I have been hesitant to add my own comments to the online tsunami of opinions in regards to the recent siege by an individual with serious mental health issues, but have decided to throw my own opinion into the ring. First of all I want to be clear that I believe violence against any individual is abhorrent and inexcusable (though even as a pacifist I believe in direct action by the people against fascist states as well as the right to defend oneself in the event of a violent attack). I dont feel the need to touch on the evident issues with the gunman still walking the streets even after multiple violent attacks against women; how his actions do not represent those of a whole religious community already constantly under scrutiny and attack; how his actions do not represent anything at all to do with asylum seekers; and the whole #illridewithyou thing; there are plenty of excellent articles and critical analysis of all these things. However, I will talk about the outpouring of sympathy from people heading to Martin Place to lay flowers and wreaths which leaves the cynic in me wondering how much of this is a form of masked rubber necking. I have no doubt all those victims involved in the siege experienced a true sense of terror unlike anything most of us in this country will ever experience, however, this was not a form of terrorism. True terror, where a nation experiences a collective sense of instability that overwhelms, and absolute abject fear is what Pakistan just experienced with the massacre of over 130 high school students. *THAT* is terror. That is a terrorist act. That is a collective experience of trauma. That is a form of violence that is so abhorrent, to say it leaves me dismayed and distraught at the state of humanity is an understatement. Maybe what has actually freaked Australians out about this siege and elicited this incredibly strange reaction, is that for so long we believed we could act outside the norms of decency towards humans not white (our engagement in international conflicts, our treatment of asylum seekers, our genocidal history, our despicable behaviour in East Timor to name just a few) without repercussions. Again, though the Martin Place siege wasnt an act of terrorism, maybe what it represents to all those who have sat in their privilege for so long atop their mountain of entitlement is that we are as susceptible to the repercussions of our abhorrent actions, just as much as any other nation that acts in such truly disgusting ways. If we are really about mourning the loss of innocent lives, and this is actually about a love for humanity, after youve laid your wreath and flowers at Lindt in Martin Place, why not head over and do the same at the Pakistani Consulate - its right there too, heres the address: 7/32 Martin Place.
Posted on: Wed, 17 Dec 2014 22:20:07 +0000
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