Comments on: I survived Marysville for an orgy of ocker self-love

By: Andrew Bartlett

Andrew Bartlett — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Trauma-porn is what the media do, and presumably it rates well, which means that lots of people want it. Personally I find the TV interviews where there is an obvious effort to question traumatised people until they cry on camera incredibly galling, but others clearly react differently to me.

In times of major tragedy, people react in many different and personal ways, so I think a fair bit of leeway should be given to the different feelings, responses and behaviours that occur following events like this one.

Having said that, this odd idea that it's only Australians who come together to support each other in times of community tragedy doesn't only appear after tragedies like this. The crass and shallow jingosim that substitutes for national pride and thinks that 'mateship' is somehow confined solely to Australia is quite common at any time.

More than once over the years, I've been at citizenship ceremonies where people (usually, but always politicians) make speeches to large groups of migrants who have just become Australian citizens, telling them how lucky they are to now be part of the only country in the world which celebrates mateship, where we have the unique quality of coming together to help each other out in times of difficulty. Not only ludicrous and blinkered, but offensive as well.

I'm all for for celebrating and acknowledging community and self-sacrifice and supporting each other, but this is diminished - as are we - if we kid ourselves that people in other countries are not the same.

By: Jared

Jared — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Humans are a tribal species, and civilisations are built upon the same social foundations. In times of chaos and tragedy we can gauge the strength of those foundations through the reaction of the people, the media, and the leaders.

Will the people unite in fear and anger, or will they unite in empathy and unity? We've seen both styles of response to crises (and alleged crises) over the last decade, and I must say I prefer sentamentalist nationalism.

Yes there are some diehard ideologues spouting off about environmental terrorists, but it's refreshing that those voices have taken a back seat to the spirit of Australians coming together to help each other.

By: Noel

Noel — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Humans are tribal animals - haven’t you worked that out yet ? Of course there is a tribal response to events such as these. I resent the Ocker headline and pathetic crap from the author. My experience has been that the ties bind as a result of tragic events like these. Stop whinging & join Robinson Cruseo if it is all a bit to hard,

By: Lynne Carolan

Lynne Carolan — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Years ago vistims of natural disasters would have been treated deferentially and descriptions would have been more measured and perhaps the victims themselves would have rejected a handout and everyone would agree that life was tough and get on with their lives. In the current culture everyone is encouraged to emote publically, we get too much information but people have been very generous with their money and attention. This is not the culture or time for discretion, understatement and quiet deference to people’s feelings but people are responding extremely well with time and money. Maybe we just take it warts and all (and exercise our right in this culture to tell everyone in detail our thoughts and feelings about every aspect of it!)

By: barb

barb — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

It’s very late in the day, for me too add a comment but please bear with me.
I found the first person article quite moving. And as for the quoted Q$A program , while watching the program I was struck by the profound truth that for every Miranda Devine there just might be a Professor Fiona Wood.

By: Mim

Mim — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

No-one can understand what those who’ve survived the fire have been through and will have to suffer in the coming weeks, months and years. Each person will react differently. The best we can do is hope that whatever support we can offer will help in some way. If it hinders, I hope those we try to help will be able to tell us so, like Peter has. I don’t think this should stop the media, politicians, firefighters, relief workers, relatives, friends or the ordinary person from doing their best to assist in whatever way they can.

This article will help those of us who know people directly affected to understand the mixed feelings and even knock-backs when we try to give support.

By: Venise Alstergren

Venise Alstergren — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Absolutely excellent article Peter. I’m afraid I’ve always hated this vomitous ‘Little Aussie Battler and his fighting spirit’ claptrap. That it became such a beat up thanks to John Howard, should have been enough to wake up anyone to this second-hand sentiment. It is held out as being attributable to footballers, hoons and heroes. ‘Oh no we don’t revere hoons, not much! Think Corey Worthington.
No matter how many individuals showed courage, tenacity and fortitude there were many more who displayed the ‘Great Aussie Apathy’ leading to developers being allowed to build sub-standard housing, cul-des-sacs and failure to read up about past bushfires. ) Were they splendid Aussie Fighting Battlers too?
The arsonists. Did they show the same fighting spirit?
The point being that by selecting only the good things about Australians without acknowledging the bad, the tabloid and TV hypocrisy trains viewers to eschew true heroism and to accept cheap, sentimental codswallop in its place. This becomes more acceptable than the truth. The whole thing is yet another manifestation of our shonky amateur nationalism.
BTW I cannot remember any of our Nobel Prize winners being depicted as having ‘True, Aussie-battler, fighting-spirit’.

By: Ralph

Ralph — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

John Stuart Mill thought that charity ought to be shouldered by government because ‘charity almost always does too much or too little: it lavishes its bounty in one place, and leaves people to starve in another’ (in Principle of Political Economy. It was a prescient comment.

By: Venise Alstergren

Venise Alstergren — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Jared: Having watched my partner lose everything during the Ash Wednesday fires I feel entitled to comment on your trite comment. Many Ash Wednesday victims Male, female, children came from Calabria and had a poor understanding of English (especially the women) They helped to fight the fires that swept through my partner’s land and helped to find freshly un-fenced cattle. I’m sure they would have been fascinated to hear your love of sentimentalist nationalism and how you value it higher than truth, honesty and courage.
To paraphrase Cole Porter. ‘Turks do it, Greeks do it. Even ti-tree dwelling Poms do it. Lets do it. Lets put out the blo-dy fires.
Aussies do it, Frogs do it, even educated Thais do it. Let’s do it. Let’s put out the blo-dy fires.
In their tulip farms the Dutch do it. Recent Lebanese do it. Even older Maltese do it. Let’s do it. Let’s put out the blo-dy fires.
Peter’s article tells it like it is. And please don’t mistake cheap sentimentalism for honest courage.