Looking at the global state of affairs, facing the truth about what's really going on on this planet, can be quite depressing. After I chalked an Orwell quote in front of the State Library, 'In times of universal deceit, speaking the truth becomes a revolutionary act', I got into a chat with someone trying to sponsor an NGO, taking care of children in Africa or so.
Before she could give me her spiel, I used the opportunity to give her mine. I updated her about the latest sit-in in the US consulate, Bradley Manning and Wikileaks and the enemy of the state role, war crimes and drone wars. Basically, lots of stuff the main stream media doesn't bother to tell, still information available to anyone who knows what to look for.
Although I tried my very best to convince her that humans are basically harmless, and hinted a lot that government is the real problem, I received probably a typical reaction to handing out a red pill in what I considered a mild verbal dosis. "I feel a little depressed now." came back, after I mentioned that Obama signs the kill orders for the drone war. Oops.
Silly me. I guess I thought the nice girl was maybe interested in me, as a person, and not just as a potential name on the email list for the charity she was working for. When I noticed that her approach to make this world a better place differed a bit from mine, I stepped back to listen to the NGO story she tried to sell.
Who can resist an appeal to one's purse when images of hungry black toddlers are shown? Well, I could easily. When I came across a map of the world in the material she presented to me, I was mildly amused that Australia wasn't even on the map. 'You know, it shows all the countries we're involved in helping children', as if nothing is wrong in this country.
Would somebody, please, think about the children? In retrospect, it seems like a clash of civilisation happened. I happily assume that someone working for an NGO has this weird idea of making the world a better place, which motivates me to expose myself as 'enemy of the state US' by protesting in front of their embassy, to show the hypocrisy of Australian politics that send in the police to end this kind of protest, to chalk messages in public places. Basically, making a dick of myself in public, for no other returns than the experiences I gain.
So there we are, two human beings in front of the library, united in our good intentions, yet worlds apart. Me, appealing to the community I live in, pointing out what's happening in front of our doorstep, for the sake of it, she, wanting to help poor kids in some distant countries, and getting paid for it.
Yet in a way, we used a similar strategy - using information to appeal to our hearts to do something, pointing out some 'bad stuff' on this planet. While I'm happy with planting seeds, without offering any specific solution besides probably daring a bit more a walk your talk, her solution comes easier.
I admit, unless people that walk their talk become more numerous, quietening one's conscience with a donation to starving kids in Africa has more appeal. It takes at least the Hegelian triangle to prevent people from feeling overly depressed when confronted with some unpleasant truth. Or a good dosis of humour.
Showing posts with label stanford prison experiment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stanford prison experiment. Show all posts
Saturday, October 06, 2012
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
City ambassadors or pseudo police?
It took nearly an entire year to reconstruct Swanston Street, one of the most frequented bits of Melbourne's CBD. Most of the time, hardly anyone could be seen actually working on the reconstruction, and most passers-by were busy enough to squeeze through the narrow bits of pavement left for the pedestrian part of the population.
Unlike many European City centres, traffic is still allowed to pass through, not only Melbourne's iconic (privatised, over-aged and not build for capacity) trams, but cars can still make their way through as well. The planners came up with a solution for cyclists that only convinced car fans can conceive, having a bike path between the waiting area for tram passengers and the tram lines.
In good old Australian fascist fashion, markings on the pavement tell the pedestrian what they should do. The bike path is marked with dozens of 'KEEP CLEAR' stencils, large signs for cyclists order them to stop and let tram passengers pass at the four stations along the reconstructed area. As it takes a while to re-educate the population to a new set of rules, I take a lot of care while using the bike path on my unicycle, as it's often taken as convenient short cut to cross the road, or as waiting area despite the 'Keep clear' markings.
The latest station to be finished is in front of the RMIT, and many students have sufficient attention deficits to bumble into the bike path, which really doesn't bother me much, as I'm not too fast on the unicycle.
The architectural preference of Europe in the 80s dominated the station design: cool metal and glass, and strange blue lights potentially as tribute to the 21st century. I haven't waited in rainy conditions for a tram there, but I guess the idea of sheltering waiting passenger is meant rather symbolic than practical, like at many tram stops in Melbourne.
The benches, made of thin steel bars, are not only cold and uncomfortable, they are outright dangerous as I had to find out today. I got distracted on my way to one of them, and hit my knee against the side of a bench. Although I was moving in a rather slow pace, the sharp profile of the thin bars poking out at the side of it left a gashing wound. I guess many people will be injured by this stupid design, which ironically happened while I observed some activity most likely intended to increase the safety at the newly build stations.
Melbourne has some volunteers acting as city ambassadors, wearing bright red shirts and caps, available usually to answer questions. They usually roam Swanston Street in pairs, the pair I asked about the spy cams at the intersection I met them didn't even know about their existence in first place. Unlike described on the city councils website, the cameras that look eerily similar to those that became more familiar after the reporting about Trapwire, there's no signage indicating their presence. As the MCC promotes the pervasive CCTV surveillance to increase the feeling of safety, I wonder how this can be achieved when hardly anyone notice them.
Today, however, two ambassadors approached cyclists and pedestrian who didn't follow the proper rules of making use of the redesigned tram stop in front of RMIT. When I saw them ganging up on a cyclist for rolling a bit along the tram, I tripped into the bench as I couldn't really believe what I saw.
I didn't even notice the bleeding until after I sat down - hitting your knees always hurts a lot, but this was the first time I ran into something that sliced the skin so easily. After telling the cyclist off, the ambassadors continued to have a watchful eye on everyone passing through their area of righteousness. The older one of them even walked after a guy in suit for 10 metres or so to inform him that he went on the 'wrong' part of the tram stop.
Give a man a uniform, and he turns into a fascist, drunk by power and self-importance. I wonder whether they acted out of their own idea to preserve law and order at the tram stop, or if the ambassadors are now trained to interfere with the dangerous elements of society that lack obedience to the writing on the pavement, and in an incredible act of defiance, walk on the bike path.
The most liveable city on this planet, now with power-tripping ambassadors, 'free' bikes that only cost a couple of dollars (not refundable), soon without single tickets for public transport, instead with a Myki that can be conveniently ordered and sent to your home for only $10 (non refundable). If you dare not to understand the PT ticketing system, gangs of ticket inspectors might detain you for a while, and after some weeks of using stations like Flinders Street or Melbourne central you will find your way around, and no longer complain about the lack of signs towards the platforms or the exit.
The zombie apocalypse has already begun, people leave their common sense at home because in public it's neither required nor appreciated. If you break the rules, someone in uniform will fine you so that sufficient memory traces for obedient behaviour are burned into your neurons. As neither Orwell nor Huxley got it 100% right, the mixture of 1984 and Brave New World is now normal Australian behaviour - distracted by sex and drugs, permanently surveilled and bossed around by people in uniform just following orders. Hooray!
Unlike many European City centres, traffic is still allowed to pass through, not only Melbourne's iconic (privatised, over-aged and not build for capacity) trams, but cars can still make their way through as well. The planners came up with a solution for cyclists that only convinced car fans can conceive, having a bike path between the waiting area for tram passengers and the tram lines.
In good old Australian fascist fashion, markings on the pavement tell the pedestrian what they should do. The bike path is marked with dozens of 'KEEP CLEAR' stencils, large signs for cyclists order them to stop and let tram passengers pass at the four stations along the reconstructed area. As it takes a while to re-educate the population to a new set of rules, I take a lot of care while using the bike path on my unicycle, as it's often taken as convenient short cut to cross the road, or as waiting area despite the 'Keep clear' markings.
The latest station to be finished is in front of the RMIT, and many students have sufficient attention deficits to bumble into the bike path, which really doesn't bother me much, as I'm not too fast on the unicycle.
The architectural preference of Europe in the 80s dominated the station design: cool metal and glass, and strange blue lights potentially as tribute to the 21st century. I haven't waited in rainy conditions for a tram there, but I guess the idea of sheltering waiting passenger is meant rather symbolic than practical, like at many tram stops in Melbourne.
The benches, made of thin steel bars, are not only cold and uncomfortable, they are outright dangerous as I had to find out today. I got distracted on my way to one of them, and hit my knee against the side of a bench. Although I was moving in a rather slow pace, the sharp profile of the thin bars poking out at the side of it left a gashing wound. I guess many people will be injured by this stupid design, which ironically happened while I observed some activity most likely intended to increase the safety at the newly build stations.
Melbourne has some volunteers acting as city ambassadors, wearing bright red shirts and caps, available usually to answer questions. They usually roam Swanston Street in pairs, the pair I asked about the spy cams at the intersection I met them didn't even know about their existence in first place. Unlike described on the city councils website, the cameras that look eerily similar to those that became more familiar after the reporting about Trapwire, there's no signage indicating their presence. As the MCC promotes the pervasive CCTV surveillance to increase the feeling of safety, I wonder how this can be achieved when hardly anyone notice them.
Today, however, two ambassadors approached cyclists and pedestrian who didn't follow the proper rules of making use of the redesigned tram stop in front of RMIT. When I saw them ganging up on a cyclist for rolling a bit along the tram, I tripped into the bench as I couldn't really believe what I saw.
I didn't even notice the bleeding until after I sat down - hitting your knees always hurts a lot, but this was the first time I ran into something that sliced the skin so easily. After telling the cyclist off, the ambassadors continued to have a watchful eye on everyone passing through their area of righteousness. The older one of them even walked after a guy in suit for 10 metres or so to inform him that he went on the 'wrong' part of the tram stop.
Give a man a uniform, and he turns into a fascist, drunk by power and self-importance. I wonder whether they acted out of their own idea to preserve law and order at the tram stop, or if the ambassadors are now trained to interfere with the dangerous elements of society that lack obedience to the writing on the pavement, and in an incredible act of defiance, walk on the bike path.
The most liveable city on this planet, now with power-tripping ambassadors, 'free' bikes that only cost a couple of dollars (not refundable), soon without single tickets for public transport, instead with a Myki that can be conveniently ordered and sent to your home for only $10 (non refundable). If you dare not to understand the PT ticketing system, gangs of ticket inspectors might detain you for a while, and after some weeks of using stations like Flinders Street or Melbourne central you will find your way around, and no longer complain about the lack of signs towards the platforms or the exit.
The zombie apocalypse has already begun, people leave their common sense at home because in public it's neither required nor appreciated. If you break the rules, someone in uniform will fine you so that sufficient memory traces for obedient behaviour are burned into your neurons. As neither Orwell nor Huxley got it 100% right, the mixture of 1984 and Brave New World is now normal Australian behaviour - distracted by sex and drugs, permanently surveilled and bossed around by people in uniform just following orders. Hooray!
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Deceit instead of defeat?
Going to court last tuesday didn't turn out to be fun. The combination of little sleep, public transport and Melbourne winter weather turned into a cold which still lingers around a bit. It eased a little bit when Sergeant Mark Stephens rang me up to tell me about his decision, whether to prosecute me for unicycling without a bike helmet or not.
While I stayed much calmer on the phone than at court, Sgt. Stephens sounded a bit apprehensive. He stated, however, that the both charges against me were dropped. My vague information about the second charge was enough to find it, so after patiently listening and making sure that I got him right, I asked for a written confirmation about the charges being dropped.
His reaction seemed a bit odd to me at the time, as if I should simply rely on his word. He even asked for my address. I'm quite sure there will be a file with my name available to him, but I went along anyway. The easiest way to prosecute someone is certainly to prevent the defendant from showing up.
So i asked Sgt Stephens for a written confirmation before the date of the second charge (July 30th), and was surprised to find a letter from the Magistrate Court today, as he suggested it might take time for this written admission of error.
What I got though was an 'Advice of hearing', stating my first charge was adjourned for a 'mention' on the 24th. So far, it looks like the second broken promise by people in Vic Police uniform. If it wasn't a silly game, I would turn the attack around and start suing Vic Police for harassment. However, mentioning harassment in person to one of perpetrators seems more satisfying than deploying a phony legal system against itself.
Another opportunity to stay calm while speaking truth to power, hidden behind a uniform swearing allegiance to the genocidal British crown. At least I now know what to expect, and might have some fun with the interaction after all.
While I stayed much calmer on the phone than at court, Sgt. Stephens sounded a bit apprehensive. He stated, however, that the both charges against me were dropped. My vague information about the second charge was enough to find it, so after patiently listening and making sure that I got him right, I asked for a written confirmation about the charges being dropped.
His reaction seemed a bit odd to me at the time, as if I should simply rely on his word. He even asked for my address. I'm quite sure there will be a file with my name available to him, but I went along anyway. The easiest way to prosecute someone is certainly to prevent the defendant from showing up.
So i asked Sgt Stephens for a written confirmation before the date of the second charge (July 30th), and was surprised to find a letter from the Magistrate Court today, as he suggested it might take time for this written admission of error.
What I got though was an 'Advice of hearing', stating my first charge was adjourned for a 'mention' on the 24th. So far, it looks like the second broken promise by people in Vic Police uniform. If it wasn't a silly game, I would turn the attack around and start suing Vic Police for harassment. However, mentioning harassment in person to one of perpetrators seems more satisfying than deploying a phony legal system against itself.
Another opportunity to stay calm while speaking truth to power, hidden behind a uniform swearing allegiance to the genocidal British crown. At least I now know what to expect, and might have some fun with the interaction after all.
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