Dear Belly,

There's no need to get upset with me because your image of what it is to be Australian has all of a sudden turned to crap. The truth is that the sort of Australian that you want exists in a minority within a multicultural context where the majority do not not share your history and there now exists multiple ethnic histories amongst the peoples who reside in Australia. For all intents and purposes we might as well declare the Australian War Memorial a heritage site so that all peoples living in Australia can engage with it as a piece of historical archaeological significance in lieu of a national sociocultural narrative that pertains only to a minority.

PS I don't care if you don't believe I have several Arts degrees. You, along with a few others - nudge nudge wink wink know who I mean, are not in a position to make that determination.

The Australian War Memorial undoubtedly does not mean what it used to, as our brainwashed, inexperienced little friend gleefully tells us. Modern Australians have little, if any, connection with the two dreadful wars that ensured the peace and safety that we are now gradually losing though ignorance like theirs. They think that sort of stuff is all down to luck.

Multiculturalism, self-hatred and constant apologising for what our forebears achieved and willed to us has led to the sort of insulting thoughts and behaviour that are typical of 'sociologists' who have their brains injured by tertiary education, which was never necessary in the scheme of things, and which is downright disrespectful to the millions of people no longer with us who are represented by the Australian War Memorial.

It's going to be very interesting for those of us who will still be around to see how sociologists and others who know sweet FA about life and history will handle the coming crises. My bet is that there won't be any memorial to them.

Dear Mr Opinion,

Historians are often asked - what is the use and
relevance of studying the past - why is history
important and what does it matter what happened
long ago? Well there's an old adage that tells us
people who don't learn from history, live to repeat
it - or words to that effect. The study of the past
is essential in giving people roots.

People who feel themselves not to have any roots -
live rootless lives, often causing a lot of damage to
themselves and others in the process.

Studying the past connects things through time and
encourages us to take a long view of such connections.
That's why people today are taking an interest in
their family trees - why TV programs like "Who Do You
think you are?" are so popular.

All of us are in fact living histories. We cannot deny
ourselves. We all speak languages inherited from the
past. We live in societies with complex cultures,
traditions and religions that have not been created on
the spur of the moment. We use technologies that we
ourselves have not invented and each of us is born
with a personal variant of an inherited genetic template,
known as the genome, which has evolved during the entire
life span of the human species.

Therefore understanding the linkages between past and
present is absolutely basic for a good understanding of the
condition of being human - and in our case - of being
Australian

cont'd ...

Dear Mr Opinion,

We are a multicultural society as you yourself
have acknowledged, and therefore you should
realise that Australia has been involved in many
conflicts overseas in which people from various
ethnic backgrounds, many of them born overseas,
have served and died for Australia in these conflicts.
Their histories are a part and parcel of the War
Memorial.

Dear Foxy,

I am referring to groups, not individuals. I'm a sociologist, not a psychologist.

Interesting topic, as a pacifist I detest the folly of war as a meaningless inhumane act of barbarism. I loathe the warmonger, and the politicians who push people into wars. However, I do not hate those forced into war, the common men and women made to fight, or mislead into believing they are in pursuit of some noble enterprise, when they are not! The victims of war include many, the innocent non combatants, as well as those aggressively participating. Most who go into war with lofty ideals and survive, if not physically scared, certainly are emotionally damaged to some degree for the rest of their lives.