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a list of things the
NO camp doesn’t need to worry about in order to win
or
why it’s harder for us
a little essay
on false equivalence
preambling
being rather
viciously abused for my YESshirt by Nostirs walking through Redfern Station
yesterday
place where in
the very distant passed, in my ancient already-then Beetle, I missed the
opportunity to run down The Skull on a pedestrian crossing
and just round
the corner from Caroline St (just off Esperanto Lawson), which is still there,
where my brother first attempted squalor, and the koori kids would come down
the street and piss through the letterflap in the front door for a lark, which
seems funny now, but didn’t at the time
and where,
once, visiting, two cops leapt out, grabbed me, pushed me up against the side
of their car, searched my bag and, satisfied, leapt back into the car, not a
word said till I asked ‘what was that about?’ and they said, out the window,
speeding off, ‘you didn’t have a gun’ … they were quit right too
but back to
yesterday and the abuse
of course I
just kept walking
and it struck
me
first
that these
thugs had probably come to Redfern specially, thinking this would be a good
place to snarl at blackfellas and shout racist abuse
but secondly
that
if you weren’t
already voting YES then this scene probably would not inspire you to think that
those NO people are thugs and we YES people are angels … it would probably just
make you think ‘I don’t want to know about this’
and then it
occurred to me that there is Dutton’s underslogan – it’s not really
if you don’t know, vote no
it’s
if you don’t WANT to know, vote NO
and that, my friends, is a lot harder to fight
and that is why they are winning
a lot of people don’t want to know
and they don’t like being preached at
takes me back to Russell Ward’s idea in The Australian Legend, if I remember correctly, that the difference
between the American and the Australian idea of freedom is the difference
between freedom to and freedom from … e.g. freedom to have gun versus
freedom to not be threatened by someone with a gun …
so the problem with any referendum is Australia is that it involves a
government wanting us to consider something … and people don’t like being made
to think… it carries some unpleasant implications for them
disturb a dog at its dinner and
you’ll always get a snarl
you see how our job is so much harder in this ‘debate’
the no side don’t need
crowds
unity
friends
optimism
truth
logic
goodwill
spark
talent
creativity
imagination
decency
respect
empathy
sense of proportion
civility
democratic instincts
understanding of history
capacity to stand in someone else’s shoes
to be able to acknowledge past present wrongs
commitment to a better and fairer world
regret
remorse
permission
anyone’s consent
to be able to spell or make grammatical sentences
courtesy
good humour
fellow feeling
a sense that fellow creatures (not their family) may require love and
care
interest
we’re the ones
who need these things
and the big
positive for us is that the exercise of these things makes us better, stronger,
more united, determined … whether we win or not
but back to
the racist thugs at Redfern
and they spouting
their racist filth as they went along
these lowlifes
kept saying the word CUNT, it was and is their favourite word I guess… and this
inspired me to draft the following poem
I love cunt
it’s where I’m
from
(call it a
rite of passage)
spent a lot of
my life trying to get in
and still,
after all these years
the idea
remains appealing
cunt is very
attractive
to many, with
and without
if you’re
thinking to shock or impress me
please don’t
say anything bad about cunt
don’t compare
anyone or anything with cunt
unless in a
favorable light
cunts are
wondrous goodly
compared with
those who’ve been called after them
cunts are
lovable laudable lovely
wild thyme and
the sea in this conch
so every
voyage begins!
secret
treasure!
in taste and
texture – many, various
elegant, if
not baroque
secret, self
enfolding
noble for all
they have through ages done
toil through
the forest too
sometimes take
the needy in
perfect as any
flower ever
objectify as
much as you please
every cunt
lest we forget
has its person
with every
other person part
and
personality
volition!
what’s not to
love?
and where’s a
better place for it?
(feel free
with your suggestions)
anyway it’s
fully the half of us have
however shy,
proud
wet or dry,
languid, longing to fulfill
yours, mine
and much as merge here –
such solemn precious
pleasure scene
here is a
palace for feeling
miracle place!
wonderful cunt
all should
celebrate
a very phallus
Eden
nor is a cock
required
shall we not
sing cunt anthems then?
let us salute
all cunts
and have a
cunt day
international
year of the cunt
and why stop
there
where would we
be without?
give thanks
and praise for cunt
and where is
it then – please remind me –
where is it
you come from?
