Noel Pearson - on leadership

Cross-posted from my other blog 

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2010

Noel Pearson - on leadership

Must be getting a bit daft in old age, as several times have come across something interesting and thought "Oh, must put that on the blog" - then forget about it for a couple of weeks. SO, have just remembered.

Some time ago (September 3), was listening to the ABC Radio "Big Ideas" and heard Noel Pearson give the John Button lecture at the Melbourne Writers Festival.  Difficult to describe how i felt on hearing it - 'thrilled' sounds a bit twee, but  was  immensely impressed.

So, if you haven't read, or heard it, you should.  Have just discovered that there is a streaming video of it as well. I mention this as, while I will put in a link to the text, as with most 'speeches', the full  flavour comes from hearing and seeing.

Click here to go to the ABC site, and then click on the "video" links on the left hand side under the picture.  Have found that although the satellite link here isn't quite fast enough to view most videos without a considerable wait - the "watch full clip" video (second line down) works quite well.

This bloke really IS quite brilliant and, personally, would like to see him as Prime Minister one day.  May never happen as he probably wouldn't function very well in the 'restricted', 'politically correct' environs of Federal parliament.  And now that I think of it - why IS there no Australian Aborigines Party in Federal politics?

Noel Pearson is an Indigenous leader, thinker and activist. He was born in Cooktown, North Queensland in 1965. He lived in the Hopevale Mission with his family as a child and was sent to a Brisbane boarding school as a young boy. A graduate in law and history from the University of Sydney, he went on to campaign for the rights of Cape York Aboriginal people, working on several successful Native title claims including the important Wik case. Pearson is the Director of the Cape York Institute for Policy and Leadership.

Looking at language

Has anyone else noticed that 'normal', everyday language is becoming increasingly peppered with emotive  "violent" words?

I first became aware of it in "news" articles when Julia Gillard replaced Kevin Rudd as Prime Minister of Australia. Somehow a perfectly understandable transition, for logical reasons, became a "coup". Kevin was "knifed". There was "blood on the floor" of the Party room. ?? Totally inaccurate; he's still alive and well, serving as Foreign Minister (and yes, he does speak and understand Mandarin. How many other Ministers of State can claim that?)

Somehow, these days, people in motor vehicle crashes (or any other 'environmental disaster') are "killed". ? by whom? "Killed" implies there was some 'intention'. From my point of view they just "died". e.g. 'Fred Bloggs and Mary Doe died in a motor vehicle crash on the Nunjikompita Highway last night'. Yes, I know; doesn't have the same "selling power" as "TWO KILLED ON HIGHWAY!!!"

Will, at some point, have a look at the "de-valuation" - and control - of the language by the Murdoch conglomerate Empire (much information out there to assess and compress).

Um, while am at it - will just mention my view of the word "fuck", which seems to be creeping  into general, public, discourse.

From Wikipedia -

Fuck is an English word that is generally considered profane which, in its most literal meaning, refers to the act of sexual intercourse. However, by extension it may be used to negatively characterize anything that can be dismissed, disdained, defiled, or destroyed. (my bold)

Have heard the argument that says "if it's used more often it will lose its power". Crap. It IS a negative, emotively violent word and should never be allowed into sensible, rational, discussion. Nor should it be encouraged in any way. Do I use it in conversation? Of course I do, not often - BUT, at least I know that it IS negative, ugly, loathsome. Mostly used as an 'all purpose' adjective by the uneducated.

Which then makes me think about the quality of education in general - but that, also, is a long and complicated subject.

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Name change

Yer, I know; but did mention that this blog is still under construction. Am still trying to figure out a suitable name, but this one will probably hang about for a while.  One point about the use and spelling of  "sceptic". The word derives from both Latin and Greek.  Latin - scepticus; Greek - skeptikos. Both, as far as can gather, have the original meaning of  "thoughtful"; and  Gr. skeptesthai - to consider.

"Ignoramus" is also an interesting word  - which I may change, since it infers 'no' knowledge; or the preference to "not know" -  (ignore - wilfully disregard.) - However, the Latin - ignorare - means "not to know", which can be re-interpreted. Am, at this point, using it in the context of admitting that there is much that I do not know and  "searching for knowledge".

While am at it - am seeing the word "propaganda" increasingly mis-spelled as "propoganda". It comes from the Latin - propagare - to multiply. The other one that annoys me intensely  is "definate". The word is DEFINITE, dammit. Comes from the Latin -  de finis : to set a boundary.


 Also, why do people write "loose" when they mean "lose"? They are TWO DIFFERENT CONCEPTS!.

 Definitely loosely lost.

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Re-print

(Will re-post this. something that i wrote back in 2005.)

Hubris. Mm, interesting word. Have never thought much about that before. My dictionary is limited and only says "Gr: hybris - excessive pride, wanton violence." Depends on local definitions, I guess.

It does, though, seem to be interestingly apt. So (not in any particular order)The Greeks, Macedonians, Babylonians, Egytians, Ottomans, Romans, Spanish, English and Portugese, Germans also, had a crack at inflicting their version of "the right way to be" on the rest of the world as they knew it.
So now we see the "americans".
Perhaps my daddy was wrong when he told me "lead by example, laddy, not by the butt of a gun."
Well, he would have, if he had not died defending Australia against "imperialism" in 1945.
"imperialism" manifests itself in many ways - perhaps by the fact that I find it difficult to turn on my TV without having the grating, arrogant, abrasive, assertive, abusive , american accent and attitudes thrust down my throat. Perhaps it is difficult to actually purchase a product, without - after research - finding that the bulk of the profit(?) ends up in american hands. Perhaps it is because - if I go to the cinema - cannot find very much "comfortable" to my own culture and upbringinging. I, and most of the people that I know, have no basic desire to "rape, pillage, plunder, morph myself into a superhero, or to blow up buildings/cars/lives with spectacular "special effects". I pick up a "news" paper, and find it difficult to discover careful and thoughtful analysis, media is full of "shock/ horror/isn’t it dreadful sort of journalism . ( and yes, Rupert Murdoch began his "career" in little old Adelaide, South Australia. mm perhaps america is the only place that will put up with him.)
FREEDOM. To me, is the ability to walk 500 kilometers/miles in the open air, to say whatever I choose without the niggling suspicion that I will have any effect on governments, not get shot, and to cross local borders without having to "prove" who I am (In a "normal" society what need have I for anything but the name I was born with? am 60, been there, done that). Seems very peculiar to me that a person who wishes to inflict "freedom" on the rest of the world has to hide behind 12 thousand or so Black clad and visored palace guard, and 15 thousand or so heavily armed military Not to mention Attack helicopters, missile launchers, overflights of Stealth bombers, and parades of the "national" flag. Good Lord, what IS the man afraid of?
(shades of Nuremberg and Red Square?)
The budget for the "Inaugural " party alone could probably restore the water supply in Iraq.
DEMOCRACY. Perhaps I live on a different planet. Where I live, each, and every citizen (yer well, those eligible) is required to vote - and 97% of us do. Gives a different perspective on "democracy", when I look at a country where 30.. 50..or on a good day, 60% of the population can be bribed/ coerced/ deterred/ manipulated/ .. and actually vote. ( hey, perhaps Saddam and GWB are not so different after all. On second thoughts -at least Saddam did it all on his own, and - it seems to me - not a "good time charlie" manipulated by low profile puppet masters))

Fantasy space wars

OK, another short post; was, at some point a while back, following the wierd and wondrous convolutions of the Aussie gummint thinking about "defence". So ..

Can't, at this point, do much in the way of "links" and citations; but seem to remember that the "Howard" gummint  spent (with some sort of 'back room' in a hotel deal ?) quite a few millions (billions?) on some sort of fantasy "on the drawing board" aircraft that the yanks were developing (thinking about?).

So far we have bought (?) a few "Super Hornets" while waiting for the USA to come up with something that actually works in present airspace. (F15's have short range. Anyone with any nous would just target the Air refuelling tankers). . Other sources say that these aircraft are already superseded by the new Russian Sukoi, which the Indonesians (and other nations in the vicinity) already have (vale the F1/11).

Still can't figure out why, logically, we don't buy the latest - already operational - Russian Sukoi. Ah, says another source. What we need is "air superiority". Something that can out-perform the new Sukoi.

Um, by the the time the "fantasy" USA "Joint Strike fighter" becomes operational - too late.,

Was pleased to note that the Aussie Defense materiel purchase organisation (plagued by beaurocracy, and 'patch battles' within itself) did, actually, make some sort of 'intelligent' (?) decision to purchase the Navantia Air warfare destroyer from Spain. At least we get something, relatively soon.

 The "proposal" from the yanks would have left us feeding the USA "military/industrial" industry with a few billions per year without result, until there was a colony on Mars (or something).

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/11/26/3077789.htm?section=justin

On the beach (re-visited)

Just a short post. Am still trying to figure out what's really going on with all this military prodding and provocation over on the other side of the equator (which isn't much of one .. heh. Nobody on this side of it has much in the way of "military muscle" to 'counter' it or 'balance the equation').

'Tis well to remember -

The poster from the movie "On the Beach" 1959, (based on the novel by Nevil Shute)  for those youngsters who have never heard of it.

The residents of Australia after a global nuclear war must come to terms with the fact that all life will be destroyed in a matter of months.

Would be nice to believe that any nuke stuff (if it happens) would stay where it belongs - northern hemisphere - but too much to expect, i guess.

Population control 1

Doncha just love it, first they want to fill the children with drugs to 'slow them down' - now the psychs are using "special lighting" to 'brighten them up' .. heh.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/breaking-news/school-hits-upon-cure-for-teen-boredom-make-them-blue/story-fn3dxity-1225961136186