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on winning while losing and things changing so slowly
Our societies have big, big problems if large groups of people can be either swept under the carpet or casually spurned as degenerate for no reason other than prejudice.
I was talking to my brother Peter yesterday about the Labour Party's apparent discrimination against gay people and their jumping on the anti-terrorism propaganda bandwagon. It looks like a shallow ploy by Labour to obtain the vote of the largest part of society possible, in the belief that most people are homophobic and easily frightened to hysteria. Peter felt that this was a reasonable thing to do as they (Labour) are far less evil than the terribly antisocial government we are currently lumbered with. I am very uneasy with this logic. If they can't stand up for minority groups in their pre-election lying campaign, what chance do we have of them behaving morally when they actually gain power? Granted they are not likely to be quite as corrupt as the current government, but recommending someone on the basis that they wouldn't hurt me as much as someone else would doesn't fill me with joy at the prospect of nevertheless being hurt.
Excuse me if I get this uneasy impression that the wicked powers that clasped John Howard to their bosom have dropped him now (note how he flounders lately), have slithered over to Mark Latham and are curling themselves about him. Sadly it looks to me like he is bargaining with the slimy beasts, thinking he can keep control. Poor fool. These scum never relinquish control, and if he gives up his morals this early in the fight then he is doomed. He will probably win the election, but he has already lost the only thing that matters.
It is difficult for me to believe sometimes that here we are in the 21st century where we have information about so much of the structure of the brain; we have sent robots out to many of the planets of our solar system; we can create virtual worlds inside immensely powerful computers; we can carry low cost computers in our pockets that are more powerful than machines that took up entire floors of skyscrapers a bare few decades ago; we are finally starting to uncover the basis of consciousness. And yet... and yet many people don't understand what a simple light switch does; vast numbers of people routinely believe in the most whacked-out, insane superstitions; it is common to consider arbitrary groups of people as subhuman in some way because of skin color, or religion, or sexuality, or lack of money.
I mean, gees!! I am an optimist, and I know things are getting better slowly, but oh how slow it feels. It really seems sometimes that it all balances on a knifedge, at the whim of superstitious cavemen.
I was talking to my brother Peter yesterday about the Labour Party's apparent discrimination against gay people and their jumping on the anti-terrorism propaganda bandwagon. It looks like a shallow ploy by Labour to obtain the vote of the largest part of society possible, in the belief that most people are homophobic and easily frightened to hysteria. Peter felt that this was a reasonable thing to do as they (Labour) are far less evil than the terribly antisocial government we are currently lumbered with. I am very uneasy with this logic. If they can't stand up for minority groups in their pre-election lying campaign, what chance do we have of them behaving morally when they actually gain power? Granted they are not likely to be quite as corrupt as the current government, but recommending someone on the basis that they wouldn't hurt me as much as someone else would doesn't fill me with joy at the prospect of nevertheless being hurt.
Excuse me if I get this uneasy impression that the wicked powers that clasped John Howard to their bosom have dropped him now (note how he flounders lately), have slithered over to Mark Latham and are curling themselves about him. Sadly it looks to me like he is bargaining with the slimy beasts, thinking he can keep control. Poor fool. These scum never relinquish control, and if he gives up his morals this early in the fight then he is doomed. He will probably win the election, but he has already lost the only thing that matters.
It is difficult for me to believe sometimes that here we are in the 21st century where we have information about so much of the structure of the brain; we have sent robots out to many of the planets of our solar system; we can create virtual worlds inside immensely powerful computers; we can carry low cost computers in our pockets that are more powerful than machines that took up entire floors of skyscrapers a bare few decades ago; we are finally starting to uncover the basis of consciousness. And yet... and yet many people don't understand what a simple light switch does; vast numbers of people routinely believe in the most whacked-out, insane superstitions; it is common to consider arbitrary groups of people as subhuman in some way because of skin color, or religion, or sexuality, or lack of money.
I mean, gees!! I am an optimist, and I know things are getting better slowly, but oh how slow it feels. It really seems sometimes that it all balances on a knifedge, at the whim of superstitious cavemen.
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I have had a number of Americans saying sorry about that, but I think we have done this bit of nastiness to ourselves. I mean, it does make it easier for our scheming, nasty politicians to be able to call upon the deeper and more powerful evil over the other side of the Pacific Ocean... but they still have the choice of being honest or corrupt.
Although I think your current crop of politicians are some of the most reprehensible creatures to slither over this planet, I have to say that I have the greatest respect for 99% of the American folk I meet in person and over the net. You guys might yet undo the damage those shit-bags at the helm are doing. The same here. We might change Australia's direction for the better too, though I think you guys stand more chance of it than we do.
Here's hoping.
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Some days I look at how the world works and get an inkling of how it must have felt for a member of the intelligentsia, being led through a screaming crowd, to the guillotine.
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On the optimistic side I think most people are sufficiently smart to see past the worst of it. The proof of this is the anti-war marches. They had us all convinced the the majority of the population wanted such a war, but when we all spilled out of our rooms to find, to our great surprise, that there were many millions of us who didn't believe the crap laid on us. No matter how much we are told that we are alone, we are not. There are tens of millions of us... and probably many more than that.
Thank heavens for the net!!!
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I was at that march, looked around, and hoped to God that at least 75% of them, come the day, wouldn't vote for Howard. I still hope that's the case.
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It strikes me as just a little peculiar though. There are millions of dollars to be made and massive power to be garnered by perverting the voting system. You would think we would be hearing about people being found out all the time with such high stakes, but we hear nary a whisper.
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For the Australian election, it will probably mean voting Greens first, Democrats second and Liberals last. Labor is probably next-to-last, depending on the various independent parties (Salt Shakers, for example, may just beat Libs into last place, although their website is distressingly well-constructed).
I don't really have any illusions about the overall ethics of politicians; it seems to be an entry requirement that they start compromising whatever morals or ethics they had or they never get anywhere. I'm also very much aware of the whole spin phenomenon and how it can turn someone who thinks people ought to be brainwashed or otherwise de-programmed on the basis of an unpopular or controversial religion, sexuality, gender, etc into seeming like a wonderful person who is all about hugs, puppies and milk for children. Cause what's bad with hugs, puppies and milk for children? Well, nothing, except all the other stuff you're going to bring with it...
I'm hoping we'll figure out a way of revamping the political system so that it isn't quite as much of an exercise in lip-service (at best) and a maze of corrupt, unaccountable deal-making (at not-so best). But at the moment, the most sensible thing seems to be to minimise the damage done, to vote against rather than for. And from that perspective, yes, there's not much to choose from between our two Prime Ministerial candidates. *sigh*
Better luck next time!
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I'll be voting Greens followed by Democrat, then assorted crap artists down to probably Liberal last of all. Not sure where Labour go in all this... whether above the various nut-bag groups like the gun lobby and Family First or below them. I'm just expecting preferences to carry Labour past Liberal, but I want them to get the message that we voters are not happy with them. It would be nice to do what we did last time where the Greens doubled their vote! Nobody ever doubles their vote. But they were the only group with any morality and people realised it.
I think on that occasion the Greens were so disgusted by Labour that they didn't give them their preferences so they lost any chance at power and little Johnny Asshole got in again. I may be wrong there though.