There Are Two Sorts Of People In The World, Those Who Divide People Into Categories And Those Who Don’t!
Now I seem to remember that one of the reasons that John Howard refused to apologise to the stolen generation was that “we” weren’t personally responsible. Afterl all, none of “us” ever stole children so how could “we” apologise for something we didn’t do. And I seem to remember that the Murdoch Media was fairly supportive of this position.
But now I find that Mr. Murdoch embraces the notion of collective responsibility. If you’re a member of a particular group, then you’re responsible for the actions of all members of that group.
It’s an interesting concept.
Should perhaps all energy companies be fined for the actions of Enron?
Or all newspaper journalists be jailed for the phone hacking in Britain?
Of course, it’s be ridiculous to jail all journalists. I think just the ones who work for Murdoch would probably be enough.
But now we’ve established the notion of group responsibility. Here is my quick list of people who should apologise on behalf of their group:
- All police should apologise for the death in Ferguson.
- All bank employees should apologise for the GFC.
- All drivers should apologise for the car that cut me off the other day.
- All Dutch immigrants should apologise for Andrew Bolt.
- All teenagers should apologise for the popularity of “One Direction”.
- Alll Australians should apologise for the election of the Abbott government.
Ok, it’s only a quick list, and maybe an apology isn’t enough. Maybe like Rupert says until the people who are part of the group “recognise and destroy”…
Oooh, that sounds a bit nasty and threatening when put in another context. Gee, I certainly don’t want to suggest that any member of that group should “recognise and destroy” someone else in the group.
I mean, people reading this blog might get the wrong idea about what I mean and it would sound like I were inciting hatred and violence.
Lucky Rupert’s made himself a lot clearer about what he means by “recognise and destroy” and that the words won’t encourage such things!
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25 comments
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Kaye Lee -
Jennifer Meyer-Smith -
mars08 -
stephentardrew -
stephentardrew -
Jennifer Meyer-Smith -
rangermike1 -
stephentardrew -
Jexpat -
Rossleigh -
John Fraser -
rangermike1 -
Phi -
rangermike1 -
Jexpat -
musicinhills -
Sir ScotchMistery -
Sir ScotchMistery -
Jennifer Meyer-Smith -
Jennifer Meyer-Smith -
stephentardrew -
Jexpat -
B Morgan -
the haze -
Annie B
Return to home pageAll feminists are responsible for the utterings of all women too apparently. I have been told many times that unless I condemn every woman who has ever said something aggressive I have no right to advocate for women’s rights. Should all men be considered responsible for domestic abuse?
One thing that is so ignored in this debate is cultural differences. We live in Australia. We have a different way of life. I do not see why a fundamentalist extremist would choose to live here.
I’m happy to support you on No.3 but I will NOT take responsibility for No.6!
Uncle Rupe might also like to consider this: ALL News Ltd shareholders are idiots for owning his companies’ shares.
Kaye Lee:
Maybe you should ask Cory Bernardi!
Mars8: You little jabberwoky. Very dry.
I’me all for number four.
I was going to mention No.4 too, but I didn’t want to appear greedy!
Uncle Abbort has just found a new Mem, “Dasher”, Dancer, Donna and Blixen” He is being Mr. Tough Guy, and showing ISIL for what they are, a copy of the Liberal Party. This PM has his mind in the sewer and his brain engaged on “Roper 3” the meteorite. Surely nobody can be this dumb ? Then again it is Tony, Forgive me.
He can so just ask him.
If the statement had read that all AMERICAN police should apologise for Ferguson (and the 1000’s of other shootings, beatings, tazings and killings of unarmed people that Australians never hear about) then it would have been appropriate, given the appalling behaviour of their own collective organisations, like the fraternal order of police and the police unions in cities and towns all across the nation.
The few brave souls who have been publicly remorseful or attempted to create some positive change in the institutional culture have been met with castigation from their fellows, as well as from the usual suspects in the corporate media and right wing political circus.
Why limit it Jexpat?
Murdoch didn’t say all French Muslims.
Or even all Sunni Muslims!
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I continually apologise for Abbott.
Usually along the lines of :
(1) Abbott's a moron , forget him.
(2) Abbott's an arsehole, forget him …… that's strange, my spellcheck recognised "Abbott" but not "arsehole", spellcheck has now been updated (pun intended).
(3) Abbott's an extreme right wing zealot, forget him.
(4) Abbott's a liar, forget him.
The list goes on and on ….. and more and more people are forgetting him.
A speed bump in the Office of the Prime Minister, one that Australians will flatten out at the next election.
John Fraser, Even spell check will NOT associate itself with Abbott. It threw my monitor out of wack, last time I tried it.
C’mon God, or is it Beelzebub?
Please, please take this miserable, haggard excuse for a human away from us so that we never have to see his ugly mug, or have to read his semi-literate ramblings again.
Look, I’m on my knees, or should I prostrate myself – will that help?
Look I maybe wrong, but the majority of people think there ‘s something wrong with Abbott. I am not a Doctor yet from observations over quite some time, Abbott tends to have some difficulty in seeing reality. Was it too many punches to the head, or just his mental state. There has been many arguments about this. But there is something really wrong with his mental state.I do feel sorry for him.
Rossleigh:
I’d limit it because the depth, breadth and nature of the abuses (and the regularity and impunity in which they’re perpetrated on citizens) are sui generis to American culture and the American police culture- and not present to anywhere close the same degree in any other western nation.
You will find the same elements of it throughout the entire nation- in progressive areas like Los Angeles, San Fransisco, Portland and Seattle- as well as in New York, Philadelphia, the Midwest and of course, Texas and the Southern states.
Some have speculated that along with deeply ingrained racism (fear of “the other), the key causal factor is the widespread proliferation of firearms in the civilian populace.
I’d limit it because the depth, breadth and nature of the abuses (and the regularity and impunity in which they’re perpetrated on citizens) are sui generis to American culture and the American police culture- and not present to anywhere close the same degree in any other western nation.
Ok try and tell this to the Aboriginal people.
John & Ranger, I am using a very advanced spell check which allows me to use abbott as a religious position, but every time I use it capitalised, it changes to “Abbort”.
This is in contextually accurate form since I dictate 90% of what I do. Forr example, “on your knees, boy” the abbott said, “and pray”. (Well what else would I say for goodness sake)?
But when I say “you will do exactly as I tell you Abbort”, said Peta, as she again lashed the malevolent presence in front of her, posing for the moment as her voice.
Not sure what to do.
@Music – I would point out that here in Queensland, enough officres are badly educated to a level where Ferguson could most definitely reoccur, as could the “I can’t breathe” issue from New York.
In Townsville, Australia’s most racist community, an all white jury found a cop had not been responsible for a man of First People having his liver cleft in two, by a simple fall down one step.
The only witness to the “fall”, another First People man is so afraid of the local police, that he refused to do anything but repeat the words of the “Senior Sergeant” responsible for the “fall”, who was later given a bravery award for his role in the death. He is now stationed in Australia’s most corrupt police station/area, Gold Coast.
Keep trying @Sir ScotchMistery (@7.29pm),
and let us know the results.
The mind boggles…
@Sir Scotch Mistery (@7.35pm),
your story of the police thug advancing through the Qld system makes me wonder, if there is any way this person can be brought to account himself even though he appears to have escaped via an inept legal system.
Maybe with a change of government in Queensland, a Royal Commission into Police and Justice corruption would be a winning platform for the incoming reformist government.
Some interesting views by other nations of the Greatest Nation On um, er, well the USA.
Is This Country Crazy?
Dear me not much evidence required.
Don’t tell anyone but that’s where Dear Leader and his bondage lady friend want to take us.
Oh great joy for the rich and misery for the poor
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/is_this_country_crazy_20150112#14211343214101&action=collapse_widget&id=7190297
stephentardrew:
Interestingly enough, the piece by Ann Jones that you referenced has not only seen republication on several highly respected progressive news sites and aggregators, but also in corporate media such as the the LA Times.
On Mother Jones, it’s published under the headline:
Have You Ever Had to Apologize for America’s Blunders When You Were Traveling Abroad?
(warning: if you follow the link and read the comments, the limitations MoJo’s nearly absolute “free” speech for clicks policy will become nauseatingly apparent).
“Now I seem to remember that one of the reasons that John Howard refused to apologise to the stolen generation was that “we” weren’t personally responsible…. But now I find that Mr. Murdoch embraces the notion of collective responsibility.”
It’s hypocritical, I agree, but by making this argument, does that mean you agree that Howard can now be validated in citing collective responsibility as part of his reasoning for not apologising for the stolen generation? You did spend a lot of time sarcastically refuting the notion of collective responsibility in this article. Just wondering if you’re being as hypocritical as you say Murdoch is being.
“Maybe like Rupert says until the people who are part of the group “recognise and destroy”…Gee, I certainly don’t want to suggest that any member of that group should “recognise and destroy” someone else in the group.”
Do you agree that most muslims are against islamic extremism or not? In fact I see every day people telling me that islamist extremists are not even muslims (pretty much the most blatant no true scotsman fallacy I’ve ever seen, but that’s another debate for another time). That they are merely evil people and have nothing to do with Islam. So are they in the same group as “muslims” (which in itself is an extremely broad group of people with similar yet different beliefs/cultures), or a different group altogether? You tell me. Should people who want to “kill” (destroy) innocent people because of their religion/politics be recognised and “destroyed” (most likely encarcerated/deported)? And should the people who you want to protect here (innocent law abiding muslims) make the effort to help clear their own name, which is being dragged through the mud (and not just by Murdoch, but by the very actions of islamic extremists), by doing more than just saying “oh they’re not real muslims”. I bet you my life savings if we had a 0% muslim population, and never bothered them at all in their own countries, that you’d see the same percentage of islamic extremism here – zero.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like Murdoch as much as the next guy, but is this really the best you can do – an entire article about having your cake and eating it too? Must be a slow news day.
Since 9/11 the police in America have killed/murdered over 5,000 people
@Jexpat. …. I did read the link – and it was interesting, from the American viewpoint; it did not hide anything and I think was very genuine. …. I did note however, that the original writer now lives in Norway – so she ‘got out’ of there !!! .
The article ” Have You Ever Had to Apologize for America’s Blunders When You Were Traveling Abroad? reminds me of a sad question I was asked by a very perplexed American friend some many years ago …. which was ” Annie – Why are we called ” Ugly Americans ” ? I had plenty to say in reply, but didn’t know how to say it. … the question was so sadly put, it rocked me at the time.
Finally, I made a kind of ‘excuse’ ( so’s not to offend my friend ) … that Americans, with feet off the ground of their own country, perhaps become a little ‘unsure’ of themselves – insecure. …. So they resort to blustering their way through situations, when such behaviour is not necessary. …. i.e. – they do not easily ‘trust’ other countries or peoples. …( and I still believe this to be true ). …. She gave her own thoughts which were of being very puzzled and sad at the overall view ‘others’ have of Americans, but had the grace to accept that the answer lay with Americans themselves ( and their rigid, politically regimented, education system ).
This goes back some 10 years !!
What I did NOT say in reply, was their natural tendency to bombastic behaviour and propaganda – their belief that they are superior to all others on the planet, and their incredible lack of education – not only about their own country, but very much about other countries on planet earth. … They simply do not know – nor are they encouraged to learn. …. however, some break the bonds to freedom of learning – but many still don’t.
The ‘Internet Highway’ has changed a lot of that …. Americans soak up like sponges, information about anything and everything, that previously was denied them. … This is a good thing, but also has its’ drawbacks. … They tend to believe every darned thing ever written – although some now call on their own intelligence to question and ask. …… and there are some very cluey ( fortunate ) bods, over there.
Apologies for the length of this response – just thought I would add this bit of info.