tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832901.post4975719087589440314..comments2024-03-25T19:48:24.624+11:00Comments on Oz Conservative: Is this really how we earn our colour?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832901.post-36982107058739796542007-05-30T13:21:00.000+10:002007-05-30T13:21:00.000+10:00Pleasantville may have recieved critical attention...<I>Pleasantville</I> may have recieved critical attention, but it was a boring piece of rubbish and I am pretty sure I couldn't even be bothered finishing it. By contrast, I remember as a teenager that several people I knew were head over heels for <I>Blast from the Past</I>.<BR/><BR/>On a more empirical note, Australian society was not monocultural prior to WWII. People just had less cultural fatigue, and appreciated more of the subtleties between different parts of the culture of the time. <BR/><BR/>For instance, there was a greater appreciation of the subtleties between the different Northern European groups who had moved to Australia - my maternal grandmother's family were Channel Islands French, my maternal grandfather's family were from Schleswig-Holstein, my paternal grandfather's family were a mix of English and Welsh, my paternal grandmother's family was a mix of English and Scottish.<BR/><BR/>In that culture, small things like surnames could still carry lots of meaning about a person's origins. Muller was German - you might be Lutheran, you were more likely to drink. Maxwell and Murdoch were Scottish names, if you were religious, you were probably teetotalling Presbyterian, if you weren't, you were probably a heavy drinker. <BR/><BR/>Catholics and Protestants drew radical distinctions between each other. A mixed marriage was one between these two groups, and because belief mattered back then, meant that one party or the other would have to convert, and do it sincerely.<BR/><BR/>Anyone who suggests that this Australia was monocultural or boring is suffering from a severe case of propoganda, and should just call their grandparents to have a chat about what things were really like back in the day.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832901.post-68539076338860329342007-05-30T05:33:00.000+10:002007-05-30T05:33:00.000+10:00If I recall correctly, "Pleasantville"--which is i...If I recall correctly, "Pleasantville"--which is indeed one of the most vile films ever made--appeared about the same time as the film "Blast from the Past," and the two formed a perfect complement to each other. "Blast" shows, in effect, the moral and cultural superiority of the 1950s. What is more, it showed how even a corrupted contemporary woman would ultimately find a man from the 1950s more desireable than anything else on offer in her milieu. Predictably, "Pleasantville" received rapturous critical attention while "Blast" was almost entirely ignored.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832901.post-56384983236966758722007-05-28T15:25:00.000+10:002007-05-28T15:25:00.000+10:00Bobby N.,You put it so well, I am envious the word...Bobby N.,<BR/><BR/>You put it so well, I am envious the words are not mine!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832901.post-62615522268687441882007-05-28T14:23:00.000+10:002007-05-28T14:23:00.000+10:00SAGE SAID:“I have never seen a more perfect illust...<I>SAGE SAID:<BR/>“I have never seen a more perfect illustration of the sheer sadistic joy that some men feel at burning what other men cherish.”</I><BR/><BR/>This is quite true, and sad, that men have (collectively), over the last few decades, let things ‘slide’ by apathetically allowing feminists & liberalists to <I>’have-their-way’</I> when it comes to almost any important historical construct (like marriage, religion, etc). <BR/><BR/>I understand that it may be considered biologically common (and often necessary) to ‘break-away’ from one’s parents into adulthood, but to me, it belies a fundamental petulance toward one’s father & mother that goes WAY beyond moving forward to becoming a ‘man’ or ‘woman’ – and seems more like reverting to ‘childhood’.<BR/><BR/>The liberal/feminist notion of “abandoning all that has come before” in favor of a self-determined lifestyle, which has the inevitable consequence of metaphorically ‘spitiing” in the face of your ancestors, has roots in much of the literature that fostered it’s popularity in the earlier feminist boom. Gore Vidal’s essay of the late 70’s - “This Critic and This Gin and These Shoes” (New York Review of Books, September 25, 1980) – alludes to a liberal conquest when he writes;<BR/><BR/><I>“The long dialogue has broken down. Fortunately, as Flaubert pointed out, the worst thing about the present is the future. One day there will be no . . . But I have been asked not to give the game away. Meanwhile, I shall drop a single hint: Only construct!”</I><BR/><BR/>Ok then. What do you do when an untested theory (like liberalism/feminism) is foist upon society and you do away with the old? What happens after you “Only Construct” and have thrown away the old ‘working’ model?<BR/><BR/>Pleasantville’s dialogue of <I>“What now?”</I> – is an important one to ponder. It’s a comment I often convey to ‘proud’ feminists who have demolished historical social values to an ‘anything goes’ model.<BR/><BR/>What now?<BR/><BR/>Indeed, (to heterosexual feminists), I ask - ‘What now?” <BR/><BR/>When their strongly held ethic is that they have an overall contempt & dislike for traditional men & masculinity, (while STILL wanting the nobility of those men to exist) then I fail to see how their ‘no-rules’ societal structure is supposed to work.<BR/><BR/>If men & women have no recommended or prescribed notions of behavior to one-another, then WHAT exactly am I to expect from a partner? The answer of course, is only sex. The ‘physical’ seems to be the only ‘certainty’. The main thing that feminists have been complaining about NOT wanting to be ‘defined’ as - is <B>exactly</B> the ONLY thing a man can define a woman as if one strips away an prescribed behaviors, roles or decorum. If she is ‘only constructed’ (ie. Being defined by the ‘now’ & ‘future’ with no regard for the past) – then how do I trust in her to be anything than ‘short-term’? If she is only to be had ‘now’ - then why would I marry her for the ‘future’? Parenthetically, why would I base my relationship to her on any type of LASTING ethical ‘honor’, when she doesn’t prescribe to it herself?<BR/><BR/>The rule of : “Every action has an equal & opposite Reaction” – does seem apt here, and is something liberalists need to realize.<BR/><BR/>It really should be no surprise that men are regarding women as ‘predominantly’ <B>sex objects</B>, when the things men ‘used’ to respect them for, are things the modern woman refuses to be any longer.<BR/><BR/>From a man’s point of view (and I’m sure it’s similar from a woman’s in today’s time as we hear her complain about how uncivilized men have become now), it seems that since we are following the idea that we don’t have to ‘treat’ another any particular way (that is trying to live by behaviors that others would accept and be familiar with.) – we’ve adopted this ‘colourful’ liberal notion that an unorganized (and uncertain) culture is somehow harmonious?<BR/><BR/>But what am I to count on? What am I to ‘build’ on? While colour and fury may be ‘exciting’ & ‘spontaneous’ – it is seldom the bedfellow of ‘security’ & ‘honor’. Something healthy families & societies are built on.<BR/><BR/>If the target is constantly shifting, then the only sensible thing to do IS (unfortunately) to adopt the liberal mindset of being single and selfish. It, personally, leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, to be sure, but as a logically thinking man, I cannot abandon all reason and ‘throw caution to the wind’ by taking major risks with my life in traveling down a path with someone who’s belief system is subjectively based on little more than how they ‘feel’ from one day to the other.<BR/><BR/>I simply cannot ‘trust’ in a ‘wholly’ liberal mindset. There simply is NO security at all. There is no real future to build your life on.<BR/><BR/>B-Bobby.Nhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11494573597598152422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832901.post-59745203323005465162007-05-28T07:02:00.000+10:002007-05-28T07:02:00.000+10:00I loathed Pleasantville, every last unthinking, pr...I loathed <I>Pleasantville</I>, every last unthinking, propagandistic, self-congratulatory frame. And (no offense to anonymous) I remain shocked to the point of despair that almost no one I know could immediately pick up on its overt socio-political message, nor were put off by its preachy script. A movie at once idiotic and full of itself, <I>Pleasantville</I> is simply my least favorite movie, period. There is so much I could say on this subject, although I only saw the movie once--I recall it as though I have seen it a hundred times.<BR/><BR/>Perhaps the most disturbing moment of the movie is its conclusion. When asked, "What happens now?" (as in, now that all social convention and tradition has been abandoned wholesale), the adolescent anti-moralist who is the film's protagonist simply giggles, "I don't know!" at which point they both erupt into satisfied laughter. I have never seen a more perfect illustration of the sheer sadistic joy that some men feel at burning what other men cherish. I can say without exaggeration that I actually believe <I>Pleasantville</I> is the most diabolical thing I have ever watched.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832901.post-27461483123089162472007-05-27T23:41:00.000+10:002007-05-27T23:41:00.000+10:00"In the 1960s colour finally arrives:There we see ..."In the 1960s colour finally arrives:<BR/>There we see it, as time moved forward into the sixties. Huge. Boundaries break and boxed in lives burst, exploded. Colour!"<BR/><BR/>lol. Is that before or after they discovered mind-altering drugs?Yauhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00739777043491722892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832901.post-53759625577709931642007-05-27T13:29:00.000+10:002007-05-27T13:29:00.000+10:00Please excuse my errors of spelling and grammar in...Please excuse my errors of spelling and grammar in my last post...<BR/><BR/>It's never advisable to engage in debate <I>and</I> tackle HTML, all at eight minutes to 1am, <B>LOL</B>.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832901.post-4712294097762918772007-05-27T08:45:00.000+10:002007-05-27T08:45:00.000+10:00Thanks for the comments.Scott, I agree with your r...Thanks for the comments.<BR/><BR/>Scott, I agree with your reading of history when you write:<BR/><BR/><I>The point where conservative values were lost forever in mainstream society seems to be in the whole 1914-45 period when we underwent two World Wars.</I><BR/><BR/>Even in the 1920s it's still possible to find conservative values within the mainstream political class in Australia, but by the late 1930s there's not much left at all.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832901.post-4782393978495537522007-05-27T00:52:00.000+10:002007-05-27T00:52:00.000+10:00Mark Richardson quotes Robert Bosler's description...Mark Richardson quotes Robert Bosler's description of life in the 1940s and 50s:<BR/><BR/>"[<I>T</I>]<I>he year is 1944. The country is at war. See all the people. Look at what they are wearing. It’s grey, it’s all grey. There’s no colour. They’re all doing what they’re doing but they seem like they are all boxed in. They’re all sort of trapped within themselves.</I>"<BR/><BR/>Later, on the advent of the 1960s, he sees colour. <BR/><BR/>Clearly this leftist thinks the past lived in the television box; understandably so, as I find it difficult to image this cretin actually reading a book. <BR/><BR/>These delicate left-wing minds, how impressionable they are: no Mr. Bosler, the past wasn't black-&white just because the TVs were! When he says that "[<I>t</I>]<I>his is no joke</I>", I seem to think Bosler is, <I>au contraire</I>, rather hilarious!<BR/><BR/>Furthermore, the celebration of the appointment of Pat O'Shane to the Bar ("[<I>w</I>]<I>e knew it had arrived when we saw on our TV screens the news item telling us that a black woman had been made a judge</I>"), isn't exactly something to be rather proud of.<BR/><BR/>Anybody who toasts <I>that</I> as a step in the right direction must be a complete loon; consider the following:<BR/><BR/><B>1.</B> <A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_O'Shane#Controversial_rulings" REL="nofollow"><I>Wikipedia</I> - Pat O'Shane - Controversial Rulings, (@ 26 May 2007)</A><BR/><BR/><B>2.</B> <A HREF="http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/09/21/1095651328495.html" REL="nofollow">Les Kennedy, Michael Pelly and Lisa Pryor, "Magistrate Pat O'Shane Facing [Apprehended Violence Order] Hearing", <I>Sydney Morning Herald (online)</I>, (22 September 2004) (@ 26 May 2007)</A><BR/><BR/><B>3.</B> <A HREF="http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20680835-2,00.html" REL="nofollow">Janet Fyfe-Yeomans, "Controversial Magistrate Fights for Judicial Life," <I>News.Com.Au</I>, (1 November 2005) (@ 26 May 2007)</A><BR/><BR/><B>4.</B> <A HREF="http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21071074-1702,00.html" REL="nofollow">"Controversial Magistrate Could Go", <I>News.Com.Au</I>, (17 January 2007) (@ 26 May 2007)</A><BR/><BR/><B>5.</B> <A HREF="http://www.greenleft.org.au/1993/93/4365" REL="nofollow">Karen Fredericks, "... and [<I>sic</I>] ain't i [<I>sic</I>] a woman?: [<I>sic</I>] Pat O'Shane's good reasons," <I>Green Left Online</I>, (24 March 1993) (@ 26 May 2007)</A><BR/><BR/>Happy reading!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832901.post-13549786940318854302007-05-26T12:12:00.000+10:002007-05-26T12:12:00.000+10:00What is it with liberals and colour???Are they jus...What is it with liberals and <I>colour???</I><BR/><BR/>Are they just idiots?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832901.post-26314153270969456662007-05-26T09:41:00.000+10:002007-05-26T09:41:00.000+10:00Another great post. If you grow up with the values...Another great post. <BR/><BR/>If you grow up with the values and beliefs of this liberal autonomy, it affects the way people treat institutions in a way that they wouldn't if they were brought up with a conservative mindset. Marriage is the great example. The liberal view was that its sole purpose is the pleasure of the participants; this is why they are in favour of gay marriage- from a liberal set of values that makes sense.<BR/><BR/>But since conservatives also view marriage as having a role in wider society for the having of children and the disciplining of people's sexual appetites, it's no wonder that people with conservative values look at the whole institution, and people's behavior surrounding marriage differently. <BR/><BR/>Was Menzies to blame? I think he was merely answering the popular demand. The point where conservative values were lost forever in mainstream society seems to be in the whole 1914-45 period when we underwent two World Wars.<BR/><BR/>After all that, it's no wonder that liberal autonomy theory was so alluring to people.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832901.post-72499842365603445722007-05-26T09:39:00.000+10:002007-05-26T09:39:00.000+10:00Peter W, you're right that it's reality which dete...Peter W, you're right that it's reality which determines the validity of the theory. In fact, if the article hadn't already been so long, I would have liked to draw out this point.<BR/><BR/>I think it's a fault of the liberals I'm describing that they are willing to pronounce on the world according to the logical implications of their theory, rather than speaking directly from their real experiences of the world.<BR/><BR/>In other words, there's a problem when it's the theory which builds up an account of reality.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the comments about the site. And if you ever feel a bit isolated as a conservative here, please remember the option of the Australian Traditionalist Conservative Network (the link is in the sidebar).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832901.post-75996924396180079542007-05-26T02:44:00.000+10:002007-05-26T02:44:00.000+10:00I think this is an excellent post and the analysis...I think this is an excellent post and the analysis of the film Pleasanville is both interesting and insightful. I enjoyed the film when I saw it and never considered any political implications - probably the sign of a skilful movie-maker. <BR/><BR/>I would take exception with one comment you made however; "If the theory is wrong, then so is the account of reality." <BR/><BR/>I would suggest that it is the incorrect account of reality which invalidates the theory, not the other way around. In scientific terms it's the evidence that proves or disproves a theory, not a theory which proves or disproves evidence.<BR/><BR/>As I agree with your conclusions completely it is a minor point, but it seems to me that choosing what part of reality to believe based on how it fits a theory is one of the areas in which liberals are weakest and an area on which we, as conservatives, should be attacking them.<BR/><BR/>Thank you for your excellent blog. As a recent arrival to Australia it's nice to know I'm not the only conservative in the country. <BR/><BR/>Peter_WAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com