Current puzzlement

[lizbee]

I'm presently a bit bemused by the planned Occupy [insert Australian city here] movement.  Judging by the quotes in that link, it appears to have no specific goals beyond standing in solidarity with the American protests, appropriating drawing inspiration from the African and Middle Eastern movements of earlier this year, and generally taking a stand against corporate greed and power.

I'm puzzled because ... well, this is Australia.  We already have public health care, welfare, banking regulation and a mostly-functional tax system.  All of those things have vast room for improvement, but it seems to me that vague and open-ended protests are not the way to lobby for those improvements. 

Now, I'm not one to protest myself (it involves a great deal of standing and walking, and also being in a crowd, none of which are things I enjoy or am good at), so my two cents is pretty much worthless, and maybe I'm just too cynical.  But honestly, I'd rather be picketing SERCO over their treatment of refugees in detention, or better, the Immigration Department, which is rejecting refugee applications through error or malice.  (I transcribe a lot of immigration hearings.  I can't say this news came as a shock.) 

Anyway, that's just my vague puzzlement of the moment.  In other news, I'm increasingly fascinated by Sophia Mirabella.  It's not that Australia needed its own Sarah Palin, but we seem to have acquired one.

ETA: Tumblr put it better than I could.

Comments

[sapote]

In fairness, there are probably two or three things on that Tumblr list that the US doesn't have. It's not like we don't have any banking regulation (or government housing). It's a question of type and degree, isn't it?

Jon Stewart described some of the quotes coming out of Occupy Wall Street itself as "extremely earnest college roommate-y", which is the feeling I'm getting from that quote. Of course, if the goal is to open up dialogue, I suppose this could all come to light. I personally watched a bunch of very earnest eighteen-year-olds occupy the front steps of a library at lunch today - it's the designated free-speech-zone on campus, but it still seemed like a funny target.

[sapote]

The feeling I'm getting from that link to greenleft, I mean, sorry.

[adelheid]

You're more than welcome to Sophie if you'd like her. She's my blasted local member.

[lizbee]

That's so kind of you, but I really prefer watching from a distance. (I live in one of those electorates where the ALP candidate would have to be caught in bed with two dogs and John Howard before he or she would even have a chance of losing.)

[adelheid]

So do I.

Edit for not reading properly...

Sadly, Sophie would have to be caught in bed with two dogs and Julia Gillard (and Kevin Rudd as well) before she has a chance of losing.

[lizbee]

That's a shame. Does she do much for the electorate, or is it just habit?

[danni]

I've been thinking of writing a blog post along these lines for a couple of days now. Not to say we don't have wealth inequality in Australia, but it's not like the US. There are also jobs and we're not in recession.

Actually this last point bugged me during the global financial crisis, where people would whine about how bad it was, even though Australia didn't actually enter recession. I visited the UK during that time, where in the high street of small commuter towns, a significant number of shops would be boarded up.

Anyway, I agree, in Australia specific protests would probably be a lot more useful, and seem a lot less jaded.

[lizbee]

I visited the UK during that time, where in the high street of small commuter towns, a significant number of shops would be boarded up.

When I went up to Caboolture last month, I was surprised and saddened to realise that the entire former main street is mostly populated by employment agencies these days. Retail jobs are booming in the area, but the loss of blue collar and agricultural jobs has hit the region hard. But all of that is unrelated to the GFC, sorry to say.

Anyway, I agree, in Australia specific protests would probably be a lot more useful, and seem a lot less jaded.

The jadedness is the problem, really. Jumping on this bandwagon simply means that next time people are protesting for something specific and significant, it will be that much easier to dismiss.