more australian stupidity

Another Australia Day week has come and gone. This year more than ever I simply tried to ignore it but Michael Coghlan's image deserves some backup.

While it was great to see the show of multiculturalism in Michael's photostream I'm getting a sense of an increasing proto-nationalist undercurrent in any show of Australian 'pride' these days.

The flag flying, tattoo and towel-bearing yobbos, and the 'If you don't like it (read - if you don't like the way we behave towards you) - LEAVE' sticker messages, are simply a more crass and explicit pronouncement of a much larger groundswell however. The number of apparently intelligent people succumbing to the paranoia and 'one world government' conspiracy theories represent another movement I'm finding disturbing.

In Sydney it has reached a point where laws must be enforced to stop all alcohol consumption in and around many public places on Australia Day. It wouldn't take much for another Cronulla riot scenario to eventuate.

Increased press about finite resources and panic about water may have replaced terrorist fear for now; it seems we're only happy to be warm and fuzzy about embracing diversity when there's plenty to go around. But at the same time global warming conspiracy theories and redneck demands to be unaccountable for destruction of private land holdings indicate an unwillingness to act with foresight and adjust personal ways of life. Goodness knows how the old 'Think global; act local" message would be now misconstrued.

There's a lot we DO need to celebrate about living in Australia but at present it feels as though we've lost our way. How we get back on track is the question I can't answer.

"Only when the rivers run dry, the trees are all gone and the animals are all dead will humans realize that we can't eat money..." Unknown.