It seems the Australian Football League needs to be applauded for this weekends "Green Round" whereby the issues of climate change are being neatly linked with a few games of kickabout.
The kudo's I bestow upon them are for their efforts to display the true issues surrounding the climate change topic and environmentalism generally, a selection of some as follows:
1 - How to make a totally bazarre connection between two completely unrelated enterprises.
2 - How to exploit a fashionable cause for little effort.
3 - How to be a complete bunch of hypocritical bastards, yet give the impression of promoting an ethical cause.
4 - Promote a "message" but not participate in any "solutions".
Time for a gripe in the numerical order of the above:
1. What on earth has footy got to do with environmental issues? This is totally ridiculous. What fucking arrogance do these people have taking it upon themselves to bleat the green message to us? When their players misbehave they don't give a toss, so why do they suddenly have a concern over the health of the planet? Fix your own problems first, then worry about the rest of the world.
2. What a completely bullshit effort anyway. Putting a splash of green on your website, and getting Toyota to advertise Prius' cars (which in my opinion is the masturbatory icon of the green movement) at the games doesn't exactly say much. The lazy turds thought this was an easy way to get on the green bandwagon.
3. What appalling hypocrisy they are demonstrating. On their website they have some "hints" for us to live greener. I mean, who the fuck hasn't heard it all by now? We're not that fucking stupid (even most of the Collingwood supporters), we are aware and have been for a long time. Why are they telling us to turn our lights off when they have enourmously powerful floodlights burning away at the night games? Why are they telling us to carpool when their players are jetting all over the country in fuel guzzling aircraft? Do fuck off.
4. Its' always easy to promote a message. Actively participating in the solutions, well thats a bit more difficult and something the AFL has conveniently ignored.
This is just a typically easy way for people and organisations to exploit this fashionable issue. It costs practically nothing, it accomplishes even less, but don't we all get a nice warm fuzzy feeling from it. Just like the ETS the government is busy screwing up at the moment, I am well and truly over this shit.
For AFL to survive, the rest of us must turn off our lights and rip out our gardens.
ReplyDeleteAll in the name of "sustainable" footy.
Really, ya gotta laugh.
As far as token gestures go, it was token in the extreme.
And yes, the "messages" are getting thin.
How many times do we need to be told to recycle or turn off electricity when not needed ... *yawn*.
It just seems to be the way these days. Even the company I work for had a "be green" week where they distributed pamphlets about what you can do to reduce your carbon footprint. How about NOT print stupid pamphlets for starters! I wasn't an energetic participant.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, my token effort has been to put a splash of green on my blog, so I've done my bit to save the world....apparently.
A few months ago the place I was working had a carbon emissions day - against, not for, I gather.
ReplyDeleteThe day was marked with black balloons floating hither thither and yon, within the building. (Oh yes, people get paid taxpayers money to dream up these ideas and to then spend time blowing up balloons and scattering them about the place - all on MY tax dime!)
This might sound innocent enough, but try walking into a lift with a dozen black balloons up on the ceiling. Trust me, the funereal atmosphere did not inspire confidence in the mechanical integrity of the lift.
Are balloons recyclable?
ReplyDeleteBlack balloons are no fun. You can't scrawl rude messages on them with texta.
Nooooo.
ReplyDeleteAnd that thought did occur to me. Hundreds of black balloons popped and dumped in a rubbish bin after a brief role in alerting us to carbon emissions.
Maybe the balloons were donated to an old people's home after the event, although that would have been rather cruel, not much chirpier than donating left over funeral wreaths.
Tell footy players that they could be just a bit more careful when they are running on that grass. They are hurting the environment if they kick up grass. That is growing vegeatation! Maybe they should just jog lightly and not wrestle and in the middle of the game say "Hey mate, you can have the ball, I'm more concerned about how we could be disurbing this blade here. That's more important than a goal."
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I was thinking about certain things that the footballing industry does that uses up lots of energy - floodlights and big screens in stadiums probably aren't that friendly plus the fact that they love it that we turn on the TV for them. Perhaps we exercise the environmentally friendly option and unplug the TV during football screening hours?
Many of these causes are mainly as you said, 'fashionable' but with no real commitment, or basically, I am happy for you to be a bit more environmentally friendly so long as it's not at any expense to the money that I get. Also, I don't intend to do anything that will make things very difficult on myself.
Certainly, I am fine with people or groups coming out and saying that they are concerned but their action only goes up to a certain point (who doesn't think that way? They only donate this much, they want to compromise only so much). That's cool so long as they apply a similar standard when they advocate their cause to others, then they don't look like hypocrites.
I think it would be better if footy just went on and picked causes that they could support more easily or just forgot causes and tried harder at plain entertaining and keeping the players out of mischief.
If they wanted to impress us just saying they believed in donating money to something worthy like emergency services or a hospital or prevention of cruelty to animals or something would be believable and wouldn't make them look silly.
As for fashionable, why try to be fashionable if you can't do it right ... go for the classics then ...
Agreed, the AFL is seriously over-reaching here. Their job in our society is to provide us with entertaining football games and to keep their players from wrecking the place. They should just concentrate on these things. Leave the solving of the worlds problems to those better qualified and capable to do so.
ReplyDeleteIn the good ol' days I followed Dad down to the nearby oval on foot to watch the occasional footy game. The closest thing to sponsorship was the name of some mechanics or plumbers on the back of the players' jerseys. Now I only promote football if it gives teen students a goal. For instance, M. S., aged 13, "I played in two games on the weekend, Miss, footy is my passion." The rest of football is violent rubbish.
ReplyDeleteWhat a country cares about on a grand scale is always revealing, and the airtime devoted to sport as a way of life here still surprises me. You're tuned to XY FM for the latest in News, Sport and Weather.
In my own dream world, we would all be tuned in listening out for the latest in News, Books and Weather. It's sunny out, so pack a fat novel and head to the beach! Or if you prefer something a little cooler, head to Blank Inc Stadium where the Sydney Scribes are going head to head with the Melbourne Muses in a knockout Scrabble Session that may go well into the thousands on the scoreboard!
Mitzi - awesome ideas!
ReplyDeleteHow cool would it be to have, you know, "one day in October" when poets are out there shouting for the best stanza!
Up there with Byron, show 'em your style!
Mitzi, I would be in a attendance for sure.
ReplyDeleteBut, imagine the controversy when reports of the Sydney Scribes star player is caught using the word "party" as a verb, or the younger players not skilled enough to treat punctuation with the respect it deserves.
Oh yes, and then the ritual hiring of academics engaged to counsel the more wayward scribes in the respectful treatment of the English language and how not to hang a participle, at least not in public.
ReplyDelete