Post by Kenny on Jan 14, 2006 15:57:39 GMT 10
A letter in today's Age:
HARD-earned traditions of mountain cattlemen, whose ancestors helped forge this great country, must be continued. Sadly, most critics are usually ignorant, or envious. - Constance E. Little, Eagle Point.
Put aside the arguments about cattle grazing in protected alpine areas - and, really, I'm not sure I can get steamed about it one way or the other.
What does shit me about this sort of cheap shot is that it's just more of the same old "Australia was built on the true grit of its wise, generous, genuine dinky-di Aussie rural inhabitants, so the rest of youse (city dwellers) should continue to feel guilty and keep on coughing up those tax dollars, even if they go to cover up bad farming practices."
As far as I am aware, Australia has ALWAYS been a more urban than rural nation.
So why don't city school teachers, or bus drivers or factory workers or whatever get these sort eulogies?
It's a scam, one that finds opportunist pollies cynically donning Akubras, in which they look complete fuckwits, at the slightest scent of a photo op.
I have nothing against folks on the land, and God knows many of them do it tough sometimes.
But crikey I get flaming sick of this sanctimonious, smug, pompous twaddle - which finds its only effectiveness through urinating from a great height on other, non-rural Australians.
(And don't get me started on Australian country. John Williamson? True Blue my arse.)
HARD-earned traditions of mountain cattlemen, whose ancestors helped forge this great country, must be continued. Sadly, most critics are usually ignorant, or envious. - Constance E. Little, Eagle Point.
Put aside the arguments about cattle grazing in protected alpine areas - and, really, I'm not sure I can get steamed about it one way or the other.
What does shit me about this sort of cheap shot is that it's just more of the same old "Australia was built on the true grit of its wise, generous, genuine dinky-di Aussie rural inhabitants, so the rest of youse (city dwellers) should continue to feel guilty and keep on coughing up those tax dollars, even if they go to cover up bad farming practices."
As far as I am aware, Australia has ALWAYS been a more urban than rural nation.
So why don't city school teachers, or bus drivers or factory workers or whatever get these sort eulogies?
It's a scam, one that finds opportunist pollies cynically donning Akubras, in which they look complete fuckwits, at the slightest scent of a photo op.
I have nothing against folks on the land, and God knows many of them do it tough sometimes.
But crikey I get flaming sick of this sanctimonious, smug, pompous twaddle - which finds its only effectiveness through urinating from a great height on other, non-rural Australians.
(And don't get me started on Australian country. John Williamson? True Blue my arse.)
