Lifting Australia’s retirement age happened with little protest. But it hits some more than others: especially Indigenous men and women, and tens of thousands of older people pushed onto JobSeeker.
No, they’re right. Speaking as an Australian protester - we have a very conformist culture here. We haven’t been taught to imagine outside the status quo, it’s why Yank flavour and Neoliberal policies get pushed uncritically here. We’re sectioned off in the little castles of our homes - we have to seek out any form of community that isn’t our workplaces in the first place, let alone subversion, let alone (toothless and state captured) protest, let alone direct action and informed praxis.
We might have once, but the majority of Australians don’t know shit about anything that isn’t themselves. We might want to look out for ours - but that circle is very small for mainstream Australia and you bet your ass that’s manipulable by wealthy interests.
Not all of us, but the majority of us are spineless people terrified we’re not safe enough.
Aussies aren’t big on protesting against anything. They just grumble and get on with it. Wouldn’t want to be called a whinger.
But yet they’ll throw stuff at the clerk if they take too long to ring them up or sneak in a tax at the register.
Or tossing out their PM at the drop of a hat.
Or someone trying to hijack a plane
Or drunks on the bus.
I think they are big on protesting. They don’t see it as whinging either. They see it as not putting up with shit.
No, they’re right. Speaking as an Australian protester - we have a very conformist culture here. We haven’t been taught to imagine outside the status quo, it’s why Yank flavour and Neoliberal policies get pushed uncritically here. We’re sectioned off in the little castles of our homes - we have to seek out any form of community that isn’t our workplaces in the first place, let alone subversion, let alone (toothless and state captured) protest, let alone direct action and informed praxis.
We might have once, but the majority of Australians don’t know shit about anything that isn’t themselves. We might want to look out for ours - but that circle is very small for mainstream Australia and you bet your ass that’s manipulable by wealthy interests.
Not all of us, but the majority of us are spineless people terrified we’re not safe enough.