The (Not So) Brave New World

A gradual shift can often be undetectable and the full impact of change not seen or felt until we are so far down the road that any change of direction is difficult. The Australia of my youth, in many aspects, is virtually unrecognisable against today's Australia and the direction in which we are heading is far removed from where we once hoped we would be. A myriad and multitude of small direction changes, distractions and events set against global economic and humanitarian chaos, has steered Australia in a direction far from our hopes and aspirations of decades past. Our voices, which were once heard, are now mere mumblings. Our actions, feeble. We have taken our stance on the global stage firmly behind others, standing in the background as a supporter of the bigger players. We are first in line to join others' causes, pledging our support, resources and finances for goals we do not fully understand. We quickly echo the rhetoric of the bigger players to remind them that we are there, supporting their causes. We sit at the table of the big players as if we are important and bask in their glory. Our place is guaranteed as long as we play the role of dutiful sycophant and do not stray from the group's plans, opinions and thoughts.

Many years ago, as a primary school student, I saw first hand the politics of today played out as a microcosm in the school yard. There were the leaders and their chosen few who were popular, strong and in control. Others wanted to join their ranks, eager to be part of the elite group. Success was measured by which group you were in, how many friends you had and how popular you were. Success was not measured by how smart you were, your academic achievements or your originality of thought. People aligned themselves to the group and echoed the sentiment of that group. Dissent was not acceptable as it could lead to being ostracised, cut out and left to fend for yourself in the dangerous and cut throat world that was Year Seven. 

It is unfortunate that we now find ourselves in that global school yard and we have, as Australians, aligned ourselves to what we perceive is the strongest group. We follow their causes, accept their values, implement their rules and espouse their rhetoric. Although we do not fully comprehend these, we are happy to be part of the group nonetheless. 

Luckily for me, I moved into high school the following year. This world was very different from the world of the Primary School yard. Although there were still those that tried to take their powers and groups into Secondary School, most failed. It was a bigger world, more diverse, more people and more opportunities. Free speech was prevalent. With most of the people in the Secondary School yard older and more experienced than I, there was an opportunity to learn more, seek alternative views and garner knowledge and experience. I gradually gained a better understanding of the bigger world and started to form my own views. I was no longer shackled by the limited views of my parents and classmates and my teachers nurtured freedom of thought and action. The world was evolving and we had a chance to influence the outcome, to be heard. Protests were being held in many Australian cities on all manner of issues. Newspapers published a wide array of viewpoints and these could be discussed intelligently with peers. I was able to form my own opinion and learned the art of logical debate, freedom of expression and free will. Teachers encouraged this, much to the chagrin of my parents. The backdrop of the Vietnam War, corruption in the Nixon government,  apartheid, anti nuclear sentiment and the rise of the feminist movement all provided opportunities to make a stand and voice your opinion. The world was changing and the students from universities and secondary schools wanted to be heard. Australian issues became worthy of a stand as well. The White Australia Policy, indigenous land rights, women's rights, the environment and Australia’s national service scheme were among the main issues that the students wanted a say in. This was a time that proved that the protests of the people could change the direction of a continent. 

Fast forward to today where the Western world is often referred to as a Consumer Society. We are taught from a young age, through television, newspapers and magazines, that there are things that we should want and crave for. We should own smart phones, flat screen TVs, latest fashions, new gadgets, homes, cars, etc, etc. We are told that this is the new way to measure your success in the new world. The more you have, the greater success you are and we should strive to own more. We should have media rooms in our houses with surround sound and 3D TVs, we need to have newer cars, newer toys and we should not stop. Any shortage of cash should not be a barrier to owning more either. We need to have credit. The self made gurus who roam our country teaching us how to be successful tell us that if you have $100 it actually means you have $1,000 because you can now borrow 90%. And perhaps you have equity in your house that you need to use to generate more cash to buy more things. This is a race and the only way to win is to own more than the others.  We should covet the new smartphone, the new season designer dress, the new model car and the latest electronic gadget because the magazines, newspapers, television, et al are telling us that this is how we measure success. It is what we have that is important and it is our role in Australian society to keep getting more. 

There are those that do not take part in this race though. Whether they do not participate by choice or through circumstance, they are marginalised and forgotten. Those that are too old, too poor or, in a minority of cases, choose not to participate, are at best ignored and at worst labelled as a burden to the rest. In a world where consumerism is king and success is owning the best and latest gadgets, non consumers have no meaningful place. 

There is also a parallel world, intertwined with the material one, where success is not measured by material things.  Instead, success in the parallel world is determined by numbers. 

The parallel world is a place where we can be who we want. We can create fantasies that are far removed from our own realities. It is a place where, we are told, everyone is interested in everything we do and everything we say and we can disguise any aspects of our lives or bodies that may cause us to seem different to the rest with just a few keystrokes. To be successful here, we must accumulate numbers. Likes, followers and friends are the currency in social media and we need to amass large numbers to be accepted. We judge products, services and users by the numbers they have accumulated. Our networks are virtual and we do not need to move from our homes to interact with the groups. Conversations consist of tweets and texts and the language is abbreviated to the smallest number of letters possible. We lol, omg and wtf on a regular basis. We amuse ourselves with short videos and judge them by like, tweet and share. We talk fashion, gossip and other trivialities with others from around the globe whilst never needing to change from our pyjamas. But we focus on the numbers. We judge by the numbers. 

We are now busier than ever before and we think in terms of bytes. We do not have the time to do everything that we need to do. With social networking, work, study and family, we do not have the time to analyse and understand all the issues before us. The media spends a few minutes on major issues and combines them with entertainment news, fashion, weather, sport and a "feel good" story and this translates into our own lives and our conversations. We have so much to do and we need to undertake "retail therapy" on a regular basis which leaves little free time. News stories on wars, scandals and disasters may be discussed briefly over breakfast during morning programs or at lunch with a colleague, but it is safer to discuss sport, the latest entertainment news or some other general, non threatening subject. 

We have developed a type of apathy towards those issues that drove thousands to protest in my youth. We have become numb to the major issues that spurred mass public outrage a few decades ago. Today, major issues do not seem to attract attention for long. We are distracted and busy. Recent events have raised but a murmur. 

When Australia was coerced into a war in Iraq against an "axis of evil" there was little outcry.

When no weapons of mass destruction were found and it was revealed that the public was lied to, there was little outcry. 

When we were called to support the war against terrorism in Afghanistan and it became clear its prime purpose was to protect the opium and heroin production, there was little outcry. 

When we had proof that people were being captured and held without cause in Iraq and horrendous torture techniques were being deployed, there was little outcry. 

When it was revealed that the US is monitoring Australian's calls, Internet usage, emails and web history, there was little outcry.

When US controlled drones murder innocent people because they were "suspected terrorists" there is little outcry. 

The are many more events and issues that are happening every day and the lack of any real reaction from the Australian press and public is a far cry from just a few decades ago. If we continue to ignore those issues that impact our way of life, we cannot complain once we reach our unpleasant future. 

To all those caught in the race to own more or to grow their Facebook Friends, I give you a quote from a group of famous Australians: WAKE UP JEFF! (and Peter and Sue and David.........)

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