satire
24 Nov 2011
Who's Rooting For Team Australia?
Team Australia? No, it's not a bad TV series about young Christians solving crimes and learning about democracy - it's the way forward for multicultural Australia. And Ben Pobjie is head cheerleader
I’d like you, for a moment, to consider your own inevitable death. On that day, when you are brutally slaughtered in your sleep, who do you envision doing the deed? If you answered, "the youth of today", you’ve put your finger on the very real problem facing us today: the fact that young people in our modern society are directionless, devoid of purpose, filled with frustration and rage, and essentially amoral and sadistic.
Open up any newspaper today, and what do you see? That’s right — Woolworths ads. But turn the page, and what do you see? Andrew Bolt stroking his chin. But if you browse through the paper for a bit, you will come to see story after story after story about children running wild. Damaging property, spray-painting public amenities, stabbing people in the neck, and texting pictures of their nipples to each other. They are absolutely out of control, and it’s difficult not to assume that the tide of violence engulfing us all is because of the internet, like most things.
But that’s just too simplistic an answer this time. This is one occasion when we can’t simply create a fake profile on Facebook, cyber-bully our kids into submission, and retire to the sleep of the righteous. We have to look deeper, we need to crack this problem open and reach right down inside, much as a great chef will crack a crab’s shell before pulling out the juicy crabmeat and frying it in oil. And likewise we must try to fry our young people in oil — figuratively speaking — if we are to prevent civilisation collapsing in a nightmarish welter of graffiti and disrespectful t-shirts.
But is there an answer? Luckily, there is, and it’s no surprise that it comes from the natural home of innovation and harmony, the Liberal Party. Specifically, from the Victorian Multicultural Affairs and Citizenship Minister, Nick Kotsiras, who, in the course of an ordinary day at the Department of Multicultural Affairs and Citizenship Department, sitting in his office playing Minesweeper and wondering what his job is, had a brainwave. And the name of that brainwave? "Team Australia".
Yes, Minister Kotsiras has placed himself in the mines of Moria, standing before the Balrog of hooliganism, and, crying, "You shall not pass!", has raised high a staff carved from pure patriotism. And truly, never has a braver wizard inhabited a state frontbench.
The first genius bit of Team Australia is the name: Team … Australia. A name to conjure with, I’m sure you’ll agree. Whisper it to yourself, right now. Go on, don’t be shy. Nobody’s around. Say it: "Team Australia…" Don’t you just get shivers? There you see the brilliance of Kotsiras.
What sort of image arises in your head when you hear the name Team Australia? A really bad series of kids’ books about young Christians solving crimes and learning about democracy? Yes, me too! But there are other images that it’s possible to come up with. Images of hope, and love, and ethnically diverse school groups skipping through Federation Square, playing cricket on beaches, and learning how abattoirs work. Good wholesome activities that make for better citizens, better lives, and better meat.
What are the main elements of Team Australia? Well, the first main element is that all schoolchildren should sing the national anthem. The other main elements are also that all schoolchildren should sing the national anthem. It’s a pretty simple plan, to be honest. The process goes like this:
1. Children sing national anthem
2. Children feel Australian
3. Children get jobs driving mining trucks.
4. Hooray.
Of course, some people don’t think kids should sing the national anthem, because it’s got difficult words like "girt" in it, and they have nothing better to complain about. Some people think they should sing Waltzing Matilda, because the current anthem doesn’t give enough credit to the suicidal thieves who built this nation. Some people think they should sing We Are Australian, because they hate life and themselves. But the words don’t really matter — what matters is the feeling.
The problem, as Mr Kotsiras so cannily put his multicultural finger on, is that kids just don’t feel Australian. They live here, they go to Australian schools, and they eat at Australian McDonald’s family restaurants, but they don’t have real "Australianness", down deep in their bones.
You know what I mean by Australianness — that powerful, poignant, passionate feeling that we all have percolating in our bellies if we are real Australians; that mysterious, indefinable sense of identity, that intoxicating mixture of dusty outback resourcefulness, knockabout larrikin humour, detailed knowledge of marsupials, and cheerful alcoholism. It’s hard to explain in words, but when you’ve got it, you know it. I, being a proper Australian with Australian parents and everything, feel it very strongly indeed. And probably you do too, since you can read English. But unfortunately, there are many children on this landmass who don’t feel it. They may be technically Australian, but they’re not emotionally Australian. And if you’re not emotionally Australian, quite frankly you might as well be some sort of central Asian opium-lord: your Australianness will come to nought.
Which is why it’s so important that Kotsiras’s proposal gets cut-through with the community. We need to make kids feel Australian, or else they’re going to go looking for other ways to forge a personal identity. After all, we all know how Australian kids behave: they play sport, they go fishing, they help with the washing up and throw Frisbees to old Tige the blue heeler out in the paddock. They live a bracing outdoors life that prepares them for a long and successful life of obeying the law and staying as quiet as possible.
If kids aren’t sufficiently Australian, they stray from this happy eucalyptic life-cycle. They begin listening to hip-hop. They show disrespect to their elders. They refuse to go to tractor lessons. They start inhaling nitrous oxide and masturbating in phone booths. They kill and eat old Tige, and they wipe their mouths on the flag. Let kids grow up without a sense of Australianness, and you’ll be living in a failed state quicker than you can say "creeping sharia".
It’s time to stop the wave of lawlessness. Youth gangs and knife-crime might be acceptable for backward countries like Phuket or Germany, but we don’t want it here. We need to take back our kids from the foreignness of other places, and instil in them a proper sense of the Australianness of here. We need to drag them into the modern Australian century, and get them singing with all their might. We need to say to the kids of today, sure you might think it’s pretty "cool" to sit around on the computer all day, Photoshopping pictures of Weary Dunlop into porn; but how much more AWESOME would it be if you could get together with all your school pals and have a nice singalong? They’ll soon see how "hip" patriotism is.
Make no mistake, people: we are in a war. A war against un-Australian feelings. A war against alienated youth. A war against non-anthem singing. And it’s a war we need to win, before it’s too late.
Get those kids singing, Australia. With a song in our hearts, we can avoid the coming bed-massacre, and sleep soundly until we all die of obesity. That’s the Australian way.
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Posted Thursday, 24 November 11 at 12:15PM
Where the govt & corporate leadership take no responsibility for their actions expect, monkey see monkey do to apply.
People whom are struggling to survive in an oppressive environment have little to loose. Worth considering that before going all blame the youth, blame the poor mode I think.
Posted Thursday, 24 November 11 at 1:43PM
I suppose Team Excelsior was already taken?
How do I sign up for Team Australia and am I too old? Probably.
Posted Thursday, 24 November 11 at 3:32PM
Strike me Ben, this Team Australia lark seems like a right cracker!
I can see fellas like Chris Owens (above) lying about their age so that they can join their mates defending Aussie values, just like the 11 year-old diggers that fought at Gallipoli.
If singing the national anthem doesn’t bring the youffs around they oughta be forced to watch Skippy until they bleed eucalyptus. I did and I am foine!
Posted Thursday, 24 November 11 at 7:41PM
Crikey that article was bonza Benno!!I sang God Save the Queen when I was in primary school over in Geelong…does that make me English instead?!!!
Posted Friday, 25 November 11 at 6:14AM
Oh Ben!
Your work is a delight!
Posted Saturday, 26 November 11 at 9:07AM
If you are a the foreigner why would you want to feel Australian. It doesn’t take long to figure out that the Government is screwing its own by bringing them in on a 747, just to get a hold of their money and kids. Having an Aust Kid cost $5000 dollars + Education.
Foreign kids at 12+ age cost nothing, when they misbehave at a later stage you just deport them.
Once the Parents have spent all of their money and realize that they were always just wogs, by the way they are treated and they see boat people treated, they get back on plane money less and childless mostly.
Their Kids grow up and eventually realize the Parents weren’t that stupid, but its too late.
If your an Aust. your Fore-Fathers apparently fought for Freedom and Democracy, lost their lives and then if you happen to like History you find out it was all C****p. Despite all this weren’t they great, the returned service man get treated like garbage, (Vietnam Vets good example)you the child of one get treated like garbage, there are no jobs or housing for you when you escape the bush to come to the big city because its all taken by foreigners or so it seems to you. The Government totally confuses you with their anti Boat people rhetoric yet happily accept people on planes.
Business is failing yet Business is the Holly Grail.
Everybody is expected to spend and save the Economy and Bankers yet nobody wants to give you any to spend, despite Governments handing out huge amounts of Tax payer money to save Banks and the “Businee is great mentality” you are classed as a bludger despite the fact that your old man had his arse shot off in some idiot war, making it all possible.
And you think your confused Ben Pobjie. We would be better of if we grew Vegetables instead of breeding humans, because we just add to the problem.
We used to have 5 million confussed people now we have 25 million and all concentated in major cities, creating major Ghettos. While the people coming in on a plane pay massive big rents to keep some Real Estate agent in a BMW, because of the shortage in Properties and Infastructure.
Wake up Ozy. “Oy, Oy,Oy”. Oy what, da, Da, DA, Daaaaahhhhhhhhh. Let me off, this planet sucks.
Fools and Fools Gold. Too many Dorks and Bimbo’s for far too long.
Posted Saturday, 26 November 11 at 9:28AM
Dr Dog are you being funny or serious.
Your comment”
“I can see fellas like Chris Owens (above) lying about their age so that they can join their mates defending Aussie values, just like the 11 year-old diggers that fought at Gallipoli.”
Aussie Values, where do they come from, our drinking water. We were all Wogs/Foreigners once, we had English Values, Polish, German, Yank, Irish, Catholic, Protestant, NSW, Queens Lander, Victorian, Bushy values. Their are many values that make up Aust. Culture and they are Human Values first and fore most, so I hope you were being funny, if not you have just been insulted, if so you should not have tried to prove that your an Ignoramus who still runs around sniffing women’s back sides to see if she is on heat. Thank you Dr DOG=GOD. Welcome to the Human race, or human Circus.
Our Constitution came from an Irishman and our Westminster system is English in name only. A bit of reading required I guess.
Posted Saturday, 26 November 11 at 10:15AM
Jackal
One of the aspects of Australia that I think is a good one, is that we are a multicultural society where migrants came here because they wanted a better life…and Australia was always viewed as “The Lucky Country”. My ex-husband’s family came here post WW2 and celebrate Australia Day better than I ever did (my family being here for many generations). Thing is - I do wonder now if it is, in fact, the lucky country (even in the early 1900s it was only lucky for SOME - re White Aust Policy and women’s rights). It is still lucky for SOME but not for many.
I think this idea from Victorian Multicultural Affairs and Citizenship Minister, Nick Kotsiras, displays his lack of understanding about children, teenagers and how to create harmony in a nation.
“Permanence is incompatible with a predatory attitude which rejoices in the fact that ‘what were luxuries for our fathers have become necessities for us.’ The sultivation and expansion of needs is the antithesis of wisdom. It is also the antithesis of freedom and peace. Every increase of needs tends to increase one’s dependence on outside forces over which one cannot have control, and therefore increases existential fear. Only by a reduction of needs can one promote a genuine reduction in those tensions which are the ultimate causes of strife and war.” (p29 Small is Beautiful: A Study of Economics as If People Mattered, E.F.Schumacher)
I quote this because it discusses peace/war, Kotsiras is wanting harmony and solidarity based on “Australianism.” The irony is that government policies are completely eroding the futures of ALL our young people regardless of what country they originated. Singing a song isn’t going to change any of THAT - which shows his stupidity in that he thinks singing a song will have some cure-all effect (or maybe he’s turning American with all their patriotic hoohaa.)
Posted Saturday, 26 November 11 at 11:19AM
Jackal- after further thought -
Firstly - I ask myself would I fight for my country? And the answer would be No (not unless my own children were at threat)…I don’t feel like I am an included, equal part of this society where my values, qualities, beliefs and ambitions can be respected and pursued, ie participation in society. I am marginalised. Probably many youth and children of migrants feel this way.
Particularly in terms of the public health system (it is taking 3 months for me to see a specialist about my injured knee - and where in the meantime my pay packet is halved because I can’t work as many shifts) and also with disability services which don’t provide enough support/services for my son who has autism (and who suffers on many levels,especially from depression and feeling useless)and don’t get me started on how much of a disadvantage it is being a single parent in this society!!
I am sad for people who die so-called for our country - I am actually related to a famous WW1 war hero, but…what did/do they die for…all those men mowed down from Turkish cliff tops many before they even left a boat? Not for me and my rights or my disabled son’s rights…only for those who enjoy the fruits of the spoils. Read Ben Eltham’s latest article including the mining tax - who really benefits from it…it costs more than it raises…and I thought the principle behind a mining tax was to shift MORE of the country’s natural resources wealth into more Australian hands/benefit….??? What a f**king joke!
Secondly though, we can’t afford to get so down-in-the-dumps that we want to give-up! The glass CAN still be half full. Jackal I would suggest that you actually don’t like THE VERSION that you presently see. I don’t like what I see in many areas…much change is needed. We are not going to change the youths’ feelings towards their nation, adopted or otherwise, by a song! Values, practices, programs for young people, hope and respect WILL.
I get sick to death of attacks on young people especially by older generations. Especially the “get a job” wise crack that they say, or youth apathy and disrespect…bla bla bla. When these older people enjoyed full employment…guess what…political and economic policies had full employment as a priority and value - NOW - they DON’T - now governments sacrifice full employment for managing inflation. Now also there is no White Aust Policy, tariffs protecting manufacturing or restrictions on women…these were all measures for supporting full employment and general wealth for MANY Ozzies.
Also young people live in a very different world in regards to family structures and involvement with parents and community organisations - parents are too busy slaving away (many under poor working conditions) or both parents enslaved to a mortgage cos that’s the only way to own a home these days…due to affordability…due to stupid policies…less contact with parents which are our society’s first role models and teachers to children…more technology which no one guides them about…kids don’t even have someone teaching them to skip, climb trees or cook healthy meals…thus more obesity, more body image issues…more instances where kids are not reaching their potential/pursuing goals…and a song is supposed to “fix” all of THAT??!!!! Grrr that really hmmmm too many bad words to use here so insert your own!!
Anyway…I’ve punched myself out!
Posted Saturday, 26 November 11 at 8:54PM
fightmumma
I’ve read both your comments and now I’ve got nothing left to say. You stole my thunder and did a bloody fine job of it. Your well read and you ain’t no Bimbo Buddy.
But don’t get me wrong, there is a lot of fine people in this country, a lot did what they thought was right, they were told.
If someone was to invade this place for a change, i’d be the first to fight.
The problem we have is not with those who actualy fought, all the silly noise comes from the idiots who never fired a gun in anger. i’ve listened to a lot of fools carry on, then when I checked them out, nothing, made up a lot of stories so that their kids could be proud too, sad, but it takes all sorts to make up the world. Like I say ,if it wasn’t for idiots I wouldn’t look so good, so I guess I ought to be greatful.
Got to go and cut some timber, look after yourself.
Posted Sunday, 27 November 11 at 7:58AM
Yes - I also don’t want to sound like I am anti-returned soldier! I wondered if I sounded unpatriotic too…but I do want my country to be at peace and provide a constructive environment for ALL and to create an inclusive, positive future for ALL our children…I WOULD fight for that, but it would be through my own actions in how I live my life and what I do in my community I think? Don’t think I could cope with being a politician and making change from that stage! I would like change though. Cheers
Posted Monday, 28 November 11 at 9:04AM
100% joking Jackal 01.
Posted Monday, 28 November 11 at 12:11PM
Dr D I suspect you like putting the “dog” amongst the pigeons!
Posted Tuesday, 29 November 11 at 3:38AM
It might be good fun to poo poo Team Australia, and singing songs to boost Australian values is like treating cancer with panadol, but at least the guy is acknowledging the problem and having a chop at it.
There are really 2 distinct but related things going on in Australia that undermine its future as a great place to live:
1. Crisis in Western society in general. The death of Christianity as a central part of people’s lives, (largely a result of our secular tradition, democracy, education and prosperity) has left a void of moral leadership, sense of purpose, community connectedness, and rampant materialism that leaves people unhappy and unfullfilled. Flowing on from this, along with the entry of women into the workforce, has been a massive breakdown of marriage with the accompanying unhappiness and reduced quality of parenting and subsequent calibre of kids being churned out. School teachers are being asked to instill basic discipline and morals that parents used to provide and the quality of education is also falling, which has an effect on our economy. Basically, the West has lost its soul and lost its mojo - it’s something so big and so pervasive it’s like not seeing the forest for the trees. The only reason it stands out to me so much is my travels and friends of different cultures (laregly Chinese and Indian - I am in Bangalore right now) - they place a huge empasis on marriage, family, morality derived from their religion, and education. Just like in a stock market or in a relationship, confidence about what your culture is and that it is good and something to be proud of is everything. They are surging and their cultures are resiliant wherever they immigrate to - ours is in slow motion disintegration playing out over decades. The reason it sounds so silly to sing a patriotic song about Australia and define Australian culture is that there isn’t much of it left anymore - all you can say is that we value individualism and materialism and like to be friendly to each other to an extent. I don’t believe in any God or supernatural being and a large number of families do well in every dimension without it, but I believe there is a majority of the population who are lost without that firm guidance on how to live - and it shows.
2. Multiculturalism, or the way it is being done. What happens when you encourage a flood of people to immigrate and actively maintain their strong culture and language when the destination country is already self-conscious about its identity and its decline? You get massive pacrels of capital cities that are effectively slices of another country with people who don’t want or need to interact with majority whitebred Australians, you get nervousness and antogism on both sides, and you get minimal interaction between cultures and the benifets of understanding and idea exchange that this brings. Yes, a multicultural city is often one where different cultures do not interact!!!!
Solutions:
- Religion/family/morality/culture crisis: Being one who doesn’t believe in God, this one is tough. Maybe we need to take a leaf out of China’s and the Soviet Union’s book and come up with a secular guide on how to live, the meaning of life, how we want Australians to live and what would make this the best place to Earth with the best people, then really get behind it and every level - yes, there many be songs! Of course the devil is in the detail and there are tough questions but we neet to stop bing a bunch of pus*ies and confront them head on - like, it is not OK to have a kid then dump it in childcare from day 1, you should accept a cut in material prosperity and house size to allow a stay at home parent, we need to stop making excuses for falling education standards and collapsing industries and get off our buts and work harder to compete with the world head on, and people do not have equal abilities and cannot all be wealthy but this is that is not where happiness comes from, and a big middle class with a good distribution of wealth comes from from lots of value adding jobs not welfare. (OK, maybe some of that stuff is not for our little green & gold book and is more subjective, but you get the idea). The bottom line is, people need moral guidance, and we need to sort out who we are, what we stand for, and be proud of it.
- Multiculturalism: Everyone has to speak good English, immigrants should be welcomed with outreach from the ‘whitebred majority’ to build bridges and make them feel like they want to work to make the country better because they are grateful for it, and initial settlement location should be mandated for maybe 2yrs (with apprpriate support) so they they get a chance to put down roots and interact with people outside their community, and locals get to interact with them and their kids in the local school. A different race/culture/religion is only scary when you don’t know a real human being that is a member of it - once you do, you realize the human commonality is much greater than the difference, and tolerance and the excitement of discovery of new perspectives is born.
Posted Tuesday, 29 November 11 at 2:07PM
Mr Freedom-interesting comments!
Yes, attention and effort is needed in this area to produce a society that all people, young and old, or from any original nation, would be proud to sing songs about.
The question basically is “how do we want our society to be?”
I don’t find much problem with a lot of what you wrote, however two comments make me frown a little. One is the family breakdown area. I am a single parent and I find it a little tedious and unimaginative when people blame “us” for much of society’s woes. The low calibre of children that some perceive to be in society now comes from many sources. I tend to look at the married families where both parents are working flat out to have that “lucky country experience” of house, new cars, overseas holidays, private schools…and I also see then NOT parenting their children…I see many children in childcare centres from a very young age, and many children without supervision over school holidays. Having been a teacher, I SAW with my own eyes that many children are sadly NEGLECTED also by wealthy, working parents in two-parent homes.
This leads to my other “frown.” You mention competing. See, I think this is exactly where all our problems originate - we all compete to be one of the few to be in the “haves” group and escape the lowly “have nots” group. In so doing our society’s many great structures that have guided, role modelled and supported youth/children…have been sacrificed.
The answer is in having less, in NOT defining human well being or the success of a society by the number of possessions etc we have.
Posted Tuesday, 29 November 11 at 8:36PM
fightmumma, this is your best comment yet, there is a certain amount of clarity there and wisdom, very nice.
Short and sweet.
We all want to be part of that winning mutual admiration society, when we find one to join we find its all about the leaders, the Queen, the Bishops, Knights and then Rooks, while we the Pawns are sacrificial.
God is dog in reverse, Dog is mans best friend because we have so much in common our four legged cousin. They are Pack animals, hunter killers and so are we. In a pack you get a leader, but packs also get too big and so you get new packs forming, they then compete, sound familiar.
Once their was Adam and Eve, then Kane and Able, then along came a rock, then a spear, Bow and arrow, Gun Powder, finaly after 150 thousand years? we have Nukes, now thats progress, but when it comes to raising kids we have done it since Adam and Eve and have made no progress at all.
Business booms and Busts and so does humanity.
Everything that goes up, must come down eventualy.
200 years of them verses us has taken its toll.
Posted Thursday, 01 December 11 at 9:11PM
C’mon. Dig deeper!
Posted Friday, 02 December 11 at 8:45AM
Actually dogs are pretty peacful animals within a pack. What you see with s=domestic dogs is typical humans interfering in their usual perverted manner…
The leader is the leader because he and she are the alpha and this is a difference between human leaders and wild canine leaders. Human leaders get there by deceptive means and are not always the best natural candidate. The alpha dog deserves to be there because he and she are supremely competent to lead the pack. All other dogs are aware that their survival depends on the alphas being in charge - because they know that the best hunters, killers, decision makers, most intelligent etc will keep the pack safe, well fed, bredding top beasts and ordered, thus safe. Alphas even break up fights between other dogs…
This is why it is so important for humans to be alphas and leaders over their dogs - if you don’t then the alpha-wanna-be canines take over decisions even in the human household and the normally submissive animals actually experience fears and insecurities because they at some level know that a less than superior being is their leader.
Dogs will usually submitt to a dog further up the pecking order. BUT and this is the difference with humans - usually dogs won’t eat everything and leave nothing for the lower-order dogs, usually all the dogs get to eat because the pack survives better with healthy pack members…whereas humans are happy to let others starve and deteriorate…
Posted Friday, 02 December 11 at 4:11PM
Bullocks
Posted Sunday, 04 December 11 at 8:41AM
sand.murray
I’m affraid I have to agree with fightmumma.
To further complicate matters, it is the human female who passes on the inteligence to the kids, the knuckle dragging male passes on the personality. So inveriably we most create very clever killing machines.
Most women like an aggressive man to protect them, but thankfully most males are affraid of Inteligent women, but too many make it through in the casual sex arena and theirfore humanity becomes more and more aggressive until, WW3 over greed and money as per WW1 & WW2. 150 million dead most of the aggressive onrs wiped out in battle, those returning had a gut full of killing and become rather more civilised until the breeding cycle re-creates the naive boofheaded male who is willing to fight, just like daddy and what is dumb ass daddy doing, still playing with his ego thinking he is a stud because his Bimbo wife liked a man in uniform.
And around we go, one more ride on the merry-go-around, while our masters laugh at our stupidity, how we can be manipulated like a love sick little girls.
All it takes is a few hero parades and the Bimbo do the rest.
Look at any pre war footage what do you see cheering the men on, thousands of women. It was the same in Germany as it was in Aust., America, England, Poland etc.. Then Feminist blamed man for all the evil in the world. Why are our Footballers falling of the high Horses, we treat them like Hero’s, it goes to their young heads and what do you get, Rapists.
We need to look very closesly at what we do and why we actualy do it and both sexes need to take responsibility, for the final product of our unchecked, uninteligent, un-houghtout or unplanned breeding.
Posted Sunday, 04 December 11 at 9:22AM
No need to be afraid. I’m responding to the article. Go get yourselves a chattyroom somewhere, you spotted pygmy opossoms.
Posted Sunday, 04 December 11 at 9:28AM
Hi Jackal - I would also agree with you - I said to someone at a weekend school for uni that we actually did the opposite of productive breeding principles when we have wars. When breeding we pick the BEST of the breed to create future generations. Kelpies would be the best eg of this because we breed them for a purpose whereas ANKC breeders breed for appearances…no point breeding kelpies that aren’t interested in stock or that are too hard…but what we did WW1 & WW2 was kill off all the best of humanity, all our best specimins of males…and we are all products of the leftovers!! I asked this person (she was a psych major) that I wonder what the lasting effects of these 2 world wars is on society - ie is there still an effect?
As to your statement about intelligent women Jackal - I get SO lonely and men much prefer simple-minded women who can’t hold down an intelligent conversation, I get excluded from both women and men unless I just am happy to talk about what clothes I’m wearing, who does my hair, what house I’m buying or where I’m next going on holidays…which by the way I find pretty boring subjects!!
Posted Sunday, 04 December 11 at 10:19AM
sand.murray - spotted pygmy opossoms!! What the??!!
Posted Sunday, 04 December 11 at 11:04PM
f
Posted Monday, 05 December 11 at 7:07PM
Well as a mother to some ‘multi-cultural’ variety of children I think i can have a bit of authority here. They are however a mix of me, very white, very working class background stock from the wrong end of the burbs and of foreign father. One is now a young adult and the others just school age.
So the eldest does has the occasional identity crisis “what am I f%&^n Ozzie or what ? I don’t know, when I am with the Aussies they call me a something else and when I am with the o’thers’ I don’t speak the language or don’t quite fit there either”. “Well” ! I say “darling of course you an Aussie, you were born here, and from me, and if anyone disputes that just send them over and I will have a few words”. To me the child is Aussie no matter where he or his father came from - like all the other Aussies in history whose fathers, mothers, grandparenst or maybe great grandparents came from somewhere else - excuse me - not Aussie! I don’t think so.
He has had things yelled at him by ‘bogan’ types (when in the city weekend nights) like ‘why don’t ya go back to where ya came from’. him and his non-white born here and not born here friends used to shout back “yeah and why don’t you go back to England”- touche’.
At the end of the day him and all his friends really deperately wanted to be ‘Aussie’ in the truly bogan sense - particularly in their early teens. They are western Sydney kids not the North shore so things are a bit ‘tougher’. They had aspirations to go ‘pig shooting’, get a pig-dog or a staffy and get tatoos and all those ‘we’re tough sort of identifiers’. And they all aspired to be truly ‘Aussie ’ in the partying scene as well. Smoking pot, going to dance parties (probably taking ecstacy sadly), getting blind drunk at parties and passing out (including young girls which really disturbed me). I have seen the pictures on Facebook… I don’t agree with all this bad behaviour but at the end of the day but the kids are doing what many kids their age are doing (unfortunately)regardless of what their background culture is. The kids I am speaking about are mainly Asian background, and middle east. Most are at Uni,and work and I don’t know of of anyone who has really ‘fallen by the way’. I must say they are very much into electronic games and this in itself is a lifestyle for many young people particularly the boys, from between 10-11 years old up to twenty hyears and more. The drinking parties started round 17-18 years (which is late from my personal experience) before that they wre into ‘gaming parties’and LAN parties.
They have mostly grown out of the above ‘teenage’ experimental stage behavior and moved on, fortunately. At the end of the day they start partnering and we even have a pregnancy now. They are all around 21 or so. They are doing what generations of young working class ‘Aussies’ have done in Australia since settlement.
I do also know kids who are of more religious background and perhaps behavior is a little more tame (sigh of relief Mr. Freedom) but they aren’t that much different just less drinking/drugs and sex but it is still going on to some degree for sure. There are always some extremes at either end good and bad.
I will say that the young people I am speaking of also have ‘white’ friends who are part of the ‘gang’. they are fewer in numbers where we live in western Sydney but no-one discrminates. They do however have their ‘tribes’ out here in the west - Fobs (islanders) middle east(and this group splits and don’t get on at all), Asians, and some ‘other’ middle east (actually west Asians)who are aligned with much more with Asians than the Arabs! - you would be amazed. The only time there is trouble is usually from people who are not from western sydney - say when they are in the city on weekend nights. they usually stick to their own ‘areas’ and generally avoid violence.
The young people, non-white/ half white or whatever, that I have known (many for over a decade) all really believe they are Australian there is no doubt about that. They always speak English when they are in mixed groups and don’t even seem to refer to their ‘at home culture’when out and about and /or with friends - it is irrelevant.
They may have parents from overseas or been born overseas but they identify very much with being Australian , whatever that means? From what I can see they are very happy being ‘Australian’ and enjoying the freedoms of the society - for better or for worse. and at the end of the day that is really what being ‘australian ; is all about THE FREEDOMS we enjoy not ‘bloody’ thongs and BBQ’s and beer and all the peripheral BS. I get a bit annoyed that th youth are ‘playing out’ some of the ‘lesser’ cultural practices however these things happen all over the world in many cultures to a lesser or greater degree. It’s a modern thing really. If you asked them what they thought of being ‘Aussie’ meant I doubt they could tell you. They would be too interested in their next Playstation battle or dance party or going over to Bondi or going camping with the gang or the girls - just like ggenerations of Australians before them and those to come.
Posted Monday, 05 December 11 at 8:12PM
SeaShell0 great read, loved it. Love to read more real life drama.
fightmumma, I don’t know where you live, but in the big smoke you have more chances, but, there is a price.
Maybe you should join GET-UP, they love smart women.
Posted Tuesday, 06 December 11 at 7:42AM
Jackal - a few hours drive from Melb
p.s. bit embarrassed about assuming I’m inteliigent actually! I’ve never thought of myself that way - but this is my first year at uni and I have received ALL High Distinctions and a Deans Recognition Award - which completely surprised me - so I spose I can’t be that stupid!! hehe
Agreed seashell - you are right - it’s real life stuff - I spose that’s where politicians lose their ability to relate though especially if they and their kids went to elite private schools in their own worlds. We should write like you more and keep real life alive!!
Cheers guys :-)