My 84 year old friend Angus dropped by to return a book. We chatted and I brought up my irritation - no, let's be frank, my anger - with the treatment of Anzac Day in the media.
"Yes, it's complete nonsense. You'd think it was a religious holiday. Ridiculous. And this chap who died and was called an Anzac Day hero, he was cleaning his gun and forgot to take out the bullets - what kind of a hero is that?" said Angus. "It's all guff".
It's hard, I said, to raise a boy in this kind of atmosphere - you don't want to be the constant cynical voice in his ear.
"You can let him be for a couple of years, but at some point you'll have to take him aside and say, 'the world doesn't work quite like that'" said Angus, whose plane ditched into the English Channel on return from a bombing raid over Europe in 1944.
That's quite an interesting exchange.
I agree completely with your sentiments about media treatment, and also have concerns about the popular expression - booze, mostly - of our "respect". But it has been hard to find anyone really saying what I feel, and I have been unable to do so myself.
And I have to say, I sat down to watch the footy on Tuesday afternoon and saw a cartoon-style war zone with the team captain's heads pasted over the top, complete with muddy faces and helmets.
I am no nationalist, and have been accused here and there of being un-ah-strayern, but this was completely distasteful and disrespectful.
Posted by: Damian Doyle | Thursday, April 27, 2006 at 08:26 AM
Oh, don't get me started on the language which envelops Anzac Day sport - I agree that it is disrespectiful and makes a mockery of real war experiences. Football matches are spoken of as "battles" and players as "warriors" - that happens all year round but is exaggerated for Anzac Day.
I was slightly worried that this post could seem to be making fun of the soldier's death. That was not my intention. My point (and my friend's point) is that he is no more a 'hero' than someone who died in a car accident last weekend. Of course, his death is very sad for his family and friends. but is not a matter of national sadness.
Posted by: susoz | Thursday, April 27, 2006 at 09:57 AM
True. There are many stories to be told, not all of them as romantic as the ones we have been conditioned to recall. I always listen to 'The scorn of the women' by Weddings Parties Anything on ANZAC day.
Posted by: Damian Doyle | Thursday, April 27, 2006 at 10:06 AM
I want to add that not only is it not a matter of national sadness, it is not a matter for national admiration.
Posted by: susoz | Thursday, April 27, 2006 at 10:38 AM
"he was cleaning his gun and forgot to take out the bullets"
Whenever I read this I doubt the death was as accidental as they make out...
Posted by: Vanessa | Thursday, April 27, 2006 at 11:10 AM
Funny you should say that, as that had also occured to me and now today's media says this:
"Dr Nelson [defense minister] also said Private Kovco was not cleaning his pistol at the time he was killed as has been reported.
It has been widely reported that the 25-year-old private accidentally shot himself while cleaning his weapon in Baghdad on Friday.
But Dr Nelson said the reports were incorrect.
"The family's actually quite distressed because the reports are that he was cleaning his weapon," the minister told Macquarie radio.
"He wasn't in fact cleaning his weapon.
"It was near him in his vicinity and he made some kind of movement which suggests that it discharged.
"There was obviously a live round in it which there should not have been and that's as much as I should probably say at the moment."
Posted by: susoz | Thursday, April 27, 2006 at 11:20 AM