A while back – when Australia was going through it’s 1000th mid-term MP change – I was reading the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper in an attempt to keep up with all the political shenanigans.
While reading the article, I saw an image that shocked me.
Not because of it’s gratuitous violence.
But because of it’s brilliance at totally underplaying the bravery of soldiers.
What am I talking about?
Well, if you’ve been paying attention, you’ll know from the title of this post …
That’s right, it’s a cuddly bear in an [old] soldiers uniform.
Not only that, it’s a cuddly bear in an [old] soldiers uniform that you can buy from the Sydney Morning Herald’s shop.
Who the hell are they targeting?
Is it for someone to buy their kid?
Is it for someone to buy for themselves?
Is it for someone to buy as a gift to someone else?
I have no idea, the only thing I do know is WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?
I get it if you want to help young children understand the sacrifices of their forefathers but this is the Sydney Morning Herald … a paper that prides itself on being an adult paper covering adult issues.
And if they really wanted to commemorate the brave soldiers who died in previous conflicts, surely they could have come up with something a bit more meaningful. Or even sensitive.
Don’t get me wrong, I like a cuddly bear as much as the next man, but as a commemorative object for the tens of thousands who died in a bloody and achingly long war, I don’t know if that’s really the best thing.
I’d love to know how many they’d sold.
Then I’d love to know the addresses of everyone who bought one, so I could go up to their house, knock on their door and ask …
“WHAT THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU THINKING?!!!”