Life Lesson No.256 – Don’t be afraid to voice your opinion

Wine of the Week:

Hentley Farm ‘The Beauty 2010’ Shiraz

We don’t have too many “big guns’ in the cellar but this is one of them and it was opened with great gusto over the weekend. It was almost a religious experience as the cork came out slowly but sweetly with that unforgettable ‘pop’. It was smooth from the first taste with the fruit coming out as it rolls around your mouth. Shiraz from the Barossa is not like the big pepper tasting ones of the Hunter Valley but the fruit comes through a lot stronger.

It is an exceptional wine from a great boutique winery in the Barossa and one that is definitely worth hunting down and grabbing a bottle or two. It isn’t the cheapest at about $50 plus a bottle but it is worth the investment as it will only get better with age...if you can wait that long. Hentley Farm Wines

So for those that may not be aware, I turned 40 years old on September 28^th and contrary to the cliche' reactions to a milestone event such as this, it hasn’t led to any bouts of navel gazing nor have I had any lightning strikes hit me with the meaning of life or a book of wisdom.

What I have noticed, and it isn’t so much as a result of making my 40^th birthday but rather as a general consequence of life rolling on, is that as you get older you pay more attention to certain realities of life rather than just brush them away like an annoying mosquito on a January evening - which brings me to the subject of this epistle.

After having a rather enjoyable Saturday night celebrating my birthday with some of my dearest friends, I checked my twitter feed and noticed a great deal of hubbub relating to one Mr Alan Jones. A quick ‘Google’ filled in the details of what had transpired and what the Sunday Telegraph would be leading with the following morning.

Suffice to say, I was going to title this piece “Don’t be afraid to voice your opinion...even though you may be recorded”. I was even thinking of calling it “Don’t be afraid to voice your opinion...even though you may come across as a cruel, sanctimonious prick”...but I figured that was going a little too far and besides, the format of Blogger wouldn’t let me do that.

Let me say right from the outset that I am not a fan of Mr Jones; in fact I think he is one of the most dangerous and divisive people in this country who uses his position at times without fair consideration of the broader consequences. Fact is though; he does have a strong following across many areas of Australian society so it was with interest to watch how all this transpired since the story broke on Saturday and the various opinions and stories that have been voiced and written. As is my want, I made some observations that I wish to share with you.

• I believe his comments were cruel and disrespectful to the extreme. There is a very well known saying in this country that you play the ball, not the man (or in this case a woman but that is irrelevant to the argument despite his rantings on Sunday morning).  We all have lost loved ones in our lives and we all have had to deal with grief. To use a death of a loved one to score some political points or worse case rev up a gathering of Young Liberals, lacks common decency and respect and as such needs to be called out accordingly. It's the same lack of common decency and respect that Rebecca Mifsud, wife of Immigration Minister Bowen showed by her re-tweet concerning the Australian male life-span and the links to Mr Jones’ fight with cancer. 
• He doesn’t seem to know how to apologise – which isn’t surprising for someone who comes across as always thinking that they are right. After watching parts of the press conference on Sunday morning, my opinion is that the only thing he is truly sorry about is the fact that his speech was recorded by a journalist (who was a paying attendee at the dinner) and then released online. There didn’t appear to be a lot of contrition on Sunday as he quickly turned the event into another opportunity to criticise the Government’s policies.
• That said, I think to try and shift the blame to Tony Abbott is a little rich. To be fair, Mr Abbott did come out and condemn Mr Jones’ comments that afternoon. In fact, Mr Abbott’s comments in the Parliament were both sympathetic and respectful – which all anyone asks for in times of bereavement. That and Mr Jones’ reputation has been created over many years – a lot longer than Mr Abbott has been Opposition Leader.
• Irrespective of whether we like what was said or not, Mr Jones (like every other citizen in this country) is entitled to voice his opinion. It may be an opinion that is cruel, insensitive and smacks of arrogance and an over inflated sense of self but it is his opinion. Calling for him to be sacked or banned is both irrational and to be honest, unrealistic. He has and continues to make a career of taking radical points of view. The likelihood is as well that many of the companies who cancelled their advertising on his show will come back over time. Ratings do speak loudly when it comes to reach and ROI.
• While speaking about loudness of volume, many have taken to Twitter, Facebook or even a humble blog to voice their disapproval or otherwise to those comments. For me, it was fascinating to see the reactions of people from different parts of Australian society making their views heard in such a immediate way;  so much so in fact that I think it led to Mr Jones making the decision to address the storm of public opinion on Sunday rather than wait for his usual platform on 2GB. Like a lot of things in our lives, social media can be used for good or evil.
• The Sydney University Branch of the Young Liberals really do have to take a long, hard look at themselves otherwise like the classic line out of ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ – “I weep for the future”. 

When the story first broke, I tweeted the following

 

This blog is what I have decided to do about it. If we don't agree with what is said by those who are in a position of influence - either by profession or popular vote, we shouldn't be afraid to call them out and disagree; especially when we think they have thrown common decency and respect out the window in the process.

Happy Birthday to me!