I hate to be the party pooper here but, why on earth do we celebrate Melbourne Cup? Don’t get me wrong, in years gone by I was the first person at the free bar with a sweepstake in hand, but year after year I’ve started to see it for what it really is… terrible on too many levels to count.
Whilst I will probably be told I am taking this way too seriously, I’m going to break down why Melbourne Cup is probably the biggest summary of what is shit about Australia.
Animal Cruelty
Please stop lining up to tell me the horses that are raced are treated like Kings and Queens- they may be by some stables, certainly not all- and that royalty treatment soon fades once the horse is no longer a money making racer. As our very own Susannah Waters wrote for the Scavenger last year, horse racing is a cruel business. Not only are they at risk of injury and death from racing, but often end up with life expectancies that are 2 or 3 years long, when in reality a healthy horse can live up to 30. That’s not even counting the ones that are beaten and drugged into performance. If that’s not awful I don’t know what is.
Gambling Addiction
We have a population over just over 20million and yet we can generate $19billion a year in gambling revenue. What we have here is a situation where we basically “stop the nation” to gamble when we as a country have a massive problem. And whilst alcohol and tobacco ads have been taken from TV and billboards to help curb the social ills, every second ad during a major sporting event is now geared towards selling betting. Consider this- 500,000 Australians are problem gamblers probably being exposed to the one thing that could potentially ruin their lives and the lives of their family just by going to work, over hearing conversations and being surrounded by countless legal promotions. Take that ‘self exclusion’!
Source: Canberra Times
Binge Drinking
Take a look at this charming summary line: “Women are more likely to get “legless” at the Melbourne Cup than at any other sporting event.”Ambulance officers in Victoria aren’t fans of Melbourne Cup due to people over indulging. We’re a country where alcohol fuelled violence is a major discussion point for councils, MPs and social services and yet here we are all dressed to the nines getting shit faced. Businesses are even encouraged to have contingencies in place so they can cover bases after employees call in sick. Do we really need a massive excuse to get massively drunk?
Domestic Violence
Oh how proud a day when we can report that more people are abused at home on this fine celebration day. It isn’t enough we abuse animals, our wallets and our livers, we go home and we beat the snot out of our families too on Melbourne Cup day. So whilst your choosing your fascinator, what canapé you might have and reach for that 2nd glass of bubbly, please spare a thought for the children, women and men who will end up on the wrong side of someone’s fist tonight simply by being home on Cup Day. Could it be the toxic mix of viewing cruelty, too much alcohol and too much gambling comes home to roost? Gee, I wonder!
It would be so nice if whatever “stops the nation” and gets us out in droves wearing our glad rags didn’t end up making savages out of us, don’t you think?
About the Author: Rebekah Lambert
Rebekah thought of Discordia as she spent another afternoon bending back the ear of her long suffering partner about the assumptions tied to gender and the constant need for women to scream “high five to having a vagina” at real (and imagined) threats. As a former Riot Grrl with an unhealthy interest in street art, the live music scene and spirited schooner debates being Head of Disruption has probably been a long time coming. Rebekah writes commercial copy for a living as Unashamedly Creative and dreams of an Australia that won’t settle for “that’s just how it is” as an answer. When she’s not poking people in the ribs asking why, she’s writing, making puppets and being the “crazy lady” who sings to the moon in public places. Related Posts
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Fabulous piece, Bek!! Yes, behind the “glamour” exists a truly despicable reality. We need to spread this info far and wide. Thanks for linking to my article on horse racing.
Thanks Susannah.
I think your article on horse racing needs to find many more eyeballs too. People honestly don’t make the connection. I know I didn’t for years. There is this myth that horses are all getting treated wonderfully when they are racers and the reality is far from.
Thank you for being one of the voices who spoke out for the four leggeds in this whole mess!
Excellent post. I’ve always loathed horse racing and don’t understand why people who think that bull fighting is cruel, don’t feel the same about horse racing. Perhaps it’s cos posh people do it. Like fox hunting.
Ah but it’s tradition they cry, it’s just a bit of fun. Yeah not for the horses.
Also fascinators are in themselves enough of a reason to stop the celebration.
Totally agree Kate.
The final straw for me this morning was seeing Twitter trends on Melb Cup referring to the “love of horses” and seeing “magnificent animals compete for glory”. Not only is that card carrying projection of human values onto a horses life (do they honestly think a horse gives a damn about winning a trophy? – do they go to the stable later and do a neigh by neigh recap? Puhleeeeze) but the idea of admiration and respect an animal being shown by banging them into a training schedule that will cause them to be in high risk categories for injury and accidental death plus shorten their life span really, really is the height of human arrogance.
My lid flipped at that point. I honestly thought with even the highlighting of the social ills associated with the day we’d realise this sporting event is about as useful as an ice sculpted oven mitt.
I was going to go into the fashion too… but I just couldn’t. I don’t mind people dressing up but this whole women on parade thing really makes me so angry my head feels like exploding. Can’t we find a nicer way to come together as a country?
Yes, sadly the dialogue surrounding racing perpetuates this myth about horses’ willingness to race and thirst for triumph. I’m sure the pain of their gastric ulcers and their gruelling training schedules feature more highly on their list of concerns!
The fashion, yes, the fashion… Where can you even start? Maybe we can collaborate on an article about this for next year!
Sounds like a plan!
Whenever I mention my disdain for this day (and all it entails) people always tell me ‘but I like the fashion’. Even people who are against animal cruelty.
I like dressing up too but I don’t see how associating ‘spring fashion’ with animal exploitation, gambling, binge drinking and violence as a good thing.
Dress up I say but don’t try and glamourise this day by dressing up in your best. You’re trudging around, most likely in the mud, getting wasted while animals are exploited, people gamble (don’t even start me) and the Waterhouses of this world make a profit from it. Disgusting.
It’s so pervasive you are made to feel like an outsider for speaking up at Melbourne Cup day in workplaces.
I shudder to think people who need to stay away from it due to gambling problems or drinking problems must feel, let alone those of us who find the whole thing cruel, sexist and just vile.
Maybe there’s a Discordia campaign or something in that? Where we offer an alternative to workplaces and people with full support to do something that doesn’t cross ethical lines and cause them massive amounts of hearthache- for whatever the reason.
Great article Bek! I agree on all points.
And Kate, I’m with you on the fascinators.
Susannah’s article is compelling and, I agree, does deserve a wider audience. The statistics on horse deaths are truly horrifying- both jumps race deaths AND deaths that occur in abattoirs and knackeries to horses that have past their ‘use by date’.
I had to turn my local ABC radio station off today because the afternoon presenter was lamenting her lack of bubbly and sweep entry. She informed her listeners that she had created her own fascinator with palm fronds and a stapler (or the like) and then asked people to take photos of their own fascinator creations to upload to FB. She said: ‘After all, hats are what the Melbourne Cup is all about’. Aargh! So inane.
And, I can’t believe Victoria has a public holiday for a horse race!
It’s amazing how much it permeates the entire country, isn’t it? I do feel really sorry for problem gamblers that are trying to stay away from temptation on a day like Melbourne Cup. It’s with food promotions, fashion, workplaces, social clubs, friendship groups, all over the media- it’s inescapable.
Great piece Bek! I despise this day, it brings back horrid memories of working in an ad agency & being forced to go out with the whole company & watch your colleagues get pissed & harass you.
Would love to know the stats on sexual abuse, or does it go unreported because everyone was a bit intoxicated?
The domestic abuse ones were done in a study of the English response to the World Cup Soccer and how they have a spike during the main games each four years. They tracked it around the world and sadly found that Melbourne Cup was our spike point.
“In Australia the spike only occurs during the Melbourne Cup. The Domestic Violence Clearing House Report found a 58% increase in Domestic violence in NSW, 64% higher in the NT and 39% increase in South Australia. (http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/4299886)”
Terrible.
I can only imagine what would happen if they charted sexual harassment in the workplace on the day, or at the races themselves.
Thanks for the great article. Couldn’t agree more on everything including everyone’s comments. People’s stubborn clinging to tradition frustrates me and reason falls on deaf ears. On top of all of the issues you’ve mentioned Damien Oliver apparently admitted to betting on another horse in a race he participated in, yet, was allowed to ride in the Melbourne Cup. I’m sorry, but if a major bank admitted to such fraud people would be OUTRAGED!
The fraud angle is frightful, isn’t it? Not to mention the links to dodgy dealings and the odd murder in the horse racing industry. Doesn’t it feel that joyous an occasion at all!
GiddyUp Bek and give it to ‘em. In my day pony camp was just the thing to bring out our horsey spirits and Sunday bests – and that was all done on a 20yo sneaky crazy pony who fancied himself a race horse as well … see even ponies have a distorted view of the glamour and glitz. Stop the Nation indeed! How about stop the violence! stop the poverty! stop the pollution! stop killing! stop climate change!??? And get bloody Robbie Waterhouse out of my football, cricket, golf, tennis, and dinner time! Stop the hypocrisy – good luck with that!
It must be so frustrating for you as a card carrying sports fan to see all the gambling ads. I know when we did the Grand Final viewing on the TV we were appalled at the frequency of those gambling ads. Not only that but no perceivable disclaimers about the dangers either.
Business Chicks were asking what the $150million that is spent that day would be used for instead. That’s an awful lot of change!
You’re blatantly wrong, bitch.
Hi Adam…
This article is factually based with cited sources.
In terms to your objection, if you could outline it without breaching our guidelines http://www.discordia.com.au/the-clubhouse-charter/ we’d be happy to see it. This is a place about discussing the issues, so if you want to join in, you are welcome to.
Consider this your friendly warning. Constructive conversation is fine, but trolling (besides being boring) will just lead to us banning you.
Cheers,
Rebekah
Wow, “Adam” sounds like a bright individual. So that offensive one-liner is all he has to offer? How blatantly pathetic.
Don’t forget the clubhouse charter applies to one and all, even folks with potty mouths. But it was kind of mean, and a bit confusing – I thought Bek was talking about mares anyway??? Go vegan or go home I say!