Rache is right. It is a complimentary extension to my last post. There are rules to how you can carry a flag with respect. The military is very strict on this.

In a rock concert? Forget it. You are more likely to insult the diggers from the military than other minority groups. They know how the flag must be handled respectfully. The rules have not changed.

So just do to the BDO, rock and roll as teens having a great time in innocence, and put all this patriotic stuff behind you. It is not the time or the place.

Think with your heads, dance with your feet and not the other way around.

Above all, enjoy the music, and please buy the CDs and DVDs from the Aussie groups. Our Rock and Roll industry really appreciates people buying them legitimately.

Arjay seems to be mentioning muslims a hell of a lot, despite the obvious fact that this topic and thread is actually about the australian flag and the big day out - and thats it. I'm not sure what connection he's trying to draw, but one thing I can say is that I'm getting really sick of this constant fear-of-muslims and muslim-hate on practically every single thread on this forum. Where is this hate coming from? It's soooo tiring, every time I click on something else, it's:

"Make no mistake - they're against everything you stand for! You like puppies? They HATE puppies! Wearing comfortable shoes? They'll eat them right off your feet! Taxes? Bushfires? Drought? Interest rates? Aaaalllll muslim!" On and on and on and on...yet, I walk outside and what do I see? Nice bright blue sky, chirpy birds, happy people, wonderful trees and buildings, nothing being blown up - not a wide eyed terrorist in sight.

I'm getting mixed signals.

As usual, well said spendocrat.

There seems to be an awful lot of mindless hatred against Muslims being spewed out in this forum lately. It certainly seems that good old Aussie xenophobia has found a new focus of late, ably assisted by the tabloid media and politicians who seek to tap into our worst cultural elements in order to further their own agendas.

How is it possible to have reasoned debate with those whose minds and hearts are so utterly closed? While I'm no great fan of Islam (or any other religion, for that matter) it's pretty obvious to me that the increasing public vilification of Muslims can only lead to communal discord and violence.

What do the xenophobes want, exactly? For Islam to be banned? For the enforced repatriation of Australian residents and citizens who follow that faith, or are the progeny of those who do?

While I'm personally relatively immune to the expression of these kinds of odious sentiments by virtue of living well outside the urban areas where they take root, I fear for the kind of society that my children and grandchildren are going to inherit.

What kind of values are parents teaching their children these days, when young people from various ethnic and religious backgrounds are so violently intolerant of each other?

Cheers CJ, it's good to know there's a few reasonable people left around here. I wonder if there's a few of these hatemongers logging in under multiple names...or maybe that's wishful thinking.

One can only hope that it's merely a phase and indicator of this particular moment in the climate of our country...the worst scenerio one can imagine is that the intolerance only builds on both sides, leading to god knows what.

The cynic in me fears that 'logic and rational will prevail' is too idealistic a statement, even in this supposedly progressive day and age.

If the organisers of Big Day Out set a rule that there should be no flags, then that rule should be respected. It is absurd to wave flags around at any musical event anyway. That the organisers claim past events were marred by “aggressive” flag waving is a reflection of the kind of people who attend the event. It’s really a pretty logical cycle: a bunch of incompetent musicians (who ought to stick to their day jobs) => trashy music => bored like minded people with nothing better to do than booze, take drugs, make a lot of noise and mess. Each to his/her own.

CJ, sad but true is that fear and hate are very much a part of the human psyche. Go read the history books and see how much war and persecution has gone on in the past. The religious books back this up as well - look at the rot that goes on the old testament.

As for a fear of muslims, well I guess that stems from the fear of being the subject of violence. Coupled with the fact that few seem to have faith in the authorities to detect serious threats before they happen. I'm surprised that no-one has mentioned the two Bali bombings yet (or maybe I skimmed over that bit). "White" australia is under threat, although perhaps not nearly as much as some think. I dare say that this has added to the recent patriotic resurgence. That, and the fact we try far too much to emulate the US, with their rabid patriotism and self-interest. I'm not trying to say that anything mentioned excuses either proactive or relatitory behaviour, but that but acknowledging it we come to an understanding of the motivators, and as such can start to look at solutions.