“Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice,” said the late Apple magus Steve Jobs, adding: “Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.”
Wise words as the shrillness on both sides of the same-sex marriage debate builds to a high-pitched, chattering whine and the plebiscite looms like a bird of doom. Whose inner voices resonated this week? Read on. Let’s get engaged.
The latest gay marriage light and heat centred on Rebecca Urban’s story on a Victorian couple, both pastors, copping a social media pasting and being threatened with violence after LGBTI activists falsely claimed they were behind an ad in the local newspaper critical of homosexuality. Comment of the week goes to David, who earned 121 likes for his summation of the pervading fear among many readers that same-sex marriage itself is not the issue, but a perceived unleashing of radical social changes that will follow.
“Thankfully gay couples already have the same rights as hetero couples. This was after 58 pieces of legislation were passed in 2008, all referring to a 2007 Human Rights Commission report.
“They have Next of Kin rights for their spouse in medical emergencies. It does not matter if couples are de facto, civil union or married. It does not matter if couples are gay or hetero. Everyone has access to Advanced Health Directives, EPA, wills etc. They already have civil union/partnership.
“Changing the definition of marriage will (affect) millions of Australian couples for the supposed benefit of 1pc of couples (Census 2016). It will be a permanent change ... It will lead to more Safe Schools-styled indoctrination of children. It will lead to an increase in access to ART for gay couples. Do we really want to see commercial surrogacy here? Will it become publicly funded in the name of ‘equality’?”
Paul collected 136 likes for pointing out the disconnect between Qantas supremo Alan Joyce’s vigorous support of same-sex marriage and his strange choice of business bedfellows: “Qantas and Emirates have applied to extend their partnership for five more years. I don’t know if it is relevant but it seems to me that the public stance of Alan Joyce here in Australia is somewhat hypocritical when you consider that in the Emirates you can still go to prison for homosexual acts. Perhaps money trumps beliefs?”
Tony (122 likes) was out on the frontiers, keeping abreast of things in more progressive lands: “For those who don’t think that extending the idea of marriage is going to lead into other weird places, I just came across this: ‘Getting married is an invention: one woman’s choice to self-marry. Jennifer Hoes married herself at a ceremony in Haarlem in The Netherlands in 2003. From Jennifer’s perspective years later, the act transforms into a powerful expression of individuality, and an invitation for others to set their own path.’ You couldn’t make this up!”
Caroline suggests: “The homosexual marriage activists have shown their true colours. And it’s not rainbow, just black.”
Thomas doubts it has done the ‘yes’ cause any good: “The tolerant left at it again. A few thousand more ‘no’ votes from this I would think.”
Including one from Anne: “They’ve bullied me into voting ‘no’.”
Iain explains: “It’s not hatespeech if you are violently threatened by someone of the left. It’s not bullying if you are put in fear of your life by someone from the left. It’s not a fact if someone from the left disagrees. You have no right to any opinion unless it’s sanctioned by someone from the left. If something is perfectly legal, and the left don’t like it, consider it illegal. That just about covers the SSM ‘debate’.”
Tony wonders why the toys have been thrown out of the pram: “The SSM crowd would have us believe that this is all about love! But it isn’t. It is all about them getting their own way or else. Unless we vote ‘no’ and draw a line in the sand there will be no end to the bullying ... we are dealing with toddlers in adult bodies.”
Clifford concurs: “Intellectually, they just aren’t ready for the responsibility of the actions they propose. Marriage is a serious business, but the high strung, over the top aggro we are being shown by this group doesn’t bode well for them, nor for their demands to change the world to suit them. I am over their tantrums and vocal abusive demands. It’s a ‘no’ from me.”
William wonders: “Is it just my imagination, or are the ‘yes’ campaigners waxing more acrimonious, more vitriolic? I thought it was supposed to be the other way round.”
Berb Marshall says: “The ‘no’ camp using the old Pauline Hanson line of ‘I don’t like it’ to stop SSM equality isn’t recognised under anti-discrimination laws as an valid argument because it is now already totally socially acceptable behaviour outside of marriage and there are no valid logical arguments to prohibit it under marriage covenants, as it’s now no longer an unlawful illegal jail-able offence like it used to be back in the dark ages of intolerance.”
Ripostes Rod: “If these are enlightened times, then give me the dark ages.”
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Cory Bernardi found an enthralled audience when he ventured into the Liberal heartland of the Roseville branch on Sydney’s north shore, as the self-styled leader of the new Australian Conservatives spruiked his “safe space for conservatives”. He also elicited this epistle from Paul:
“Wait till the Chinese voter bloc hears that AC wants to get rid of Safe Schools, whilst the Libs just appear to tacitly support it (that is, education ministers at NSW state and federal level say it should not be taught, but fail to discipline teachers when they blatantly continue to teach it anyway).
“There is red hot anger in the Chinese voting community against this depraved program, and AC has a great chance to scoop up a heck of a lot of support from conservative thinking ethnic communities.”
B agrees: “My wife is Chinese and let me tell you are 100 per cent correct. They strongly oppose Safe Schools, Sorry Day and other lefty ideas.”
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President Donald Trump has moved from “fire and fury” to “all options are on the table” after Kim Jong-un lobbed a ballistic missile over Japan this week. Timothy (147 likes) was unimpressed:
“Existential threats from North Korea? How boring. There are far more serious things for our politicians to occupy themselves with. Same sex marriage, moving Australia Day and renaming it, removing offensive statues from public places, neutralising gender in our schools, inequality in all its manifestations, opening our borders and restarting the boats, victimhood, abolishing the Australian Building and Construction Commission and removing all controls over rogue union behaviour, redistributing the hard-won wealth of the enterprising and productive to the unproductive ... the list goes on and on.
“Worrying about defending our territory and hard won freedoms from aggressors who would kill or enslave us is so yesterday. Such an old white male preoccupation.”
John was on the same page: “Surely we face far more pressing issues such as SSM, gender neutral toilets et al! Why so much fuss for this sideshow?”
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Bill Shorten showed almost Olympian gymnastic flexibility with his nimble backflip a day after declaring a second plaque should be attached to a historic statue of James Cook in Sydney’s Hyde Park.
“A double back flip with pike with Plibersek also being on board. Egg on face will stick. Good,” writes Therese.
Jamie was put in mind of “those wacky, inflatable, flailing arm, tube men” while Grahame thinks Shorten is so vane: “Bill has just had his bearings greased to better turn with the wind.”
Geoff, meantime, wants more statues, not fewer: “Perhaps the answer is to erect a statue of ‘the unknown victim’ where progressives may go to worship and commiserate over their misfortune at living in the Anglosphere, in a society with men and heteronormatively-minded children in it.”
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Peter Lalor put the boot into Australia’s ‘dust bunnies’ as our cricketing crisis lurched to new lows amid a butt-kicking by lowly Bangladesh as the Ashes loom. Michael of Sevilla had a practical suggestion:
“Why don’t we prepare ‘dusty’ pitches in Australia and play on them before we go?”
Gary thought this was so crazy it just might work: “Very good point @Michael! Why not indeed. Dust can be found in Australia in summer and one venue could be curated just for this.”
Peter reckoned the players were suffering a case of Tomic-itis: “Same problem in almost all sports, and indeed other arenas. Australia is a victim of its own success and its young simply lack ticker on account of being handed everything on a platter.”
James wanted to sleep on it: “The problem is that beds made from so much cash are rather lumpy and not good for restful sleep. Our poor cricketers are just tired and worn out. They deserve our sympathy and another pay rise.”
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Finally, it seems at least some of you are enjoying the Readers’ Comments column. “Thank you for choosing my comment as one of this week’s comments of the week. It really does give you a buzz to be recognised,” writes Richard, while Margaret enthuses: “Thank you for giving us something to look forward to and smile about each week ... Your column deserves to be widely read. It should be displayed more prominently on the website.”
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Easy to point the finger
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