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The Forum > Article Comments > Think morally - rejecting the coercive adoption of Aussie values > Comments

Think morally - rejecting the coercive adoption of Aussie values : Comments

By Mirko Bagaric, published 21/9/2006

Aussie values - mateship, hard work and respect for women. And all the tourists want to do is sit on the beach!

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Can someone define "fair go", "mateship" etc. It seems to be almost a foreign language - I think the Brits, the Scots, the Irish, the Americans and any other english speaking country may just need a translation before they sign to anything.

Who's going to sign a similar form when visiting Asia, Africa and South America?

Rather than focus on what values foreigners must adopt when they arrive here, I'd prefer to focus on the values and cultural forms that these "people"(foreigners) are expected to drop entirely.

Please be specific.

(This should be interesting).

If they are expected to drop nothing but simply adopt and embrace "Australian values" then what happens if everyone looks at the above translation and says

"Mateship: form of compassion - check, fair go: tolerance of others - check"
"equality of women - well this country isn't the best example of treating women equally so I suppose the way we treat women is on par with their "Australian way"- check"

Etc. etc.

So in the end they're really not having to give up or change anything. They just say they do and they're now suddenly "Australian".

Good. They can then continue to enrich our country with values of their own so that our adolescent culture can blossom into the fully grown and humane cultue it should be.
Posted by fleurette, Saturday, 23 September 2006 3:04:56 PM
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Heh. Nice post Fleurette, that about sums it up.

Lets see now. Why not just have a list where we tick off all the things we do need to be, and all the things we don't?

Please agree to the following:

1. Learn how to barbecue a variety of meat products. Preferably beef, but chucking a prawn on the barbie is also acceptable as both food and vernacular. Steer clear of anything that might use chopsticks or is spicy. That's getting a little too foreign and therefore suspicious.

2. Learn waltzing matilda. It doesn't matter that most of us don't know what it means or what it's about. Oh, learn the national anthem too, but only the first few verses. We don't like people pointing out the dodgy politically incorrect later verses. It's UnAustralian.

3. Buy a ute. Preferably a holden, but a ford'll do.

4. You familiar with the term friendship? good. Now it's referred to as mateship, and only Aussies can do it. It's kind of like a secret handshake, only everybody know's about it.

5. Follow the footy damnit. Pick AFL or NRL, and rail against whatever one you don't pick as either being soft, or a game for idjits.
Oh, and idiots are now idjits. While you're at it, idolize footy players, cause they've done much more for our entertainment than any boring scientist or intellectual. Since when have any of them scored consecutive tries?

6. Alternatively, devotion to the cricket is acceptable. You've gotta be able to sit through a test match though. You can sleep at one of course, but only if it's as a result of excessive drinking. See rule (8).

7. If you see a kiwi, you're honour bound to fire off at least one sheep-shagging joke.

8. Learn to get pissed properly and frequently. This process doesn't involve urination... well... okay, it does, but not like that. It's more about beer.

But seriously folks. What are these elusive Australian values?
As fleurette pointed out, it would make more sense to simply outline a few rules.
Posted by TurnRightThenLeft, Saturday, 23 September 2006 4:04:21 PM
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Go anywhere on this clayball,in the western world,and no one has asked me to obey any rules and regulations,may be wrong will someone say so
Posted by KAROOSON, Sunday, 24 September 2006 11:50:44 AM
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T800
Australian culture, if there is such a thing, is made up of a combination of many different cultures. Think of it as a mosiac, the big picture is made up of many small pieces. Further, as with a mosiac, you can keep adding more pieces to add to the overall effect.

Another way to look at is as a patchwork. My wife does patchwork, she takes many diverse pieces of materials, different colours, shapes and sizes and produces a piece of work which all fits together coherently.

Another way is to think of a piece of cloth woven from many threads. The piece of cloth appears as a whole but couldn't be made without the weaving.

Do you get the picture now. Australian culture has drawn on many other cultures to be a multiculture society. There is no such thing as a separate Australian culture which stands apart from the sub cultures which have all contributed to the big picture.
Posted by rossco, Sunday, 24 September 2006 12:46:53 PM
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As has already been stated is that the Exclusive Brethren do not vote or have not in the past 200 years lobbied politicians. Why? They have previously existed in their own exclusive community not wishing to push their agenda upon anyone else. Why has this changed?

Their moto is "Come ye out from among them and be ye seperate saith the Lord." The changes have occurred because of the current threat to family by radical left wing atheists wishing to brain wash and ridicule their children in Public Schools. They have no agenda to subvert society, only the intact survival of their family.

They also do not go to war or join the armed services contrary to the claimed view of Alchemist. His total hostile bigitory and dishonesty is a bigger threat to the values of Australian society than any desire by the Exclusive Brethren. They get exemption from the armed services on religious grounds. I live in a community where there are several hundred living.

They are the most inoffensive and private people I know.
Posted by Philo, Sunday, 24 September 2006 10:54:55 PM
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The four values Mirko has cited comprise the basic tenants of libertarianism, and insisting that we all become libertarian is just as oppressive as insisting that we hold to any other philosophy against our wills.

Mirko has simply listed values common to most cultures, but then he insists that because they are common to all cultures that they are therefore absolute 'moral truths', to which all others are subservient. He doesn't seem to realise that his suggestion intrinsically contradicts itself - no cultures on earth hold to these ideals only, and to insist that any one culture conform to those ideals restricts the individuals within those cultures to practice their cultural norms.

Moreover, it would never be possible to enforce this. People will always practice social control through ostracising people who don't conform in ways which contradict their central norms, and this is a way of ensuring co-operation within the 'tribe'. Our ability to co-operate is one reason we didn't become extinct in the ice-age, and that co-operation literally relies on our joint abilities to conform, and to sometimes think independently.
Posted by Moonie, Sunday, 24 September 2006 11:10:51 PM
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