THE ENGINEER OF HUMAN SOULS
Apologies to Josef Skorevcky.
I went back up to Sydney on the weekend for my mother's birthday. I got to see my little 3 week old nephew, who I did get to see for 2 days before I moved. I don't think there is anything more beautiful than a baby, and nothing more relaxing than nursing a sleeping baby. He has spends more and more time awake, no doubt trying to make out exactly what this world he now lives in is like.
In Australia we will be having a federal election before the year is out. What fear will Howard play on? What do I mean? Well in 1996 he played on the fear of native title and of people losing their homes to Aboriginal land claims (even though people losing their homes in such a way could never happen). In 1998 he didn't need to play up any fear, because his majority was so large - still he did lose a lot of seats, so he knew he would have to go back to playing on people's fears. In 2001 it was the fear of asylum seekers and refugess being terrorists. In 2004 it was interest rates. In 2007? Well it seems to be Islam and the loss of jobs and economic prosperity (at least for the wealthy minority - the number of people living in poverty is inceasing in these "prosperous times) if Workchoices is overturned.
Faced with this, we have the alternative of a Kevin Rudd led ALP government. The lesser of two evils. The only problem with this is that you are still voting for an evil. Where has the ALP been on the issue of Indigenous rights since 1996? MIA. On refugess? Well they support the government's attacks on asylum seekers (Kevin Rudd particularly) because, well, they introduced the policy. Interest rates? Well they don't want to abolish one of the major causes of high house prices (which makes interest rates such an issue), negative gearing. Islamaphobia? Morris Iemma matches Howard and co on this any day. Hell, they won't even undo all of the Workchoices legislation, let alone the WRA 1996. Oh Peter Garrett, he's a right-to-lifer, a Christian Fundamentalist - as it appears is Rudd. The ALP, a good alternative? What a sick joke. Yet sadly this is what most people will think are the only alternatives, ALP and Liberal, Howard or Rudd.
What has happened to us? Why are we so selfish, so xenophobic, so bigoted that we have become this way, so full of fear, that we not only ignore human suffering, or encourage it, but actively engage in the activities that cause it? Why and who has engineered our soul in such a way?
posted by Aleks - Anarcho-Syndicalist at 4:45 pm
7 Comments:
i don't have any answers but like you i wonder about these things.
i am trying to keep my nose out of it all, it's just too hard to not get angry. perhaps you'd say that is defeatist and pathetic. that i could make a difference. but when you are struggling with your own little patch of dirt, it's hard to fathom taking on a whole yard full of crap.
hope you are well, aleks.
11:23 am
Rudd "the lesser of 2 evils". I want to say yes, I want to believe it. I used to vote labour, after all. But everytime I see the guy I get the heebie geebies. I see a conservative, emotionally constipated christian. Sure I want to get rid of Howard and his slimey little buddies but Labour are just creeping right to become 'New Liberal'.
The best solution I can come up with is that the Greens hold the balance of power, regardless of what major party gets more seats.
Oh...and Howard looses his seat to Maxine, now that would be the icing on the cake.
..and Peter Garrett looses his seat ... to anyone, who actually has some ethics. Let Labour destroy 40% of Tasmanian old growth forests and thumbs up to uranium mining. Shame Peter, Shame!
12:05 pm
[stands next to AOF and claps, nodding]
1:24 pm
Do you want to know what the sad thing is? The ALP don't seem very keen on a preference deal with the Greens nationally, which means it is extremely unlikely the Greens will hold the balance of power. They seem more likely to do a deal with family first. Prior to my leaving NSW, at my last Summer Hill Ashfield Greens meeting, Kerry Nettle came along and said that they had been trying to contact the ALP to look at a preference deal, and the ALP were ignoring them.
Despite the fact that the ALP has no chance in hell of gaining a majority in the upper hourse, they seem more content for the Libs to maintain control, or Family First hold the balance of power than for the Greens to. Fuck they are useless.
MG, we all do what we can based on our own personal circumstances. You do what you can do, and people who criticise you because they see themselves as being more idealogically "pure" are tossers - I know, I've been one myself :). Oh, and I'm doing OK.
6:01 pm
Interesting to look back at this post from July and see that the fear Howard has decided to play on is Sudanese refugees.
There's no easy answer to your questions. I think our society is becoming more selfish, looking after 'number one' and their direct family rather than those in dire need.
I think this trend has been a combination of things. Jingoism being used by our politicians to win votes; the real threat of terrorism being inflated by the media and society to become this constant imagained threat of terrorism; greater fear of the Other; rising house prices and less job security creating insecurity even in a land of great prosperity; the constant demands of consumer capitalism and the buy more! new! better! mentality.
Even if he is 'the lesser of two evils' I can only hope a change will do Australia good.
Howard's Australia scares me.
Keep up the good fight, young Aleks. Dissenting voices like yours are more important than ever.
3:23 pm
i don't know, but Shakespeare seemed to get jacked up about the same crap. So i guess we've been this way for a while...
but little babies are nice.
6:49 am
Are you still of this world Aleks? Hope you are well.
6:01 pm
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