Letters to the Editor
noodleboy
Published Letters: 39 Editor's Choice: 5
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Sigh...
[Read the article: I Like to Watch]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Jeez you intellectual types really know how to have fun. As one once wrote:
"Intellectualism, so greatly admired, is a psychological defense mechanism which allows avoidance of inner experience: of those fears, worries and discomforts that otherwise would adaptively nag at us that (painful) change is in order. Intellectualism shields from that. It’s a verbal smokescreen for the psyche, and the more abstract and dense the vocabulary and allusions, the better – the farther the mind is distanced from threatening signals."
Love your work, Heather.
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I hope not...
[Read the article: "Are We Rome?"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]G’day. I’m an Aussie who finds himself draw to American politics for some reason - Salon, The Republic, Stewart, Colbert, Maher etc (OK, the last three are damn funny too).
Lately I’m starting to wonder why I should care – apart from its incredibly over-funded military, how relevant is the US on the world stage these days? Pretty much all first-world countries (and some developing ones) are, on the whole, more educated, more inventive, more efficient, more secular, more... advanced.
Of course, I’m obviously oversimplifying things - you only have to watch the Eurovision song contest for five minutes to see that the States still have a lot to offer the world, but... its politics?
So now I’m thinking that what really fascinates me about US politics is that it’s a great case study in how a noble political system can be corrupted to the core by money and influence. If I can recognise a professional con-man in action (The Bush administration) then it’s easy to spot an amateur playing the same tricks (your "deputy-sheriff" and our Prime Minister, John Howard).
But another part of me suspects that I can’t look away because I know I’m watching the decline of a great civilisation. Apparently Nero could blame his madness on the lead water pipes in Rome, but what’s George W’s excuse? When I think about Rome burning to the ground, I can’t help but see the contemporary parallel - will you guys come good, or implode, or... flame out and take the rest of us with you? Scares the hell out of me, to be honest.
Good luck.
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Woo-hoo
[Read the article: Conversations: Flight of the Conchords]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]These guys are piss funny, whenever I'm down I listen to "The Humans are Dead" and laught my arse off (check it out on YouTube or something). The show sounds like an interesting translation of their stage show, good luck fellas.
Highly recommended - although I bet the tribute shows will be slightly more popular.
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And the search for meaning goes on
[Read the article: We are meant to be here]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Paul Davies, media tart:
"But I personally think we can draw the conclusion that we live in a universe that's deeply imbued with meaning and purpose."
His MO has always been to start from that position, and then just makes shit up he goes along. OK, that's a bit harsh - he's obviously an interesting guy, a lateral thinker, an entertaining speaker and writer, but... "deeply imbued with meaning and purpose"?
Give me a break. As PR said above, apply the razor.
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Have to know when the story should "tapir" off?
[Read the article: The fine art of lying]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Laughs at/with An Interested Librarian - I wonder if people still believe we ride to school in kangaroo's pouches, etc...
Still, should be careful - I'm as skeptical as the next man, but I was totally suckered in by that hoax story about Japanese housewives buying sheep having being told they were poodles. A good exit may sell the spin, but playing on people's prejudices never hurt either - us Aussies aren't stoopid, we know a sheep when we see one... oh yes.
PS FYI, we can now hear Garrison's show on our Radio National again, yay.
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Dexter
[Read the article: I Like to Watch]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I must watch TV, I cannot help myself - it'll happen tonight, and over and over again... but I only watch good TV shows like Dexter ;-)
I also find it very hard to disassociate myself from the violence in many thriller and horror shows, but there's just something about Dexter that allows me to enjoy the story without getting (too) freaked out by the "reality" of it. Kinda disappointed in myself, and would never recommend the show or criticise someone who didn't enjoy it, but... it's just so well done.
Andy Pratt, on the other hand...
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Oh... God
[Read the article: A moral "Compass"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Sorry, but I read stuff like "maybe the story is about something else" and it just shits me to tears. Sure, cherry-pick what you want from the teachings of your religion and just ignore the rest.
...or grow up, accept that you KNOW the whole God thing makes no sense whatsoever and the value system you're using to do that cherry-picking actually is YOUR value system - it doesn't need some bloody imaginary deity to justify it.
Movie looks interesting, though ;)
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Enough to make you weep...
[Read the article: Judge: 10-year-old "probably agreed" to sex]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]We just can't seems to make any progress towards addressing the endemic problems in our Aboriginal communities here in Australia. Our attitude towards has almost always been the worst combination of charity and neglect, and these sort of terrible situations - which aren't uncommon - can only be seen as the result of that.
As for the judgement, here's a excerpt from a speech Bradley gave in 2006:
"For those of us who are convinced of the benefits of applying Restorative Justice principles when sentencing, the current political and community climate presents challenges. There is an obvious tension between an instinctive attraction towards the application of Restorative Justice principles and the pressure through the media of political and community perceptions that the system is 'soft' on criminals and sentences too light."
There's obviously a lot of pressure on judges to find alternatives to incarcerating Aboriginal offenders, but in this case... where's the justice?