Comments for The Watermelon Blog

Comment on All of the people, some of the time by David Horton

David Horton — Tue, 22 May 2012 09:40:40 +0000

Thanks Fred, retweeted that link and your comment for wider attention. Sadly a very typical event.

Comment on All of the people, some of the time by fred

fred — Tue, 22 May 2012 02:58:42 +0000

And then there is the other media trick – ignoring and not reporting on issues that are real and worthy of attention.
Leaving important issues off the public agenda.
Like this example.

Some feminists in Australia have had enough of media commentators and politicians using violent language and imagery against women, our current woman prime minister in particular.
So last week they wrote an open letter to the opinion shapers deploring this growing trend of using violent and sexist language. And sent the letter to journos and news groups around Australia.
The letter has received the backing of over 50 Australian groups and organisations most of whom are directly involved in the day to day reality of attempting to eradicate violence against women in our society and the harm that produces.

And what has been the reaction of the media?

Silence.

For details go here:

http://www.weaveinc.org.au/

You can read the letter and, if you wish, support it.

Comment on All of the people, some of the time by Eric Snyder

Eric Snyder — Mon, 21 May 2012 23:46:02 +0000

Hi David, Of course it’s always a good idea to check out everyone’s claims, stunts, press releases and even push on the facade to see if it remains standing.

As you know, you’ve convinced me that warming is happening and you’ve JUST ABOUT got me convinced that it’s anthropogenic; not quite there but almost. So, all that to say that I am capable of learning and changing my ideology to conform to facts. But, between this post and “Reality Bites”, the implication is that true scientists never bend the truth or are influenced by their own personal biases or ideology. We part company there.

Scientists have put forth some pretty errant stuff over the past several decades from evolution to climate. So, I think the “human condition” is as much a cause of the flimsy facades and junk science as politics and yellow journalism are. Power, position and passion are huge motivators for people no matter the number of degrees you hold or the title before your name.

We do need to keep an open mind but just not so open our brain rolls out!

Comment on All of the people, some of the time by Team Oyeniyi

Team Oyeniyi — Mon, 21 May 2012 10:25:09 +0000

Damn good article David. That’s all I have say. Damn good article.

Comment on All of the people, some of the time by Ms Cloud

Ms Cloud — Mon, 21 May 2012 06:43:26 +0000

The price of freedom … eternal vigilance.
Eternal vigilantes.
The people — protecting themselves from both government and opposition.
Sounds brand new and as old as …
“Relaxed and comfortable … you are feeling relaxed and oh so comfortable … look … both sleeves empty … relaxed and … “

Comment on Reality doesn’t bite by David Horton

David Horton — Sun, 20 May 2012 02:15:28 +0000

You in your small corner and I in mine.

Oh and welcome to the blog!

Comment on Reality doesn’t bite by Ms Cloud

Ms Cloud — Sun, 20 May 2012 00:58:33 +0000

Oh, David – that was such a depressing comment by Rove and the worst of it is that he is correct.
We now know that when people hear an idea that meshes with their own ‘scheme of things’ it’s almost impossible to overlay that embedded (if you’ll forgive the term) idea with others that conflict with it.
Of course many people don’t believe in man-made climate change. That would mean they’d have to do something about it, which means making changes to their lives and consuming less. So they’ll readily absorb all the denier stuff and reject all the science (if they understand it in the first place).
I’ve agonised over all this for some time and talked about it frequently with my partner. We’ve come to the conclusion that while we’ll continue to do our bit to protect and nurture our tiny corner of the globe (very small, well-insulated house on100% solar electricity, composting, composting toilet, planting native flora, protecting and nurturing wildlife) we have given up on the idea that the human race has the intelligence or gumption to resist the Roves, Reinhardts and Palmers of this world.
Now in our mid-sixties we are (almost) content to let homo sapiens ( :/ ) wind down to its predictable and possibly miserable conclusion, knowing this is the saddest aspect of evolution and probably unavoidable.
In the meantime, we refuse to be bowed down by this thought, believing we owe it to ourselves to be as happy as we can in this little corner of earthly paradise in what remains of our active lives.

Northern Rivers, New South Wales

Comment on Twenty years a-growing by kyna62

kyna62 — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:05:26 +0000

I think it was the shift towards pragmatism in the 80s when I first noticed the shift away from “a fair go”, “mateship” and being “true blue” & “dinkum”. Even though Hawke used that kind of language as the country was moving away from those values.

Sometimes I wonder if the Whitlam era (while I was still in my last years of primary school & first year of high school – so at an impressionable age) when all those social justice laws were enacted were a highlight of social justice & equality in Australian politics, or an aberration. Those were also the Dunstan years here in South Australia.

I look back at the movie “Wall Street”, released when I was a young adult – so a “my generation” movie, I guess – and remember that Gordon Gecko was the bad guy in that. Why don’t people get that? Why has his mantra of “greed is good” become the norm now? What happened to our sense of community and our compassion?

Comment on Twenty years a-growing by Mindy

Mindy — Thu, 17 May 2012 07:42:28 +0000

G’day

Comment on Twenty years a-growing by Buff McMenis

Buff McMenis — Thu, 17 May 2012 07:34:59 +0000

I can relate to it David .. especially the old pictures of corner shops, big tins of biscuits (usually Arnotts) from which you could choose 3 Milk Arrowroot, 6 Morning Coffee, 1 Iced VoVo, 1 of those with marshmallow on top and receive them in a brown paper bag .. and the butcher with sawdust on the floor, the show bags from chemists which gave you miniature samples of things like soap and toothpaste for FREE, the greengrocer who used to give you a free apple while you mother (or in my case grandmother as my parents were in New Guinea) shopped, Saturday arvo pictures for 1/6d. at the Odeon down the road with 6d. for half-time, riding my bike to school no matter what weather in a uniform which even demanded gloves! Eating 1/6d. worth of fish’n'chips in the train from Essendon to North Melbourne with said gloves on and getting pinged by Prefects! And then there was travel from Melbourne to the north coast of New Guinea for Christmas holidays in a QANTAS aeroplane which was comfortable and gave you good food with real cutlery. Living in a 3-bedroom, 1-bathroom house with mother and father and 5 kids and sharing a bedroom with sisters, and funnily enough just last night thinking of a Blue Roan cocker spaniel I used to have called Sally-Ann and how she used to greet me when I arrived home by wriggling on her bum along the floor. What a memory. We have lost so much, haven’t we?