One of the favourite media tropes is that people are callous bastards. That is except when it comes to state sanctioned episodes of mourning, as we are witnessing in Sydney right now or with the recent death of Phillip Hughes, when displays of mass collective grief are encouraged because they suit the agenda of those with money or power. But we are all familiar with the regular media stories about people walking past those who have been bashed or elderly people ignored by their neighbours and who suffer lonely deaths. Such tales fit perfectly with the capitalist agenda that its a dog eat dog world and we cant hope for anything better. This afternoon I encountered just the opposite. I tripped and fell flat on my face on the pavement in the middle of Melbourne. Within seconds j was surrounded by 8 or 9 concerned passers-by offering help, all ages from school students to middle aged, men and women. They picked up my stuff and helped me back to my feet. An elderly friend of mine said she has the same experience every time she falls in the street, with perfect strangers offering her help, including lifts in their car back to her home. Ive never doubted that human beings (albeit not the rich) basically look out for each other when theyre not being urged to hate or fear each other by the media, the bosses and politicians. Episodes like todays just reinforce my belief that if we kick out those who profit from our divisions, life for everyone else will get a whole lot better. They need us, we dont need them.
Posted on: Wed, 17 Dec 2014 09:32:39 +0000
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