First Class Travel and the Danger of Extremism . . .

November 2, 2015
Written by: Rossleigh
13 Replies

This morning Paul Sheehan quoted Canadian author, Mark Steyn who was over in Europe to see what immigration had done. Canada, of course, has been ruined by immigration – just ask the indigenous population!

However, we’re not talking about Canada here, we’re more interested in a how a Canadian perceives Europe. Apparently early on in his visit there was an a rather nasty incident. Sheehan quoted Steyn:

“I was looking forward to sitting back and enjoying the peace and quiet of Scandinavian First Class. But, just as I took my seat and settled in, a gaggle of ‘refugees’ swarmed in, young bearded men and a smaller number of covered women, the lads shooing away those first-class ticket holders not as nimble in securing their seats…

“They seemed to take it for granted that asylum in Europe should come with complimentary first-class travel … The conductor gave a shrug, the great universal shorthand for there’s-nothing-I-can do.”

Refugees taking it for granted that they should travel first class is outrageous enough, but that first class travellers should have to put with men with beards “swarming” in. Although how Steyn managed to determine that they were refugees and not hipsters, I’m not sure. Perhaps it was the “covered women’, because, after all, this was Scandinavian first class travel and it’s my understanding that everyone’s naked there most of the time, but that could be because I reduce everything to stereotypes.

Of course, the same mental powers of clairvoyance that enabled the writer to tell that they were asylum seekers and to determine exactly what the conductor meant by his shrug, enabled him to see that they both clearly knew that travel comes in classes and that they had an economy class ticket but were choosing to travel first class, out some sense of entitlement. Now, a socialist might suggest that those in first class also had a sense of entitlement but, as we know in Australia, the age of entitlement is over so that socialist would be wrong.

Of course, Paul Sheehan goes on to tell us about how this influx of refugees is causing a lurch to the right and how anti-immigration parties are gaining ground in many European countries. He talks about Germany’s decision causing problems with social cohesion because as he says:

“Too late. More than 500 arson attacks have occurred in Germany this year targeting housing designated for refugees.”

Now, I could go on to quote a lot more of Paul Sheehan’s article but the basic thrust of it seems to be an attempt to make Tony’s “Jesus didn’t know what he was taking about it and I was just so awesome that I stopped the boats speech” seem reasonable. I think you’ve probably got the gist. It takes the view that if people are starting to believe something then it must be true, which makes an interesting contrast to views on climate change where people are just being gullible and going along with a majority.

He goes on using the sort of logic that suggests that Reclaim Australia is the result of the Liberals being too left-wing before concluding with:

“This encapsulates a growing view in Europe from which you may recoil, as it contrasts starkly with the liberal belief that the West has a moral obligation to help the wretched.

I doubt the liberal view will prevail. The dots are starting to connect. They point to a gathering storm, building on millions of small indignities and disappointments which, over time, will add up to something large.”

Yep, once you fail to see the irony in a Canadian complaining about foreigners disturbing his “Scandinavian first class travel”, then it’s a small step to argue that refugees are causing problems with social cohesion because people are attacking them.

But then consistency has always been in short supply when it comes to politics.

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Kaye LeeNovember 2, 2015 at 9:18 am

“building on millions of small indignities and disappointments”

Well gosh, how dare those people whose homes have been bombed, families killed, and country devastated, inflict “small indignities and disappointments” on us. Don’t they realise we are already doing our best to help them by imposing draconian sanctions, overthrowing their governments, and bombing the crap out of their country?

TechinBrisNovember 2, 2015 at 11:26 am

Just wait for it Kaye. We in little ol’ Awestralia are going to help the world out even more than they would dare to ask for, by helping our other great “friends” to brew up that which gives so much to the growth of world industry and finance, a World War!

mars08November 2, 2015 at 12:33 pm

Because white English men have never behaved like thugs in Europe…

LozNovember 2, 2015 at 1:03 pm

We can’t even give a home to a mere 1500. Instead we try and sell them off to some country where there is little hope for a decent future.

diannaartNovember 2, 2015 at 2:08 pm

Oh I know…. Tones said it best (paraphrased) “We don’t want people seeking a better life”.

mars08November 2, 2015 at 5:07 pm

Sheehan’s logic is flawless…

Without the recent influx of brown skinned, bearded men into Europe… there would be no NEED for right wing politicians and bigoted media hacks to stir up the fear and hatred.

Those brown folk bring it on themselves.

king1394November 2, 2015 at 8:10 pm

I can’t believe that Paul Sheehan is still given any respect – after his shameless spruiking of the Unique Water several years ago, I stopped seeing him as a reliable source of information

Anomander – Sydney, Australia – I grew-up in a working class family, in a working class suburb and always like barracking for the underdog. I've done a variety of different jobs over the years from tradesman to office pleb to IT support to policeman to project management and IT development/management. I love science and abhor ignorance. I'm an avowed atheist but am intrigued by the concept of mysticism. I'm largely optimistic and somewhat naive, but can often become deeply depressed and very cynical, when I look at the state of humanity and how we are screwing our world and ourselves. As the years progress I find myself becoming more and more left-wing, more likely to champion progressive values, to value people more than the pursuit of money, to fight and protect those who can't protect themselves against forces who would see our world, our people, and resources turned into mere commodities. As an aside, my passion is board games - playing, interacting, the puzzle, the pattern - stretching your mind. I even love designing board games - not that I'm very good, but I do delight in the challenge and in the creative, problem-solving exercise.

AnomanderNovember 3, 2015 at 7:26 am

“More than 500 arson attacks have occurred in Germany this year targeting housing designated for refugees”

Not only did the West bomb their nation into oblivion and force them to flee, according to Sheehan, right-wing extremists are absolved of any responsibility for fire-bombing refugees because it’s the refugees fault for not staying home and dying the way we expect they should.

Sheehan is nothing but an oxygen thief. Several months ago he used his SMH column to launch a tirade, over the course of several weeks, simply because one of his friends got booked for double-parking outside an Eastern Suburbs preschool. The implication was that the police were corrupt in wasting time and resources enforcing traffic safety.

RichardNovember 3, 2015 at 4:15 pm

This article is rubbish. . . . .poorly authored cods-wallop.

Anthony ShorterNovember 3, 2015 at 9:26 pm

Sheehan, about the time of the magic water article also wrote a piece in the Good Weekend (I think) extolling the culinary delights of the newly introduced Krispy Kreem donut.
I thought that that,along with the magic water had to be the end of his credibility and his career as a commentator on the world at large.
Somehow Fairfax and The Drum keep giving him a platform as thier resident right wing fruitcake, I suppose to counter balance the accusations that the ABC and SMH/Age are a nest of latte / Chardonnay sipping lefty Kumaya singing luvvies.
Along with Gerrard H. and the guy from the Spectator with the permed hair I find poor old Paul and the mute button have a marvellously symbiotic relationship.

Paradoxical DustNovember 4, 2015 at 10:39 am

Steyn vs Rossleigh….no contest

G JeffsNovember 4, 2015 at 10:08 pm

You should be careful when taking on Steyn,because whether you love or loathe him, he’s a smart and witty chap, and it’s evident your own satirical abilities are pretty average.
I agree with very little of what Steyn says, but I do respect his skill with the written word. I note that he’s managed to own you, after the effort you took to write this piece, with a single sentence. Ouch.

Jerry Jay Carroll – Hot Springs Village, Arkansas – Jerry Jay Carroll is a former journalist, nominated twice for the Pulitzer Prize, and author of five novels, among them the newest, "End Times," a thriller that turn you every which way but loose. The false messiah Satan created for the End Times steps from the nearly-completed portrait. Without memory or self-knowledge, he wanders outside to a country road and walks for hours not caring where. SEALS veteran Alex Randall, now a cop, assumes from his blankness that he has amnesia. Against regulations, he drops him off at a high-end clinic where patients and staff succumb to the stranger’s beauty and effortless charm. Now a rival and therefore an enemy of Lucifer, he acquires the nickname Rex because it seems there is nothing he can't do. Uncertain as yet about Rex’s purpose – not even archangels know the future – Camuel appears in the guise of a workman and warns Rex to leave the clinic just seconds before demonic assassins arrive and butcher everyone. Randall falls under suspicion by the FBI and is suspended. Rex’s aimless drifting brings him to a tea room where hard-nosed talent scout Molly Simon is looking for people to cast in TV commercials. At once recognizing his potential, she signs him to a management contract and swears to herself she won’t fall in love. Camuel appears before Randall with a thick wad of cash and tells him he must find Rex and stick to him like glue. “It’s the most important thing you will ever do.” Randall tracks Rex to Mollie and discovers that he sat in on the keyboard at a nightclub where Mick Jagger did a surprise set and then worked out with the San Francisco Giants, boggling their minds with his unhittable fast ball. Randall parks them in a hotel for safekeeping, but a deskman warns Molly that the cops are looking for them, so they flee into the night and end up at Fisherman’s Wharf where a movie is being filmed. As soon as the temperamental director gets a load of Rex, it’s off to Hollywood where he is instantly discovered as having star potential. His leading role rescues a big-budget movie from going down the tubes and the path to Hollywood celebrity is open. But the demonic mob is still after him, stopping a train he and Mollie are on and then commandeering a container ship to sink the sailboat that they switch to. A helicopter meant to kill them crashes on the red carpet at the movie premiere, an event that will figure later in a presidential debate. Randall keeps hiring more ex-Special Forces people until there is a small army guarding their luxury compound and manning decoy convoys. He consults clergymen who reflect varying views about Lucifer. One says he is an embarrassment to modernizers, but a Baptist preacher is convinced like Pope Frances that Satan plays a role in everyday life. Rex’s growing fame leads him to run for the White House. It is what Satan originally intended for him – but on his own terms. Both Randall and Molly know this must not be allowed to happen and she comes up with a killer idea to stop him. “He said to me that God told him to run,” she tells the country on television. Satan has a killer idea too – the perfect revenge for the insurrection. Carroll lives with his poet wife in the Ouachita Mountains in Arkansas

1banjoNovember 9, 2015 at 1:05 am

Pretty average? That is an outrageous exaggeration.

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Kaye Lee

Kaye LeeNovember 2, 2015 at 9:18 am

“building on millions of small indignities and disappointments”

Well gosh, how dare those people whose homes have been bombed, families killed, and country devastated, inflict “small indignities and disappointments” on us. Don’t they realise we are already doing our best to help them by imposing draconian sanctions, overthrowing their governments, and bombing the crap out of their country?
TechinBris

TechinBrisNovember 2, 2015 at 11:26 am

Just wait for it Kaye. We in little ol’ Awestralia are going to help the world out even more than they would dare to ask for, by helping our other great “friends” to brew up that which gives so much to the growth of world industry and finance, a World War!
mars08November 2, 2015 at 12:33 pm

Because white English men have never behaved like thugs in Europe…
LozNovember 2, 2015 at 1:03 pm

We can’t even give a home to a mere 1500. Instead we try and sell them off to some country where there is little hope for a decent future.
Diannaart – Dandenong Ranges – All that is needed to know: “We need to make books cool again. If you go home with somebody and they don’t have books, don’t fuck them. Don’t let them explore you until they’ve explored the secret universes of books. Don’t let them connect with you until they’ve walked between the lines on the pages. Books are cool, if you have to withhold yourself from someone for a bit in order for them to realize this then do so.” Truly yours, John Samuel Waters - filmmaker, extraordinaire.

diannaartNovember 2, 2015 at 2:08 pm

Oh I know…. Tones said it best (paraphrased) “We don’t want people seeking a better life”.
mars08November 2, 2015 at 5:07 pm

Sheehan’s logic is flawless…

Without the recent influx of brown skinned, bearded men into Europe… there would be no NEED for right wing politicians and bigoted media hacks to stir up the fear and hatred.

Those brown folk bring it on themselves.
king1394

king1394November 2, 2015 at 8:10 pm

I can’t believe that Paul Sheehan is still given any respect – after his shameless spruiking of the Unique Water several years ago, I stopped seeing him as a reliable source of information
Anomander – Sydney, Australia – I grew-up in a working class family, in a working class suburb and always like barracking for the underdog. I've done a variety of different jobs over the years from tradesman to office pleb to IT support to policeman to project management and IT development/management. I love science and abhor ignorance. I'm an avowed atheist but am intrigued by the concept of mysticism. I'm largely optimistic and somewhat naive, but can often become deeply depressed and very cynical, when I look at the state of humanity and how we are screwing our world and ourselves. As the years progress I find myself becoming more and more left-wing, more likely to champion progressive values, to value people more than the pursuit of money, to fight and protect those who can't protect themselves against forces who would see our world, our people, and resources turned into mere commodities. As an aside, my passion is board games - playing, interacting, the puzzle, the pattern - stretching your mind. I even love designing board games - not that I'm very good, but I do delight in the challenge and in the creative, problem-solving exercise.

AnomanderNovember 3, 2015 at 7:26 am

“More than 500 arson attacks have occurred in Germany this year targeting housing designated for refugees”

Not only did the West bomb their nation into oblivion and force them to flee, according to Sheehan, right-wing extremists are absolved of any responsibility for fire-bombing refugees because it’s the refugees fault for not staying home and dying the way we expect they should.

Sheehan is nothing but an oxygen thief. Several months ago he used his SMH column to launch a tirade, over the course of several weeks, simply because one of his friends got booked for double-parking outside an Eastern Suburbs preschool. The implication was that the police were corrupt in wasting time and resources enforcing traffic safety.
RichardNovember 3, 2015 at 4:15 pm

This article is rubbish. . . . .poorly authored cods-wallop.
Anthony ShorterNovember 3, 2015 at 9:26 pm

Sheehan, about the time of the magic water article also wrote a piece in the Good Weekend (I think) extolling the culinary delights of the newly introduced Krispy Kreem donut.
I thought that that,along with the magic water had to be the end of his credibility and his career as a commentator on the world at large.
Somehow Fairfax and The Drum keep giving him a platform as thier resident right wing fruitcake, I suppose to counter balance the accusations that the ABC and SMH/Age are a nest of latte / Chardonnay sipping lefty Kumaya singing luvvies.
Along with Gerrard H. and the guy from the Spectator with the permed hair I find poor old Paul and the mute button have a marvellously symbiotic relationship.
Paradoxical DustNovember 4, 2015 at 10:39 am

Steyn vs Rossleigh….no contest
G JeffsNovember 4, 2015 at 10:08 pm

You should be careful when taking on Steyn,because whether you love or loathe him, he’s a smart and witty chap, and it’s evident your own satirical abilities are pretty average.
I agree with very little of what Steyn says, but I do respect his skill with the written word. I note that he’s managed to own you, after the effort you took to write this piece, with a single sentence. Ouch.
Jerry Jay Carroll – Hot Springs Village, Arkansas – Jerry Jay Carroll is a former journalist, nominated twice for the Pulitzer Prize, and author of five novels, among them the newest, "End Times," a thriller that turn you every which way but loose. The false messiah Satan created for the End Times steps from the nearly-completed portrait. Without memory or self-knowledge, he wanders outside to a country road and walks for hours not caring where. SEALS veteran Alex Randall, now a cop, assumes from his blankness that he has amnesia. Against regulations, he drops him off at a high-end clinic where patients and staff succumb to the stranger’s beauty and effortless charm. Now a rival and therefore an enemy of Lucifer, he acquires the nickname Rex because it seems there is nothing he can't do. Uncertain as yet about Rex’s purpose – not even archangels know the future – Camuel appears in the guise of a workman and warns Rex to leave the clinic just seconds before demonic assassins arrive and butcher everyone. Randall falls under suspicion by the FBI and is suspended. Rex’s aimless drifting brings him to a tea room where hard-nosed talent scout Molly Simon is looking for people to cast in TV commercials. At once recognizing his potential, she signs him to a management contract and swears to herself she won’t fall in love. Camuel appears before Randall with a thick wad of cash and tells him he must find Rex and stick to him like glue. “It’s the most important thing you will ever do.” Randall tracks Rex to Mollie and discovers that he sat in on the keyboard at a nightclub where Mick Jagger did a surprise set and then worked out with the San Francisco Giants, boggling their minds with his unhittable fast ball. Randall parks them in a hotel for safekeeping, but a deskman warns Molly that the cops are looking for them, so they flee into the night and end up at Fisherman’s Wharf where a movie is being filmed. As soon as the temperamental director gets a load of Rex, it’s off to Hollywood where he is instantly discovered as having star potential. His leading role rescues a big-budget movie from going down the tubes and the path to Hollywood celebrity is open. But the demonic mob is still after him, stopping a train he and Mollie are on and then commandeering a container ship to sink the sailboat that they switch to. A helicopter meant to kill them crashes on the red carpet at the movie premiere, an event that will figure later in a presidential debate. Randall keeps hiring more ex-Special Forces people until there is a small army guarding their luxury compound and manning decoy convoys. He consults clergymen who reflect varying views about Lucifer. One says he is an embarrassment to modernizers, but a Baptist preacher is convinced like Pope Frances that Satan plays a role in everyday life. Rex’s growing fame leads him to run for the White House. It is what Satan originally intended for him – but on his own terms. Both Randall and Molly know this must not be allowed to happen and she comes up with a killer idea to stop him. “He said to me that God told him to run,” she tells the country on television. Satan has a killer idea too – the perfect revenge for the insurrection. Carroll lives with his poet wife in the Ouachita Mountains in Arkansas

1banjoNovember 9, 2015 at 1:05 am

Pretty average? That is an outrageous exaggeration.

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