When it comes to journalists, Julian Tomlinson, a columnist with the Cairns Post is one of a rare kind; we have far too few of them in Australia. Julian is also known as the Regional Editor in Chief of (Innisfail Advocate, Atherton Tablelander, Tablelands Advertiser, Port Douglas & Mossman Gazette)
Julian is not afraid of saying as it is and not worried about being politically correct and calls a spade a spade; he is like a breath of fresh air. This used to be a well-known Australian trait, but today you have to be extremely careful what you say in order not fall into the racial vilification trap that our bleeding heart politicians have set. Yes, we have become too serious and as Julian said “laugh instead”.
I’m now side tracking a bit. Laughter is good for you, it decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease. Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body's natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain. So have a laugh and click on the above links!
Julian’s editorials are characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion. We certainly need more journalists like Julian in our country. Following is an excellent editorial by Julian in our Local Cairns Post, I thought to share it with those of you who don’t read or get the Cairns Post. – Werner
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Offended? Let’s laugh instead.
OF all the problems facing Australia – and particularly Far North Queensland – having the character and colour legislated and preached out of society is near the top of the list. We’re told repeatedly that we should accept everyone – except if that person shoots roos, catches fish, wears croc teeth in his hat, swears, tells politically incorrect jokes, harmlessly flirts with women, scoffs at overblown environmental concerns, flaunts masculinity, disciplines their kids and likes a beer.
We’re becoming a society where being hypersensitive and offended at minor things is encouraged, even by our legal system. A society where people are told failure is OK and you can do whatever you want because the government will take care of you.
A country where success is not encouraged, and where the best way to distinguish yourself from your peers is not by doing great deeds but by identifying as a minority victim. In the past, Aussies lauded their best sportspeople, businesspeople, military, explorers and high-achieving loveable larrikins.
Entertainers Dame Edna, Sir Les Patterson, Rodney Rude and Kevin “Bloody” Wilson were proudly claimed as Aussie legends and if you didn’t like them, you’d be called names, but now you can complain to a tribunal to stop that.
Sporting events were a time to let your hair down, maybe laugh at a streaker, get sunburnt, drink too much and yell offensive slogans at the Poms. Not anymore. We didn’t take things too seriously and the thought of a prime minister draining a yard-glass of beer was cause for adoration, not scorn.
Now the bounds of admirable behaviour are dictated by people best described as “blancmanges” – that colourless, snobby French dessert. Our past three Australians of the Year have merely pushed social causes.
Our sporting heroes are now so sanitised that if someone says something even slightly controversial, it dominates the headlines for days. People say: “You can’t just tell someone to not be offended”, but I think we can and we must. Generations of mothers have soothed traumatised children with “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”.Now we have social engineers changing that to “ ... but words can hurt me too”.
The true test of a person’s character is how they react to taunts or setbacks.The person who responds to a gibe with something like “that’s pretty rich coming from a Collingwood supporter”, earns admiration, while the person who lashes out, sulks or runs to the teacher is shunned and held up to even more ridicule.
At my old Aussie rules club, a Vietnamese teammate responded to light-hearted, race-based ribbing with light-hearted, race-based comebacks, topped off by turning up to Mad Monday dressed as a Vietcong soldier and carrying a “Red Card for Racism” issued to soccer crowds back then. Whenever someone made a racial comment, he’d blow a whistle, show the red card and the person had to skol a beer. Hilarious.While critics would say this bloke was a victim, I can honestly say there was not one person in the club who wouldn’t have run through a brick wall for him, such was the respect he earned via his character.
As a profusely sweating, mono-browed, slightly chubby kid of Lebanese descent, my boarding-school life didn’t improve until I owned the “wog” name and showed the other kids I wasn’t affected. After I chose to do that, I earned my classmates’ respect, and those blokes will forever be my close mates. To be clear, these two examples cannot be classed as unacceptable, deliberately intimidatory bullying – it was more poking fun and locker-room banter. There is a difference.
People – i.e. kids – need to learn and be actively taught, that having a thick skin is one of the most important tools for success in life. While we used to value resilience, a good sense of humour, courage, and toughness, we now preach softness, emotional fragility, and weakness. We shield people – especially kids – from adversity instead of exposing them to it and pass laws to enforce this. It can only end in tears, personally and for society as a whole.
***
My thought for today. – Werner
“A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.”~ Herm Albright
Julian is not afraid of saying as it is and not worried about being politically correct and calls a spade a spade; he is like a breath of fresh air. This used to be a well-known Australian trait, but today you have to be extremely careful what you say in order not fall into the racial vilification trap that our bleeding heart politicians have set. Yes, we have become too serious and as Julian said “laugh instead”.
I’m now side tracking a bit. Laughter is good for you, it decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease. Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body's natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain. So have a laugh and click on the above links!
Julian’s editorials are characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion. We certainly need more journalists like Julian in our country. Following is an excellent editorial by Julian in our Local Cairns Post, I thought to share it with those of you who don’t read or get the Cairns Post. – Werner
***
Offended? Let’s laugh instead.
OF all the problems facing Australia – and particularly Far North Queensland – having the character and colour legislated and preached out of society is near the top of the list. We’re told repeatedly that we should accept everyone – except if that person shoots roos, catches fish, wears croc teeth in his hat, swears, tells politically incorrect jokes, harmlessly flirts with women, scoffs at overblown environmental concerns, flaunts masculinity, disciplines their kids and likes a beer.
We’re becoming a society where being hypersensitive and offended at minor things is encouraged, even by our legal system. A society where people are told failure is OK and you can do whatever you want because the government will take care of you.
A country where success is not encouraged, and where the best way to distinguish yourself from your peers is not by doing great deeds but by identifying as a minority victim. In the past, Aussies lauded their best sportspeople, businesspeople, military, explorers and high-achieving loveable larrikins.
Entertainers Dame Edna, Sir Les Patterson, Rodney Rude and Kevin “Bloody” Wilson were proudly claimed as Aussie legends and if you didn’t like them, you’d be called names, but now you can complain to a tribunal to stop that.
Sporting events were a time to let your hair down, maybe laugh at a streaker, get sunburnt, drink too much and yell offensive slogans at the Poms. Not anymore. We didn’t take things too seriously and the thought of a prime minister draining a yard-glass of beer was cause for adoration, not scorn.
Now the bounds of admirable behaviour are dictated by people best described as “blancmanges” – that colourless, snobby French dessert. Our past three Australians of the Year have merely pushed social causes.
Our sporting heroes are now so sanitised that if someone says something even slightly controversial, it dominates the headlines for days. People say: “You can’t just tell someone to not be offended”, but I think we can and we must. Generations of mothers have soothed traumatised children with “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”.Now we have social engineers changing that to “ ... but words can hurt me too”.
The true test of a person’s character is how they react to taunts or setbacks.The person who responds to a gibe with something like “that’s pretty rich coming from a Collingwood supporter”, earns admiration, while the person who lashes out, sulks or runs to the teacher is shunned and held up to even more ridicule.
At my old Aussie rules club, a Vietnamese teammate responded to light-hearted, race-based ribbing with light-hearted, race-based comebacks, topped off by turning up to Mad Monday dressed as a Vietcong soldier and carrying a “Red Card for Racism” issued to soccer crowds back then. Whenever someone made a racial comment, he’d blow a whistle, show the red card and the person had to skol a beer. Hilarious.While critics would say this bloke was a victim, I can honestly say there was not one person in the club who wouldn’t have run through a brick wall for him, such was the respect he earned via his character.
As a profusely sweating, mono-browed, slightly chubby kid of Lebanese descent, my boarding-school life didn’t improve until I owned the “wog” name and showed the other kids I wasn’t affected. After I chose to do that, I earned my classmates’ respect, and those blokes will forever be my close mates. To be clear, these two examples cannot be classed as unacceptable, deliberately intimidatory bullying – it was more poking fun and locker-room banter. There is a difference.
People – i.e. kids – need to learn and be actively taught, that having a thick skin is one of the most important tools for success in life. While we used to value resilience, a good sense of humour, courage, and toughness, we now preach softness, emotional fragility, and weakness. We shield people – especially kids – from adversity instead of exposing them to it and pass laws to enforce this. It can only end in tears, personally and for society as a whole.
***
My thought for today. – Werner
“A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.”~ Herm Albright
