love thy country or thy alky?
With my experiences of seemingly drunken patriotism in Perth and now the Manly arrests on Australia Day, it makes me question the perception of the Australian flag as merely an excuse for xenophobia and drunken tirades.
On the surface, it looked like these young people showed great enthusiasm and pride with their Australian flags draped across their shoulders and it made me feel somewhat substandard in my loving of the country. Looking deeper, as we walked past increasingly more people throwing up on the side of the road at 8pm and as the crowds got more rowdy, it was obvious that Australia Day became just an excuse to get drunk.Is that the culture here? To find any excuse just to get drunk? I find it rather repulsive. I gauge my patriotism at a pass level, but it is rather repugnant to have such a symbolic day hijacked by immature, unknowledgable and possibly ignorant people who may be inherently racist and vulgar.
Or have I missed out the true meaning of being Australian as requiring alcohol, and in somewhat excessive amounts, in order to have fun?
I know I'm speaking for a portion of young people in Australia, so don't get me wrong, not everyone is as I have made it. Keep in mind that with the advent of media these days, it requires only one person to blemish the reputation of an entire population.
What are your thoughts?
benny | Saturday, January 31, 2009 
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Yeah, there are always idiots who spoil it for everyone.
And tis generally the younger ones cos they're so piss drunk that their possibly quite limited judgment in what is deemed by society to be "correct" behaviour is even further hampered.