The boat load of Middle Eastern men, women and children, that were flung to their deaths in the stormy waters of the Indian Ocean, were chancing their lives in an epic journey to seek a better existence half way around the globe from their poor homelands.
Desperate and daringly hopeful, they took their chances in a world full of apathy and tried to steer their own destiny to something more than what they were born to.
....and the Daily Mail likes to call these people spongers, wasters and scum......
That is one media outlet to BOYCOTT!
ReplyDeleteJim
Perhaps, if reincarnation is a fact, the critics will eventually have an opportunity to experience a less-than-privileged life for themselves. Hmm. Maybe I should stop criticizing politicians, I might end up as one myself someday. Bleccch. Or working for Fox News.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't heard that awful news. I'm glad I don't get that paper/rag. It's disgusting.
ReplyDeleteWhat an awful newspaper. How could they dare print something like that. At least our newspapers here, that I've seen, have been a lot kinder. What a terrible tragedy, The misery these people must have lived in to even attempt such a crossing.
ReplyDeleteWhy do people have to be so unkind!
I saw this on the news this morning and was saddened.. I thought we should put all politicians in this boat and let them swirl around a bit.. They are so spoiled how they are living here in the USA . They would wake up soon an smell the coffee and know that not anyone is bringing it too them or no one is there to save them... OH,,,did I say that?
ReplyDeleteJust wish they would come to reality sometimes and quit spending money...
I agree with Jacacue, they print this rubbish to sell their so called news stories so maybe if we didn't support them that would print something different. Unfortunately there seem to be a lot of people around that support their view of the world which is a shame because after all we all live in the same world.
ReplyDeleteto be fair the mail has not badmouthed the poor people on this boat......but in general it remains frightened and angry at the plight of asylum seekers and their efforts to enter Britain!
ReplyDeleteI felt so upset for these poor people who only want a new life for themselves!....perhaps I shouldn't have been so snippy?
That is so sad, what hopes they must have had, to try that journey, only to be crushed by the waves. They had to be quite desperate to even try.
ReplyDeleteThe screams I heard in the online video I watched gave me chills. Those poor families.........
ReplyDeleteIsn't Easter Island a part of the Australian territory? Australia is renowned for it's hospitality to incoming strangers seeking help...
ReplyDeleteSorry, I meant Christmas Island.
ReplyDeleteWhat sad and awful news.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I blame the reluctance of national governments to move people more quickly from 'Displacement Camps' to new countries as new settlers and also the seeming unwillingness of Asian police and military to eradicate those who get rich and fat feeding off these ersons - the "People Smugglers"!
ReplyDeleteGood Heavens, people that die and they are berating them? I think I would cancel my subscription...
ReplyDeleteCat
I am so sorry!
ReplyDeleteMaybe, now they are free.
I agree with Jabacue -- boycott that media outlet. I can't believe how callous some of these people are that live in comfort with full stomachs and so on. Where is the empathy here? It's like bullying dead people!--Inger
ReplyDeleteUnforgivable. And, yet another example of how frightened we are of anyone different from us.
ReplyDeleteI have to say now, that I am seriously regretting my comments about Australian attitudes to asylum seekers, now that I have heard more detailed reports, and I sincerely apologise. It seems that everyone on Christmas Island were doing their very best to help these poor people, in weather conditions they had not seen for a long while. Everyone on the island who were close, were trying to save them, but found themselves almost helpless. What the newspapers say about it is a different matter.
ReplyDeleteI did not see this until now. How very sad, an absolute tragedy for these poor souls.
ReplyDeleteSo sad news, such a tragedy (the one we see, others are 'less spectacular' for the media but not for the people that suffer them). My deep felt commiseration for the boat people - and the thought that near Christmas (or otherwise, of course) the unwillingness to give people a harbourage when they need it badly reminds me of a very, very old tale...
ReplyDeleteyes tom
ReplyDeletethe locals threw 100s of life jackets at the passengers and many risked their own lives to help... unfortunately only one man got out of the sea unaided.....
terrible!
They tried to escape an apalling life to face a death in the most horrific circumstances. Rest in Peace.
ReplyDeleteI only ever read the Daily Mail when sat in the Barbershop. I’ve noticed that several of my neighbours buy it, too. I have to agree that it is a hateful, petulant rag. But…these people (the journalists) know exactly what they’re doing and, disliking censorship of any form, I defend their right to write what they choose. People in general are intellectually lazy and prefer to read/listen to media that chimes with their own views. So, if there is “blame” to be afforded, then it’s the readers to whom the contempt should be levelled.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, for as long as the ‘west’ continues to seek the acquisition of personal wealth at any cost, these tragedies will continue. Voters in (self-styled) democratic states should look to their own behaviours, and perhaps reflect on how they are contributing to this. The constant downward pressure on prices, the petulant and unrealistic demands for ‘lower taxes’, ‘more for less’, and unbridled use of natural resources articulate both selfishness and a denial of concern for others.
Of course, I’m just as guilty (if that is the correct word) as the next person. But I do try and make an effort: I use public transport when I can, I meter my water usage, I insulate my home (some of my neighbours haven’t done this, yet they all have chosen to purchase large television sets/X-boxes/etc., which cost more), and question the sustainability of the products that I do buy.
We desperately need a revised global economic model that does not promote population growth (and I include the ‘West’ in this, who appear to believe that population control does not apply to them), and a more mature commitment to preserving the resources of the planet. The leaders of religious communities need to take a grown-up, collegiate stand, too. Nobody likes to believe that they are doing harm to other people; equally, however, humanity has a capacity for choosing not to see what is right in front of their eyes.
Nx
Perhaps journalists should be made to walk a mile in their shoe. So heartbreaking. xxx
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