Tag Archives: social comment

AS I SEE IT! (a social comment) August 10th 2011

I can’t help thinking back to the words of ‘Enoch Powell’.

Enoch Powell

On Saturday 20 April 1968 he made the controversial speech in Birmingham, in which he warned his audience of what he believed would be the consequences of continued unchecked immigration from the Commonwealth to Britain. It was an allusion to Virgil towards the end of the speech, which is remembered for its title “The Rivers of Blood Speech”.. I quote..

[quote]”For these dangerous and divisive elements the legislation proposed in the Race Relations Bill is the very pabulum they need to flourish. Here is the means of showing that the immigrant communities can organise to consolidate their members, to agitate and campaign against their fellow citizens, and to overawe and dominate the rest with the legal weapons, which the ignorant and the ill informed have provided. As I look ahead, I am filled with foreboding; like the Roman, I seem to see “the River Tiber foaming with much blood.”[/quote]

Britain’s’ Prime Minister at the time, Edward Heath sacked Powell from his Shadow Cabinet the day after the speech, and he never held another senior political post. Powell received almost 120,000 (predominantly positive) letters and a Gallup poll at the end of April showed that 74% of those asked agreed with his speech.

The Sunday Times declared it “an evil speech”, stating “This is the first time that a serious British politician has appealed to racial hatred in this direct way in our post-war history. The Times branded his speeches “racialist”, Powell sued it for libel, but withdrew when he was required to provide the letters he had quoted from.

So, you might ask, what has this to do with today. Simple, we just need to look at the current situation in London. History has shown us that Enoch Powell was not wrong.
We may or may not agree with his speech, but what we can’t over look is what has happened over the past 40 odd years.

If we think that we are safe, perhaps we need to think again. The situation here is in many ways no different.

We are sitting on a smouldering fire and “flame is a fickle mistress”.

 

AS I SEE IT! (Child Beauty Pageants) August 1st 2011

I was asked about the recent debate over Child Beauty Pageants and what my take was on this.

Interesting question I thought, so I did some research.

Eden WoodThere’s a huge storm raging right now in Australia over this very question. Mickie Wood, mother of U.S. pageant star Eden, pulled out of the Melbourne child pageant citing Security concerns.

Little girls mothers, who paid $50 for a photo with the pint-sized pageant star Eden Wood were left high and dry after she failed to show up. Eden has been at the centre of an ugly tug-of-war between tabloid TV rivals A Current Affair and Today Tonight, which allegedly paid her $70,000 not to attend the Universal Royal Beauty Pageant, which ACA had the rights to cover. Entrants paid at least $395 to compete, plus a $10 processing fee and $20 for each accompanying support person. As part of this, they paid $100 for Friday night’s Makeup, and Modelling Class Workshop.

(The Daily Telegraph)

These mothers are now saying they were ripped off!

Here’s the thing. We have all watched reality shows on the telly in one form or other, but when it comes to child exploitation, sorry I for one draw the line.

It’s a festering boil waiting to burst its infectious pus all over society. Paedophiles salivate at suggestion there’s another show, or episode looming and they can do it without being noticed in the privacy of their own home. These poor defenceless children are pushed beyond their years and limits.

Sadly, it is the mother that wants the fame and glory, oh yes; let’s not forget the money. It’s lucrative. These mothers have no conscience when it comes to exploiting their child.. and these kids are just that! Babies hardly able to speak. They’re as young as 2 years old!

Personally, I don’t give a rats how the mother tries to justify this abhorrent practice. Every child has the right to be just that, a child.

Most normal folk I know are just as disgusted with the exploitation of these kids. Sadly there are those in our society that are not and will try to justify it any way possible.

To the mothers of these kids that were ripped off, I say, it’s too late to start crying foul after the horse has bolted. You are the ones to blame! You let it happen and willingly entered your child into this event.

The sooner pageants and reality TV shows such as these are banned, in my opinion, the better.

No doubt there will be the argument that it’s their right. Rubbish!! These kids don’t know the meaning of the word.

They’re force fed this tripe by their mothers most of whom I might add, are grossly overweight and unattractive.

My question is this simple. Where are the Dads in all of this?

AS I SEE IT! (a social comment)

Steven Demetre Georgiou, remember him? Probably not.

I’m a huge fan. His hits just kept on coming the albums sold millions. One of my favorites was “Tea for the Tillerman”

Ahhh, now your remembering. Cat Stevens, that’s right the bearded hippy, folk singer that took the world by storm.

Cat StevensThen he just up and quit. Years later, Cat Stevens resurfaced as “Yusuf Islam”, acclaimed singer-songwriter, humanitarian and philanthropist.

Trouble was, he had become Muslim. Stevens’ decision to leave the music business, become a Muslim, and devote his life to humanitarian and educational causes is one that has often been greeted with a mixture of curiosity and confusion. Then, out of the blue he was back on the world stage, touring and thrilling thousands of fans worldwide. He looked every bit the Muslim, softly spoken and words well chosen, a humble man with a simple message.

Who really cared that this great singer had become a Muslim? We were more than happy to pay the ticket price to see him in concert and listen to his philosophy.

It was inspiring and uplifting and for many, provided an insight into the way of Islam. We were more than tolerant and happy to sit for 2 hours, to listen, be entertained and even learn a thing or two. Or have we? I read daily of the conflict between cultures, the hatred that is building, the clashes and violence happening with regular monotony.

Sadly we have seen the terrible result of one idealist in Norway. Right now we are witnessing the rioting in London and the effect it is having across the world.

(I remember listening to Enoch Powell’s so-called ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech, which was delivered to a Conservative Association meeting in Birmingham on April 20 1968 & thinking this will never happen. How wrong could one be? )

Yusuf IslamQuestions are being raised as to how we could let these things happen. I don’t have the answer, but what I know is this, it has happened, for whatever reason.

I pity the hatred this Norwegian  man has for Islam amongst other things. We as a society must learn tolerance. We might not like what we are confronted with, but somewhere within, we must accept it.

It is hard to forgive and forget, but over time, the scar fades.

We are coming up on the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and the haunting pictures are etched firmly in our minds forever. The destruction, loss, anger and pain suffered by everyone in their own way, will never leave us. But, here’s the thing, we have become tolerant and this tragic event for most, over time, has become a memory. It will never ever go away, but we learn to live with it. We live with the fact that Islam is here to stay, we might not like it, but somehow we tolerate it.

I learned to be tolerant a long time ago in fact, October 1973, the day I lost my legs. I’m well over that, but when I read and hear of how people of different cultures are being treated, I can’t help but wonder.

I have nothing but admiration for “Yusuf Islam,” aka “Cat Stevens.”

I will listen and no doubt I might just learn something!

AS I SEE IT! (a social comment) July 15th 2011

I was asked to comment on the recent performance of Lady Gaga at her concert in Sydney, where she performed a number, using a wheelchair as a prop.

Lady Gaga Wheelchair StuntIt seems this has outraged people in wheelchairs, their families and friends and has opened the floodgates, creating media frenzy with complaints to Anti-discrimination and other rights groups worldwide.

Look, to be honest, it didn’t faze me one little bit.

As a broadcaster in a wheelchair and someone that’s been in the public eye for the past 38 years, I got over the fact that people saw me as different a long time ago.

Truth is, I never saw it that way. Never have, never will.

Having no legs and in a chair certainly made me unique within the industry. It’s amazing the perception listeners have of you.

On more than one occasion, I was asked; “HOW DO YOU SPEAK ON THE RADIO WITH NO LEGS?” Once I stopped laughing and thought about it, I realized the observation that people had in general, when it came to someone in a wheelchair was draconian.

Education was in its infancy and public opinion was not very gracious.

Did I care? Of course I did. I decided to make it my goal to change public opinion.

I’ve lost count of the number of groups and organisations I’ve spoken to over the years. I coached my sons’ rugby team, shot hoops fished with mates, been the brunt of their jokes etc.

Did I care? No. I gave back as good as I got.

I was accepted as normal so much so that on one occasion as I recall, a group from the Radio Station where I was working at the time, went 10-pin bowling. Everybody was lining up for their bowling shoes and the manager (my best mate) turned and asked. “Porte, what’s your shoe size mate?” I told him and as he ordered my shoes, the person behind the counter stared at him with disbelief.

You see, the point here was simple. He never saw the disability. Just the person. That is how it was and still is to this day. However, there are still people that have a very narrow-minded view. That’s their right but sometimes I wish that those in a wheelchair that still have a chip on their shoulder, for what ever their reason, would take a step back, think about their attitude and the effect it leaves on others.

I never climbed any mountain, flew a plane or embarked on the hundreds of other challenges that people with disabilities have embarked on to prove a point. To say, “Look at me” I’m normal!

I am normal; I have my faults and failings just like you. But what I have is ATTITUDE. I really don’t give a monkey’s that I have no legs. I got a second crack at life and I have embraced it. It’s that simple.

Don’t get me wrong…

Dealing with a tragic accident or illness, is not easy, nor is the aftermath. The rehabilitation, the dramatic adjustment and realisation that things will never be the same are very real and do take time and their toll. I know it is a cliché but “it does get better.”

I actually like Lady Gaga, I think she’s branded herself into a pretty niche position and it’s working. Look, she’s not the first to use a wheelchair. She won’t be the last. Pink did it a year or so ago.

Some people really do need to get the chip off their shoulder and embrace their disability. Make the most of what life has to offer. As I said, I did.

I have no regrets whatsoever. At the end of the day, to be honest, it’s all about ATTITUDE.

The performance was nothing but brilliant and personally, I would hate to see her discard it”.

AS I SEE IT! (a social comment) June 29th 2011

The historic passing of legislation allowing gays and lesbian to marry in the state of New York, has sparked off another heated round of debate over the issue, with the usual outpouring of homophobia.

British academic Frank Furedi writes about the moral superiority of the “elite” who support gay marriage and their tendency to silence opposition by asserting their enlightened stance and comparing it to the prejudices and homophobia of the majority.

His argument is flawed as is his appalling generalisations about why the “elite” support fellow humans’ rights to access a legal institution, and he’s wrong about so-called “ordinary folk’’ Ordinary folk are not a bunch of prejudiced bogans; nor are the “cultural elite” in agreement.

We’re diverse and divided, but most want this law overturned.

Marriage is not a gay/straight issue any more.

It’s about human rights to access, benefits, legitimacy, recognition, and public acknowledgement of mutual love.

Wedding BandsHomosexual couples now enjoy effective equality with married couples in every way short of marriage. The passing of this historic legislation in New York cements this right. There are and always will be those that will continue their crusade to say that this process must stop short of marriage, because marriage is about something deeper than civil equality; it is about a natural reality – male, female, offspring – which society did not create and society’s law cannot alter.

I see it differently. The right to express your sexuality, the right to freedom of speech, love between two people no matter what is a given.

Most homosexual couples I know share a special bond and are more committed than a lot of homophobic heterosexuals that pretend to “be in love”. Those gay couples lucky enough to be blessed with a child will raise and nurture that child better than a lot of mothers that could not care less.

Homosexuals are still sadly considered “outcasts” by the homophobic culture that exists with in most mainstream teachings and have battled for their right to respect and dignity, just as people with disabilities and other minority groups have fought for their rights and dignity.

I for one am proud of my gay friends and I applaud the State of New York for their historic passing of this legislation.

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