Vegetarianism
I was disappointed to read an article (GLW #383) condemning vegetarianism as politically specious. It is divisive to do so, considering that there are a lot of vegetarians in social change movements, and "splitting the camp" is surely something that activists want to avoid.
To say that "a strategy for change that involves such a small group of people is doomed to failure" is contrary to the facts of every social movement. I would contend that all issues begin with only a small percentage of the population being aware of them. Cruelty is surely one of these, so are human rights violations, environmental destruction, and other forms of injustice.
I would also contend that the facts are inaccurate: we can assume that at least some animals have consciousness, and most people would not deny that this is the case with chimpanzees and higher primates who have been taught to use sign language and thus can communicate their intentions. If this were not the implication, we would not have seen the recent ban on the use of great apes in testing in New Zealand.
The writers pan young vegetarians as being naive idealists. We all start that way. But surely becoming aware of issues of cruelty and excluding yourself from that particular social structure by not eating meat or using animal products is a political act as well as a moral decision. Is the vision of a socialist future any less idealistic or morally prescriptive? What is more, an openness to injustice in one realm of society is a stepping stone to the wider picture.
I agree that real change must include a change in the structure of society, and such change is a slow process. Solidarity amongst those who seek to change the power structure is essential.
Animal Liberation Queensland
Buranada Qld
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Economic rationalism
Economic rationalism: "A novel system, invented by economists, whereby ordinary workers' wages stagnate while shareholders and white-collar executives become richer than anyone in human history. Big winner: Michael Eisner, Walt Disney chief who, in 1998, alone earned $576.6 million. What could be more rational?"
The above item appeared in the Sun-Herald on October 9 and seemed to me to be as good an explanation of economic rationalism as I've seen. Perhaps someone who reads this could fill in with some financial details from the Australian scene.
Jean Hale
Balmain NSW
User-pays hospitals
Following a plane crash, you're stranded in the desert and thirsty. You stumble across the only well. It's owned by Acme Extortion Pty Ltd, which demands $200 for a glass of water.
It seems Professor John Dwyer of the Prince of Wales Hospital would regard such a demand as acceptable. After all, he thinks that desperate patients should be charged fees for public hospital treatment.
The fact that people will "willingly" pay for something they need when they have no alternative fails to show that the charge is not exploitative. Voluntary transactions cannot be fair unless the background circumstances are fair; and the distribution of illness across society is hardly equitable.
What has become of us when 68% support partial public hospital user-pays (Sydney Morning Herald, November 9) when we should, instead, be eradicating user-pays for dental treatment and financing health care equitably from progressive taxation?
Brent Howard
Rydalmere NSW
Elizabeth the Last
The East Timorese, knowing the value of independence, with their flag, and their children's graves still moist with their blood, voted for independence, despite their awareness that the fee-for-scalp, machete wielding butchers were ready to hack them to death. Congratulations to a courageous people who voted for independence!
And a tear for Australians who prefer Elizabeth the Last as their head of state, rather than an Australian.
Wentworth Falls NSW
Jobs at Centrelink
At 3pm on Thursday November 4, I got into Centrelink, Murray St, Hobart, to drop my form off and check for recent positions available. I got up into the Careers Information Centre and found the following work advertisements out of the Mercury and attached to a cork board as an advice to what jobs to apply for: topless waitress, topless masseuse and escort worker.
I was so amazed and disgusted and made a written complaint. At about 4pm I got a call from a Centrelink officer thanking me for my observation. She had checked with her legal advisers and: yes — it was not an appropriate practice. I also rang the Mercury — but they found no news value in the story (wonder why?).
Annica Mynax
North Hobart
Disability support
I have seen the new reforms (Liberal) Jocelyn Newman wants to impose on people receiving the Disability Support Pension (DSP). Her plan is to make eligibility for the DSP more difficult. If they are capable of work, they may no longer get the DSP.
I have been on and off a disability support pension for some years now. I have a condition which confines me to an electric wheelchair (Spinal Muscular Atrophy). I have worked for two years in an office job and encountered the many difficulties of holding down a job whilst in a wheelchair.
The major problem is transport, which leads to lack of punctuality. Taxis to and from work every day are too expensive and unreliable. I recently waited four hours for a taxi and only got one after ringing back six times and eventually pleading to the manager.
The government has placed hundreds more disabled taxis in Sydney. The reason they don't come to a disabled person is simple, the majority of them don't want to. Many cabbies switch off the specially installed radios for disability calls and only take regular bookings.
I tried catching the government bus that has a wheelchair ramp. Unfortunately the government did not supply timetables for these buses. I regularly had to wait 1-2 hours for a bus. People in my area battled for a timetable and finally one has been printed for one of the bus routes.
In order to catch the train I must be assisted by a station guard who uses a ramp to get me on a train. The recent cutbacks to state transit now means that there are some train platforms with no staff — therefore nobody to get a ramp to assist a wheelchair passenger.
Many train stations are being upgraded for the Paralympics. For years people have been lobbying for equal access and the government said there were no funds. No funds, my ass, they just didn't give a shit!
Even the most friendly boss in the world doesn't want a late worker. I am a person who can work, my disability does not hold me back. The system holds me back!
Sydney
[Abridged]
Genetic engineering
Regarding the discussion on genetic engineering: It is the use to which technology is put under capitalism, not the technology itself, that is the problem.
Genetic manipulation has the potential to help humanity. The same principles of genetic engineering have been used to produce human insulin for diabetics rather than the pig form used previously, which caused clinical problems and illnesses in many people because it is very slightly different in one or two amino acids.
However, the use of genetic engineering to manipulate plants that all humans beings have to eat is another ball game. There are no benefits except that the large biotech companies gain massive profits.
The main effect is to increase the spraying of pesticides, not reduce it. Farmers in the third world will not have access to seed, due to terminator technology. There has been no intrinsic improvement in crop quality. In fact, the quality of the food is never tested.
If one thing is changed in a system, there are always several other consequences besides the desired one. Scientists are not taught dialectics, and most rely totally on empirical reasoning.
Therefore we need to ban the release of genetically engineered food products until these things have been tested out slowly and thoroughly. Monsanto's testing of products for no longer than a few months in the field is absurd. DDT was initially successful, and then came the horrible debacle.
The chemical agricultural revolution which caused massive pollution of our ground water, rivers, soil and food chain should start alarm bells ringing when the same people present a rerun, all supposedly based on science.
Brisbane
NSW Greens
I've lamented the slow but consistent erosion of democratic rights supported by the Democrats and Greens over the past 10 years and it now seems that the NSW Greens are to go down this same well worn path by supporting Labor's plans to restrict small parties' rights.
As a Rainbow Alliance member who quit long before its predictable demise, I've learnt to smell a rat from a long way off. The question I asked the NSW Greens (and received no reply) is: when your organisation has fallen to pieces, which is now inevitable, what will you say to every community group in the future who have decided to run in an up and coming election to publicise their point? You will have shown yourself to be on the other side.
The simple fact of the matter is that your action is worse than naive. It is explicitly self serving and serves only to cut off another avenue of protest to those of us trying to better our lot in an increasingly unfair and exploitative world.
The only thing missing from your reply was a bit of good old red baiting. But I guess you knew that would come straight back at you, given the explicit bankruptcy of your political manoeuvring with an organisation (Labor) that has done more to undermine democratic rights in this sunburnt country of ours than the Libs ever could have.
Yes, feeder tickets are exploited by organisations such as the lib/labs but that can be overcome by something you seem to have forgotten (if you ever had it) — and that is open and honest debate.
There are no shortcuts to democracy, if there were, we would have had it quite a while ago.
Paul Glenning
Committee member Capricorn Conservation Council
Rockhampton Qld
[Abridged]