Cronulla: Mass Psychology and Violence
Dec. 13th, 2005 09:41 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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.
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.
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Date: 2005-12-12 10:51 pm (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2005-12-12 11:05 pm (UTC)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"?
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Date: 2005-12-12 11:06 pm (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2005-12-12 11:14 pm (UTC)This came after the 4 evil bills of disinfranchising were passed.. *whinges and avoids politics*
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Date: 2005-12-12 11:27 pm (UTC)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? :)
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From: (Anonymous) - Date: 2005-12-13 05:41 am (UTC) - Expand(no subject)
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Date: 2005-12-12 11:32 pm (UTC)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.
The solid towers of ivory
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Date: 2005-12-12 11:34 pm (UTC)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)
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Date: 2005-12-12 11:58 pm (UTC)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?
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Date: 2005-12-13 12:03 am (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2005-12-13 01:24 am (UTC)It is a sad day & marrying my Dutchy & getting out of here is looking more appealing each day.
And in regards to the Redfern riots - OF COURSE that isnt racially based they are Aboriginals & in Johnnys eyes dont count as a race let alone human.
He is a feral bastard.
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Date: 2005-12-13 01:28 am (UTC)racism
1: the prejudice that members of one race are intrinsically superior to members of other races 2: discriminatory or abusive behavior towards members of another race [syn: racialism, racial discrimination]
Source: WordNet ® 2.0, © 2003 Princeton University
Yay Dunedin, here we come.
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Date: 2005-12-13 01:29 am (UTC)(no subject)
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From:OT: River of Gods
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Date: 2005-12-13 01:46 am (UTC)Anyhow, I came up with a great idea for how to go to East Timor without paying for it and without scamming a NGO. I am going to apply after I get advanced to candidacy for a travel grant my school gives to grads for $$ to go to Australia to talk to Australian Irish dancers and dressmakers. And then I can just hop on over to East Timor. Sound feasible and cheap? I may have to ask you in a few years if we both still are on livejournal for your advice on how to go.
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From:Moving to other countries.
Date: 2005-12-13 01:48 am (UTC)Re: Moving to other countries.
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Date: 2005-12-13 02:01 am (UTC)Yeah. :-(
My partner keeps saying that it feels like the late '70s, in the sense that we have this paternalistic government that feels as though it's going to be there for ever. *sigh*
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From:pre-fascist
Date: 2005-12-13 02:22 am (UTC)I thought they were a bit loony, but it doesn't look so far fetched any more!
Re: pre-fascist
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Date: 2005-12-13 02:30 am (UTC)since i was 5 years old i told people to pay attention to scifi writers. in 10 years there's gonna be a goddamn apocalypse. if it happens, i totally called it.
this planet is soooooooooooooooo fucked.
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Date: 2005-12-13 03:57 am (UTC)I have said before that Ratbastard Johnny is gearing up for a Kristallnacht.
Cronulla is not it. Cronulla is the brownshirts getting the go-ahead.
Our Kristallnacht is going to be so, so much worse.
('Not racism', fah. 'No racism in this country' my arse. No-one voted for One Nation, or votes for the CEC either. Nor this is not my nose, neither. Nothing that is so, is so.)
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Date: 2005-12-13 04:24 am (UTC)(no subject)
From:Gandi said...
Date: 2005-12-13 11:20 am (UTC)(saw it on a John Lennon DVD today)
Although...
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Date: 2005-12-13 01:39 pm (UTC)(no subject)
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Date: 2005-12-13 02:27 pm (UTC)(no subject)
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