[ Apologies to William Shakespeare.]
[ Cranky Lizard acknowledges The Australian Inquirer, July 11, 2020, Author Peter Baldwin, A Minister in the Hawke and Keating Governments for extracts from his excellent article on this matter.]
"Demos" – a word from the Ancient Greek language meaning – 'people of a village or region.'
"Kratos "– the Name of the son of the Ancient Greek Gods Pallas and Styx – the Name Carries the meaning of strength. Hence the combination of the two words – demos + kratos = power of the people = democracy.
Cranky Lizard reckons that the fundamental idea of our democracy, as it has functioned from the signing of the Magna Carta, is being neglected by complacent Governments. Our concept of democracy is also being eroded by zealous, unelected bureaucrats, by our diluted tertiary institutions, and by our hysterical media.
Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Expression, Freedom of Association are fundamental to a free and democratic society.
And, it is these freedoms which are being attacked, in some forums, eroded in other forums and denied in other forums.
We are exposed, by the media, to the hysteria of the mob in the village square. An example of this is the degrading and humiliating kneeling in public by football teams and other sporting groups.
" When Australian citizens, who have committed no crime and oppressed no one, feel obliged to get down on their knees in a gesture of supplication to persons unspecified, as all players in the NRL and the AFL did recently; then something weird and profoundly disturbing is going on! "
In Cranky Lizard's opinion, these actions are self-abasing, and where did this self-abasement originate? The Head Offices of Australia's two principal football codes?
Why? Do the CEO's of Australia's football codes feel that that they have offended racial principles and therefore require the players to kneel in the middle of the ground? Why don't the besotted fools come out into the middle of the arena and kneel with their players?
Cranky Lizard reckons the answer to that is simple – the gutless buggers have not the personal and public commitment to do so! Which means they don't believe it, which means that the whole performance was an empty, nonsensical farce.
"So what is it that the footballers and others throughout the sporting community are held to be guilty of ? Their race? Which is defined in the most literal sense by their white skin, possession of which is held as some kind of original sin? "
Is that it? They are white, so they are guilty?
No community discussion. No room for dissent. You are white; therefore, you are guilty.
Cranky Lizard speaks loudly about this – WHAT BLOODY NONSENSE?
It seems as if some clique of beady-eyed academics has concluded that white people have wilfully chosen the trinkets and accoutrements of power and privilege over a broader bonding with other humans beings.
Cranky Lizard reckons that they should observe Cranky Lizard's lips: White people are born white; they have no choice. Black people are born black; they have no choice, and all the other beautiful and spectacular forms of human colouring also comes being born without choice.
But the norms of nature are disregarded. Logic holds no sway. Western democracies following the siren song of the intellectually diluted humanities campuses are in a headlong, downhill rush to self-loathing.
The mere fact that "being white "is a sin is shallow and malicious thinking. But this is expressed in our social media and is endemic in university humanities departments. They complain loudly about being defunded – they should be!
They have nothing to offer their young impressionable students or us. Nothing!
The humanities departments in some the Western Democracies' Universities have, for some time now, been identified as places of indoctrination and advocacy rather than places of learning, intellectual stimulation and genuine enquiry about knowledge.
Free speech, freedom of thought and expression are suppressed by overt and covert means in these places, and that is a threat to our democratic purpose.
On another matter, public debate is becoming increasingly sectionalised and illogical.
Individuals are simply defined by identarian ideology – your gender, your sexual preferences, your degree of "wokeness "marks you as either an oppressor or one of the oppressed.
"Instead of being free agents capable of forming and expressing our own opinions on the issues of the day, we are all expected to speak as members of our respective identities, arrogantly assertive if deemed oppressed or grovellingly apologetic if deemed an oppressor."
Cranky Lizard repeats WHAT BLOODY NONSENSE!
The free exchange of ideas; and the robust, and respectful discussion of these ideas, is the fabric from which our society and its institutions are created.
To deny this process and replace it with a politically weak model is yet another threat to our democratic process.
It isn't reassuring to note the increase in activism in our justice system. Unelected judges not responsible to the electorate in any form whatsoever, and certainly not able to be challenged by electors in our constituencies, are making judgements, that reflect on matters that should be left to our Parliaments.
An illustration of this trend is the recent High Court of Australia judgement on creating an indigenous exemption to the Migration Act creates a radical change to constitutional law.
In simple terms, if you can establish that you have connections to aboriginal people in Australia and that aboriginal people accept you as having that connection then you, as a foreign citizen and a convicted criminal cannot be deported under the Migration Act of Australia.
It seems to set an uncomfortable precedent.
Cranky Lizard highlights these examples of threats to our communities and our democracy for one simple reason – a warning.
On their own, these examples probably do not present much of a threat to us. Combined, they identify a trend for Governments to overlook these happenings and therein lies the danger. Complacency encourages political and broad social dissent.
Any student of history, if there are any of them left, will soon note that oppressive regimes gain power through the complacency of the community and the Government of the day.
Cranky Lizard will always write to provoke a reaction. Cranky Lizard will always write to highlight the arrant nonsense of the left-wing commentators in our community: their nonsense needs to be exposed!
And.
If you want to take Cranky Lizard on over a written article, get your facts right, don't whinge, don't try intimidation because that will not happen, don't quote spurious sources because they shall be exposed, don't try verbal bullying because that won't work either. Apart from those few qualifications – fill your boots!
Cranky Lizard enjoys the challenge.
By the way – Cranky Lizard is not and never will be "woke ".
Next issue Cranky Lizard will be exploring where the millions of dollars donated to major charities for bush fire relief has gone.
Enjoy your days.