Wikipedia calls The Monthly an Australian national magazine of politics, society and the arts, which is published monthly [1]. I’m unsure when I started subscribing to it, but it wasn’t long after it was founded in 2005. Over the years I’ve found most of its articles interesting. And some, including Richard Flanagan’s ‘Out of Control: the Tragedy of Tasmania’s Forests’ [2] outstanding. I’ve generally agreed with The Monthly's line on politics, social issues and the environment. And judging by its advertising, I’m the sort of person it aims itself at. But all this is now in the past tense. Not because The Monthly’s gone out of business, but two days ago I cancelled my subscription. Why? Due to the pictured advertisement (click on it to enlarge it) which appears on page 7 of the current issue (and, ironically, two pages after a full-page ad for Toyota’s Prius). Whilst I’m a more tolerant and mellow fellow than I’ve been in the past, there’s still a fair bit I can’t hack. And subscribing to a magazine that publishes an ad for an event which is economically, environmentally, socially and democratically irresponsible, is most definitely beyond the pale. So as actions engender consequences: The Monthly advertised the F1 Grand Prix, therefore I cancelled my subscription. I’ve emailed them telling them why I cancelled my subscription. Will it make any difference to them? I doubt it. But I feel good about what I did. And anyway, I can only do what one person can do [3].
2 comments:
Good for you, FD, and thanks. I've lost all respect for the Monthly now. How disappointing and short sighted of them.
hi there fd, yes good for you. i wrote this to their letters' ed on Dec 3, after having come across the same ad and gasped. we'll see if it appears come early feb, although by the sounds of things there are not too many of us on this page who'll give them another cent.
"On page 7 of the last issue of The Monthly (December 2009 – January 2010) you ran, and thus endorsed, an advertisement for the Australian Grand Prix that read: 'Four Incredible Days When Life In Melbourne Feels Different'. This astounding piece of anti-ecological propaganda, like a number of your ads, both contradicts and negates the principled words of so many of your writers."
xx
p
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