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Life, Culture and Politics from BrisVegas
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Am I frist?
Was asked at work to explain wikileaks and the whole Assange saga and came to the conclusion that most people (or at least the most people I work with) don’t actually pay much attention to what’s going on.
That scares me, cos if most people get their world view from the 6pm commercial news, or worse from sitcoms, game shows and masterchef, then why do we (lefty commie pinko activists) bother trying to make the world better?
Watched DVD of THe Pacific the past few days. Didn’t enjoy it as much as The Band of Brothers.
Quog @ 1,
OTOH, newspaper reports on the Wikileaks demos, whose numbers were pretty low, suggest passers-by waved and smiled at them approvingly as the demonstrators marched through various cities. So somebody out there besides the radicals must be paying attention. They just don’t join in.
And reports on the ‘Harry Potter Radicals’ in the student demos in London suggest they are completely leaderless. Reported conversations among protesters vary from the increased tuition fees to lack of bus stops in London. Its being hailed by demonstrators and journalists alike as a new form of protest.
Quog @ 1
I was also asked at work about Wikileaks by a guy who delights in asking for opinions so that he can be outraged by them. He wants Assange stripped of his citizenship, so, after pointing out a couple of salient facts (leaker vs publisher, lack of a crime under Oz law), I was then accused in turn of caring “more about the car parking spaces out the back than my country”.
And since it’s Christmas, and the end of a long and tiring year, I did what any reaonable person would do and tore his f***ing head off.
I waved a magic wand and larvatusprodeo.ozblogistan.com.au came back to life.
Working as I do for a Japanese company, full of Japanese people, most of whom have quite literally zero engagement with any aspect of Australian culture or society, they probably think Wikileaks is some sort of plumbing company.
Until of course there’s a major scandal in Japan.
Unfortunately I’ve come to consider that Japan may be one of the most racist countries on earth, behind the polite exterior.
Interesting sort of comment there Adrian.
The Wikileaks phenomenon reminds me of the difference the japanese make with regard to ‘honne’ and ‘tatemae’.
I’ll throw in a link about these concepts.
.
http://www.mynippon.com/RomanceNews0201/story12.htm
.
http://hisexperience.jp/articles/honne_tatemae.html
.
We need to expand these concepts to cover general social attitudes as opposed to just the actions of the individual.
Loads of the disclosures made public by Wikileaks are small and bit on the trivial side eg Rudd is a control freak but others are explosive exposures of criminal activity.Say Pfizer’s actions in Africa, targeting civilians in Iraq.
What we are being told has been the traditional diplomatic approach to intergovernmental relationships is shown as being bloated with self serving hypocrisy. Who hasn’t been able to rationalise these public announcements as being “just what you/they have to say in such a situation”?
Still the sense that we are all disappointed with the removal of this pretense is leading some to wonder if a new way is opening up before us.
The japanese psychiatric world even has a disability that describes those unable to grasp and live within this system of internal and external utterances – Mr Assange would almost certainly be considered such a person.
FDB: “So a computer, a TV, a guitar, a synth and a turntable are all within reach of my gigantic sofa.”
That some good friends and excellent food and drink sounds like not a bad set up. Hope you are healing, though.
Adrian, maybe that’s because there are Australians on the internet saying without any sense of irony that “Japan may be one of the most racist countries on earth.”
I know an Australian lawyer who didn’t know who David Hicks was. It’s hardly unusual for ordinary people to not pay close attention to world news, and not necessarily a sign of racism.
(and incidentally today the Daily Yomiuri has a Japanese-language “wikileaks roundup.”)
Chris Hedges “Death of the liberal class”
Did Brian get his sleep!?After all I didn’t get to explain my question,because my reply isn’t there.Some luck I have.The World is definitely heating up,nearly everyone with a franchised brain from Australian Education Facilities believe,indeed, accept that without any equivocation what so ever.So how come I haven’t got the same spiritual sense!? That’s right! I haven’t learn’t how to use the computer properly,and somehow this then means that I simply engage my Ego. Like I have accepted everything about Sigmund Freud!?
Saturday auction clearance rates: Sydney 50%, Melbourne 53%, Brisbane 7% — http://is.gd/iy1cx .
p.a.travers @ 10, I did get my sleep, thankyou.
Your explanation is now here and my response is here.
It’s no big deal.
It just astounds me how little most people are engaged with and in the surrounding polity.
These are people who are intelligent, hold professional jobs, yet really don’t engage in, or even pay attention to, current affairs.
My work colleagues ask me about things because they know I’m engaged (being active in a political party). It’s not so much about the colour of my/their politics, be they red, blue or green, it’s about a complete lack of engagement from the majority of the population.
It reminds me of the The Chaser’s vignettes “… and this person votes.”
Quog @ 13,
Lots of people aren’t engaged, mate. They’ve more interesting (to them) things to think about – family, their next holiday, celebrity culture (Oprah, FFS! – but don’t get me going on that), their hobbies, sport, music, movies, social networks on teh internet etc, etc. Politics is something they only think about at election time, because they have to. In, I think, 1923, Australia tried voluntary voting for one Federal election. So few people turned out, they had to bring back compulsory voting just to get them to the ballot box.
You’re right, Paul. I am slowly going insane trying to keep track of all of the above at once – but Wikileaks I think is unusual in that at least as far as my friends and acquaintances are concerned it seems to draw unexpected reactions.
My mother couldn’t give a toss about it except to point out (correctly) that the guy has done nothing professionally wrong. And yet other presumably intelligent people are foaming at the mouth.
Meanwhile, I saw on Facebook a post by a cousin whose son had just “graduated” from pre-school, and was promising to post photos of him in his cap and gown. I mean, WTF? I can’t defriend her but her posts are about as filling as fairy floss. The only reason to have it is to keep tabs on the people I really care about.
bmitw @ 15,
Actually, I’m quite grateful to Facebook. Some time ago it enabled me to get in contact with a very good American friend in San Diego whom I hadn’t seen since 1970, and now we are in regular contact via e-mail. I wouldn’t go near Facebook at the moment though. Apparently the pro-Wikileaks hackers are going to infect profiles with a virus because it pulled a Wikileaks support site. In any case, since its been rejigged, I haven’t really come to terms with how to use it properly, so I hardly ever go on it.
Meanwhile, in Victoria, capitalism strikes again!
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/baillieu-seen-as-powerless-on-bills-20101211-18tht.html
More banking competition could backfire!
The Senate is presently working on a report about competition in the banking sector, which is due on 31 march 2011. Why, then, is Wayne Swan acting to – supposedly – increase banking competition before this report is available?
Some commentators suggest that Swan’s actions will not benefit the Australian public, and that there could be unintended consequences of increased banking competition, such as:-
1. unlikely to lower interest rates on mortgages:
2. likely to further increase the availability of credit (and thus of debt):
3. could place taxpayer funds at risk and reduce financial stability.
According to Leith van Onselen, the Government’s focus on banking competition is a distraction from the real issue at hand:
That Australia’s housing market has become highly unaffordable due to: easy credit funded, to a large extent, from offshore; investor speculation; and supply-side constraints. And now that house prices are correcting, thanks mainly to households reaching ‘peak debt’ as well as the banks finding it increasingly difficult to expand credit by borrowing offshore, the Government is once again looking to intervene in the market to prop-up a leaking, creaking credit/housing bubble.
He says we need to ask ourselves whether this is how we want our banking system to operate: borrowing large sums from foreigners and channelling lending towards housing in place of productive enterprises, with the taxpayers picking up the tab if things go wrong? Is such an approach to banking in our national interest?
It’s a shame that our political leaders and mainstream commentators are not asking these important questions.
http://www.unconventionaleconomist.com/
Last week I ordered a book as a “Christmyth” present to myself, The Three Messiahs by Dan Unterbrink.
I came across Dan Unterbrink on Joe Atwill’s now defunct forum, where Unterbrink put forward the interesting thesis that the figure of Jesus was based largely around the historical Judas of Galilee, the founder of the Zealot movement, in contrast to Atwill’s thesis, that the figure of Jesus was largely based on the exploits of the Roman general Titus who wiped out the Zealots and who destroyed the Jerusalem temple.
I still largely agree with Atwill’s thesis, but I’m keen to expand my knowledge of the era, and challenge even further my own radical beliefs on Christian origins.
“challenge even further my own radical beliefs on Christian origins”
Challenging your beliefs only to become more radical though. Moderating them seems to be a challenge you’re not up to.
You should try challenging your own beliefs for a change.
Instead of trying to insult me, why don’t you state your beliefs, or are you afraid I might criticize them?
silky @ 18,
If you haven’t read it try Robin Lane Fox’s Pagans and Christians. Well worth the read.
Vale James Dibble
the first tv news presenter that i remember.
“His last bulletin was on June 10, 1983 when he read in front of a live audience of about 80 people in the news studio.” I have a strong memory that he wore a Kaftan on that last show, but i am not sure.
dylan agh @ 22m
Ditto.
Another !*C Xmas recipe. Georgian mince pie.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/tyne/hi/front_page/newsid_9286000/9286365.stm
Ox tongue, eh Paul Burns. This is a much underrated cut of meat for sure, but in a Xmas mince pie? Well, it may become fashionable again in the post GFC and AGW doom era. I say mooooh to that.
Still, it would be worth a try. If its yuk I could always feed it to my friendly neighbourhood boxer pup who is a real garbage-guts.
Ox tongue as a poor man’s corned beef is a favourite of mine but hard to get and in its ‘raw’ form could be a bit of a turn-off. Unique taste with outer skin removed. Best with beetroot, pickled onions and hot mustard. Cosy up to a good butcher and quietly explain your fetish.
My favorite birthday dish, ox tongue, mashed potatoes, white sauce with capers and fresh vegies of the season, yum. Maybe my European peasant background is showing just a tiny bit.
BTW I like the checkout chicks ‘delicate’ handling of the tongue, she would have kittens if I told her that it is for my consumption not destined for a dog dish.
terrible news
http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/theres-a-tragedy-unfolding-here-asylum-seeker-boat-dashed-on-christmas-island-cliffs-20101215-18xkm.html
Ruth Park has died.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/ruth-park-writer-of-classic-australian-novels-dies-at-93/story-e6frf7l6-1225972652989
If you haven’t read any of her work, you should’ve.
Vale.
Ox tongue is awesome – it’s just muscle, so not even offal. Just a seriously tasty (and versatile) cut of meat.
Don’t be afraid of the un-corned version either – thinly sliced and stir-fried fried = magnificent, but you can cut big cubes and slow-cook as per gravy beef or blade steak in a curry, or daube, or anythink you like.
Anyway, how about that Michael Johnson? Talk about rescuing a Test.