Hi Doug,
Yes, it's all a bit ordinary. Happening just a few suburbs south of me
so I feel a little jumpy. The problems, if one can put it like that,
are a bit more complex than they appear in the media and the commentary
by those who live in 'safer' suburbs (I say this advisably as the
violence is spreading out), whatever political stripes they may wear.
There are some gender issues involved here as well - in the case of
Cronulla and The Shire, it's also the southern beach culture v other
cultures and now it seems the neo-nazis are taking advantage of it as
well as yobbos of all inclinations. You do have to wonder when people
talk about 'our beaches' and 'our women'. But I do have some experience
of women being disrespected in the streets recently, and not just by
certain groups of guys. I can also see and feel trouble brewing in
Redfern and Waterloo and this has spread out further, right to the end
of out street, in fact. And those who walk around where I work near
Central Station can feel it as well. Anyone who is surprised by this
has been walking around with their eyes, ears and mind closed. The
political pontificating makes me ill. The passing of all the recent
backward legislation may seem the crossing of a Rubicon but it started
way back.
Cheers,
Jill
On Tuesday, December 13, 2005, at 03:48 AM, Douglas Barbour wrote:
> The 'riot' there made our TV news & it did not look good, Alison.
> There was one big, um 'lunkhead' screaming that real aussies wanted
> all these types out. I immediately thought of my friends there & how
> they (you) would feel about this.
>
> It does seem to be, as you say, John Howard's Australia, but not all
> Australians' one.
>
> Doug
_______________________________________________________
Jill Jones
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