An ex-Fairfax columnist has come under fire after posting a series of ANZAC Day tweets calling the day “Bogan Halloween”.
In the tweets, writer and comedian Catherine Deveny questioned why soldiers were referred to as “serving” the country, as well as criticising Australia’s purported ‘free speech’.
ANZAC Day. It's Bogan Halloween.
— Catherine Deveny (@CatherineDeveny) April 24, 2018
One of the thing that ANZAC day brings up is the hilarious notion that Australians have fought for our right to free speech. Australians do not have the right to free speech. Australians who have worked in the violence industry have fought wars to suck up to the US and British.
— Catherine Deveny (@CatherineDeveny) April 24, 2018
Why do people in the armed forces use the word 'serve' to describe their work despite it being no more dangerous or prone to upheaval than many other jobs? It's just a job and work. Throw the term 'serve' in the bin. It's part of the fetishisation of war and violence.
— Catherine Deveny (@CatherineDeveny) April 23, 2018
Deveny also posted on her Facebook page about the day.
Unsurprisingly, Deveny felt the wrath of angry social media users almost instantaneously.
The responses ranged from critical to completely incensed.
Twitter user John Cunningham wrote: “Australians do not have the right to free speech” and yet here you are, exercising free speech.”
Another user, Dan Peoples said: “Sorry I forgot you were a failed edgy “comedian” desperate for any kind of attention. This is my grandad who served. Order of Australia recipient & today Is a day I remember him. Why waste another second on a hack like you who unlike the ANZACS we will all forget come tomorrow.”
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While James Hooper said: “Go and double dump a couple of Prozac’s darl and have a lie down.”
Meanwhile, on Facebook, Deveny faced equal – if not worse – criticism.
Rebecca Crowdey Beckwith commented on her post, “I am the proud widow of a veteran who died of a service related illness. In addition, I am equally proud of our two young children who I am now raising solo. You Catherine are an absolute disgrace to Australia! As an adult, please stop and consider your unsuspecting audience before turning into the keyboard warrior you obviously are. I’d fire you too, your ‘writing’ is absolutely shit!”
Deveny was sacked as a columnist for The Age by Fairfax Media in 2010 when she took to Twitter to satirically criticise the Logie Awards.
Ahead of the award show, Deveny posted: “I do so hope Bindi Irwin gets laid”.
Defending herself, Deveny said she was attempting to point out the “celebrity raunch culture and the sexual objectification of women, which is rife on the red carpet”.
