Why Australia should give up cruel Melbourne Cup

ISN'T it funny that people who oppose Halloween often use the argument that the playful blood, gore and general creepiness has no place in our country.

ISN'T it funny that people who oppose Halloween often use the argument that the playful blood, gore and general creepiness has no place in our country. 

How strange, considering if we pull up a curtain and pull a sad face, that real death is somehow okay. 

In fact it's more than okay, it's part of one of Australia's biggest annual celebrations. 

Of course, I'm talking about the Melbourne Cup. 

It seems almost like blasphemy sometimes to have a bone to pick with horse racing - an industry responsible for the painful deaths of thousands of horses.

For many it's easy to ignore the deaths of the horses involved. 

Who thinks of them when there are beautiful hats, expensive alcohol and money to be made. 

How many dead horses will it take to realise we can do better? 

How long before we take a good hard look at ourselves as a human race and realise how pitiful it is to cause other creatures to suffer solely for our pleasure?

Some say horses love to race, that it's cruel to stop them. 

I'm yet to see how many horses snap bones frolicking happily in a field. 

Is criticising the Melbourne Cup unAustralian? 

Some consider it that way. 

But when it comes down to it, I'd prefer it if Australia adopted Halloween and gave up the cup. 

Because the playful ghosts that come out on October 31 are nowhere near as heartbreaking as the ghosts of innocent creatures, let down by the people they served. 

Crystal Jones is the online editor for the Bundaberg NewsMail.