Go Home
Australia's refugee problem is so complex that normal humans cannot be expected to get their heads around it. I know this because I visited Jeff's Shed to witness Labor Party delegates communicate detailed logistical insights mostly through sad stories about feeling bad. One even lovingly described a post-it note upon which was written a baby asylum seeker's name. He kept it over his desk to remind him of the real stories behind the issues behind the feelings he was having. Just imagine the Groundhog Day of seeing a post-it note and exclaiming, "Oh that's right! Refugees! No wonder I'm sad! If only their plight was not so bloody complex! Well, it's drink'o'clock."
It's tempting to get on a moral high horse about Australia's cruel treatment of people on leaky boats. However the fact is if you express any concern at all about these people you will be instantly set upon by a guy rubbing his fingers together, saying, "Look it's the world's tiniest violin." If you suggest, "Yeah nah let's just do the right thing eh?" A sweaty oaf in a child's school uniform will stand far too close, repeating the words, "But I'm not touching you!" and giggling. The fucking moron scum have hijacked this nation, no wait, Australia started as a penal colony and the penises have multiplied like one-eyed fuckfaced rabbits and we are overrun. Send help. Anybody. England even.
At the Labor Party conference I saw people who put a face to the fear of the public all politicians share. If these people had any balls. Which they do, they keep our balls in their pockets by confusing us with the details of boats, water, people on boats, how boats work and details. I don't think I'm a better person than these people, but I have made a sneaky point of standing on the right side of history. We're supposed to run in fear of voters fed lies by Rupert Murdoch? That's brain-dead, but that's what's happening.
Anyway, I went along and sat outside the conference hall watching the big screens and sighing loudly like the self-righteous peddler of moral vanity I am. Activists burst onto the stage with a banner NO REFUGEE TURN BACKS. I ran into the hall behind the distracted security and walked through the space shooting video. I saw activists in the crowd being tackled and that the banner was being taken down very quickly indeed. I wasn't sure what to do, but then a woman yelled, "Go home!"
That's right, I don't have to "do" anything. My activism consists largely of turning up to events to simply witness people being themselves. And get it on video.
Go home. I couldn't tell you how long our moral crisis has been taking a shit on us, but it's been long enough that anyone knows words like "Go home" are dynamite. After we were all removed one delegate after another gave weepy speeches, but the only words that resonated on a soul level where the rainbows live were "Go home." Go home until we solve this complex problem. We will freak out and call security if a harmless banner appears. We will shout "Go home", but go home until we solve the problems we refuse to understand because Politics.
It's tempting to get on a moral high horse about Australia's cruel treatment of people on leaky boats. However the fact is if you express any concern at all about these people you will be instantly set upon by a guy rubbing his fingers together, saying, "Look it's the world's tiniest violin." If you suggest, "Yeah nah let's just do the right thing eh?" A sweaty oaf in a child's school uniform will stand far too close, repeating the words, "But I'm not touching you!" and giggling. The fucking moron scum have hijacked this nation, no wait, Australia started as a penal colony and the penises have multiplied like one-eyed fuckfaced rabbits and we are overrun. Send help. Anybody. England even.
At the Labor Party conference I saw people who put a face to the fear of the public all politicians share. If these people had any balls. Which they do, they keep our balls in their pockets by confusing us with the details of boats, water, people on boats, how boats work and details. I don't think I'm a better person than these people, but I have made a sneaky point of standing on the right side of history. We're supposed to run in fear of voters fed lies by Rupert Murdoch? That's brain-dead, but that's what's happening.
Anyway, I went along and sat outside the conference hall watching the big screens and sighing loudly like the self-righteous peddler of moral vanity I am. Activists burst onto the stage with a banner NO REFUGEE TURN BACKS. I ran into the hall behind the distracted security and walked through the space shooting video. I saw activists in the crowd being tackled and that the banner was being taken down very quickly indeed. I wasn't sure what to do, but then a woman yelled, "Go home!"
That's right, I don't have to "do" anything. My activism consists largely of turning up to events to simply witness people being themselves. And get it on video.
Go home. I couldn't tell you how long our moral crisis has been taking a shit on us, but it's been long enough that anyone knows words like "Go home" are dynamite. After we were all removed one delegate after another gave weepy speeches, but the only words that resonated on a soul level where the rainbows live were "Go home." Go home until we solve this complex problem. We will freak out and call security if a harmless banner appears. We will shout "Go home", but go home until we solve the problems we refuse to understand because Politics.
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