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Tag Archives: Australia
I melted wax to fix my wings…
I’ve done all the dumb things…. Saw the stupendous Paul Kelly tonight. He was, well, stupendous. So much of what I hold dear about Australia, so much of what I could (and should) be is wrapped up in the lyrics … Continue reading
Newsflash: Australian media in stupid sexism shocker
Adult women called girls. And the possessions of a man too. In 2011.
Australia – still unsettled
As Steve Dovers from the Australian National University put it recently, after two centuries we still seem to be struggling to settle Australia. We haven’t resolved the first vexing questions presented to us by a unique continent – the original … Continue reading
Embarrassing cultural cringe
It’s bad enough we have this whole passive-aggressive thing going on. But playing “me too” around extra-judicial assassination?? Wrong on so many levels I don’t know where to begin…
Posted in politics
Tagged Australia, cultural cringe, Osama bin Laden, Sydney Morning Herald
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Australia and the “biological cringe”
The cultural cringe was the name given to the Australian self-loathing/assumption that all things British were Better, which only became seriously challenged in the 70s and 80s, and can still be found in some people’s brains today. Clock this below … Continue reading
Posted in fear, natural world
Tagged Australia, biological cringe, Environmental History, Settler Societies, Tom Griffiths
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The scars are there, if you want to see them
On the long drive back to Newcastle, just before dusk, just before a town called Boggabri, I happened to look up from my book … and glimpsed a sign saying that we were passing “Gin’s Leap.” I knew instantly what … Continue reading
Then and Now: Australia and multiculturalism
In the 80s I remember hearing that while Greek/Italian etc immigration had been okay, these Asians (Cambodian, Vietnamese) were different. They didn’t speak the language, they didn’t want to integrate, they didn’t pay their taxes, they didn’t understand Western values … Continue reading
Australia’s Coal – Guilt-Edged Bonds
Coal could hardly loom larger in Australia’s emissions equation. In total, the coal we burn at home and export generates close to a billion tonnes of carbon dioxide annually – more than 1 in every 30 tonnes generated globally from … Continue reading
Posted in apocalypse, climate
Tagged Australia, climate change, coal, coal exports, Guy Pearse, hypocrisy, Quarry Vision, Quarterly Essay
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Banquo’s Ghost – of white guilt, black faces and green bile
Australians live in paradise. The sun shines on golden beaches, the food is fresh and varied, the economy is booming. People’s cups are running over. But there’s a ghost at the banquet. Not every sees it. Most everyone tries hard … Continue reading
Posted in a little self-knowledge, activism, apocalypse, climate, fear
Tagged Australia, cognitive limitations, denial, Indigenous Affairs
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On Narratology… of climate change
There’s a big dust-up in Oz at the moment around climate change legislation. The previous PM, Kevin Rudd, fell because of a failed “Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme”. The Opposition Leader, Malcolm Turnbull, was axed by his own lot because he … Continue reading
Posted in activism, climate
Tagged Australia, deride a tactic, futerra, narratology, Policy Network, social democrats, soothing bollocks
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