It's interesting - in both Alison's and Jill's (poem) take on contemporary
Australia in recent posts - the almost visceral sense of the disturbances
going on. From afar, it seems healthy. Pluralism and its disconcerting
ramifications, certainly upsetting the traditional apple cart. (As
frequently true in this country - little invasions followed indignant,
massive resistance by the most threatened. The molten fires pushing up
changes on shape and character of the landscape.
It's hard on everyone. But great for the velocity of the language, emergence
of new writing, liveliness in the theater, etc.
(Alison - do you know Dave Rabe's plays about serving in the war in
Viet-Nam. I think they were so fierce, accurate etc. re power, race &
soldiering - that they are rarely mounted. Performed in the sixties and
early seventies - mainly in New York, at least where I saw one - they lifted
the lid off the country's repressed fires at least an inch! I suspect George
H knows them).
Perhaps as important as an acknowledgement of the non-monolithic diversity
of kinds of Aboriginal communities across the Australian continent (their
art forms, literatures, etc) - the input of diverse new Asian and Middle
Eastern cultures will now also make significant and substantial intrusions
into both the political and cultural fabric. Probably take generations - as
in California. It ain't ever easy for anyone.
Any maybe all this is naïve speculation on my part - not really knowing
'your' country!
An aside: Laar night, during the Dharma talk at my Vipassana meditation
group, the execution of "Tookie" Williams took its grip on the conversations
and questions. A woman who had been to the Peace Vigil at San Quentin Prison
was praising how both intense, focused and peaceful the situation was.
However, she described the funny split that happened to her concentration
when she had to squeeze by Sean Penn to get to some friends. "I went 'star'
crazy for more than a minute," she said, "before I could get my focus back."
Makes me think how 24/7 media and worlds of simulation keep the
consciousness flooded with "reality divorce" and impossible desires -
certainly keeps the public away from the issues that open up with
rebellions, executions, etc. Well meaning Sean Penn cannot escape being an
ironic, public opiate. She seemed to handle it well, however!
Stephen V
http://stephenvincent.net/blog/
> of the garbage going up the hill, our garbage
> of that kind of epiphany, so ordinary, the mix of food and fish and the
> decomposing flavour of life on and
> off with this dangerous government
> of Australians
> of the times that will hold our accounts
> of those who break houses and execute trees
> of those who rob the tongues of children
> of comanchero boys filled with flail and hurtle
> of a deficiency that fights itself
> of an oh so average victory
> of creating duress with commands and errors - that one belongs not here
> of controls and dishonor with fists of newspaper and the uniform effect
> which ignites layers
> of this unreal war making its mistakes
> of its cowards who fear peace and skin in the sun
>
> for whom the hour has come - us protect us
> not simply of Sydney
>
>
> Jill Jones
>
> _______________________________________________________
> Jill Jones
>
> Latest books:
> Broken/Open. Available from Salt Publishing
> http://www.saltpublishing.com/books/smp/1844710416.htm
>
> Where the Sea Burns. Wagtail Series. Picaro Press
> PO Box 853, Warners Bay, NSW, 2282. [log in to unmask]
>
> Struggle and radiance: ten commentaries (Wild Honey Press)
> http://www.wildhoneypress.com
>
> web site: http://homepages.ihug.com.au/~jpjones
> blog1: Ruby Street http://rubystreet.blogspot.com/
> blog2: Latitudes http://itudes.blogspot.com/
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