Human nature bewilders me. The sociopaths of whom there seems to be evermore in my orbit, the ignorant, the narrow minded and the lame and pathetic and their flaws and hang-ups seem to be annoying me more than ever.
It’s been a big news week in Australia and it has drawn out the usual array of nitwits to comment on events both here and abroad and I will have to check if there is a full moon at the moment as the psychopaths online seem to be more prevalent than usual.
I have been accused in the past of being cynical but when one glides through life observing the unusual arrangement of imbeciles that seem to be adrift in the world, it’s hard to be optimistic.
President Obama gave his second inauguration speech this morning from the steps of the Capitol in Washington. It was a speech with his usual soaring rhetoric and I really think he gets it. The rich need to pay more, we need to be more respectful to minorities and remember that everyone, no matter how humble their circumstances as they grow up, should have an equal chance to succeed in this life. But I am sure as an able politician he also understands that the system that he has to work with with will never allow him to fix the problem. He has to personally deal with recalcitrants of the opposite political persuasion in Congress and I am sure there are days when he feels as I do, albeit on a grander scale of course.
From the Lance Armstrong scandal to Ned Kelly’s burial, from cyclists riding on bike paths to the controversy over what Australia Day means to the masses, there is always a virtual army of people who suddenly feel they are experts on such things and feel free to give uninformed opinion on any or all of these topics however ignorant they are of the why’s and hows.
Of course it would be a sad and sorry place if everyone agreed with everything which was said or decided and all are entitled to their own opinion and I have from time to time, believe it or not, been partial to giving out my own view on topics of which I have no idea so I don’t wish to throw stones too far. But this week has been frustrating.
I have come to a conclusion over many years that nothing in life is black and white, not everyone is perfectly good and I’m sure most undesirable people are not all bad. Shades of grey rule any situation and taking a hard position left or right is not the way to go. But many seem not to share my ideals on the state of the world.
I have had a range of people over the last few months ask me about Lance Armstrong and since his admission earlier this week that he took performance enhancing drugs to win his seven Tour de France titles there has been a virtual avalanche of folk seeking to bury his reputation even further than it has already sunk. Even acquaintances in my own personal circle who have never seen a bike race let alone been involved in the world of cycling have felt free to give opinion to me and vent their own anger and frustration at Mr Armstrong and look at me quizzically when I politely disagree with them and offer a more sanitised assessment of the situation. OJ Simpson was treated more leniently!
Then we had the burial of Ned Kelly, according to his own wishes, laid in a final resting place in the Greta cemetery, where, incidentally, my great grandparents and great uncle also lie.
The Monsignor of Wangaratta who conducted the service was quoted as saying he had received many angry phone calls from people who were upset he was presiding at the funeral of a criminal. Where do these people get off?! Now I have my own opinion on Ned Kelly but despite what anyone thinks, and despite what or who he was or what he did, his family was entitled to bury his remains properly and with dignity, a dignity he too was entitled to enjoy in death. It’s unbelievable to me and offends my sensibilities that anyone could think any less than that.
Then we had the old chestnut. A Canberra Times journalist complaining about cyclists on bike paths annoying pedestrians. There are two sides to that argument, let me assure you.
Luckily there were people willing and able, with more eloquence than I can muster, to defend the rights of cyclists on bike paths by writing letters to the editor. This topic, and cyclists riding on the roads, are incessant arguments I have had with the ignorant of society for many years up to a point where I just agree and change the subject. No amount of protestation is going to change the opinion of those whose minds are already closed.
And finally, yesterday, an opinion piece in the local paper by the ACT’s first indigenous MLA, Mr Chris Bourke. With Australia Day approaching on January 26, he decided to write his article about how offended he was that we would celebrate our national day on the date we were invaded by a foreign power, conveniently forgetting to state who exactly “we” were.
Well, I checked Mr Bourke’s biography and it seems that he was dentist before he became a member of the local parliament so perhaps I should forgive him his gross distortion of history when describing the intentions of the First Fleet and hope it was merely ignorance instead of a purposeful manipulation of the story designed to be divisive and appeal to the loony left and the lowest common denominators in our society.
It seems to me a bit rich that he sits as a member of an institution which was brought to this continent by the very “invaders” he wishes to denigrate. Namely, a parliament in the rich tradition of western democracy. What a cretin!
The shattering of indigenous culture on this continent is poignant enough for a storyteller to convey with sympathy without some neer’ do well politician adding his touch of fantasy to the tale.
Perhaps I should stay away from the Internet for a while. Cut myself off from newscasts and broadsheets. Take my own worthless opinions away with me and chill out in a solitary world where the news of the day cannot reach me. Maybe then I could return to an even strain, away from those I consider distasteful in their
assumptions and carry on without frustration or rancour. But I doubt I will manage that any time soon.
Have a nice day.
It’s been a big news week in Australia and it has drawn out the usual array of nitwits to comment on events both here and abroad and I will have to check if there is a full moon at the moment as the psychopaths online seem to be more prevalent than usual.
I have been accused in the past of being cynical but when one glides through life observing the unusual arrangement of imbeciles that seem to be adrift in the world, it’s hard to be optimistic.
President Obama gave his second inauguration speech this morning from the steps of the Capitol in Washington. It was a speech with his usual soaring rhetoric and I really think he gets it. The rich need to pay more, we need to be more respectful to minorities and remember that everyone, no matter how humble their circumstances as they grow up, should have an equal chance to succeed in this life. But I am sure as an able politician he also understands that the system that he has to work with with will never allow him to fix the problem. He has to personally deal with recalcitrants of the opposite political persuasion in Congress and I am sure there are days when he feels as I do, albeit on a grander scale of course.
From the Lance Armstrong scandal to Ned Kelly’s burial, from cyclists riding on bike paths to the controversy over what Australia Day means to the masses, there is always a virtual army of people who suddenly feel they are experts on such things and feel free to give uninformed opinion on any or all of these topics however ignorant they are of the why’s and hows.
Of course it would be a sad and sorry place if everyone agreed with everything which was said or decided and all are entitled to their own opinion and I have from time to time, believe it or not, been partial to giving out my own view on topics of which I have no idea so I don’t wish to throw stones too far. But this week has been frustrating.
I have come to a conclusion over many years that nothing in life is black and white, not everyone is perfectly good and I’m sure most undesirable people are not all bad. Shades of grey rule any situation and taking a hard position left or right is not the way to go. But many seem not to share my ideals on the state of the world.
I have had a range of people over the last few months ask me about Lance Armstrong and since his admission earlier this week that he took performance enhancing drugs to win his seven Tour de France titles there has been a virtual avalanche of folk seeking to bury his reputation even further than it has already sunk. Even acquaintances in my own personal circle who have never seen a bike race let alone been involved in the world of cycling have felt free to give opinion to me and vent their own anger and frustration at Mr Armstrong and look at me quizzically when I politely disagree with them and offer a more sanitised assessment of the situation. OJ Simpson was treated more leniently!
Then we had the burial of Ned Kelly, according to his own wishes, laid in a final resting place in the Greta cemetery, where, incidentally, my great grandparents and great uncle also lie.
The Monsignor of Wangaratta who conducted the service was quoted as saying he had received many angry phone calls from people who were upset he was presiding at the funeral of a criminal. Where do these people get off?! Now I have my own opinion on Ned Kelly but despite what anyone thinks, and despite what or who he was or what he did, his family was entitled to bury his remains properly and with dignity, a dignity he too was entitled to enjoy in death. It’s unbelievable to me and offends my sensibilities that anyone could think any less than that.
Then we had the old chestnut. A Canberra Times journalist complaining about cyclists on bike paths annoying pedestrians. There are two sides to that argument, let me assure you.
Luckily there were people willing and able, with more eloquence than I can muster, to defend the rights of cyclists on bike paths by writing letters to the editor. This topic, and cyclists riding on the roads, are incessant arguments I have had with the ignorant of society for many years up to a point where I just agree and change the subject. No amount of protestation is going to change the opinion of those whose minds are already closed.
And finally, yesterday, an opinion piece in the local paper by the ACT’s first indigenous MLA, Mr Chris Bourke. With Australia Day approaching on January 26, he decided to write his article about how offended he was that we would celebrate our national day on the date we were invaded by a foreign power, conveniently forgetting to state who exactly “we” were.
Well, I checked Mr Bourke’s biography and it seems that he was dentist before he became a member of the local parliament so perhaps I should forgive him his gross distortion of history when describing the intentions of the First Fleet and hope it was merely ignorance instead of a purposeful manipulation of the story designed to be divisive and appeal to the loony left and the lowest common denominators in our society.
It seems to me a bit rich that he sits as a member of an institution which was brought to this continent by the very “invaders” he wishes to denigrate. Namely, a parliament in the rich tradition of western democracy. What a cretin!
The shattering of indigenous culture on this continent is poignant enough for a storyteller to convey with sympathy without some neer’ do well politician adding his touch of fantasy to the tale.
Perhaps I should stay away from the Internet for a while. Cut myself off from newscasts and broadsheets. Take my own worthless opinions away with me and chill out in a solitary world where the news of the day cannot reach me. Maybe then I could return to an even strain, away from those I consider distasteful in their
assumptions and carry on without frustration or rancour. But I doubt I will manage that any time soon.
Have a nice day.
Strange Notations From a Laborious Life 