04 February 2009

Gutful, an Absolute Gutful

For those of you expecting me to deliver another dreary, nasty and negative post about Nepal's political situation, you are half right.  This might be dreary nasty and negative, but its certainly not about Nepal.  Not this time.  Hey, my last post was more upbeat, and I don't think there were any references to Human Rights abuses at all!

This post is targeted at those ingrate tweens, twenty-somethings and even possibly thirty somethings (as I get closer I begin to realise that I need to be more inclusive).  The ones that have stupid political comments on their facebook, myspace, twitter and Hi5 profiles such as "I don't care", "politicians are all lying idiots anyway" or "meh".

To understand that simply having the freedom to make a comment like that should be enough to encourage you never to do so.  If you are even able to read this post then you are better off that a great number of people in the world.  You can read it (or I'm assuming that you can) because you got to go to a school.  A school that had a curriculum, put together by some kind of government agency or organisation.  If you are Australian, then you probably enjoy the benefits of Medicare, the Pharmaceutical Benefits scheme, Centrelink, having a road to drive to work on and you probably know people that got to have a high quality free university education.  You are protected from thousands of the world's diseases by the sometimes "over-protective" Australian Customs, and even if they did open all of my Christmas mail home, I understand why.  You are living in a society with an incredibly low unemployment rate.  It's pretty amazing when you can be in a country where people start getting worried when the unemployment rate starts to get above 5%.  You have power, because the electricity company has the infrastructure and appropriate political environment to actually carry out its job.

Do you people understand how lucky you are that you can not give two flips about what the politicians are up to on a day-to-day basis?  Can you not understand that you can only not care because at the heart of it you can decently expect those same lying cheating mongrels not to take your apathy, run a million miles with it before using it for their own financial advantage, twisting it, crunching it and manipulating it before wiping themselves off with it and flinging it off the end of the earth.  

You don't need to live in fear that Kevin Rudd will physically threaten Malcolm Turnbull and end up taking Julia Gillard and Wayne Swan on the war path to solidify their positions of power.

Please, wake up to how lucky you are and at least be interested in the action of your elected representatives.  In the processes of government that allow you to assume the garbage will be collected next week.  That you will have power when you flick the light switch, that members of your family won't go missing.  That your taxes are being spent on what people say they are spending them on.  Enjoy the freedom you have to politician bash, but do it for a reason, not because you are apathetic.

OK, so it turned out that it was about Nepal.  Only indirectly though.  I'm just sick of people being so blind to what is happening aroudn them when I can see the consequences of it.  A few images to get your head in the right place:



4 comments:

seamonkeypo said...

I really agree with you Dash. It blows my mind that people take the politics of their country for granted.

The crazy people in power can do whatever they want in the end so we have to choose well.

In South Africa right now the politics is a bit unsettling.

I know I am not there, and even if I was my tiny voice would not make much difference. But you have to take an active role in your country.

Amy xxoo said...

I'm with you on this one. Sure, i'm not overtly political, but i do pay attention to the news and listen to whats happening around me.

I cannot understand anybody, of any age, who doesnt appreciate what they have. Or rather, appreciates what they dont have. They should appreciate that they DONT have to fight for an education; for the freedom to say what they think; to live in comfortable and safe surroundings; and all those other things you mentioned.

Isa said...

Right on, Dash!

Add to that the people who like to have a whinge about whatever govt is in power on the day, yet have never registered to vote - I know a few of those too!

We are so bloody lucky, and it's really good to stop and remember it every now and then. Good post!

Dash said...

i'm glad I've got some believers out there!