...already old.
I still have some more photos to put up, but even with internet on at home, the spacebar on my keyboard has mysteriously stopped working, along with all the number keys. Odd.
ItdoesmakeanythingIwritefromhomealittlehardtoread.
So I’ll do this at work.
The first time I voted in a federal election it was between the Vampire and the Duck – or at least that’s the way I saw it. Keating was tough and acerbic, and reminded me of my grandpa for some reason; Howard was a mean little twerp surrounded by snotty aristocrats. I was sorely disappointed in 1996 – and it only got worse, a lot worse, over the next decade or so.
Now, I’ve just realised what a difference not having Howard in will make to this place. Sure, I was bloody excited on Saturday night (even more so when I found out the new PM and treasurer will have their HQ in the Riverside Centre – I walk past there everyday and the downcast faces of the innumerable private school bullies was wonderful – I bet they’re stoked to have commies in the building), but it didn’t really sink in until my uni contacted me on Wednesday.
They sent me a letter to let me know that the amount of courses on offer had been reduced again. Since I enrolled in economics there in 2001 the number of courses has halved, and those left are geared towards business, engineering, law – basically vocational higher education. It seems that in Howard’s Australia learning how to think, rather than just to do, was a bad thing.
So, as angry as I am about the letter, I dare to hope that it may now change. Maybe too late for a lot of people – we’ll just have a glut of people than can fix stuff with nobody that can make a new one for a while – but eventually.
This election has also finally proved to me that the narrow left-right spectrum truly is dead, or at least only a small part of the story. Sure, economically it helps people work out what’s happening, but it’s glaringly obvious that it completely fails to adequately model social and environmental issues. Disturbingly, I can conceive of a Labor party that assumes the socially conservative mantle, while a Turnbull led New Liberal party openly courts the Greens and the gay vote. While I don’t really think it’s likely it’s fairly clear that the unnatural marriage of the small l economic liberals and the religious right is dying an overdue death.
Another thing I’ve noticed is the reaction from the international media. Of course the Guardian crowed about it, but that’s hardly surprising.
What is more refreshing is the reaction from some other news outlets around the place. Even the New York Times keeps its usual neo-conservative bias to a minimum.
The Howardistas may see Rudd as a me-too man, but it’s not the way it plays around the world. The Kyoto ratification alone completely changes how we might be viewed in a world that mainly dislikes the Bush administration, if not the US as such.
In short, I am beginning to be happy about the way the world sees our country again. It is becoming ok to get angry about overtly racist acts again, ok to be nice to people, ok to put reconciliation back on the table.
Is it because of Rudd? Not entirely – he’s like the rebound guy. A bit like the old one, but without the nastiness and the arsehole friends. The one you have a fling with while you get over your destructive relationship. The one just before you meet the true love – the real inspiration. Maybe her name’s Julia. Dunno yet, but I’m hopeful.
It all means that my life, pretty awesome before, has an extra bit of soy sauce on it*.
Got a place to live, a decent job, a good family
and, top of the list, a hot lawyer.
Yep, k has finished her degree, passed quite well, and graduates next week. Happily (although the money would be nice...) she’s not a sellout and won’t be prosecuting asylum seekers or trying to help big corporation avoid their obligations anytime soon.
This new political climate means k and I can wander about the world, proud to be from a tolerant, forward thinking, and compassionate country. I know the problems won’t be fixed overnight – the damage the divisive little prick did to this place will take a long time to fix.
To the man who declared his “victory over political correctness” his biggest achievement – I hope you die a bitter, twisted old man, forever bewildered by your loss, watching as a little country took a prime spot on the world stage as soon as you left, and rejected your insular, sycophantic, and all around gutless world view.
To k – let’s go places and see places together and talk about stuff and do good things for nice people.
And meet me at the station this arvo, then can we go to the hardware store because I need a wheelbarrow.
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*because soy sauce is good on EVERYTHING.
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5 comments:
Nabla, I too am glad that the world once again knows that Australia is a foward thinking, compassionate place. However, like my second love Justice Kirby said tolerance is not enough:
"I’m a little bit suspicious of the word tolerance. It’s a rather condescending notion, isn’t it, that you tolerate somebody else. Acceptance is the notion that you just accept that people are different and have different views and we’ve all got to live together."
I'll be at the station and all the other places you want me to be.
Nice post, bro.
Also, you kids are frickin' adorable. So glad to be in your family.
Nice post. I agree.
And K, congratulations! It must feel great to get it done. I know you wont cross the floor and start doing all of those corporate things but, if you have to for some reason, I reckon you will do it with care and compassion.
I also agree with Justice Kirby except that I somehow need to fit acceptance with the right to rail against those who wont accept. Not yet sure how to do this. The logic doesn't really fit.
I think you start to get into natural rights type territory with that sort of thinking, mangoman. Whether your acceptance affects the ability of others to accept, that sort of stuff.
It's all a bit hard, sometimes. I get worried we spend so much time discussing moral relativism that we run out of time to fix problems, and such.
Yes it does. I tend to go more to moral pluralism than relativism though. I think it is possible for us to accept that there are fundamentals etc while still giving plenty of room for difference.
There is a need at times to put such discussions to one side and get on with it. The real value of thinking is that you can do it while you get things done, provided that is that you don't become so bogged in the morass of philosophical discussion that you have no frame of reference available to assist in making a decision about what to do next.
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