Old Age pensioners took to the streets today in Melbourne - flinders st.
It was crazytown (hattip hp)!
The ABC radio reporter was trying to describe the scene - and yet, it seemed like something you may just have had to be there to understand completely. Retired women by the dozens were taking off their tops in an effort to attract attention to the lack of pension increase in the budget announcements in Aus.
I didn't really know how to feel as I listened in... at first I was laughing at the boldness of the oldsters. But then I started to realize that it's their right to speak out on issues that effect their lives... it's a shame that we have to keep resorting to more and more degrading acts in order to get some attention... it's this thing about the media needing some entertainment value in order to get some air play... when one police officer asked a pensioner to step off the road he replied, 'my life built these roads.' - not a bad comeback!
then I took it as a challenge - how can we protest for things that are incredibily important to those who can't speak for themselves in creative and meaningful ways that will attract the media... those are the current challenges in justice... prophetic acts that are courageous, bold and fun... I'm wide open to ideas...
then I took it as an opportunity... I saw hundreds of old folks in Salvation Army uniform protesting in fun, creative ways - using their time to make a difference in the world and reforming society... BTW: if you have time you may want to check out the heritage society's latest event this Sat. at boxhill corps - they are highlighting the HAMIDOVA tea effort of 1897 (the SA Australia's first attempt at fairtrade beverages for mission purposes)...
2 comments:
Interesting. This speaks to things such as anti-abortion rallies where the protesters use real but nauseating pictures. It has the desired effect of gaining attention, but turns people off before they hear the message. There needs to be a happy medium, but tougher now than ever to achieve in the shock culture we live in. Maybe the trick is to own the media, Salvos TV Network anyone???
The first thing we need to sure up is our right to free speech. Get rid of politically correct double talk that dances around postmodern mumbo jumbo. The pensioners made people notice by taking off their clothes, but they made people listen, think and learn by what they said - and this in plain old fashioned truth. The man who claimed his life built the roads didn't mince words, and neither did any of the others. Why can't we let these oldies re educate us in the art of truthful, direct, in your face, loving communication?
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