When it comes to journalists, Julian Tomlinson, a columnist with the Cairns Post is one of a rare kind; we have far too few of them in Australia. Julian is also known as the Regional Editor in Chief of (Innisfail Advocate, Atherton Tablelander, Tablelands Advertiser, Port Douglas & Mossman Gazette)
Julian is not afraid of saying as it is and not worried about being politically correct and calls a spade a spade; he is like a breath of fresh air. This used to be a well-known Australian trait, but today you have to be extremely careful what you say in order not fall into the racial vilification trap that our bleeding heart politicians have set. Yes, we have become too serious and as Julian said “laugh instead”.
I’m now side tracking a bit. Laughter is good for you, it decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease. Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body's natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain. So have a laugh and click on the above links!
Julian’s editorials are characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion. We certainly need more journalists like Julian in our country. Following is an excellent editorial by Julian in our Local Cairns Post, I thought to share it with those of you who don’t read or get the Cairns Post. – Werner
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Offended? Let’s laugh instead.
OF all the problems facing Australia – and particularly Far North Queensland – having the character and colour legislated and preached out of society is near the top of the list. We’re told repeatedly that we should accept everyone – except if that person shoots roos, catches fish, wears croc teeth in his hat, swears, tells politically incorrect jokes, harmlessly flirts with women, scoffs at overblown environmental concerns, flaunts masculinity, disciplines their kids and likes a beer.
We’re becoming a society where being hypersensitive and offended at minor things is encouraged, even by our legal system. A society where people are told failure is OK and you can do whatever you want because the government will take care of you.
A country where success is not encouraged, and where the best way to distinguish yourself from your peers is not by doing great deeds but by identifying as a minority victim. In the past, Aussies lauded their best sportspeople, businesspeople, military, explorers and high-achieving loveable larrikins.
Entertainers Dame Edna, Sir Les Patterson, Rodney Rude and Kevin “Bloody” Wilson were proudly claimed as Aussie legends and if you didn’t like them, you’d be called names, but now you can complain to a tribunal to stop that.
Sporting events were a time to let your hair down, maybe laugh at a streaker, get sunburnt, drink too much and yell offensive slogans at the Poms. Not anymore. We didn’t take things too seriously and the thought of a prime minister draining a yard-glass of beer was cause for adoration, not scorn.
Now the bounds of admirable behaviour are dictated by people best described as “blancmanges” – that colourless, snobby French dessert. Our past three Australians of the Year have merely pushed social causes.
Our sporting heroes are now so sanitised that if someone says something even slightly controversial, it dominates the headlines for days. People say: “You can’t just tell someone to not be offended”, but I think we can and we must. Generations of mothers have soothed traumatised children with “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”.Now we have social engineers changing that to “ ... but words can hurt me too”.
The true test of a person’s character is how they react to taunts or setbacks.The person who responds to a gibe with something like “that’s pretty rich coming from a Collingwood supporter”, earns admiration, while the person who lashes out, sulks or runs to the teacher is shunned and held up to even more ridicule.
At my old Aussie rules club, a Vietnamese teammate responded to light-hearted, race-based ribbing with light-hearted, race-based comebacks, topped off by turning up to Mad Monday dressed as a Vietcong soldier and carrying a “Red Card for Racism” issued to soccer crowds back then. Whenever someone made a racial comment, he’d blow a whistle, show the red card and the person had to skol a beer. Hilarious.While critics would say this bloke was a victim, I can honestly say there was not one person in the club who wouldn’t have run through a brick wall for him, such was the respect he earned via his character.
As a profusely sweating, mono-browed, slightly chubby kid of Lebanese descent, my boarding-school life didn’t improve until I owned the “wog” name and showed the other kids I wasn’t affected. After I chose to do that, I earned my classmates’ respect, and those blokes will forever be my close mates. To be clear, these two examples cannot be classed as unacceptable, deliberately intimidatory bullying – it was more poking fun and locker-room banter. There is a difference.
People – i.e. kids – need to learn and be actively taught, that having a thick skin is one of the most important tools for success in life. While we used to value resilience, a good sense of humour, courage, and toughness, we now preach softness, emotional fragility, and weakness. We shield people – especially kids – from adversity instead of exposing them to it and pass laws to enforce this. It can only end in tears, personally and for society as a whole.
***
My thought for today. – Werner
“A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.”~ Herm Albright
Julian is not afraid of saying as it is and not worried about being politically correct and calls a spade a spade; he is like a breath of fresh air. This used to be a well-known Australian trait, but today you have to be extremely careful what you say in order not fall into the racial vilification trap that our bleeding heart politicians have set. Yes, we have become too serious and as Julian said “laugh instead”.
I’m now side tracking a bit. Laughter is good for you, it decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease. Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body's natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain. So have a laugh and click on the above links!
Julian’s editorials are characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion. We certainly need more journalists like Julian in our country. Following is an excellent editorial by Julian in our Local Cairns Post, I thought to share it with those of you who don’t read or get the Cairns Post. – Werner
***
Offended? Let’s laugh instead.
OF all the problems facing Australia – and particularly Far North Queensland – having the character and colour legislated and preached out of society is near the top of the list. We’re told repeatedly that we should accept everyone – except if that person shoots roos, catches fish, wears croc teeth in his hat, swears, tells politically incorrect jokes, harmlessly flirts with women, scoffs at overblown environmental concerns, flaunts masculinity, disciplines their kids and likes a beer.
We’re becoming a society where being hypersensitive and offended at minor things is encouraged, even by our legal system. A society where people are told failure is OK and you can do whatever you want because the government will take care of you.
A country where success is not encouraged, and where the best way to distinguish yourself from your peers is not by doing great deeds but by identifying as a minority victim. In the past, Aussies lauded their best sportspeople, businesspeople, military, explorers and high-achieving loveable larrikins.
Entertainers Dame Edna, Sir Les Patterson, Rodney Rude and Kevin “Bloody” Wilson were proudly claimed as Aussie legends and if you didn’t like them, you’d be called names, but now you can complain to a tribunal to stop that.
Sporting events were a time to let your hair down, maybe laugh at a streaker, get sunburnt, drink too much and yell offensive slogans at the Poms. Not anymore. We didn’t take things too seriously and the thought of a prime minister draining a yard-glass of beer was cause for adoration, not scorn.
Now the bounds of admirable behaviour are dictated by people best described as “blancmanges” – that colourless, snobby French dessert. Our past three Australians of the Year have merely pushed social causes.
Our sporting heroes are now so sanitised that if someone says something even slightly controversial, it dominates the headlines for days. People say: “You can’t just tell someone to not be offended”, but I think we can and we must. Generations of mothers have soothed traumatised children with “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”.Now we have social engineers changing that to “ ... but words can hurt me too”.
The true test of a person’s character is how they react to taunts or setbacks.The person who responds to a gibe with something like “that’s pretty rich coming from a Collingwood supporter”, earns admiration, while the person who lashes out, sulks or runs to the teacher is shunned and held up to even more ridicule.
At my old Aussie rules club, a Vietnamese teammate responded to light-hearted, race-based ribbing with light-hearted, race-based comebacks, topped off by turning up to Mad Monday dressed as a Vietcong soldier and carrying a “Red Card for Racism” issued to soccer crowds back then. Whenever someone made a racial comment, he’d blow a whistle, show the red card and the person had to skol a beer. Hilarious.While critics would say this bloke was a victim, I can honestly say there was not one person in the club who wouldn’t have run through a brick wall for him, such was the respect he earned via his character.
As a profusely sweating, mono-browed, slightly chubby kid of Lebanese descent, my boarding-school life didn’t improve until I owned the “wog” name and showed the other kids I wasn’t affected. After I chose to do that, I earned my classmates’ respect, and those blokes will forever be my close mates. To be clear, these two examples cannot be classed as unacceptable, deliberately intimidatory bullying – it was more poking fun and locker-room banter. There is a difference.
People – i.e. kids – need to learn and be actively taught, that having a thick skin is one of the most important tools for success in life. While we used to value resilience, a good sense of humour, courage, and toughness, we now preach softness, emotional fragility, and weakness. We shield people – especially kids – from adversity instead of exposing them to it and pass laws to enforce this. It can only end in tears, personally and for society as a whole.
***
My thought for today. – Werner
“A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.”~ Herm Albright
7 comments:
Wow Werner, finally a journo , who is UNALIGNED TO THE P.C LEFT ! Good on him! Great piece of writing & takes me back to when things were NOT so bloody P.C. & everyone "got over it "/ "sucked it up"& got on with their life in SPITE of it ! A refreshing read and well done Julian Tomlinson. Jenny Bell SA.
Werner, I totally agree with all in your introduction of Julian Tomlinson. He is a true blue Aussie and says how it is. I always look forward to his editorials and wish we had more of them and hopefully the Cairns Post gets rid of the Karen Brooks drivel and gives that space to Julian.
What a wonderful down to earth editorial, Julian and exactly how it is today. One can only yearn how it once was in our wonderful country. I didn’t get the Cairns Post when your editorial was in and I’m glad that Werner put it on his blog. You should be nominated for the “Honest Reporting” award, if there would be such an award. I will circulate your excellent editorial widely.
Julian is indeed a breath of fresh air as you say, Werner. I really look forward to his articles when there are so many other journalist who dance to the beat of the politically correct drum!!! If only those PC mob realised how much more they would be taken seriously if they wrote politically unbiased and straight from the heart articles.
I actually wrote a letter of support to the Cairns Post following his article but it mustn't have cut the mustard with whoever received it in the cutting room. Here is what I wrote on 6th October and I feel it is not going to go in the letters page now:
"Julian Tomlinson is right on point again.
What has happened to our good old Aussie humour?
One can choose to be or not to be offended.
What tradie would be game to wolf whistle a female as she walks past these days?
Females of a few decades ago may have blushed but thought of it as a complement and kept walking maybe giving a curt smile or if said tradie was known, given a bit of cheek back.
These days everyone seems hell-bent on being offended about something.
Come on Aussies, stop being princesses and start to enjoy life."
You're right, Werner, Julian is one of the few remaining professional journalists whose writing is common sense, witty and makes compelling reading. I don't recall disagreeing with him! Most new journos are from universities where they are indoctrinated with green socialist dogma. I put Julian's articles on my website - www.better-management.com - amongst some of the finest writers from a range of sources. Writing as an ex-General Manager of a major broadsheet, the level of writing by most modern journalists for main stream media dismays me. Far better nowadays to read alternative media if you want balance, facts and quality - even The Australian's quality has deteriorated lately...
Wow! This was really music to the soul to read such an excellent editorial, Julian; we give you a well-deserved pat on your back. We live in Dubbo western NSW and don’t get the Cairns Post, so we thank you, Werner, for making this editorial available for us. Werner’s introduction described Julian very well, and we agree that he is like a breath of fresh air, and not bother to be PC. And, we certainly got a good laugh from the two laughing links, Werner. Reading this posting and some others really made our Sunday, thank you.
Good on you, Julian, for stating it as it is. I enjoyed reading your editorial “Offended? Let’s laugh instead”. We totally agree with all the previous comments. Thank you, Werner, for posting this and providing us with two links for a good laugh. Your blog makes interesting reading, keep up your excellent work.
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