal to an ignorant element who confuse these two issues and lump “them” all together and say if that’s how they treat cattle, we don’t want them in our country.
It will be interestng to see if the community catches a vision of what it can actually achieve.
I don’t know much at all about this issue, being in the UK – but it is beyond me that people are being sent to another country for processing. That just seems bizarre to me.
The refugee issue in Australia is made more interesting by the fact that we are an island, even if a big one. We try so hard to stop the
people actually getting here. It’s all as dangerous as the refugess in freigh containers that try to get into England, or any other version in any
country..but then shipping them elsewhere…thats rough
I am watching both issues from a distance now. I have read a few comments on twitter questioning why the quick response to one issue and not the other. I am guessing the political minefield around refugees, both parties playing to the worst instincts of voters, is the real reason why tragically the right (courageous, humane) course of action is not taken. Amazing to think that politicians on both sides of the fence acted more humanely in the 1970s than they do now on refugees.
Kind of sad when politics over-rides the right course of action. J
I’m not aware of this issue because I’m in the U.S. I guess. I pretty much believe that every creature, human or animal, has the right to be treated humanely and with respect. So, yes I believe the animals should be treated well and any person asking for asylum should be treated well. When it comes to immigrants, a lot of people in my country are against it, but they allow illegal immigrants to work for incredibly low money to pick our vegetables and build our homes. I have a hard time with this. My entire ancestry is from other countries, so how can I deny others from doing the same thing? I understand we can’t accept everyone due to our current system, but, hey….maybe we all need to rise up and change the system in every country, so that borders don’t matter. Now, THAT would be awesome.
I t would be awesome. Somehow the world has got out of whack with what really matters.
I must admit, being on the opposite of the globe, that I am not privy to the topic at hand, yet I DO relate with every bit of what you are saying.
I, along with Erin before me, live in America and have been noted as remarking how our television ads seem to put more emphasis on the neglect and mistreatment of animals than the thousands of children dying at the hands of their own parents and others in this country.
While I do believe that humans and animals alike should be treated humanely, with dignity and respect, I also believe that a human life comes before that of an animal.
It is beyond my realm of thinking, which I believe to come from the center of our understanding aka what is in our heart, how anyone would refuse refuge/asylum to those in need, provided they are not a threat to one’s homeland security, etc.
I may be off-base here so I shall silence my fingers and go read the letter posted above! However, I do like what Erin had to say about borders not mattering around the globe! There again, we do need to maintain security as I surely would not wish to see any other country experience what we did here in the US on September 11, 2001.
I would, definitely, be tending to the situation at hand with the Boat People before that of the cattle, even though it is troubling to read about as well.