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

[domesticmouse.livejournal.com]

The problem the US government is going to face is that they have two seperate pay masters to appease. First, the House of Saud owns approx 10% of the US economy, and so they can (and do) demand a certain amount of fealty from the US Gov't. And being able to bring the US to it's knees by dropping oil production probably doesn't hurt either.

The other is China, who are keeping the US Gov't liquid by continuing to buy the Federal Reserve paper. If, at some point in the future, China refuses to buy, then it is a reasonably short trip to the US being put under World Bank control, and forced to reign in on things like military spending.

And given the way US foreign debt is continuing to spiral out of control, at some point one of the US creditor nations (China, Japan, ...) is going to blink. And then it starts getting really fun...

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Well, the house of Saudi they can just lean on... Militarily if necessary. As for China, I'd imagine they'll go for a "promote internal dissent, wait for political system to collapse, gobble up the remains".

It's always a question of thinking of how a system can get out the strife it's in.

Buggered if I can find a way out of Iraq for them. As Juan Cole put it so eloquently on his blog.. "Sometimes you're just screwed".

[domesticmouse.livejournal.com]

You mean, apart from running away screaming?

[tcpip.livejournal.com]

Even run away screaming won't help, even if it is the best possible option.

The fact is since the invasion Iraq has become a training ground for future terrorists. If the U.S. pulls out this will continue (apart from the rest of the world, going "hey, they can be beat!")...

I'm beginning to think this is going to be the worst military decision ever. Fact of the matter is that the U.S. was better off with Saddam in power.

[domesticmouse.livejournal.com]

true enough.

[evil-genius.livejournal.com]

I Am so glad I moved out of that "god forsaken" country.