Letters
Sydney Morning Herald
Thursday August 6, 2009
Listeners deserve abreak from bullyingThe latest appalling example of embarrassment, manipulation and bizarre personal inquisitions by Kyle and Jackie O has received justified, widespread condemnation, resulting in the show being €śrecessed€ť.However, the show attracted a large number of young listeners. How many of them are seduced into thinking that this type of aggressive and intrusive interaction is normal and desirable?Schools spend a lot of time and effort on anti-bullying programs, designed to eliminate intimidation, ostracising, teasing and manipulation, by instilling respect for others, fair dealing and empathy. From what I have seen, the show condones bullying and offers it as amusement.Surely radio shows can be devised to entertain, inform and stimulate in a positive way or are we, like 16th century peasants, to find our amusement flinging ordure at some unfortunate pinned in the stocks?Peter Ryan LilyfieldGrid expectationsCall me gullible, but shouldn't those who pay a premium for GreenPower be entitled to a share of the renewable power infrastructure, if it is ever built ("Wong faces revolt over GreenPower plan", August 5)?As concerned citizens, trying to do the right thing, our household buys 100 per cent GreenPower, even though we believe those who use fossil-fuel energy should be paying a premium for their pollution. We also installed a grid-connect solar system, believing one day we would be paid a fair price for supplying green power to the grid.Yes, call me gullible, but call me angry, too.Michael McGrath Manly ValeI am increasingly concerned about the assault on the GreenPower concept by people who should know better.Their flawed logic asserts that there are no significant benefits to the environment from this scheme, as voluntary efforts to cut emissions will only allow large polluters greater scope to pollute under a legislated cap.But which large polluters will elect to pollute more at a cost of carbon credits in excess of their allocation, if they are not prepared to do it now at no cost? Who will be buying these higher cost production units if they are not buying them now? This is the same logic that convinced General Motors to continue making heavy, fuel-hungry vehicles in the face of evidence that consumer demand was turning to more energy-efficient alternatives. And we all know what happened to GM.Stephen Reilly EleebanaWhat a performanceThe greed with which the music toll collector pursues public venues will damage the very industry for which it acts ("Music off the menu as licensing row heats up", August 4). Music played in restaurants, shopping centres or lifts has a symbiotic relationship with the artist. The venue benefits by creating an atmosphere conducive to customer pleasure, and the artist benefits by having a free audio billboard. No exchange of money is needed.When I owned restaurants I was twice approached by APRA for a licence fee. I told them to get lost. I support the right of anyone to play their own (purchased) music in their own commercial setting.Peter Maresch Lane CoveDoesn't Melanie America (Letters, August 5) know why we need loud music in restaurants? It's to drown out people yapping on their mobiles, "I'm having dinner ..."Peter West Bondi JunctionPower to the pebbleWe constantly hear about a draconian North Korea, but your photo showing the managers at the Ssangyong Motors plant firing a slingshot at workers leaves one to ponder the level of management skills taught in South Korea ("Commandos battle sacked car workers", August 5).Stewart Smith WestmeadAlarming tunnel visionSo, there appear to be a few problems with restarting the Large Hadron Collider ("Giant collider one big fizzer", August 5), including the defection of some scientists. Will it eventually disappear up its own tunnel?Ken Goodwin Burradoo
© 2009 Sydney Morning Herald