In this week’s edition of 60 Minutes, Nick McKenzie leads coverage of the Ben Roberts-Smith case, with an SAS eyewitness speaking publicly for the first time.
Also in tonight’s program, Adam Hegarty then turns to the alarming rise of the online “looksmaxxing” trend and its impact on young men.
THE RULES OF WAR
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In any war, the battle to defeat the enemy is obviously paramount. But there’s something equally important that’s often forgotten. It might be an oxymoron, but for civilized combatants, how the fighting is conducted is as significant as any victory.
War is not a free-for-all. It has rules and if they’re broken, there are consequences. For instance, a soldier cannot kick an unarmed, handcuffed civilian off a cliff and then order his execution. However, that’s one of the allegations facing Victoria Cross hero, Ben Roberts-Smith.
On Tuesday he was charged with five counts of war crime murder, arising from his multiple tours of duty during the Afghanistan war. Predictably, Roberts-Smith’s arrest created worldwide headlines, but of all the commentary since, nothing has been heard from the soldiers who fought alongside him. Until now.
On 60 Minutes Nick McKenzie speaks with an SAS veteran who saw Ben Roberts-Smith in action in Afghanistan.
Reported by Nick McKenzie and produced by Garry McNab.
Adam Hegarty with a young man featured in 60 Minutes’ report on the rise and risks of the “looksmaxxing” trend (image – Nine)
LOOKSMAXXING
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For people who don’t already know what “looksmaxxing” is, their first reaction might be to laugh when they see it in action.
But that would be wrong because this phenomenon, not surprisingly born from the internet, is not only non-sensical, it’s incredibly dangerous. And it’s causing damage to Australian adolescent boys and young men.
On the face of it, “looksmaxxing” is just that, a kind of self-improvement that comes from maximising appearance.
But as Adam Hegarty reveals, how it’s done defies belief. “Looksmaxxers” advocate drugs, surgery and even self-harm, often in the form of using a hammer to smash their faces to try to re-align their bone structures.
Reported by Adam Hegarty and produced by Sammi Taylor and Serge Negus.
This episode of 60 Minutes airs tonight, Sunday April 12 at 8.50pm on Channel 9 and 9Now.
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