You know it makes sense...

**Imapeach** · Jan 17th, 2005, 11:45 AM

Has anybody else seen the Sam Kekovich "We Love Our Lamb" commercial? It only went to air for the first time yesterday, but I'm already set to puke about the whole thing. The ex footy player states that it is "unAustralian" to not eat lamb, especially on Australia day. He tugs at the heart strings of diggers and accuses all vegetarians of being foreign-loving hippies. And apparently Lamb consumption in Australia has almost doubled in the five years since the We Love Our Lamb campaign started.

“Your long-haired, dole bludging types are indulging their pierced tastebuds in all manner of exotic, foreign and often vegetarian cuisine,” he said. “It’s an absolute disgrace. Do you think the Diggers in the trenches were fighting for tofu sausages? Look at our national song, Waltzing Matilda. It’s about a bloke trying to get a nice bit of lamb into his tuckerbag, not spicy chicken wings.”

Now I'm not a tight arse by any sense of the word... But if Sam Kekovich is an example of what it means to be Australian - ya'll can call me Yankee Doodle Dandy!

Watch it Here

Article

Another article

**cedarblue** · Jan 17th, 2005, 04:03 PM

is that guy for real??

talk about read the autocue...

he looks and sounds like a dipstick.

are you allowed to tell people to 'get stuffed' on OZ tv??

cant imagine tim henman telling anyone who refused to eat strawberries at wimbledon to do that - he'd tell them to toddle off and and dont be such silly billies!

**John** · Jan 17th, 2005, 11:06 PM

The United States grows an enormous amount of soy beans. Soy is our #1 crop. Therefore, I proclaim that anyone who does not eat soy at least once a day is un-American! These traitorous meat eaters are lovers of French and German culture! Let's dump all these fancypants meat dishes and eat vegetarian foods like our simple, courageous ancestors did!

Geoff · Jan 18th, 2005, 09:29 AM

Dave Hughes gave Sam Kekovich a serve on TV in one of those 6:30 current affairs shows. I didn't know he was vego but have always liked him.

Geoff · Jan 18th, 2005, 09:32 AM

The audio for the ad is at:http://www.mla.com.au/content.cfm?sid=1437
Sorry - don't know how to do links and can't be arsed to find out!

**veganblue** · Jan 18th, 2005, 11:21 AM

If you are in Australia and don't like this advert, email The Advertising Standards Bureau - that would be great.

email via; www.advertisingstandardsbureau.com.au

Ph. 02 6262 9822

Fax 02 6262 9833

Post;
Level 2
97 Northbourne Ave.
Turner ACT

**Imapeach** · Jan 18th, 2005, 11:31 AM

Done and done.
Cheers!

btw - go Dave Hughes!!

**veganblue** · Jan 18th, 2005, 12:08 PM

Thanks imapeach - I have posted also. I was more offended by the subtle incitements to racial discrimination/hatred on Australia Day. The Indigenous people rightly think of it as a day of mourning, but there is still hope that we will get it right eventually. It is ironic that on a day where all international cultures here celebrate being here that the meat industry is trying to use a misguided form of patriotism to promote it's product. Hopefully the international community will realise that the presentation is part of a dying relic.

**Gorilla** · Jan 18th, 2005, 12:48 PM

i've been told that adverts in Australia are a lot more "in your face" than the UK but that's just downright stupid.

Geoff · Jan 18th, 2005, 08:41 PM

I heard on the news yesterday that the complaints were not upheld as the ad was deemed satirical.
Unfortunately it got the meat industry more publicity, but we got some too, in fact the media seemed more than willing to allow the opposing view to be voiced.

PinkFluffyCloud · Jan 18th, 2005, 09:25 PM

I really like the Australian 'in yer face' kind of down-to-Earth style, but that advert is sick and twisted!

**Imapeach** · Jan 19th, 2005, 03:04 AM

This is what I was emailed this morning from the Advertising Standards Bureau:

Compliments and Complaints for ‘Lambasting’ TV Ad
—Advertising Watchdog Quick To Act

A television commercial advocating the consumption of lamb on Australia Day has attracted compliments as well as complaints to the advertising industry’s watchdog body, the Advertising Standards Bureau.

“It is far more unusual for an advertisement to attract compliments than complaints,” according to ASB Chairman Robert Koltai, “and almost unknown before now for an advertisement to attract both.”

Produced for Meat & Livestock Australia by the advertising agency Brown Melhuish & Fishlock, the television commercial features former football star Sam Kekovich sitting in front of an Australian flag, berating viewers in the cause of lamb consumption on Australia Day—suggesting anything else would be “un-Australian”.

The first complaint was received at the Canberra offices of the Advertising Standards Bureau yesterday (Monday), triggering regular procedures. Once it was established that the short run of the pre-Australia Day commercial would prevent it being referred for consideration at a regular meeting of the Advertising Standards Board, however, the matter was referred to Chairman Robert Koltai who immediately started canvassing Board Member views.

“The immediate issue for advertising industry regulation was whether the situation warranted a special meeting of the Advertising Standards Board,” Koltai explains. “By lunchtime today it was clear that there was no prospect of such a meeting upholding complaints that the advertisement represented vilification of vegetarians or any other sector of the community, and a decision was taken against calling Board Members to a special meeting.”

The ASB Chairman said that complaints about the advertisement, including those alleging vilification of vegetarians, were reviewed against all areas of the Advertiser Code.

“However, the dominant view of the Board is that the advertisement is clearly satirical, and a demonstration of the ability of the majority of the community to take a joke against themselves.

“And that is the dominant view of those members of the public who have taken it upon themselves to communicate praise for the commercial in such terms as that of a Sydney television viewer who wrote:

‘If we’re a democracy, please count my vote in favour of this ad and let’s see whether the majority of Australians want to have a chuckle for a week or so.’”

*sigh*

*double sigh*

**Mystic** · Jan 19th, 2005, 04:30 AM

I saw that ad this morning. I almost choked on my oatmeal. Why can't animal liberationists go on TV and tell the entire nation that eating meat is evil. This is discrimination.

Dave Hughes is cool, but I think he is a vegetarian for health. I used to listen to Hughesey Kate and Dave on the radio in the morning and I recall him going vegetarian to lose weight. I saw him at the shopping centre at Christmas time. He was talking on his mobile - that is how I saw him - I heard 'that voice' and turned around

. LOL you can never not recognise his voice!

**veganblue** · Jan 19th, 2005, 06:16 AM

... I got the same email and my comment was more to do with racial intolerance than animal welfare. I think it is worth contacting them again and stating that it's not good enough.

PinkFluffyCloud · Jan 19th, 2005, 08:25 AM

It IS discrimination - a satirical joke?? How about a satirical joke about Flesh Junkies. Hurumph.

**Mystic** · Jan 19th, 2005, 10:55 PM

My omni boyfriend saw the ad and he was disgusted.

**Cranky** · Jan 19th, 2005, 10:59 PM

I got really upset when I saw that ad, not just at the dig at vegetarians (hell, that guy can call me the bride of lucifer and the scourge of modern society for all I care - if I had my way he and the lamb-slaughtering people would have to seek employment doing something much more constructive) but because my grandfather (a fourth-generation Australian and descendant of pioneers) was an Australian soldier in WWII who was imprisoned in Changi Prison Camp for four years. He raised his kids on a diet of mainly curries (which was very rare in those days), and I would like to invite that fool to come to Poppy's grave and call him un-Australian. The racial overtones were just as disturbing as the vegetarian-bashing, and should not be tolerated.

**Mystic** · Jan 19th, 2005, 11:06 PM

You make a great point Cranky. There are many types of Australians from all sorts of cultures. There is no longer the steriotypical hard yakka farmer who constitutes what is Australian

**eve** · Jan 20th, 2005, 01:17 AM

I saw that ad last night on sbs, and I don't know what all the fuss is about. It is a joke, and part of the joke is that the guy keeps a straight face. What is upsetting for me, is when people are cooking, and cutting chunks of 'meat', etc. There was nothing like that in the ad. Some people are a bit short on understanding irony, or humour.

**Mystic** · Jan 20th, 2005, 02:01 AM

Well if my omni bf found it inappropriate, then that says something about some people's ideas about humour

**eve** · Jan 20th, 2005, 02:18 AM

You're right, we are all different. I take it that your omni bf is an Aussie?

**Mystic** · Jan 20th, 2005, 02:33 AM

Well he was born and raised here so yes, he is an Aussie - however his mother was born in Burma (Myanmar, next to Thailand and India) and his father was born in Scotland - that is where he gets his exotic looks from

**eve** · Jan 20th, 2005, 02:55 AM

I was thinking of his humour - I have found a dearth of it in Australia.

Yes I do know where Burma is. When I was in Thailand on the Burmese border at one time, I had a Burmese meditation master, and he used an interpreter to speak to me. It surprised me because in the old days in Burma they spoke English. The interpreter told me that the old monk absolutely refused to speak English because of his disdain for how the Brits treated the locals in the past.

BTW, yes I noticed how handsome and exotic your bf is!

**Mystic** · Jan 20th, 2005, 03:11 AM

LOL

Wow - have you travelled a lot? I would love to see Burma, but he has no desire to go - and he doesn't want to go to Scotland either

. We were nearly in Thailand though, at the time of the Tsunami, but we had complications getting a flight, so luckily, we decided to wait.

**Imapeach** · Jan 20th, 2005, 07:42 AM

Yes, at least half of my complaint to them was about multicultural prejudice... but there seems to be no trace of concern for that in their email back to me. It really just seemed like they were implying that people who are politically minded can't take a joke. Well, I suppose this is how radicalism starts - when politeness is ignored

PinkFluffyCloud · Jan 20th, 2005, 07:46 AM

Yes, Imapeach - that's certainly how it first started in my life!!

The quip about the tofu, etc, would be acceptable/borderline funny if the ad. wasn't pushing sales of dead animals.

**eve** · Jan 21st, 2005, 04:23 AM

Imapeach - get a life!

**Imapeach** · Jan 21st, 2005, 05:16 AM

Well that was bitter and uncalled for.

**eve** · Jan 21st, 2005, 05:31 AM

Imapeach - you said that the response you had was that it seemed to you they were implying that people who are politically minded can't take a joke. Then you said that you supposed this is how radicalism starts - when politeness is ignored.

I believe that it IS a joke, and it is patently obvious that there ARE some people who can't take a joke.

What do you mean by supposing that this is how radicalism starts? Where's the radicalism? As to lack of politeness, well I didn't see any rudeness in the ad. In fact it gave me a laugh.

I'm sorry you found my comment to be bitter and uncalled for. Why not try to develop some lightness of spirit, rather than be angry and see the dark side of things. I was not, and am not, bitter, and as for my remark being uncalled for - it was a lighthearted comment, for you not to take yourself so seriously.

**eve** · Jan 22nd, 2005, 09:05 AM

In today's 'Australian' there were a few letters referring to previous letters about this ad. There were two I liked, one was by a Collingwood supporter who suggested to 'whining wingeing vegos', they should walk a mile in his shoes as he has learned how to take insults and ridicule on a daily basis.

The other letter referred to someone who had lambasted "pasty faced como bastard vegos", and he said: "Not a nice way to describe Greg Chappell, Murray Rose, Martina Navratalova, Robert de Castella, Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, Tolstoy, Isaac Newton, Van Gogh, Voltaire, HG Wells, Pythagoras, Bernard Shaw, Charles Darwin, and Leonardo da Vinci. And let's not forget Dave Scott, winner of the Iron Man triathlon six times in a row."

I think that was great!

**Imapeach** · Jan 22nd, 2005, 12:37 PM

Eve, a comment like that on its own can easily be taken as a shit-stirring personal attack. Unless it is your intention to be offensive, I would suggest that you be more careful of the words you choose in the future. You are entitled to your opinion, now please allow others to share theirs too.

And yes, I realise that by bothering to respond to this I've just supported the supposition that I need to "get a life" but eh! I assume certain people on these forums wouldn't be posting thousands of posts if they had lives of their own

**Mystic** · Jan 23rd, 2005, 03:52 AM

LOL Imapeach

**Roxy** · Jan 23rd, 2005, 04:23 AM

HEY NOW! I'm at a thousand and something posts here

**eve** · Jan 23rd, 2005, 05:43 AM

me too!

**Cranky** · Jan 23rd, 2005, 10:07 AM

I'm sure I read somewhere that Peter Brock is a vegan, too. What red-blooded Aussie male would dare accuse Brockie of not being Australian?

**Durak Salome** · Jan 25th, 2005, 04:41 AM

hey you guys are going to over the top with having a go at this guy but I am an aussie and yet this does not offend me lamb is the traditional australian dish so that is why he blasted anyone who does not eat lamb. you blasting him makes thing worse this guy turns peoples insults against them and makes him critisie them more so the more we complain the worst it is going to get now tomorrow is Australia Day so agter then it probably wont come back on for at least a year

**veganblue** · Jan 25th, 2005, 10:50 PM

It would seem that you have missed a couple of points there Durak. Australia is barely old enought to call anything traditional; vegan's do not consider the killing of a lamb acceptable under any circumstances, especially not in the name of a dubious tradition; the ad did not respect other cultures that are older and also a part of Australia; agitating in the name of veganism is always worthwhile, there is the opportunity to express what veganism is about; and I am certainly hopeful that the MLA's stunt will not be returning next year.

For myself, I am joining a shared vegan BBQ in the centre of the city at lunch time. Not only are we putting on vegan food but the council has also prepared a vegetarian food stall!

**eve** · Jan 26th, 2005, 05:39 AM

Well what an Australia Day, with the giant Tasmanian logging company, powerful Gunns, suing 20 environmentalists for $6.3m - on the grounds that the environmentalists are interfering with Gunns' right to log forests. The company claims the greenies have harmed the company by disrupting logging and woodchipping operations and also by vilifying the company to its customers and shareholders!