I am a protest cynic. I joined a few protests in my youth: opposition to university fees, cutbacks to higher education etc. etc. The most I felt I achieved on such occasions was bumping into and catching up with a few old acquaintances. Otherwise, I looked around me and saw these events being hijacked by hooligans or would-be hooligans if others had taken notice of their exhortations to storm this or occupy that. They seemed to function as a 'down tools' instant holiday for trade unionists and students, and in the end, nothing changed. The last such action I can remember as being effective was the nurses' strike in Melbourne in the 1980's. But as the century wound down to it's post-modern close, as the 'grand narrative' ceased to have impetus, these protests seemed to me more and more fruitless, aimless and simply disruptive. Protests became 'meta-protests'; folk gathering to protest the fact that protests were unwelcome and often met with heavy-handed police work - protesting the point that peaceful protests had their peacefulness disrupted by the disruption of protesters protesting the disruption of the protest by the police. Something like that.
I remember walking through the Aboriginal 'tent embassy' outside Parliament House in Canberra many years ago and being greeted with a friendly hello. There were very few folk about, out on business, out and about I guess. It was colourful and peaceful. It made it's point. And there was no screaming. It is still there and will be 40 next year. It reduced some of my protest cynicism. I thought something like; "Here is a protest with an aim and without neurosis".
Occupy Melbourne, is no doubt a world class protest as it has been inspired by the American Occupy Wall Street protest. Why lead when you can follow? Oops, I'm getting cynical! It's avowed aim to is protest 'corporate greed', whatever that means. I'm impressed to see that the organisers have a team of legal advisers. How very down home. The problem with protesting corporate greed, particularly in a primary production economy riding high on the minerals hog like Australia, is that it is rather biting the hand that feeds. So you want free education, nice roads, free hospitals etc. etc. How much revenue will a tax on home-grown vegetables raise? Let's get real.
The free market no longer works, but are ponchos the alternative? Systems need to change and will regardless of the occupation of Melbourne, by people who presumably already live there.
The baby is crying and mounting his own protest. Time is up. I will leave you with a peaceful image of times past, protest or no, "ain't nothin' changed".
I remember walking through the Aboriginal 'tent embassy' outside Parliament House in Canberra many years ago and being greeted with a friendly hello. There were very few folk about, out on business, out and about I guess. It was colourful and peaceful. It made it's point. And there was no screaming. It is still there and will be 40 next year. It reduced some of my protest cynicism. I thought something like; "Here is a protest with an aim and without neurosis".
Occupy Melbourne, is no doubt a world class protest as it has been inspired by the American Occupy Wall Street protest. Why lead when you can follow? Oops, I'm getting cynical! It's avowed aim to is protest 'corporate greed', whatever that means. I'm impressed to see that the organisers have a team of legal advisers. How very down home. The problem with protesting corporate greed, particularly in a primary production economy riding high on the minerals hog like Australia, is that it is rather biting the hand that feeds. So you want free education, nice roads, free hospitals etc. etc. How much revenue will a tax on home-grown vegetables raise? Let's get real.
The free market no longer works, but are ponchos the alternative? Systems need to change and will regardless of the occupation of Melbourne, by people who presumably already live there.
The baby is crying and mounting his own protest. Time is up. I will leave you with a peaceful image of times past, protest or no, "ain't nothin' changed".
2 comments:
HI Andrea,
I sympathise-protests are often hijacked by nutters, for sure. But allowing the nutters to be the only ones present at demonstrations is perhaps not the best way forward!
Cynicism is, by definition, a false position, and don't you think it reasonable that corporates -especially banks- should in some way be held accontable when they are in reciept of funds from general taxsation?
Hope all well,
TD
I cannot comment on the situation in Australia, but the way they have continued to award huge bonuses to their directors in the UK is utterly scandelous.
Keep up the blog.
TD
Oh definitely the banks and big wigs need to accountable *especially* when bailed out by the taxpayer and preferably long before. The outrageous bonuses they get paid remind me of the staggering fees that are sometimes paid for top football stars: it's totally incomprehensible. I'm not backing up the banks, but the protesters owe it to the folk they delay and get in the way of have more real aim to their activities.
Nice to hear from you TD, your landscapes are looking really good.
AK
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