Australian of the Year

[RooFlyer]

Seems a decent choice - Alan Mackay-Sim. Hopefully some-one who can be celebrated by all of us, and not one who is a divisive figure, such as some of the last few and especially the last [-]guy[/-] clown

I got so sick of the 'Australian of the Year' being chosen for the 'Cause du Jour' and who spent their term berating Australians for being variously racist, sexist, homophobic etc etc (and having a nice little earner making speeches, on the side). Making a cause 'your turn this year' demeans the cause as if to say its important this year but not last year or next year.

 

[bsb]

I got so sick of the 'Australian of the Year' being chosen for the 'Cause du Jour' and who spent their term berating Australians for being variously racist, sexist, homophobic etc etc (and having a nice little earner making speeches, on the side). Making a cause 'your turn this year' demeans the cause as if to say its important this year but not last year or next year.

Maybe if Australians weren't racist, sexist, homophobic "etc etc" they wouldn't have been issues that needed addressing? Notwithstanding, Alan Mackay-Sim is a good choice.

 

[RooFlyer]

Maybe if Australians weren't racist, sexist, homophobic "etc etc" they wouldn't have been issues that needed addressing? Notwithstanding, Alan Mackay-Sim is a good choice.

Wot, everyone, as a class?

My point made exactly.

 

[eastwest101]

Maybe if Australians weren't racist, sexist, homophobic "etc etc" they wouldn't have been issues that needed addressing....

Oh the hypocrisy - did you just characterize an entire nation as racist sexists homophobes? Maybe I am missing the sarcasm or something got omitted from your post?

Agree with you that Mackay-Sim is a good choice - in my opinion. Congratulations are due to him.

 

[Pushka]

Oh the hypocrisy - did you just characterize an entire nation as racist sexists homophobes? Maybe I am missing the sarcasm or something got omitted from your post?

That's the way it just seems to work unfortunately.

 

[straitman]

Maybe if Australians weren't racist, sexist, homophobic "etc etc" they wouldn't have been issues that needed addressing? Notwithstanding, Alan Mackay-Sim is a good choice.

Still shaking my head at this post:!:

 

[kpc]

Even though I have not previously heard of him, this is the sort of person who should be Australian of the year....not some sportsperson etc

 

[Limewood]

and HERE he is, brilliant...

 

[cove]

Looks like a great pick and I had not heard of his work.

 

[vetrade]

Maybe if Australians weren't racist, sexist, homophobic "etc etc" they wouldn't have been issues that needed addressing? Notwithstanding, Alan Mackay-Sim is a good choice.

Can you name any country/race or colour of people which does not have racists, sexists and homophobes among them? Didn't think so.
In fact many which we are commonly accused of being racist, sexist etc. against themselves have a far higher incidence of these traits than us.

What I'm shaking my head about is that Ranga who got an AC. In what universe could that ever be to be based on merit?

 

[love_the_life]

.....

What I'm shaking my head about is that Ranga who got an AC. In what universe could that ever be to be based on merit?

If you are referring to Julia Gillard, many would disagree with you.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

What I'm shaking my head about is that Ranga who got an AC. In what universe could that ever be to be based on merit?

Oh and of course there would be no sexist masoginistic undertones in that statement would there?

FTR - congratulations on recognition of our first ever female Prime Minister.

 

[vetrade]

Oh and of course there would be no sexist masoginistic undertakes in that statement would there?

FTR - congratulations on recognition of our first ever female Prime Minister.

I presume you mean "misogynistic undertones" but, your poor grammar aside, you are absolutely right - there are no sexist or "masoginistic undertakes" expressed or implied in my statement.
"Ranga" is gender neutral, but most relevantly I referred to "merit" which is also gender neutral. FWIW there is nothing inherently meritorious in being the first female or first male anything.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

FWIW there is nothing inherently meritorious in being the first female or first male anything.

IYHO of course - did you ever consider there is a remote possibility that your opinions are not always 100% correct? Clearly you have not been subjected to or even witness to the plethora of 'glass ceiling' situations that females encounter on a daily basis throughout their lives. And my apologies to the wider AFF community if my grammer is not as polished as yours may be.

 

[RooFlyer]

More about the work of the Australian of the Year.

 

[vetrade]

IYHO of course - did you ever consider there is a remote possibility that your opinions are not always 100% correct? Clearly you have not been subjected to or even witness to the plethora of 'glass ceiling' situations that females encounter on a daily basis throughout their lives. And my apologies to the wider AFF community if my grammer is not as polished as yours may be.

You have (ideologically?) misrepresented the point my comments were actually making and introduced a red herring argument. JG is in no way representative of someone who has felt the weight of any glass ceiling. In fact you probably couldn’t have thought of a worse argument to cite because her career has been spectacularly devoid of hurdles, and certainly none related to her gender.

Her rise to the Prime Ministership was no more onerous than it would have been for a male; in fact, compared to many, it was far easier.

My understanding is that she rose to partner at Slater & Gordon in quick time and then enjoyed preferential preselection in her safe Labor seat when she was forced out of S&G because her dubious legal practices were even intolerable for them, a strongly left/union based law firm. A comparatively quick rise through the parliamentary ranks followed, and ended in her knifing Rudd at which time she was substantially younger than Rudd, Abbott and Turnbull were when they became PM.

Far from encountering any glass ceiling, the evidence points to JG having been fast tracked at various stages of her career. Her career was never delayed or hindered at any stage so your characterisation of her as being representative of prejudice against women in the workplace could not be more misplaced.

Many people might perceive her terrible, perhaps incompetent, performance as PM, limping from one disastrously poor decision to another for which only she could be blamed, and her plummet in approval ratings, which led to her subsequent inglorious exit from parliament, as hardly evidence of sufficient merit to receive the AC (Australia’s highest honour). If anything, it merely diminishes the standing of the award if it is awarded to anyone (of either gender) based on their anatomy.

 

[jb747]

Let's start with some rules...

No sportspeople
No celebs
No actors
No politicians
No CEOs
No generals (etc)

I'll think of more.

 

[JohnK]

No disrespect to the Australian of the Year but I thought I would at least receive a nomination?

 

[RooFlyer]

Let's start with some rules...

No sportspeople
No celebs
No actors
No politicians
No CEOs
No generals (etc)

I'll think of more.

How about No senior public servant who just did their job competently.

 

[Pushka]

Let's start with some rules...

No sportspeople
No celebs
No actors
No politicians
No CEOs
No generals (etc)

I'll think of more.

Can I add - No Victims? Of anything.