Set the bullshit...

...to warp factor one.

If ever I’m having a good day normally all I need to do to bring me down is read the comments on news.com articles, particularly if it’s to do with gay marriage or Muslims.

But it’s stopped working. Just like drugs, I have to read more and more of the moronic neo-con ignorance just to get a bit riled. I have developed a resistance to the gummos of the world.

Happily, Larvartus Prodeo sometimes provides me a hit of stupid. While the posts recently have been reasonable, I can still rely on the comments threads for a bit of insular academic twaddle.

Failing that, online opinion gives both sides too – one-eyed-left and no-eyed-right comment.

And there are countless others which can be relied upon to distract from my spreadsheets.

Why was I thinking this, you didn’t ask? Well, basically, Howard gives me the shits. That’s fundamental, and I think that most of the commenters on the blogs I read would agree with that.

That of course does not automatically mean they support Rudd, and that is reasonable. After all, it is the black and white view of the world, usually the realm of the neo-cons, that really is a worry.

Academically, it’s great to see the progressive, intelligent folk stand up for their principles. Whether it’s the feministas ranting about the wrongness of strip clubs, the greenies upset about the me-too ALP forest policy and the loosening of uranium mining rules, the secularists worried about pro-Christian values, or militant unionists angry with the attempts to show some sky between the ALP and ACTU – I’m impressed. Principles are important.

I do have a question, though –

DO YOU PEOPLE WANT ANOTHER THREE YEARS OF HOWARD? (or maybe costello or probly turnbull coz costello’s shit and downer had a go already and abbott is a bit loony but you know what I mean).

Did you answer no?

Well then, fucking suck it up and stop being stupid.

I find Rudd about as exciting as dressage, but I’m not stupid enough to vote Green just to show my disapproval for some of his mee-tooism.

I just want shut of Howard.

But anyone would think, from reading LP and other political blogs, that there’s a (admittedly, vocal smaller-than-minority) chunk of people that would prefer to live under the boot heel of General Johnny for a while longer than to compromise their principles. People that plan to vote for a minor party or an independent because they just can’t stand the options available. I realise that there may never be a time that it’s not going to be a bit risky to vote independent, and that it means it will always be a choice between the crap and the crappier – but, cripes, that’s pretty much life isn’t it?

It could be that it’s time to take down the Smiths posters, throw the bucket of stinky water out, and have a look outside*.

Maybe they don’t own a house, have no kids, have already got their degrees, and don’t like wombats – I just don’t know.

But whatever the reason it’s comforting to know that, just like the Piers/Bolt/Blair cheer squad commenters, their views have extremely little to do with the real world (I guess that includes me – oh well, as a great man once said “the salt of hypocrisy stings the eye and hardens the artery, but hell doesn’t it enhance the flavour of fish and chips.”)

Chao, gracias.

Sorry, I’ll put photos up when we get our internet back.


* most of this statement is for effect. If I had a Smiths poster, I would probably have it up.