As opposed to your leader, who's as sharp as....:shrug: ....um....:shrug: :shrug: ....
...anyway...The moral of my last story went something like this...
...I think the major 'influence' of conservatism in this country is age, maybe more-so here than other places...
...we know the pop. is getting older and older, the vast majority of voters are 40+...and the 'boomers' after the war are now approaching 60.
These are the generation that grew up distrusting/disliking Asians for 1) er, just being Asians!, and 2) for 'taking over our country'!
Obviously, replace Muslims/Middle Eastern folk over the last 10 years or so.
and, obviously this mistrust/dislike filters down through the generations...you hear your dad swearing about 'nips' and 'wogs' you tend to believe the same things...
(...bit like Buffalo Bill and his Wild West show that 'convinced' a generation (or 2, or 3) that the Indians were all savage head hunters, who scalped white women for fun and raided every wagon train/settlement/home they could find...no doubt great theatre, but anyway...)
Maybe it's magnified by coming from a small place, but you always, always hear of people going to Melbourne/Sydney and playing "spot the Australian"..still, even now!!...
...It still doesn't occur to them that the Asian/Afghani/Fijian/whatever looking person was probably born here and even likely to be 2nd or 3rd generation Australian.
WE STILL HAVE A HUGE MISTRUST OF PEOPLE WHO ARE DIFFERENT TO US.
Is it the cause or effect?...Not sure, but it's a bit of a deadly cycle atm.
Obviously the majority are aging, conservatives...vote in aged conservatives...who in turn pander back to their base...to their patrotism...even trying to out-pander each other with rediculous gimmicks that have already been mentioned.
What will be interesting is the next 10-20 years...will the younger, "freer thinking", more modern generation break through into more and more positions of power...or will we all just become less tolerent and more paranoid as we grow older like everyone else?
Anyway...slightly OT I guess...but that's the way I see Australian society atm.
PS. Isn't a hounds-tooth a really old-fashioned type of jacket?![]()
Have any of us ever seen gw and pharlap in the same room together?...:look:
I'm eager to hear how Mr. Howard is handling things in your almighty opinion...
...how exactly is the "mood of our country"?
The last 4 elections can tell you more than I can about how he is handling things.
but if you are looking for "proof".......
...the last 4 election dogs, when trailing in the polls 4 months out from the election, and having a bald headed leader, against some fat loser supported by small minded quarter wits, are 0-4 ( and quite easy winners they were!) in the last 11 years.
Or perhaps I am a simple minded data miner?
Anyway....I dont like talking politics....its bad for the soul (especially with a belly full of red wine on board).
wtf are u talking about? mirkel bashed the us far more than schroeder did during the campaign. she won in a large part due to her anti-us stance.
i like harper.
why are you deciding my international views for me? at least i make it a point to LEARN SOMETHING ABOUT THESE COUNTRIES before spouting off. f off, wanker!
give the brainiac the fluffy doll....not!....
smurph...merkel=pro-american
scroeder=anti-american....
lord,this is harder than pissing up a rope...:mj16:
.....
spongy...there are so many countries under attack from radical islamists....that have zilch to do with america or it`s policies,,it`s hard to count them .....
does it hurt to be that stupid?....it should..
i have a soft spot for you partner(not that theres anything wrong with that)......
it`s all good......i`m sure you`ll be gentle when i get a little confused....
i`ve been a little shitty lately,i guess....spythe web and bryanz have been working me over unmercifully....
:shrug: ....
Ooooohhhhh....So now it all makes sense...
...typical private school, boys club, red wine drinker...
(:mj07: )
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