Soapbox Theatre

I am a supporter of the brain-drain. Young university graduates should take the opportunity to head overseas before they’re committed to work or finances back home. A lot of industries are easier to break into within other countries and the money they offer is often much more than can be made at the same level back home.
    That said, it isn’t the extra money or work experience that I think gives value to going overseas. The experience itself is a chance to explore the wider planet – to form opinions and gain insight about the large, wide world outside this tiny little nation.

Is our right to have a say really that important? It should be fair to raise this issue. We hold so tightly to the ideal of giving everybody the chance to speak up here in New Zealand – but all too often nobody takes the opportunity.
    Let’s use the example of debate. If you flick through even one issue you’ll soon find that it is open for ANYONE to contribute to. One-off letters, cartoons, articles, columns, news story ideas… there’s a fairly wide scope of material you can submit. Yet you’ll find the number of actual contributors to be pretty low in comparison to the number of AUT students who know about and read the magazine. You might expect the journalism and public relations students to take advantage of a free portfolio opportunity… but most of them will graduate without submitting a single article.

A single glance through recent headlines should bring sobriety. There is a stark, sad contrast between our dry beds, warm homes, groceries... and the lives of Myanmar’s people as they try to survive after the disaster that began the month of May.
    In the wake of all this we have seen an outbreak of rage against the ruling regime of Burma. The corruption and paranoia of this country’s rulers has resulted in only a bare token of aid offered to its citizens. Only this technically prevents us from saying that the government has done nothing to help its people.
    Not only has the government failed to help its citizens, but it continues to strangle any other form of aid, both local and international. It fears that those sheltering in monasteries will be influenced against its rule and a result the monks who have been helping those affected have been told not to accept foreign aid and to clear out those who have come seeking refuge. Foreign workers are refused visas, news media sent away and international supplies and helpers kept outside Burma’s borders. The people suffer and die as their government clings to its last shreds of stability.

Our decisions have consequences, and the small actions we make out of habit have widespread effects on the course of our future. Think about drink driving ads for a minute. For all of the shocking events and grim images they show, the heart of the matter comes down to a quick and quiet process of thought after a few drinks.

Of course, it is easy to forget the importance of the little things we do. We make hundreds, even thousands of choices in each busy day - and simply don't have the time to evaluate them all in great detail. Even if we did, we probably wouldn't relish the idea of spending hours trying to decide the outcomes and moral implications of something as simple as whether or not to have the avocado.