The Rise of the Victim Industry and Culture

There was a column in the Australian today covering last nights Q&A program on ABC. The column addressed among other points Brendan O'Neill's and Mitch Fifield's debate on free speech and offshore detention. As usual, the comments varied. I posted a comment along similar lines to this blog. 

In the same Australian, Nick Cater had an even more direct column where he talked of HRC's Tim Southphommasane's grievance industry' seeing  bigots everywhere. It's worth a read. 

This piece tells you a lot about Tim Southphommasane. He said, "If someone says to me they’re not even going to try to pronounce my name, that doesn’t necessarily send a good signal,” the race relations commissioner told The Australian Financial Review in a revealing interview this month

“It says that they’re not even bothered to treat me with respect. How would they feel if they were told that every day — that people weren’t going to even try to pronounce their name?”

Well, guess what Mr Southphommasane, I can’t pronounce your name and I wouldn’t try. Nothing to do with lack of respect, simply, I would prefer not to make and ass of myself trying. To mispronounce your name can be viewed by some people as an insult. So stop being a drama queen in trying to make a case of something as banal as people not attempting to pronounce your name. Time to grow up. 

Within our society today we have entire groups of people who have decided they exist to take offence at things. For some, I suspect  it gives their life meaning. I am a victim, therefore I am. They hold the view, they have an inherent right never to be touched by anything as shocking as being offended. If they are, their response is, the offender is going to have to pay. As if any “show me the money” payment would ever take away genuine hurt.

Feeding off this new cultural industry, we have the “victim industry” profiteers and exploiters. Hence the new Insult Business is flourishing. There are more and more people making  a lot of money out of it. Just look at what we pay the Human Rights Commissioners. 

This culture of offence is made up of all sorts of people who are hypersensitive to life. Where the slightest comments can result in you being reported to the "thought police." For heaven's sake just look at the ludicrous QUT case. Where, in anyone's language reasonably sensible (if someone sarcastic) questions and comments  (given the circumstances) resulted in students paying up to avoid prosecution and in one case being pursued by the HRC. What an abuse of power that is. 

In this new "Victim Culture" a wrong turn of phrase, a simple word, can result in someone taking issue with it and us. When they do, all hell can break loose. Well, guess what folks we will never go through life and not be offended. It just isn't going to happen. If we were honest with ourselves we are all racists and bigots to a degree. It’s when it goes too far, we have a problem. 

There are groups of people I don't like or trust. Perhaps this will change in the future, but for now, it’s how I feel. I will continue to voice my opinion, hopefully in a constructive way. I hold the belief,  it's OK to criticise or constructively comment but it’s not OK to physically attack, abuse or hound people. But that's just my approach. 

We must NEVER cave into industries, groups or individuals who seek to control how we think, what we say and or how we act. When in reality we are simply being human and exercising our right to free thought and free speech. Groups and individuals who condemn and vilify us for holding and presenting a different opinion must not win. That is not to say I condone bullying. I most certainly don't. 

The new “Victim Industry and Culture” has gone way too far. They are a form of extremists. It has to be defeated before it's too late.  

18C & The Rise of Pauline Hanson

There was a very interesting column in The Australian today. It was written by Matt Ridley titled- Stop the shouting: if we don’t tame Twitter, we’ll face mob rule. The first line in particular resonated. 

“Schisms of hatred seem to be fracturing the political landscape wherever you look.”

How true. I would add, destroying tolerance along with it. Every word is analysed by someone looking for something to attack or have a go at others over. 

Like many I’ve been disturbed by the rise of Pauline Hanson in the political arena.  I personally don’t like her brand of politics. If we had to have an anti-Muslim party in Canberra I think we would have been much better off with the ALA. At least the ALA representatives understand the issues. They have done their homework on topics such as Halal. Hanson’s knowledge when tested is very thin in all areas related to Islam, Halal and Sharia law. Hanson trades on fear on not facts. 

After reading another column in the Australian today related to Hanson, “Distortion of rights ‘helped Pauline Hanson.’ I posed this on Twitter. “If Tony Abbott hadn't wimped on 18C I wonder how different the outcome might be.” I was accused of Abbott bashing. Seriously. 

Many Liberals were very disappointed when Mr Abbott wimped on proceeding with 18C legislation. Fact. It lost him support. Also fact. So rather than ‘bashing’ Mr Abbott I suspect if he had proceeded with changes 18C he may still be in Government. The debate would certainly be different and people would feel free to speak their minds on topics that concern them. 

Then Human Rights Commissioner Tim Wilson said at the time he was: ‘‘Disturbed to hear the government has backed down on 18C and will keep offensive speech illegal. Very disturbed.’’ 

He also stated source Fairfax media: 

“The racial discrimination act significantly restricts free speech in a way that all other anti-discrimination laws do not and the government seems to foolishly think that backing down will assist them or be in the best interest of the Australian population.”

Mr Wilson said there should not be a situation where select legal privileges are enjoyed by some and not by other people.

“The Prime Minister said that he wants to unite team Australia. I agree, which is why we should have laws that apply for everybody consistently,” he said.

“There is nothing more dangerous to a multicultural Australia today than the idea that some people have legal privileges on the basis of their race which do not exist for other people.”

This is where the likes of Pauline Hanson rise. She did it before by inciting people's fear over Asian gangs. She is doing it in 2016 in capitalising on people's fear of Islam and Muslim’s. When people feel they can’t openly voice their concerns they turn to people like Hanson. 

I still believe in Free Speech. I will continue to voice my opinions (perhaps forthright at times) and if others choose to look for reasons to attack and admonish me, that is their problem. But I will call them out. My tolerance level is shrinking at a rapid rate when people try to turn comments into something they clearly are not. 

I suspect I won’t receive any acknowledgement when I pointed out the obvious in stating I wasn’t bashing Abbott. I was merely posing a question.  I do think the situation might have been different if Mr Abbott hadn’t reneged on the promise and backed down on 18C. It certainly would have removed one of the major opportunities for Hanson to capitalise on.  The suppression of the right to speak your mind regardless of perceived ‘hate speech.’ 

I read this, this morning. “The challenge is not just to kick Hanson out of the Senate. Her political career is mostly unsuccessful, and it is unlikely she will be there for too long. The goal should be defeating her agenda.” We do that by allowing people to speak openly and freely about the things that concern them. By having sensible debate and not making people feel threatened or excluded. The question is, are we adult enough to do that? At times I seriously doubt it. I hope I’m proven wrong. 

18C needs to be back on the agenda. 

Australia: Are We Becoming An Increasingly Intolerant Society

Australia the country of tolerance and of a fair go, where people are respected for who they are, not what they are. Where diversity is embraced and where the richness of the culture of the people who make up this great nation blend together to form a uniqueness that is found nowhere else. Perhaps it's just the world of social media, but post after post that pops up in my timeline presents a very different face to the world. It speaks of intolerance and bullying. Of fear and over reaction. Of divisiveness and hatred. In fact, in many posts of late the most used words appears to be the words hate and hatred. 

I have a personal dislike of the word hate and I rarely use it. I think it is such a destructive word. Martin Luther King Jr. Once said, “Hate destroys the hater…” I believe that. 

However, if you go back in our history, we have usually found someone or something to turn against, sometimes with good reason but most often not. Just ask the first Italians, Greeks, English and Asians (as an example) how they were treated in the early years.  People were often abused in the streets, but mainly the hate discussion was restricted to the dinner table, the pub and around the water cooler and overt discrimination. The fear and suspicion stemmed from any number of biases, but as time moved on people were accepted into society and, many have made significant contributions in all walks of life. As a country we have benefited from that and as individuals, our lives have been greatly enriched. 

In more recent years, the attention has turned to Africans and Muslims. A couple of years back an African friend of mine and her two children were accosted in a shopping centre car park and spat on by a woman who should have known better. My friend just walked away comforting her two crying and frightened children. When I asked her why she didn’t retaliate, she said, “I have witnessed first hand what hatred of others does to a nation, that’s why I came here. To escape that and to live in peace. In retaliating, I would have only inflamed the situation.” My friend and her family are Australian citizens. Her husband is a university professor and she works as an accountant. Her two children are doing very well academically and will probably follow their father into a future career in science. Model citizens in every way, but that still didn’t prevent a hateful woman from making a snap judgement and showing that in the most graphic way to humiliate. 

The biggest game changer for the ‘hate industry’ is the Internet. The haters now have the ability to garner support from not just a few friends and working buddies, they can now rope in dozens of people. They gather on social media like the clans of old gathered at their favourite watering holes and they share their rage and they plan their attacks on the perceived enemy for the slightest indiscretions. Just voicing an opinion can result in a tirade of abuse. Others jump on board and RT and so it goes. Even blocking people doesn’t end it some continue to try and blacken the names of others. It’s bullying at it’s worst. 

This is a piece from — “Loving Your Enemies,” It was delivered by Martin Luther King Jr on the 17th November 1957. It reads: 

“There’s another reason why you should love your enemies, and that is because hate distorts the personality of the hater. We usually think of what hate does for the individual hated or the individuals hated or the groups hated. But it is even more tragic, it is even more ruinous and injurious to the individual who hates. You just begin hating somebody, and you will begin to do irrational things. You can’t see straight when you hate. You can’t walk straight when you hate. You can’t stand upright. Your vision is distorted. There is nothing more tragic than to see an individual whose heart is filled with hate. He comes to the point that he becomes a pathological case. […] Hate destroys the very structure of the personality of the hater. […] When you start hating anybody, it destroys the very center of your creative response to life and the universe; so love everybody. Hate at any point is a cancer that gnaws away at the very vital center of your life and your existence. It is like eroding acid that eats away the best and the objective center of your life.”

We only have to look at other parts of the world to see that demonstrated most graphically and on a much lesser scale we see that same illogical behaviour manifested on social media.  

Of course now we have multifaceted twitter hate. It’s hate based on supporting any cause the haters hate. It’s hate based on politics. It’s hate based on immigration. It’s hate based on religion. It’s hate based on the colour of your skin. It’s hate based on someone taking a dislike to you. Simply anything thing that takes their fancy. For exercising my right to remain a member of the Liberal Party (regardless of the change of leadership) I am now a target.

The following is a great example of how things are twisted to enable the attacker to turn the tables and to weave into their assault their current vendetta. I have whited out the names of the people involved in these exchanges with me yesterday, for obvious reasons. 

Yesterday our ex Minister of Defence, Kevin Andrews took to Twitter with multi-tweets following the announcement of a defence contract. Mr Andrews was extremely unhappy to have lost his portfolio following the recent leadership change. Many viewed Mr Andrews twitter blitz as a negative attack on the new minister who happens to be a woman. I sent this response to Mr Andrews. Which resulted in the following. 

The responses: 

This exchange ensued because I voiced my dismay that the Prime Minister was being attacked by exLiberals for the crime of taking public transport to the Grand Final. Now remember one of our biggest beefs during ex PM Abbott’s tenure, was the puerile attacks on him by the opposition. Conservatives were extremely critical of those attacks and now we have conservatives doing the same.

This continued despite blocking the poster. 

As a conservative Australian, the country and the people I know and love have in the main shown only love and acceptance. Whilst we may not have always agreed, we respected a broad spectrum of ideas and the rights of others to hold and express a different opinion. We try to sell our ideas and hopefully get others on side but if they choose not to, we don’t turn on them. But, if someone does turn on me, I will fight back but I will do my level best to do that in a constructive way. 

I am the wife of an immigrant and my husband holds a different opinion, having been on the receiving end of overt discrimination himself. That said he is the most loyal Aussie you will ever meet. Many friends from overseas who have visited here have expressed their opinion that we are just as intolerant as any other nation. I’ve always leapt to our defence. Whilst it saddens me to say it, I think our detractors might have a point and recent events have sheeted home to me just how intolerant we have become as a nation. Of course the champions of hatred will no doubt rip into me for saying this. I've been on the receiving end of an ample share of their vitriol over recent months. I expect it will continue because I will continue to express my opinion. I’m not telling anyone else how to live their life although a few of my detractors have levelled that accusation at me. I will however try to persuade conservative voters to give the leadership change a chance and to judge on the results. I will try to convince people that wrecking and splitting the conservative vote based on a vendetta isn’t in the best interests of the country. But, if they decide that is their path, fine but don’t attack others who have chosen a different path. 

So on reflection, perhaps we always were an intolerant nation and having not been on the receiving end of the intolerance and to my shame, I simply didn’t see it. 

SILENCING OF THE MODERATE MAJORITY

I have been pondering on this point for a while now: "Our changing society, the silencing of the moderate majority, and what it means for those of us who are caught in the middle." But something that happened yesterday prompted me to commit my thoughts to paper. 

Everywhere we turn, someone is foisting their extreme personal codes on us; be that religious, societal and even political. As a result, our views and our rights are being impinged upon and frankly, are being taken away from us. 

Yesterday, a friend of mine tagged some friends on an anniversary reminder that he had  received on Facebook. It was a photo of a group of previous work colleagues. It was a happy reminder of past times. One of the people in the photo objected and demanded the photo be removed. I won't go into the reasons, apart from saying their request was linked to religious conservatism. So the enjoyment of the majority, was denied by the demand of the minority. My friend did what was requested. He then blacked out the complainant and reposted the photo, but for me the moment was ruined and, I expect, I'm not the only one who felt that way. It does signal what we are seeing manifested in so many areas of society today. 

Now, the person who complained has a right to say how they are presented. But they don't own the photo. As there are a lot of group pics out there, does it mean every one of them has to be doctored before they can be posted? What if others complain about something and demand the same? People start to question, will I offend someone and so they stop engaging and stop sharing. 

We seem to be creating a society where on one hand we have the pious. The extreme conservatives, the extreme religious adherents. On the other the "tipping toward extreme libertarians." Caught in the middle are the moderates. Both the extreme conservatives and the extreme libertarians are endeavouring to foist their standards and their desires on those of us in the middle; the vast majority of our society. As a result the middle ground are being silenced. They are fearful of expressing their opinions or they simply can't be bothered, knowing they will be jumped on from both sides; the ultra conservatives and the tipping toward extreme libertarians.

The example I used was about religious ultra conservatism, but we see the same happening over social issues like SSM. I get the feeling there are thousands out there who don't support it, but they have just given up. It's going to happen because people have been pushed down that path, whether they support it or not. So, why fight it. The majority will just roll over rather than be shunned as a homophobe. Adam Bandt even accused the conservatives of "siding with fear over love." Seriously, that comment borders on lunacy. But again, the majority voice is coming from the minority tipping toward extreme libertarians no one else is allowed to have their say. You think I'm joking? A TV station was bombarded for even running an ad defending traditional marriage. Some stations actually acquiesced and refused to run the ads. One of those TV stations has no qualms about running those disgraceful misleading and frankly outright lying CFMEU ads, though, despite the protests from the middle ground. The middle ground loses and extreme libertarians win again. 

People rabbit on and on about the Australian culture and our rights to free speech. Don't kid yourselves that is actually exists. It doesn't. To be frank, I really struggle to define exactly what our culture has become. Spend a few hours reading responses to posts on social media sites and that soon highlights the sinister and threatening vibe that is out there. 

We are not a tolerant nation despite what people say. We tolerate others like us, but we don't tolerate those who stray too far outside the edge of our narrowly framed tolerance bandwidth. I see this also when people on the conservative side of politics voice their concerns about the performance of the government or the performance of the leader. The 'red and green' groups pounce, but so do the 'blues'; from the extreme conservative group. 

I supported someone last week who was sharing their concerns about the performance of the PM. The comments made were constructive, not like some I've read. They invited debate. The poster was pounced on and for my 'sins' so was I. I was accused of being disloyal, easily sucked in and almost aiding and abetting the opposition. Is that the culture of a tolerate nation, one who supports and encourages free speech, freedom of expression and debate? I think not, but perhaps you have a different view. 

I even received a comment last night asking me how can I not be embarrassed by my advocacy for the government. Who I think are doing a pretty good job of the things that really matter by the way. The commenter went on to say they had checked my blog and all the ideals I espouse are non conservative and therefore demand to know why I was a conservative. 

As my friend said to me today with reference to the demand to remove the FB pic. It is symptomatic of what we see within the political landscape. Things we need to debate we can't, because we are bullied and shut down.That is EXACTLY what is happening here. 

Well, I won't be silenced. I believe in tolerance, I value different ideas and I strongly believe the issues that are impacting on our nation, on us, on our culture and our society need to be out in the open and talked about. Don't let the extreme elements among us, ruin it for all of us.

#ISTANDFOR ....

The events of the past week and furore over booing and the usual #Istandfor campaign that has ensued, has prompted me to reflect on "what I stand for" when it comes to racism. 

I'll will state that this point, that booing based on racial intent is not acceptable. Any form of racism is contemptible. Booing as a response to someones behaviour, and behaviour that has offended or hurt you, is entirely different.  

Therefore:

I stand with all of those who face real racism and discrimination day in day out. 

I stand with those people who are physically attacked and in many instances killed because of their colour, their religion or their ethnicity. 

I stand with those who are denied the right to work because of what they are, not who they are as people. 

I stand with those who are isolated and shunned because they are different in some way. 

I stand with those who are spat on and verbally abused because of what they wear, what religion they choose to follow not who they are as human beings. 

I stand with those who don't hide behind what happened 200 years ago and who then use that as an excuse for their own lack of fortune today and who suffer the indignity and pain of real racism and exclusion.

I don't stand with people who have made a success of their lives be it through business, sport or politics and who continue to blame me for the misdeeds of my forefathers. 

I don't stand with people who continue to ram down my throat that I am a white trespasser in the country I was born in and for whom my father, grandfathers and uncles put their lives on the line. People who tell me “First of all, Aboriginal people have been here a lot longer than anybody else, so just remember whose lands you are on and maybe pay a little bit more respect to that,’’ (Respect is earnt it can not be demanded) 

I don't stand with people who use their position to push their indigenous, religious or ethnic agenda without thinking about how their actions will cause hurt and distress for others. And when faced with a backlash point the finger and call racism. 

I don't stand with people who create divide and run away. 

I Missed The Secret Meeting

I didn't know there was a secret meeting & those who attended decided what the rest of us could think, do and say!

And, if we have the temerity not to agree with the decisions of the secret meeting, we are obviously evil, moronic, bigoted, backward, religious, homophobic, racist, right-wing zealots and lunatics? 

Did you? 

Well I say.....

Our Reasoning Ability Is Rapidly Diminishing

I’m becoming increasingly fed up with people labelling me in their pathetic attempts to justify their own bias. We see this a lot on social media. It isn’t the domain of one group or another. People from all groups are doing it. Hence my lament that mankind’s ability to reason is rapidly diminishing.

Like many,  I was horrified by the number of attacks carried out in the preceding 24-hours by Islamist extremists. I posted a comment on twitter attaching a clip from the BBC website. Out of the 10 most recent updates 8 related to events, highlighting 5 different attacks.

Number two on the recent update list mentioned Gay Marriage to which someone replied “Gay marriage is more important than 165,000 Christians being murdered every year”. In the context of the BBC updates I replied it’s just detailing the most recent updates, nothing sinister in that. Well from there I was accused of being young (I’m not) and weak (I’m certainly not) and that Jones (assume he meant Alan Jones) and Paul Murray are wrecking a 1000 years of the conservative tradition. WT!!!

As it happens, I don’t listen to Jones or watch Paul Murray, but I digress. Now I did suggest the reply was the dumbest reply of the week. This was followed by an assault (using the latest weapon of choice of the social media crusaders)….. You are a Leftist!!!! Well, actually I’m not. In  fact, I’m a dedicated middle of the road conservative who thankfully was born with a brain and the ability to reason based on good old common sense.

You will recall the recent issues in Asia with thousands of asylum seekers stranded on boats. A number of us were discussing the problem there, as well as the problems in Europe. I had made a number of comments about the size and the potential scale of the problem given there are over 50million displaced persons. And the the fact that many  of those people are escaping on boats heading for Europe. Hundreds had drowned. I also mentioned countries like Italy & Greece can not be expected to keep absorbing thousands of asylum seekers. And voiced my frustration over the fact that groups like the UN are quick to condemn receiving countries, but do little to address the issues in the asylum seekers own countries.

One of our  ‘conservative brethren’ posted  a comment “give them life jackets that way they won’t drown  can just freeze to death”. Now any reasonable person would consider that a dreadful thing to say (unless of course you have an irrational hatred of Muslims). As a reasonable person, I said as much. What followed, once again was bizarre.  Judge for yourself.

Poster: “Maybe we should give them Lifejackets, won’t drown just freeze to death ”

Me: “That’s a dreadful thing to say. Something has to be done to fix problems on their home soil so they don’t leave”

Poster: “Start with smugglers, but living in corrupt countries will never happen. Can’t solve the worlds problems”

Me: “Never say never, never say can’t. There are 50million plus wanting to escape doing nothing isn’t an option”

At this point someone else joined the discussion & asked what I thought needed to happen. My reply.

Me: “Apart from removing despotic leaders, educating people and stop funding terrorists, I have no idea”

My poster chimed in:

Poster:  “What are you doing for them apart from twitter”

Me: “Apart from sponsoring children nothing. What are you doing?”

Poster: Ignored question, but came back with “What leader would you have, you seem to have all the answers”

Me: I don’t have all the answers and I will admit my patience was waning. Hence reply “Don’t be so stupid” By this time I could almost sense where we were heading. I know the poster form.  

Poster: “You’re the one performing either do something or go away. I’m blinking you. I don’t tolerate idiots. I’m blocking you”

How is that for intolerance and a lack of reasoning ability? The person in question hates Muslims and thinks the answer is let asylum seekers freeze in the ocean and she labels me an idiot.

Conservatives, rightly or wrongly have considered themselves to be above liberal progressives. That was always a bit smug in my opinion, even though I’m a conservative and I do consider myself above the rabble. Conservatives are just as capable of being as intolerant and abusive as anyone else. They prove that over and over again and often over the most mundane issues as per my recent exchanges. If you dare to question, regardless of what you have stood up for, condemned and defended previously, you are automatically labelled; you are not one of us, you are one of them. One of the evil lot. Of course, that is merely a bullying  tactic to attack based on the attackers own bias. “If you don’t agree with me, you are a traitor”.

Equally idiotic are statements such as “All Leftist Are Scum”.. Well, they aren’t. “All Conservatives Are Nut Jobs”.. Wrong again. Granted, some people on both sides are indeed scum. We certainly have our fair share of nut jobs of all persuasions but to brand whole groups highlights once again the inability to reason. It saddens me, but all I can do is continue to call out the behaviour for what it is.

Bullying by people based on their prejudices toward opposing or differing views and their inability to reason based on sound judgement.  In its place we have the  “If you don’t agree with me, you are a traitor” mentality and the world is a less tolerant and intelligent place as a result.