Once again, only a few days before Australia Day, the ABC publishes the views of a traitor:
I know there are those who think it a form of disloyalty to not believe that Australia is the greatest country on earth. Certainly, they have their counterparts across the world. There is a strange correlation between being born in a country and believing that it is the greatest country in the world. This hasn’t yet given pause to the super-patriots here and elsewhere. Yet this is suggestive that patriotic fervour is not always entirely rational, or motivated by a sober evaluation of the merits and flaws of one’s homeland.
Oh, and I suppose Mr Brull also thinks it’s revealing that the vast majority of religious people happen to have chosen the religion of either their country or their family (or both).
Correlation does not equal causation, mate. I bet if the patriotic Aussies had been born in America, they’d still have grown up declaring Australia “the best country on Earth”. Just like if Jim Wallace had grown up in Iran to a Muslim family, he’d DEFINITELY still be a fundamentalist Christian because his chosen religion is the result of years of careful research and study. Seriously, we’ve watched TV programs about other countries. Jim met a Jew once.
To suggest patriotism is as shallow and empty as “I like the people and places I know and I’d like to feel special and virtuous for having this ordinary human feeling” is beneath contempt.
Time for us to dismantle the ABC for publishing it.
UPDATE (25/1): Dave and I discuss what’s great about this country in a special, early edition of The Pure Poison Podcast.
Moved On 
You have to admit tho, there is a lot about Australia that isn’t half bad compared to rest of the world.
Especially if you consider all the really bad stuff in our history.
Considering all that…
I remember hearing Peter Garrett describe Australian patriotism as “a pretty shitty sort” in the context of supporting sporting success, having a bicentennial celebration or having seen the movie gallipoli.
He mentioned that no one understood our constitution, the role of Australians in drafting the Human Rights provisions of the UN, the stuff our scientists and medical researchers did, and why that was possible in our society etc etc. This was back in the 80s when Midnight Oil were still making great music.
Mr Brull conflates nationalism with patriotism imo.
(IMO) Real patriotism has nothing to do with the State, nothing to do with the apparatus for administering and regulating power. It has to do with loving the place and its people for all their flaws and goodness. And wanting them to thrive in a way you’d be proud of. Its got nothing to do with lines on a map somewhere. Real patriotism views the state as a tool for improving or protecting the lives of the people, and the place, and thats it, so its always on at the state to lift its game.
This one of the most patriotic, (and in a sense prophetic) songs I have ever heard. No doubt tho, some would consider it traitorous.
“You have to admit tho, there is a lot about Australia that isn’t half bad compared to rest of the world.”
Definitely.
Whilst far from perfect, and suffering from pushes against their universal nature, we have decent public health and education systems, certainly compared with much of the world.
We have a national sense of mocking elites – to the point where the actual elites have to resort to calling their opponents “elites” to try to confuse the issue. Whoever these “elites”, there’s a strong sense of egalitarianism in our culture and we’re not impressed by those with affected airs and graces.
The land itself is spectacular.
Our democratic system, whilst still significantly benefiting the incumbents, does enable smaller parties to be somewhat represented within the parliament (even if it’s only the Senate). Our legal system recognises the importance of due process and fair trials (even if some politicians try to undermine that with mandatory sentences, detaining asylum seekers without charge and increasing the time police can hold terrorism suspects without charge).
We can be very generous in a crisis.
We’ve treated our indigenous people very badly in the past but, in the main, we recognise this and are trying hard to do better. (Undoing 200 years of disadvantage is not an easy or straightforward task, of course.)
None of these things are, by their own, unique – but there’s something special about the combination.
As there would be about most other countries. Whether this one’s the “best” to live in, I can’t say – I’ve never lived in another country for any extended period of time.
I haven’t really lived overseas either, so I can’t make a direct comparison. But on second-hand knowledge alone, Australia definitely makes my top 10 for nations where I’d have been born if given the choice. If I took the time to research it more thoroughly, I suspect it would be in the top 5, although maybe not number 1.
The other thing is that there’s a fundamental difference between giving thanks for our good fortune – and let’s be honest here, the vast majority of us have done nothing particularly special to create the advantages we enjoy as citizens of this country – and being proud of it, as if we’re better than the people who’ve been born into much more challenging circumstances.
It is beyond the average leftist to say anything good about Australia, or Western civilisation in general for that matter. Leftists are perennial whiners. Nothing will be ever good enough for the impeccable standards of their exquisite consciences. They just sit there croaking and carping pulling at threads of society.
It is quite beyond them to stop the whining for even one day to take pause and celebrate the many, many good things about our country. And anybody else who does that causes an eruption of rancorous bile to spurt from their shriveled lips.
Happy Australia Day and God bless our country!
Except this blog is written by a leftist and the comment immediately above that by a leftist disproves your usual one-eyed left-hating vitriol, SB. Jesus. You couldn’t balance on a beam above a fire-pit.
I’d feel far more comfortable with Australia Day if it was a day for feeling grateful for how awesome this country is and how lucky we are, and not a day for feeling superior, as if each one of us had personally made Australia excellent, and it was each individual person in another countries fault for not making THEIR country as awesome.
“We’ve treated our indigenous people very badly in the past but, in the main, we recognise this and are trying hard to do better.”
Agreed.
A relative (mid teens girl) has just come back from living in Europe for 3 months. When asked what difference she noticed between Europe and Australia her immediate reply was how racism appeared to be almost the accepted norm over there (my words, not hers). She was shocked by how outwardly racist many people were.
I think Australia is often dealt a harsh hand with regard to racism. Sure we, have our problems, as all countries do, but on the whole, I think we’re a fairly laid back and accepting bunch.
Hmm
Jeremy, AKA Lefty (I wonder why???) wrote:
we have decent public health and education systems, certainly compared with much of the world.
and loads of other positive stuff about our nation.
Me? I’m a filthy pinko, In Australia I love the way sport is about inclusion, ie the fat kid isn’t laughed at he’s encouraged. That’s something that didn’t happen where I grew up.
I love the sense of humour, the colourful language, Aussie slang is fantastic – call a ranga ‘bluey’..
In my experience after arriving most people were very nice to me, welcoming, interested and happy to show me the ropes.
On to the obvious stuff:
Great Justice System
Quite democratic
Great standard of living
Great climate
Great infrastructure considering the population/area ratio.
I could go on and on but i think that’s enough to debunk SB’s erroneous claim.
“Leftists are perennial whiners. Nothing will be ever good enough for the impeccable standards of their exquisite consciences. They just sit there croaking and carping pulling at threads of society.”
LOL @ SB whining about his perception. 😉
SB’s trolling gets less subtle by the day.
Qualified affection is still affection, SB, and if your only ability to love is based on emphatic denial of all fault or blemish then you and I have very different takes on that particular emotion.
What could be worse than a whining leftist? Well a conservative with a sense of entitlement. Australia is a great place to live, I reckon the best place actually. Sure it has its faults, but progressive lefty’s are sorting them out slowly. But the standard of living that most of us enjoy was fought for by those whining leftists S.B. complains about.
S.B. is probably mortified that people working in factories and the other unskilled riff raff, actually have enough money for luxuries like food and clothes. Some of them believe it or not, actually own their own homes now. All given to them by their benevolent righteous conservative employers.
S.B. talk about whining, I bet you long for the old days when your ilk sat around places like the Raffles in Singapore, quaffing down Champers and Gin Slings. Whilst calling on Jeeves for another plate of caviar, there you all sit moaning about the price of the Cooley labour, and what to do about those damn uppity Indians. Ah conservatives who made revisionist history an art form, and who still do btw, this blog is testament to that salient fact.
Yes Australia is great, to bad conservatives had nothing to do with making it great for your average lefty.
So now we can add patriotism to the long list of right-wing showbag tendencies of our resident self-procalimed unaligned, moderate centrist.
It is quite beyond them to stop the whining for even one day to take pause and celebrate the many, many good things about our country. And anybody else who does that causes an eruption of rancorous bile to spurt from their shriveled lips.
I don’t suppose it occurred to him that his rant against whining might’ve had some sting to it if it hadn’t been so chock full of whining itself.
Keri, the fact is that this post has a negative tone, as evidenced by the link to the moron who ‘won’t be celebrating Australia Day’. By the way, do the ABC use the same article each year or commission a new rant? Don’t you think it is about time we cleaned up the ABC so it wasn’t as predictably leftist?
The reason you feel uncomfortable about Australia Day is that you suspect that people will be having fun celebrating their country. The fact that they might do so in possibly politically incorrect ways must really do your head in!
On Australia Day, lefties should just kick back, have a beer and think only of the good things about their country. Surely they can give us a break from for one day of the year. They have 364 others on which to moan.
And Buns, I promise that on Australia Day I won’t say one bad thing about the lefties. I’ll be too busy celebrating the good things. I’ll worry about cleaning up the trash the day after.
Redravens: “Qualified affection is still affection, SB, and if your only ability to love is based on emphatic denial of all fault or blemish then you and I have very different takes on that particular emotion.”
You shouldn’t spend your spouse’s birthday recounting their defects, however endearing they may be. That is a day for celebrating the good things.
No, I’ll instead spend her birthday (which was actually this week) telling her that her shit doesn’t stink. More to your liking?
Also, I take a bit of issue with your blurring the personal with the abstract (and despite it being a bloody big country, with a lot of individuals, to celebrate “Australia” is still the worship of the imagined).
Don’t you think it is about time we cleaned up the ABC so it wasn’t as predictably leftist?
No. But I do think it is time right-wing crybabies with victim complexes quit whining about the ABC’s supposed left-wing bias, at least until they can actually prove that bias with empirical evidence.
On Australia Day, lefties should just kick back, have a beer and think only of the good things about their country.
Or not, if they think the whole thing’s a load of meaningless toss, without being forced to justify themselves to moronic patriots who think it’s a competition to see who loves Australia the most.
Ah the lure of nationalist exceptionalism. We’re not just a great place to live, we’re not just a great and happy people: we’re the best place to live and the best people. We’re different to the rest of the world.
In fact, our objective superiority to other people and countries is such that anyone suggesting otherwise must immediately be marginalised.
God bless our country!
More than the others?
Old conservative white male farts who pine for the old days when everyone else (women, indigenous, immigrants, gays, the young, etc) had to bow and scrape to their self-described superiority certainly reduces the “best country on Earth” ratings by a few points. But happily that is being dealt with by generational change – eventually you dinosaurs will be all dead, SB.
The question isn’t “Are we the best?”, but “How can we be even better by extending the promise of Australia to everyone?”. That has to start by acknowledging that we haven’t always lived up to that promise – and do better. That’s true patriotism – as opposed to the “my country, right or wrong” of nationalism.
Well we’probably the youngest nation in the western world, and we’ve much to be proud of in our short history. We don’t tolerate fools and snobbery to start with. Left or right, it’s a great place to live.
“We’re different to the rest of the world.”
We are tho, so are lots of places and I dunno about the best place, tho at the moment its right here where I’m typing.
Anyway I’m gonna celebrate Invasion Day, cos without I wouldn’t be here, but there was a price paid for that.
“Anyway I’m gonna celebrate Invasion Day, cos without I wouldn’t be here, but there was a price paid for that.”
Indeed there was. The attempt by the left over medieval bully boys to disinfect Australia by the murder, breeding out, Anglo Saxonising, and removing the culture of, its first indigenous people. Still as I look up to the Southern Cross on Australia day, with the added spectacle (weather permitting) of the fire work display, with a bit of Yothu Yindi music mixed in with some AC/DC. thrown in to rock on with. My conscience will be clear, I and some of my mates said sorry. This will make all the difference to them and their future I’m sure.
Of course some at the same party, will have on their black arm bands and fingers crossed.
Oh, shut up SB. Do you ever stop moaning and whining about leftists?
Are you moaning again bloods? Tell you what, how about no more negative comments until after Australia Day?
I’ll start. Leftists are good and decent citizens. They are willing to ignore the crude stereotypes that create so much division in society and recognise the best in all people, particularly those who are disadvantaged and marginalised by our social structure. Leftists give less weight to their private interests and more to the pursuit of the common good. They are willing to take a long-term view of problems facing us and put short-term gains aside for the sake of a viable future for all mankind. Deep down I know the Left has much to offer and that Australia is a more humane country for their efforts.
Australia’s social history is a veritable catalogue of Leftist achievements. Governor Macquarie was our first great leftist reformer with his program of public works, his reigning in the military and his efforts in giving convicts a second chance. He worked hard to treat the First Australians decently relative to the mores of his time.
It was the leftist push for reform which saw democracy installed in our country, fair work conditions and public health and education. Later triumphs included the early female franchise, and the push for equality for women. Our multicultural ideal was borne of leftist zeal for the equality of all, and we have gained a rich and diverse culture as successive migrant groups have enriched us all.
Australians would have much less to celebrate were it not for the efforts of these forward-thinking reformers. It is because of selfless leftists that the idea of a fair go for all is entrenched as a defining Australian value and because of them that our society is as joyously egalitarian as it is today.
On Australia Day we should all acknowledge the Leftist core of the many things that make our country great. Without that we would not be the Lucky Country.
“The fact that they might do so in possibly politically incorrect ways must really do your head in!” – SB
If someone tries to make me kiss a flag I’m gonna shove it down their throat.
On Australia Day, lefties should just kick back, have a beer and think only of the good things about their country.
Unless I exercise my democratic right not to do so – such is the blessing of the freedom we take for granted in Oz 🙂
We should note, that one of the great things about this country is freedom of expression (despite not being formally ensrhined in any bill of rights, notwithstanding the relatively toothless Human Rights and Responsibilities charters in ACT/VIC). That not only can we have a blog that discusses such issues, but that all political persuasions are free to post here.
OK. Who stole SB’s login?
Come on – be honest people.
I still want you to shut up SB.
“That not only can we have a blog that discusses such issues, but that all political persuasions are free to post here.”
Yep its like a microcosm or something.
bloods, I figured you wouldn’t take the challenge. Happy Australia Day anyway.
bloods05 wrote:
I still want you to shut up SB.
As a wise soul pointed out to me, you do realise you’re taking someone with the username ‘Splatterbottom’ seriously don’t you? Hmm!
PS Cats07. Cats09. Cats11? Probably a bit cryptic for the others ‘bloods’
I thinks it is anyone’s opinion to say which country is the best for them. From the point of view of an aussie of course one would say australia is the best but from a point of view of an american, america is the best. I think it is more of like where you have settled your roots and to which country you are really attached. Every country has the best thing to offer but the best country is still where your heart belongs.
Cats 11.
Ha
It’ll never happen. A1 Sorry.
I would never take SB seriously. See 25 January at 10.42 am.
Enjoyed the podcast Jeremy. Although it’ll take awhile to obliterate the hessian sack image from my brain. 😮
I’d suggest Medicare is a shadow of its former self. The gap between the Scheduled Fee and the rebate grows almost by the month. The number of bulk billing doctors is diminishing almost at the same rate. The AMA effectively runs medicine in this country today. Pardon my little rant but you did omit the fact that a great egalitarian ideal is being hacked by stealth.
There is much to love about our country but I’ll feel more aussie when “The Firm” no longer reigns over us.
speaking of celebrating anachronisms, Chinese Tomb Sweeping Day is coming up in April..
Date please…
bloods05 wrote:
Date please…
Using the Gregorian calendar it’s Tuesday April 5, 2011. How could you not know that? 🙄
Oztrayah, Oztrayah, Oztrayah, Oztrayah we luv ya!
Beat me to it nawagadji!
This year its grass finished, country killed organic beef, BBQ’d and topped with ‘strayan prawns.
Hopefully a cray or two (if my mate is having any luck with the pots this morning) lots of beer, and probably a couple of space cookies.
What could be more Aussie than that?