Controversial Melbourne-based comedian Catherine Deveny has sparked an outpouring of backlash on social media after tweeting that ANZAC Day is “bogan Halloween” and generally airing her grievances about what she sees as a celebration of the “violence industry” of war.
Taking to Facebook on April 23, Deveny kicked things off with this:
She then tweeted a series of ANZAC-related thoughts on Tuesday, which predictably had many people on the defensive.
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
choosing to serve the public = having a job. The veneer of sacrifice is unnecessary and self-serving
— Catherine Deveny (@CatherineDeveny) April 24, 2018
People weighing in shared stories of relatives who had fought for Australia, or pointing out what ANZAC Day means to them.
No respect for the people that fought for the freedoms u have today. U R So entitled it’s sad. My Grandfather, Norman Townsend, an “uneducated” man, he had a Bachelor of Science & Bachelor of Engineering from Sydney University. He served at Villers-Bretonneux. pic.twitter.com/SvLvsXhxZZ
— RipeManagement (@cath_townsend) April 24, 2018
My Great Aunt, who was a military nurse, watched her fiancé get killed during WW2. Do you think either of them wanted to be there? I’m struggling to see the humour in your “comedy”
I despise war, but many had no choice #LestWeForget— ᗷᖇIGᕼTY (@Ms_Brighty) April 24, 2018
https://twitter.com/orgelhaus/status/988813052643500032
https://twitter.com/David_SES14/status/988842062836465664
Other people reacted with anger, exasperation, and even boredom:
It must be that time of year again. When you try to convince yourself that you are somehow relevant by tweeting more uneducated rubbish about ANZAC day, and serving members of the ADF. It’s easy to post crap to get a reaction. Certainly a lot easier than serving one’s country.
— Guy McRedmond (@guymcredmond) April 24, 2018
Oh look, it’s the latest D-lister trying to make a name for themselves by saying something controversial on a nationally commemorated day.
You could have made more of an impact by posting Infinity War spoilers, you peanut.
🙄🙄🙄
— Nathan (@SeaEagleSpur) April 24, 2018
Catherine Deveny. Yawn. Don’t give her the attention she craves
— Tom Steinfort (@tomsteinfort) April 24, 2018
With such a sheer volume I can’t possible post them all here, many folks got personal in their responses, calling out the comedian for being “fat”, “ugly” and “a silly cunt”.
Deveny herself tweeted “Show Some Respect = Shut The Fuck Up Or I’ll Threaten To Rape You #AnzacDay”, indicating that she’d received some disturbing threats over her comments.
It’s not the first time she’s stirred up controversy – back in 2010, Deveny reportedly lost her job as a writer for Fairfax after saying at the Logies that she wished Bindi Irwin, then aged 11, would “get laid”.
My, my.
