'biased' - an adjective meaning unfairly prejudiced for or against someone or something. Note the use of term 'unfairly'. Yes everyone has biases, that does not make them something to be proud of. In fact we should al as rule make every effort to reassess our biases/prejudices at every opportunity. Sure it doesn't matter if you have a bias against cold slaw or some other daily matter. It sure has hell matters though when it comes to people, places, philosophies, religions, races and other things that really matter. Oh come on, you know that is reference to your comment about 'street gangs' in a previous post. The only street gangs getting any media attention in Melbourne the past year or two are those centered around the local Sudanese refugee population. You can do better than that.
Really? I'd best let my Progressive friends know that. They're positively vitriolic about anyone who doesn't think exactly as they do. Just as they are about Christians, and white people. Gosh, they'll be ever so surprised to know that it's only okay for cold slaw! So they're Sudanese. Why mention their skin tone? Do you have issues around race?
Deflection, you have to love people who bounce the argument back, it's a 100% show of "I've got nothing." You know I only mentioned skin colour due to the media guffuffle about Sudanese street gangs and as people who are losing their argument do you turn around and try to paint me a racist. I am half Italian and half English, my partner is aboriginal and my two best friends, one is Indian the other Chinese. Wow your right, I am a racist. Wan car
Thirdly it would be just as racist to say Sudanese, racism is about race not just skin colour. In no way was that statement racist IMHO.
Crank this is getting tiresome. Stop-checking yourself once in a while regarding any strong biases or prejudices you might hold is healthy, regardless of where they are on the political spectrum left, center or right. And those biases matter on the big ticket items like race, politics and religion etc not the small issues like you favorite color. You know that. There might be good reasons why you, me or someone else could hold a particular bias about certain people or just a particular person . But people change over time you, me and yes that person which means it does no-one any harm to stop and reassess once in a while. So can you please stop trying to make everything in this thread (which had an entirely harmless premise) into some kind left/right debate you need to win.
Honestly, talk down your own nation people. Oohh the icky spiders, and snakes watch out for the drop bear their vicious... get out of your holes and experience your nation people. If you want to see a hard nation, a nation where you can experience hot sunny day, cold rainy flooding, snow covered hills all in the one day, come to Australia. If you’re hard and adventurous get out the cities and experience life… They don’t want cream puffs who are scared of their own shadow (like those who want to send them away) they want hard people who don’t complain and whine but just get in and do… Talk about national pride… has Australians just turned into whinging poms…
You do realize most of the stuff your complaining about like drop bears was said in jest right? Apart from some facts about certain types of snakes etc none of the locals came across as being remotely scared of the various critters being mentioned.
This thread is a reminder why the Oz board is so moribund. You can't even have a friendly chat without it being hijacked by agendas.
It's an amazing country! In fact, I may be the only one here who loves all of it (with the exception of one inconsequential city). I don't have any personal bias against small towns, or country folk, or even Queensland .. much
My only agenda is in issuing a friendly caveat (stay away from Melbania). Just as Americans do with Los Angeles
I didn't. I only mentioned Progressives .. and they're only political in the most token sense. They're really a religion. In fact my reason for warning newcomers off Melbs, is their overwhelming numbers there. Kinda like suggesting people stay out of Salt Lake City if they're not keen on Mormons.
Surprised I have any Sudanese? Okay. If you mean you're surprised I have any Progressive friends ... why? I don't shun people according to their politics. Some are still good people .. those who haven't actually sold their souls to the ideolgoy yet.
If you want to see a group that is not only willing to sell their souls, but sell out their countrymen, sell out their own people in the name of ideology, look no further than our current government led by the true blue Scumo.
I don't get involved in that stuff at the personal level. I know some very good and kind people who vote Right, and some sneering ****wits who vote Left. There is no rule of thumb, we're all just plodding along. Our 'goodness' isn't a function of our politics, and our politics isn't a function of our goodness. It's a function of our particular journey. I'm a Leftist, but I can afford to be since my journey has been one of safety and certainty. I can spare the energy for 'larger' concerns - that's both my privilege and my failing (the hubris borne of such safety is rarely pretty). But if I was struggling to keep food on the table in rural Queensland, I would have good reason to feel quite differently.
It is an amazing country there is no doubt. But truly it is a hard country. all it takes is open your eyes and realise that you need a cricket bat to fend of those drop bears... Not a baseball bat they can slip around them... But if you like nature in all it's forms, Australia is a must see. Such diversity and not just in the cities...
"drop bears" Not sure if Australia is hard. It CAN be. It's very hot in summer everywhere but alpine regions and Tasmania .. and we're still not big on air conditioning in the way America is. We're more like England, in that regard. It can be just cold enough to be dangerous if you're not dressed right (and few Australians know how to dress for the cold). There are dangerous animals, and Melbourne ... both needing avoidance. Etc. But there are stunning landscapes, and vast wildernesses .. always a plus!
I couldn't just leave it at... took me a while to get my breath back from the previous but here goes. ALL real Aussies know the secret history they keep hidden from the world, You know the drop bears. Even the indigenous, hide the reality of their history. Everybody thinks they are nomadic in nature but the truth is that when they get a hint of those highly vicious drop bears entering their area, rather than fight back they would pick up camp. Yes they are just that dangerous when your living in a humpy. Don’t get it wrong, the indigenous Australians were master builders but they could not build a safe enough dwelling from those animals. They had no fear these small furry creatures, nothing would stand in their way. Determined to attack anything that comes their way they would pounce (or drop) on anything that even showed the slightest interest in them. Native to Australia for thousands of years the indigenous Australians would fight and run, clubs were no good as they lacked flat surface and the vicious claws of the drop bear could grasp and spin around them. It wasn’t until the English arrived and invented the cricket bat that the tide actually turned. AND you thought cricket was just a game. The truth is cricket was invented as a training exercise to help combat the ever present threat of the drop bear. And those fury stuffed animals the tourist all fawn over were truly training dummies that somebody decided to make more life-like so the small children wouldn’t freeze in fear on sight of one of these creatures. Honestly, would I kid you???
All true. But really it doesn't matter where your from, there are dangerous animals everywhere. You have to watch out everywhere but bit of common sense (the world seems to be missing) is all that is needed...
The average suberban back yard harbours potentially deadly creatures, it's true. We just don't pick up firewood or old bricks without riggers' gloves Riggers' gloves won't work against Melbourne, though
I had to google Drop Bear. Think goodness the worst we have to contend with in the USA is the mountain lion, occasional rabid grizzly bear, and a few Canadians.
