Complaint culture is all we have in common these days | Peter Goers

There’s a lot to hate about the world right now and America’s insurrectionist soon-to-be two-time president is just the start of my list, writes Peter Goers.

I’m often accused of being an old man shouting at a cloud.

That’s certainly true today. There’s a lot to shout about.

There’s also a lot to be grateful for and to bless and to acknowledge – but not today.

Today I’m really sick of lots of people and things. Pissed off. And helpless.

Here goes.

I hate Trump. He was once a bad joke, a Flash Harry with notorious hair and a shocking attitude toward women, a reality TV star who built gold casinos which lost money.

Then he became president and killed a decadent democracy and now he’s going to do it again. I wish we never had to think of him or say his name ever again.

Tragically, his country deserves him and he will be rewarded for encouraging a violent insurrection against democracy.

I’m over billionaires building bunkers against an apocalypse they are causing. I despise what Hamas did but I despair for the Palestinian people endlessly oppressed by the Israelis.

Former US President and 2024 presidential hopeful Donald Trump attends a Super Tuesday election night watch party at Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach. Picture: Chandan Khanna/AFP

All lives matter except, it seems, for Palestinian lives.

I’m over climate change deniers, hyper-conservative Christians and developers. All of them seem to get their own way.

Why do developers always win?

Anyone who opposes them is immediately NIMBY and anti-progress.

I’m so tired of the endless incursions into our parklands which can be fenced off at the whim of any sports club and other sports clubs demand – and get – monolithic developments so that they create private bars and restaurants.

I struggle to cope with the traffic in Adelaide. South Road, particularly, is impossible.

The comedian Kel Balnaves once said it was impossible to drive along South Road without swearing. Never a truer word was spoken.

When will the Torrens to Darlington link start? It is desperately needed. Now.

The AFL is killing Australian rules football. It’s no longer even called Australian Rules.

The AFL has hijacked both the game and its name.

It has turned our great and glorious national sport into something completely corporate and soulless.

I’m over Kangaroo Island. It’s over-rated and weird.

There is nothing on Kangaroo Island which is not on Yorke Peninsula (except for dead koalas) and it’s much easier and cheaper to get to Yorke Peninsula.

I’m over most councils and their stupid decisions.

Councils seem to be full of people making decisions who are mad, bad and dangerous to know.

The Garden of Unearthly Delights is not the Fringe. Picture: Supplied

I’m over people saying they go to the Fringe who just go to The Garden of Melbourne Entrepreneurs to eat, drink and go on show rides without seeing a single show.

The super duper vroom vroom street car race costs taxpayers a fortune and people largely go for the concerts not the car race.

Is vaping really that bad? It stopped a lot of people smoking tobacco. If governments could’ve worked out how to tax it, it would never been have been prohibited.

I’m so over school drop-off and pick-up. It’s killing people. And I’m so over 4WDs. I’m over the use of words such as “like”, “silos” (except for grain) and “reimagined”.

Putin is evil and hugely supported by his own people.

Modern dance is so old-fashioned.

Disagree with any conservative agenda and you are an elitist. I’m also sick of Facebook, political correctness and cancel culture.

Respect for gender diversity is crucial but they/them pronouns are clumsy. We need new pronouns.

One tires of the endless culture of complaint and complaint seems to be the only thing uniting us.

And I’m adding to it.

You may have your own disturbing list and also complain about me complaining as we proceed to a hell of our own making.

[e-mail]