Cronulla: Mass Psychology and Violence

[tcpip]

As violence rocks Sydney and shock-jocks claim responsibility (He assured his huge audience he "understood" why that famous text message went out and he read it right through again on air. "Come to Cronulla this weekend to take revenge. This Sunday every Aussie in the Shire get down to North Cronulla to support the Leb and wog bashing day …")

An ethnic gang beats up some life-savers because they are the wrong "colour". Five thousand thug descend on the area and pelt innocent women with beer bottles because they "look mid-eastern". More violence continues overnight. I find myself arguing with people (and I use that term loosely) on usenet who claim that this is the beginnings of the "White Revolution" against multiculturalism.

What is the problem here? The problem is about assigning group characteristics to individual actions. The problem is seeking group membership to the violent exclusion of others. Beating up lifesavers because they are not Lebanese is the same idiotic violence as pelting women with beer-bottles because they look like they might be.

Of course, because he is a racist, the Prime Minister won't call it racism.

Interestingly, the Redfern riots were marked by their lack of racism even if they were carried out by one ethnic group - their target were the forces of authority ("You could interview every Aboriginal kid down there that comes from The Block, and the majority will tell you to your face... that they've all been bashed by the police," said Lyle Munro.)

I'm sick to death of this stupid country.

EDIT

An eye-witness account, why Melbourne doesn't have this problem. On the question of "ethnic rapes". The cause? Monoculturalism.

Comments

[lula-neith.livejournal.com]

I don't know if it means anything, but it's no better anywhere else. There was a riot in Ohio a bit ago. No one talks about it now, of course. It didn't last as long as Paris. There've been deaths of exchange students in Russia. It's sad. What is it? A virus? Are all nations catching it now?

[lederhosen.livejournal.com]

Jones: "I tell you who we want to encourage, Charlie, all the Pacific Island people because, you want to know something, they don't take any nonsense. They are proud to be here — all those Samoans and Fijians.

Am I being excessively cynical in translating this as "let's have a riot, and why don't we see if we can get the blacks to do the heavy lifting"?

[luciusmalfoy.livejournal.com]

I'm so happy I'm out. I really am.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

I understand that sentiment entirely.

I'm quite happy to argue to the nth degree about "race" issues (I recently objected to the el-jay anarchist community expelling someone for this very reason), but when people start bashing others that's when I've had enough.

The question is what will the supposed forces of law and order do now?

[dcrisp.livejournal.com]

Im so tempted to excercise my hereditory right to obtain a kiwi citizenship and then move to a quiet city and live peacfully. Dunedin is looking nice.

This came after the 4 evil bills of disinfranchising were passed.. *whinges and avoids politics*

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

The world political situation, thanks to fundamentalists and neoconservatives (same thing really), and the world economic situation (the dissolution of the post-WWII social contract) are major contributors to sense of violent dislocation, imo.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Sounds like it to me.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

You know my feelings on peaceful and civilised Dunedin ;-)

Shocking week in politics. Absolutely bloody awful.

[belegdel.livejournal.com]

I wonder if Jones' comments qualify as sedition?

Little Johnny is just, as always, playing the "everything is OK on my watch" card. It's such a pro-forma for him I don't even listen to his responses anymore - I can even predit his expression and tone of voice. He's a programmed robot, I swear.

I doubt he even thought about the issue enough to link it to his own beliefs.

How's that NZ plan coming along? :)

[greylock.livejournal.com]

I hate Alan Jones more than ever.

(There was a BBC story on NZ last week, about Lange's dismantling of the cradle-to-grave welfare system, and how fucked NZ's economy has been since then, and how the success of LOTR is the major thing that has lifted the country out of the mire. It kind of matches with the way my parents describe NZ.)

[ironed_orchid]

I'm sick of the stupidity in this country.

I'm also realising how easy it is to shut myself off from things, it feels a bit like the first time Pauline Hanson got elected. I don't listen to shock jocks because they are bigots, I rarely watch any news or current affairs that is not on SBS or ABC, and so I miss out on both the media spin from certain angles and the callers who like to call up Jones and his ilk. In fact, the closest I come to any awareness of this is to watch Media Watch.

People may be dismissive of ivory towers, but we do seem to have pretty well established that racism and sexism are not to be tolerated, and we impress that upon on our students, which I think can only be a good thing.

Howard has probably convinced himself that his version of racism is completely acceptable and perfectly logical. It's not.

[curufea.livejournal.com]

We reap what we sow.

We voted in a government that thinks fear is a valuable marketting tool.


(and by we, I mean not myself, but whoever the majority was)

The solid towers of ivory

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Interesting isn't it? For those who claim that racism is "natural" and "inevitable" there really isn't that much of it on a university campus, is there?

Sure, in some instances it is ham-fisted (such as bans on racist/sexist speech) but in the main, I find that because one must mix in tutorials etc and confront the issues in an intelligent manner, that any proir prejudices eventually dissipitate.

In a nutshell, education and intermingling does seem to work. I didn't see too many people with degrees engaged in either incident.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

I've read a very interesting article which (drawing a long bow, I admit) claims that much of the NZ economic downturn comes from their decision to get rid of land tax

Re: The solid towers of ivory

[ironed_orchid]

Which is a wonderful argument for making education accessible and affordable - sadly the powers that be seem to have other ideas. It would eb nice if the same sort of tolerance for people could be found in highschools, particularly in years 7-10.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Jones may have actually engaged in sedition. It was certainly borderline.

As for little Johnny, I don't think there is much doubt that he enjoys a little bit of racially-motivated violence every now and then. After all, if he can divide working people and distract them from his agenda that's all well and good.

I don't think we've had a PM as racist as him since Stanley Bruce.

New Zealand plan is moving along very quickly. Up a notch one may say.

[blot.livejournal.com]

In the city where lula and I live someone was running around murdering any cab driver they thought could be Somali after 9-11.

[blot.livejournal.com]

and remember when David Duke (KKK) ran for president? I was shocked how much support he had. Nope. The States arent any better.

[dcrisp.livejournal.com]

:) Thats why I mentioned it.

But yes. totally disolushioned with the whole political process and feel compleatly powerless to controll it and theres nothing I can really do as an individual to change anything.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_nightflower_/]

I think anyone who lives in Australia (whether you migrate or are born here) needs to be educated that racism is unacceptable, regardless of colour, sex, religion etc. It needs to come from the top down...and sadly while J-ho bumbles around swinging the lead baton of power, nothing will change.

But if change were to happen, everyone would need to come to the party. Attempting to educate the yobbos and not the gangs wouldn't achieve much; a broader aspect of the community would need to be involved, from parents to religious leaders to journalists etc.

But is change on this scale possible, or is it purely a Utopian vision not viable in today's political climate?

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

In politics, there is nothing so weak as an individual.

The only path to political success is collective action. Of course, as recent events have shown (compare these riots to to the trade union rally a few weeks back) there is good and bad collective action.

[devilgirly.livejournal.com]

I've had enough of this country too... *sigh* :(

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Ahh, there's a name I haven't heard for a while..

I would have liked to seen the look on his face when he was tried for tax fraud and was confronted with an all-black jury. Ahh, gentle irony.

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Somali? What on earth did Somalia have to do with 9-11?

I think that further illustrates my point rather well, come to think of it. Assigning collective blame for individual actions also means that often you'll pick the wrong collective!

[dcrisp.livejournal.com]

Another (probably misguided belief) of mine is the actual REASON behind the VSU legislation.

Now, forgive the terminology for explaining this, but I hope i have the gist of it right:

University Student Unions / Bodies tend to be Left to far left leaning organisations. Infact I would go as far as to explain them as Radical Left.

Many of the student leaders who come through the ranks as radical left students become less radical and more relaxed left leaning politicians.

The Student Union and student organisations are a prime hunting ground for new up and coming labour politicians.

By disinfranchising the Student bodies. By takeing AWAY from these leaders the reason for beoming politicians, (a power base and actual things to do at the UNI to do with politics) the government is hopeing to kill off the Labour recruiting grounds.

Thus further splintering the already shattered Left leaning parties.

Okee, so im not good at explaining it.. but.....