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| Down Under |
| That's what democracy is for – to save us from the humourless. |
| 2005-10-22 |
| THERE is a nasty little scrap happening on the internet between the forces of the political Left and Right – and the right seems to be winning. That's what any standard capacity, culturally attuned laugh meter would show. This cyber battle is important because it demonstrates the emerging significance here of web logs (blogs) in national and international political debate. Perhaps more important, it shows how the Australian Left, or at least those members who blog, has become a bunch of whining, humourless, self-absorbed bores. Without doubt it's difficult to slap your thigh when accusing John Howard of dismantling democracy by winning the election last year. Giggling, of course, is inappropriate when linking Australia's refusal to sign the Kyoto protocols to hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico. It's the total absence of even an attempt at a chortle which marks many of Australia's Left-wing blogs. The Yippies sniggered Richard Nixon out of the White House and here every Tory leader since Billy McMahon has had the left – and many others – rolling in the aisles. But these days, put the letters www before a despatch from the Left and the humour factor drops to negative. This doesn't necessarily mean the Right is correct and morally superior, or that the Left is behind and lacking scruples. It does mean Right-wing blogs are more fun to read and thus their messages are more frequently seen by non-combatants. And humour can do more to destroy an argument and puncture a buffoon than earnest, self-important dreariness. Evaluate this yourself. Try journalist Tim Blair at timblair.com, and academic Professor Bunyip at bunyip.blogspot.com. Then take a test run with journalist Margo Kingston's Web Diary at margokingston.typepad.com, and writer Tim Dunlop at roadtosurfdom.com. The issues are big, with the Right tending to be pro-Howard, pro-Bush and pro-Israel, and the Left the opposite. It's a vicious, merciless, relentless battle and some of the participants take themselves very seriously. Kingston believes she is marshalling a revolution. So do her contributors, including an arch-conspiracy theorist who maintains military helicopters were deliberately flown over Parliament House last month when premiers met to discuss anti-terror laws – that sneaky John Howard ordered them into the air to scare state leaders into submission. For the casual reader, the choice ultimately reduces to a question of trust. I can't accept all the positions Blair takes, and the views of some of his comment posters are oafish and infantile. However, someone who values and can deliver humour is, to my mind, someone who knows the world is flawed and that they themselves have the odd defect. Such people tend to be tolerant, even when they use jokes to lacerate opponents. People convinced of their own purity of soul and vision, and of unalloyed evil in others, rarely find room for real dissent, or genuine laughter. That's what democracy is for – to save us from the humourless. |
| Posted by:classer |
| #2 Heh heh - "Gay Libertarian turns antiwar whore to make money from left/Donk donors" would be more accurate |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-10-22 15:35 |
| #1 For real humor, take a look at this article: Intrepid Antiwarriors of the Libertarian Right Stake Their Rightful Claim to Power San Fran pole smoker is also a pot smoker ... veru interesting! |
| Posted by: Okie Dookie 2005-10-22 15:19 |