I think it was last week that 7.30 on the ABC ran a story about a 68 year old woman who, while obviously having had a hard life, was also pretty patently nuts on the matter of thinking she could ignore legal actions and (well) reality.
The story is set out at length here, but to cut it short, she had lived in a low cost social housing house in Melbourne for many years when it was part of a managing co-op on which she was a member. After it got transferred to a different co-op, a move which she didn't agree with, she stopped paying rent to the new owner (claims she kept paying it to the old co-op?), got into arrears for nearly $10,000, got evicted, lost on appeal, got evicted a second time. After the new co-op sold off the house to a private owner, the house was half demolished, and she still returned to an obviously dangerous house with no utilities and slept in it. When it was being fully demolished, she was running into the yard and putting herself in danger in front of the machinery until the police intervened.
She had a hard life by the sounds, but it was also clear that she had been given alternative social housing to live in (a one bedroom unit), although it was shown as so crammed full of her furnishings and stuff from the old house that she has made it virtually unliveable. "Downsizing" is a concept she apparently is unfamiliar with - or rather, which she has obviously avoided "on principle".
Look, I find this type of journalism that tries to play on heartstrings when it's a person with obvious "issues" quite irritating, especially when they paint it from one side only. (There was not a single attempt to have anyone talk about the institutional perspective of running a social housing system when someone refuses to pay the reduced rent, even after losing repeatedly in court, because of "feels", or something.) It is an example of (dare I say it) the type of Left-ist idealism that is so extreme it becomes divorced from reality - like the posters you will see at any indigenous rally that talk about "Australia" as an invalid concept and suggest you can just hand the country over to the indigenous.
Let's try to keep it real, hey?
It is an example of (dare I say it) the type of Left-ist idealism that is so extreme it becomes divorced from reality - like the posters you will see at any indigenous rally that talk about "Australia" as an invalid concept and suggest you can just hand the country over to the indigenous.
ReplyDeleteExactly Steve. It is that idealism that is turning people away from the Left. The Drum was replete with it and the ratings crashed. Woke and transgender tolerance is taking a nosedive. In Europe I suspect the rise of the Right is related to that and with the Middle East refugee\illegal immigration issues. The Right has idealistic tendencies which will eventually see the light of day. The polarization of modern times leaves us swinging between extremes.
"The polarization of modern times leaves us swinging between extremes."
ReplyDeleteThis is so true - and makes me miss the "third way" politics of the 1990's. (Although in truth, I guess you could argue that Biden is also a "third way" politician on matters economic and most social issues, except he does show himself as a bit of an unthinking captive on the - unfortunately - big culture war issue of sexual identity.)
But the internet and social media seems to have killed legitimate "third way" discourse - or at least, let them be overwhelmed by other culture war stuff.
For example, on the matter of taxation, it seems that the media just ignores now the whole issue of trickle down economics - Republicans will run on it forever, despite the economics profession having pretty much considered it a disproven idea for a couple of decades now. It used to be an idea of clear debate - but the centre and Left and mainstream media seemingly have shrugged their shoulders and think no one is interested in a serious discussion about this anymore.
I also find it remarkable that there is so little discussion in the mainstream media on the current hot ticket issue of inflation - why it has happened, what (if anything) can be done about it by politicians, etc.
ReplyDeleteAgain, it seems that in depth and serious economics discussion has become sidelined in the current media environment. (And also in the social media environment - because Musk has made Twitter un-useable for serious discussion.)
I also find it remarkable that there is so little discussion in the mainstream media on the current hot ticket issue of inflation - why it has happened, what (if anything) can be done about it by politicians, etc.
ReplyDeleteI read an article today with some trader talking about a depression larger than The Great Depression. However in the comments column someone stated he has made many predictions which haven't come true. To his point though, the flood of cash in the pandemic hasn't helped. I don't understand why prices are rising so much. It is a global trend but oppositions blame governments. Social media doesn't allow for nuance so we're left with Mr. and Mrs. Shouty McShouty Faces all day long.
Something is going to break. Interest rates are too blunt and doing too much damage. I won't be surprised if in a year OECD economies are tanking.
I used to rely a lot on reassuring commentary from Paul Krugman, or Stiglitz - or a couple of others I can't think of now - but there seems to be a general retreat from economic commentary from those I used to trust.
ReplyDeleteAs Galbraith stated: Economic forecasting was created to make astrology respectable.
ReplyDeleteI can't recall any commentators warning that throwing so much cash around would be a huge inflationary risk. Didn't look though.
Contrary to the doomsayers this is optimistic:
https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/monetary-policy-responses-post-pandemic-inflation-challenges-and-lessons-future
Conclusion
At this stage, it seems possible, although not assured, that monetary policy will achieve a soft landing. Inflation appears to be on track to return close to target in most countries (Figure 4) without a significant slowdown in activity
Looks like it was one of those nice old weatherboard houses in Thornbury.
ReplyDeleteI suppose none of the landlords involved - co-ops, community housing - wanted to comment particularly on the case, although I note there is no disclaimer at the bottom of the usual sort, ie, 'The ABC contacted such and such but they declined to comment'.
Darebin is very much one of those left-leaning councils, the battle there is pretty much between the Greens and Labor; it looks like she has received tacit support from locals who could, one assumes, at some point have said, 'you've got to move on', but didn't.
"...it looks like she has received tacit support from locals who could, one assumes, at some point have said, 'you've got to move on', but didn't."
ReplyDeleteYes, it was a very far Leftish looking group of supporters - in fact, I'm pretty sure that one young-ish guy who appeared more than once was, in one scene, wearing a dress. (Although still had a beard, if I recall.) Presumably would die on the hill of "non binary" and "they/them" pronouns.
The ABC needs to clean out the Leftist extremism. The Drum was bad enough, I don't watch the 7.30 report and this story justifies that decision; as does some of Laura Tingle's recent comments. To be fair, I rarely watch news broadcasts.
ReplyDeleteThe poor woman is experiencing a a behavioral issue elevated in older people: the refusal to change their life in the face of reality. There are hints of psychopathology, perhaps she has mild cognitive impairment or in the early stages of dementia. She should be grateful that she has been provided with accommodation and those enabling her current behavior are being careless and letting emotions rule over reason. Leftist extremism often has that quality.
Because of those extremes the Left is experiencing a backlash. I'm very annoyed about that because most Leftists I know resent the extremes of wokery, trans issues, the open arms policy of immigration, and indigenous activism. I'm very much a loner these days, perhaps that is distorting my perception, but it seems to me that the extremism is driven by a minority of Leftists.