 |
 |
>Andrew Burke wrote: >Let the Games commence ... > > >Hello all, I'm new to this list, I'm a Kiwi poet and >editor of a little magazine Welcome, sport. >I think it's unfortunate that Andrew does >not mention the very strong opposition to the event >emanating from many parts of Australian society Why should I? If it's a subject for a response, it's a subject for a poem. Write it. >The Aboriginal community, especially, is deadset >against the Olympics, which is not a genuine sporting >festival but a commercialised farce with an entry fee >unaffordable to the vast majority of Aussies. Well, I see Australia as the host, but I see the Olympics as international. We have simply hired the hall and are now about to try to make a profit out of it. It's an expensive exercise, so getting the most money back from international guests who can afford to pay more than the locals is a fiscal move. >Aboriginal Australians are bitter about the fact that >the right-wing Australian government has consistently >refused to apologise for the genocidal crimes against >Aboriginals committed by its predecessors. This has got little to do with the Olympics, and nothing to do with Snakeskin. >Anyway, things are looking like they will be >pretty explosive come September in Sydney, and most of >the action looks like being off the track. No doubt the media will fall into the trap of publicising the smallest protest group as if they were spokespeople for all. The media does more to polarise our society than any other sector. The >group(let) of poets centred around my little magazine, >Salt, Your magazine is called Salt? There is a more substantial one already by that name. I'd quickly change it if I were you. The question I want to raise >here is: should Andrew Burke's zine and the poets >around it be doing the same sort of thing, instead of >getting caught up in the media-inspired hoopla >surrounding the Sydney games? Two things: It ain't my zine, it's George's. & I thought I made it clear in my earlier post that this Sports issue may be triggered by the O/Games, but it isn't about them. (Andrew BURKE wrote >>They do not have to relate to the Olympics in anyway - We're just using that as an excuse to go sporty!<<) Personally, I love the O'Games - while at the same time knowing it is run by humans, and therefore not expecting perfection. >which is why I have made this post, which will >hopefully not be viewed as entirely grumpy in tone :) Scott, it would be extremely hard to write a good poem about the harm that such a large international sporting event does to low-income locals, but that's what you should aim for. A good poem, without polemic, may be just the social conscience this issue could use. Good luck with it. > >Cheers Andrew ---------------------------------------- Andrew Burke Copywriting [log in to unmask] Creative Writing http://www.bam.com.au/andrew/ Editing ---------------------------------------- %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%