TEACHING CHILDREN TO HATE

Apologies that I missed doing this blog last week. But a picture in today’s Herald Sun made sure I was motivated to write my Answers for Audacity for this week.

The annual May Day march in Melbourne, organised by unions, included children wearing t-shirts that read “F--- Tony Abbott” or “Abbott Hater”.

In what moral universe is that OK?

There are many heated political and cultural issues. I fully appreciate, of course, that people get angry. But don’t we all want to live in a decent, respectful society? Don’t we want our children to grow up in a society where people can state a case and make a point intelligently, without obscenity and hatred? Have we discarded the old mantra that you “play the ball” not “play the man”?

The problem, of course, is that we are a media driven society now. And the media aren’t interested in nice, peaceful arguments. They would rather report obscenity than decency. If you want your protest to get air time, you have to do something shocking.

And as for the organisers of the march this past weekend – shame, shame, shame! John Roskam, from the Institute of Public Affairs, was reported as saying: “The idea that children are being used to push offensive views reveals the depths of (sic) which the Left in Australia will dive.”

How sad that we have come to this.