My personal theory is that it's a manifestation of fear and insecurity. Australia, and many of its citizens have always had a certain lack of confidence, which is often covered up by bravado about being "the best country in the world" (as if there even is such a thing) and things like the tall poppy syndrome, currently often directed at expats("Too good to live in Australia, are you?")
On top of this, a huge amount of fear has been manufactured over the Covid-19 pandemic, both by the media seeking clicks, and by politicians seeking electoral advantage. This is one of the most shameful aspects of the entire thing to me: the deliberate emotional abuse of the population. The contrast between Dan Andrew's daily fear-mongering and berating of "rule-breakers" and Angela Merkel, most of whose public statements during the pandemic were about reassuring the German people (with occasional expressions of "concern" at most when things were going badly) has been stark for me. Even Jactinta Ardern has been much more measured in her statements, although NZ wasn't immune from madness like banning the delivery of fiction books.
And so, yes, I think a lot of Australians are on board with the border closures, the lockdowns and the like, which is astonishing to me, but I think the degree of fear there is what fundamentally explains it. As for government snooping, hardly anyone in Australia cares.
You mean "the lucky country"? That's an ironic, self-deprecating joke.
>The contrast between Dan Andrew's daily fear-mongering and berating of "rule-breakers" and Angela Merkel
As have the number of deaths between the two countries. 90k+ in Germany vs. <1k in Aus. (If you scale it per-capita, it's still about 25k vs 1k).
>I think a lot of Australians are on board with the border closures, the lockdowns and the like, which is astonishing to me, but I think the degree of fear there is what fundamentally explains it.
No, we're on board because it saves lives and people don't want to see their family die in the name of some abstract concept.
For anyone reading GP's comment, my take is that some expats do hate their home country.
It's insanity that some people think that strict lockdown rules are an invasion of freedom.
I'll tell you what's an invasion of freedeom: selfish, infected people partying and infecting everyone else sticking the the rules and toughing in out.
I couldn't care less about my karma, it just feels like I am getting punished simply for expressing my point of view here in a way that's not any more or less emotional than the GP.
b) strict lockdowns are invasions on freedoms, quite obviously, because they suspend rights you have. They do so for a reason, and society can very well decide "this is a legitimate restriction on freedoms" (hopefully guarded by legislative and judicial process), as it has in much of the world to varying degrees, but that is not the same as pretending it's not a restriction.
"Australia is a lucky country run mainly by second rate people who share its luck. It lives on other people's ideas, and, although its ordinary people are adaptable, most of its leaders (in all fields) so lack curiosity about the events that surround them that they are often taken by surprise."
It's both. It started (I learned today) as a negative criticism, but is also used favorably and positively, also it is sometimes a joke. I'd heard the positive and joke usage but wasn't aware it started life as a negative thing. Funny to think that Aussies were previously more self-critical than we seem today.
Different context, different people, all referencing the same phrase. There's no "one true" meaning...but it's good to know there's might be more to it than just what you've seen already. :)
I am of course against wrongful online surveillance such as this new passed legislation, but when it comes to the lockdowns I don't know where I stand. I just hope lockdowns end as our vaccine roleouts start. One thing I know for sure though is that I will not be staying in this country for too much longer, if I can avoid it.