Why Won't You Say Nup to The Cup?

afoveht on 31/10/2019 - 14:14
Last edited 31/10/2019 - 14:15

There's been plenty of mainstream coverage recently about the ugly stuff that goes on in horse racing and associated industries. This is as good as any place to look into it. There have for a long time been more comprehensive treatments like this but until it hits the telly no-one wants to believe it. (Both those links are from organisations that aren't driven by animal rights at all).

Imagine: Millionaires buy a horse, get trophies for their performance, then when the horse can't live up to their ever exceeding expectations they are popped off for a bullet, or whatever undignified death is cheapest. Break a leg? Get a bullet. Lose a few races race? Get a bullet. Millionaires - like our fave Gerry Harvey - that could easily sustain hundreds of horses if they saw them as anything but commodities and investments.

And that's aside from the fact that these horses are being bred purely to satisfy our whims for entertainment and are pushed hard their whole lives.

There are so many better things to get dressed up and pissed for on a Tuesday. Why would you partake in anything this vile industry offers?

Entertainment Melbourne Cup

Comments

    • MessyG on 04/11/2019 - 21:07

      So much unhelpful from both sides of the coin on here really. This stupid left vs right thing is just manufactured division (by both sides) to keep everyone distracted from their shared problems.

      • [Deactivated] on 04/11/2019 - 21:54
        +2

        You don't have to be right wing to be anti-left. The left agenda targets the middle.

  • frostman on 04/11/2019 - 08:25

    The Melbourne Cup is a farce, it shows you the hypocrisy of Australia (and Australians)

    It's ok for Horses to be destroyed on the spot for being injured whilst forced to run at unsustainable rates. Mind you, none of these horses have actually had anything remotely close to a natural horse life since their very existence. But hey! we're all dressed up in quirky hats, with a glass of champagne whilst we look each-other out for best dressed.

    Australia lectures other countries about animal cruelty yet is guilty of the same issue in different forms.

  • ElleV on 04/11/2019 - 11:12
    +2

    Another excuse to glorify gambling, alcohol abuse, animal abuse and unnecessary deaths. No thanks.

  • DiscoJango on 04/11/2019 - 11:49
    +3

    Horse racing as an industry, and will realistically always be around. Why? Because its just that: an industry that employs thousands of Australians. Its not just the jockey riding the horse. Its all the people that maintain the facilities, the people who work in Racing Vic offices, admin staff, IT staff, the people working at the TAB, the people who supply the data, the companies that print the brochures etc etc etc

    There is an entire supply chain directly and indirectly tied in. The Melbourne cup, the drunk visitors and the jockeys are just a small part of a large equation. Your attendance or boycott of just a single horse race will have zero impact.

    • greater mimic on 04/11/2019 - 11:54
      +1

      Industries do come and go

      • infinite on 05/11/2019 - 13:20

        They don't call it "get woke, go broke" for nothing.

    • ElleV on 04/11/2019 - 16:55

      Strength in numbers

      • DiscoJango on 04/11/2019 - 17:22

        Keep in mind, all industries have a few bad eggs, however not everyone is bad. There are just as many people who love and take great care of the animals. Also this industry is global, especially in the UAE & asia. Huge amounts of money involved.

    • frostman on 04/11/2019 - 21:20
      +1

      Horse racing as an industry, and will realistically always be around. Why? Because its just that: an industry that employs thousands of Australians.

      Kodak employed far more employees worldwide and still collapsed in one way or another.
      Except Kodak did not make animals suffer, nor people lose their money.

      Your statement is weak

      • RolandWaites on 06/11/2019 - 11:32

        The difference being perhaps being Kodak is a brand, not an industry. The decline of Kodak didn't precipitate the decline of the photography industry.

        • frostman on 06/11/2019 - 14:22
          +1

          I think you'll find a whole lot of people (and horses) are better off without the Melbourne Cup.

          It's a trashy event. dumb people get rich and dumber get poorer

  • groot on 04/11/2019 - 12:07

    We are humans with no signs of humanity. Yay!

  • GourmetFoodie on 04/11/2019 - 13:00
    +1

    Personally I have not followed The Cup in years. I only went back in the day when I had marquee invites because I wouldn't be a true oz bargainer saying no to top quality free food and drink. That aside, I always found the whole concept of horse racing incredibly boring and watching jockeys whip horses never sat right with me. Hopefully the recent public reaction to the extend of cruelty revealed is a sign that our civilization is evolving and perhaps we can instead create a public holiday to celebrate a Victorian Arts Gala where artists can showcase their works? Art Basel Melbourne?!

    • infinite on 05/11/2019 - 13:21
      +1

      Yeah but who really cares if there's free food?

  • Hybroid on 04/11/2019 - 13:22
    +2

    Betting truck has arrived at World Square and it's depressing to see the long lines at lunchtime of people waiting to flaunt their cash…

    I went to the Royal Ascot once and that's literally all it was, a betting-fest. Never looked into it again. Don't understand the extreme fascination here.

    • infinite on 05/11/2019 - 13:22
      +1

      At least you can win money gambling. Complaining about stuff on the internet is always a total loss.

  • freakatronic on 04/11/2019 - 17:06
    +2

    I wouldn't say nup just because some annoying vegans got in my face about it.

    I do say nup cause I don't care about sports.

  • profar on 04/11/2019 - 19:40

    Great we have A Cup thread here .

    I used some seriously horse pro punter's brains and came up with : 1 , 7 , 11 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 . Other's 3 & 10 .

  • arcticjuggernaut on 04/11/2019 - 19:54
    +1

    Used to take a punt on cup day but what i've seen lately is enough for me to not support it. Not going to get on a soap box about it though. Silent protest :)

  • srr on 04/11/2019 - 20:44

    Why there’s always a protest? Why you can’t just go and do something else instead of protesting and destroying?

    About 7 years ago when I migrated to Australia there was a nation building day, the Melbourne Cup. People at work would do raffles, talk and enjoy themselves. Now thanks to all you killjoys it’s no more, it’s even called differently now at my workplace. I have seen the tradition died, and I refuse to participate in a replacement party. Go enjoy yourself now.

    Mind you, the racing is still there. Every day.

    • dufflover on 04/11/2019 - 22:46
      +5

      The irony is the protesting is exactly about that, "destroying".
      That glammy chat at the races and at work is the exact facade put up so people don't think about all the other horses who didn't end up making it onto the field.

    • 2ndeffort on 04/11/2019 - 22:49
      +3

      Actually I thought the nation building day was Australia Day …. errmm, maybe a bad example, they dont want us to have that either.

    • [Deactivated] on 05/11/2019 - 08:34
      -4

      go back

    • Brianqpr on 05/11/2019 - 10:50
      +2

      Because the industry around it is rife with corruption, cruelty and dishonesty. Plenty of other opportunities for people to get together and enjoy themselves.

  • 00 on 05/11/2019 - 09:56
    +2

    Got any tips on who to back on the cup?

    CONSTANTINOPLE ?

  • khomeini on 05/11/2019 - 12:11
    +1

    I find it interesting that no one has mentioned that gambling is responsible for this.

    Take away the gambling aspect and horse/dog races becomes much less enticing.

    I doubt people here would care who won the cup if it didn't involve money being won or lost (except owners, trainers or riders).

    Gambling is the issue and society has a part in cleaning up this vice. Especially one which impacts on the health of animals.

    Ps. I eat meat and doubt I'll change so come from a different angle to thevofa but agree with his stance.

  • TimApple on 05/11/2019 - 15:55
    -1

    I'm a leftie liberal who should be outraged by this and I'm not.

    It's simply because we're talking about a couple horses, tops 100-200 horses per event?

    The bigger issue is the millions of cows and the pigs we kill every year for our foods. How is that not bigger than the horses?

    I agree with some people, there are outrage fatigue, and rather than giving them more and more outrage over just 100 horses, why don't we fight for the millions of cows?

    • idonotknowwhy on 06/11/2019 - 12:25

      I'm a leftie liberal who should be outraged by this

      Why do you identify yourself as this?

      Couldn't you identify as an individual who forms their own opinion about each individual issue (like you've done in this case)? It's a lot more effort than simply outsourcing the formation of opinions to a political ideology, but it looks like you're already putting in the effort anyway.

      I'm not the one who neg'd you btw and am genuinely interested in what you have to say about this.

  • profar on 05/11/2019 - 19:16
    +1

    why don't we fight for the millions of cows

    They taste too good in my Big Macs .

    • sa-ozzie on 05/11/2019 - 23:44

      Try the rebel whopper

  • watwatwat on 05/11/2019 - 22:44
    +2

    I watched the Four Corners episode linked to in OP. I certainly would not have spent the few bucks on the race today if I'd watched this beforehand. Very sad state of affairs. All the horses are surely pushed so hard during their racing life and not even rewarded for it in the end with some peace in their life. Quite the harsh opposite.

    • srr on 06/11/2019 - 18:54

      Is it any different to humans participating in sport?

  • kaleidoscope on 05/11/2019 - 23:36

    Because, then we will all loose one public holiday.

  • zombrex on 06/11/2019 - 00:18

    I went to the Cup parade on Monday and all I have to say is the protesters are a bunch of losers. A very small number of protesters only about 40 or so but they are very loud because they use megaphones and carry massively over sized banners and strategically position themselves to get the most coverage,
    Thousands enjoyed the parade and probably 90% of those in the crowd would not even see or hear the protesters.

    Half of the protesters looked extremely unhealthy, thin, weak, anemic and also look like a complete caricature of extreme left wing nuts you can all easily imagine. A bunch of very sad people.

    The media should be ashamed for giving them so much coverage.
    Controversy equals money to them so they promote this to their benefit while blowing the outrage against the event out of proportion.

  • [Deactivated] on 06/11/2019 - 04:06
    +1

    Maths is next on the SJW agenda. Boycott maths.

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=W7IqkwVnw0U

    • miicah on 06/11/2019 - 10:43

      Fox news lol

      • [Deactivated] on 06/11/2019 - 11:01
        +2

        The bigger crackpot is Dr Anne Delessio Parson, associated with Portland State University and Williamette University.

        At least this explains why vegan slacktivists are so terrible at maths. :)

  • ShirokaZe on 06/11/2019 - 09:01
    +3

    I really don't care for the Melbourne Cup or gambling and whatever comes with it, but at the same time, I don't give two sh1ts about horses. Divert the energy from your animal rights BS into something that benefits mankind and let others enjoy things.

  • Spootage on 06/11/2019 - 11:21
    +5

    Because I won $50 in the office sweep! WOO HOO!

  • idonotknowwhy on 06/11/2019 - 12:11

    I never said "Yep" to the cup because I don't give a (profanity) either way. Does that count as saying "Nup"?

  • 2ndeffort on 06/11/2019 - 22:30
    +1

    Well that's it over, what do the perennially outraged move onto now? What's next on the calendar of outrage? Is there a reason for us all to be ashamed of Christmas or is it straight onto protesting Australia Day?

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