i'm sorry. i'm not a religious person. i don't believe in god. but i'm not against people who do without extremity. i don't believe in a literal god, i believe in a faith that is constructed by humans. the religious books are all pretty creative stories, and they contain a lot of sound values. you know, like don't kill and that sort of thing. ultimately i believe the power of me. and nature.
BUT if i was a religious person right now i'd be thinking that the highest category level 5 hurricane approaching new orleans at the moment was something to do with god punishing the americans for their shitfulness of late. or rather the american government's shitfulness
(yes, but who voted them in?)
the mayor of new orleans has ordered a mandatory evacuation of the city. the population is over a million people. the city is below sea level and they believe that the water will come over the walls. the roads are gridlocked as people try to get out.
the potential effects of the storm are being described as catastrophic.
so i think how lucky we are here in australia. again. this is something i think whenever there is some terrible thing that happens overseas.
and then i remember the article in the paper this morning about the call by certain liberal politicians for the hijab to be banned in government schools. when this happened in france, it made me shakingly angry. this morning, again, i am furious that it has even been mooted.
this used to be a country where we could feel proud to be its citizens. i hate hate hate the feeling that is out there. the intolerance, the suspicion and fear. it's everything i don't want this country to be.
hopefully it will die in the arse. but somehow i don't think john howard will stamp it out. because secretly he will agree. he would think they are unattractive and oppressive and all other manner of chauvinistic and backward 1950s australian male thoughts. and it's not aussie. it's not dinkum. it's not normal. this is what he would think.
i hope he proves me wrong.
i know cultural relativism has its negatives - there has to be a point where a reasonable thinking person will say, hang on, that's not right and it shouldn't happen here (for example, female circumcision, honour killings, etc). but it's not enough to say you can't wear a headscarf at school here because it's an icon of defiance? that is so fucking misguided and wrong.
sorry for the bad writing. i am so angry my brain is not working properly.
12 comments:
On the hurricane front, I hear that the Bush's are busy building arks and gathering beasts. They'll do anything to escape.
*I've been trying for 45 minutes to write about the hijab but I keep losing my connection, maybe someone is watching me*
I heard this on the radio the other morning and my daughter asked me "Wht daddy?". Without going into all the details, I summed it up in a few words. Some people are ignorant and scared of what they don't understand.
I wonder if this person is the same one that tried to ban the wearing of the scarf in that girls soccer team a couple of years ago?
In a world gone mad it is good to know that you can rely on the government to remain a voice of reason isn't it?
Hope those poor Oleanians have used the warning time they ahve to get their families to safety.
Intersting use of words by the New Orleans Mayor. "Please evacuate the City immediatley or if no other alternative, please go to one of the refuges of last resort".
No other alternative - surely with the amount of notice they have about the impending storm surely the government could have started airlifting people outta there? Army truck convoys and the like?
Grrrrrr...
what do you mean by that cotton?
be very, very careful
I don't think you should have asked him the question, MG.
I just read your reply on Kranki's blog - please understand there was no anger intended!
I have replied but it's embarrassingly wordy.
Hopefully you will read it soon and know that it was all smiles all the way (as was the above comment about Cotton!).
well if the government wants to ban offensive clothing they should start with low slung shorts/trousers for both men and women. I am so sick of looking at peoples bum cracks, no matter how cute the gstring or jokey the boxers...
bevis, it's ok! i am touchy today. must be the wind.
You shouldn't have eaten so many baked beans, then.
okay then dear cotton
in that case it was funny
and i did have a problem with your LACK of morals
you could have put it back
but then i guess someone who steals in the first place is not the sort of person to put it back
so whatever
i'll still read your blog and hope you'll still visit mine
You don't believe in god but part of you thinks that this was justice being served to the USA?
That's really interesting to me, because (insert Samuel L Jackson voice over) "I'm tryin real hard" to believe. I'm determined to. I do, dammit! But I don't think anything made that disaster happen except some nasty weather.
Australia is so backward and concervative. This anti-muslim anti-arab anti-anyone who isn't wearing their skippy badge is going to choke us.
hi justine and welcome. no i said i don't believe in god but if i was a religious person i would blah de blah...
if is the operative word there. because religious people believe in god's punishments and stuff like that. i don't, but if i did, i would...
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