As the opposition implodes; Abbott, Minchin, Abetz and Parry all resigning from the front bench, a serious question must be asked?
Is the environment a bigger issue than party room philandering over the leadership position?
Some will deny climate change; the same people that are willing to accept the science that can save your life from cancer are locking horns with the science of climate change.
The issue I have is simple: although I don’t find Malcolm Turnbull to be a particularly good leader he has finally shown some balls on an issue that he feels is important. The coalition is littered with members who have vested business interests who, of course, will be wanting to prevent any sort of action that may impact on business practices. State leaders have a duty to protect the citizens of this planet and as long as ‘the economy’ and ‘business’ is placed before our environment the social contract will be deemed void. The Liberals have been waiting for Turnbull to stand up but as soon as he does, and it isn’t in line with their interests, they stab him in the back and try to bring him down. For months I have been fearful that Joe Hockey will take over leadership of the opposition. He is a ranter and a raver, always angry and can never just accept things: he always has to make a scene.
Back to the environment… I am not saying that the ETS is perfect, in fact, it may be far from it. But it is a step in the right direction. The fact that so many concessions were able to be made to make it appealing to ‘business’ however is indicative of the State’s failing power to have total jurisdiction within its borders.
If a state is serious about its sovereignty it must be serious about protecting its citizens. We may not have a gun to our head but we are slowly drowning, slowly burning and slowly suffocating.
GET REAL!
So while the opposition party is busy bitch-slapping each other we continue to burn coal to power this computer.
Peace.
As part of MST1AAC class at La Trobe University I conducted an interview with stand-up comedian and triple j radio presenter, Tom Ballard. The piece has since been published on ‘Upstart’, an online magazine co-ordinated by Dr. Lawrie Zion. Please check out my interview: http://bit.ly/81t7d4
Using rock music as a case study we are able to examine the ways in which Australian identity, culture and public life have changed since World War II. First, we will look at Australia as a suburban nation and compliment that with the notion of consumption and, in turn, its effect on Australian rock ‘n’ roll. Next, we will look at time since World War II and how the characteristics of each decade or era both shaped and were depicted by the progression of rock music. Finally we will analyse forms of social division, how the concept of ‘insiders and outsiders’ is linked to Australian society and music, and the masculinity of the rock scene. The aim of this paper is to draw on the sociological imagination, linking history with biography (Wright Mills, 1959: p.6), to grasp an understanding of Australian society today.
According to Davison (2008) Australia is a suburban nation. Born at the cusp of the industrial revolution in Britain it was built to ensure that the poor conditions of the urban areas ‘back home’ were not created here. Owning your own piece of nature with a ¼ acre block was instilled into the Australian psyche. The suburbs, however, came to represent social class – where you lived became part of your identity and culture. People became discontent and let down by the promise of a ‘suburban lifestyle’ and environmental determinists tell us people’s behaviours are shaped by their environment (Davison, 2008: p. 18). This has possibly shaped the sound of Australian music with: solitude; boredom; and, confinement, all being themes raised through song in this suburban nation.
Since the war-time ethic of ‘Make Do and Mend’ we have seen a change in global hegemony, just like the Australian hegemonic idea of owning your own land, where we are encouraged to consume in accordance with continuous market expansion. The introduction of credit into society allowed people to cover their boredom with consumer goods that they could pay for later. ‘Lifestyles’ came to be determined by consumption (Langer, 2008: p. 253) – allowing you to base your identity on what products you own. Music, among other things, became not something that you listen to but something you consumed. Targeting specific cultures and lifestyles may have been the music industry’s downfall. Auto-tuned pop-stars are now the money makers with hard working rock bands, particularly in Australia, often losing out. It has come a long way from the ‘middle brow’ aspiration of a legitimate form of artistic expression it was viewed as immediately after World War II (Walker, 2008: p. 287).
The post-war economic boom came to a crashing halt with the Oil Crisis, the Vietnam War and various social struggles of the late ‘60s and early 70s (Walker, 2008). The birth of the pub-rock scene spawned a “virtual rite of passage for young people” (Walker, 2008: p. 288). Of course, like everything in this era of economic globalisation, music became a commodity. Imported American grunge from the likes of Nirvana may be the last time pop music has been able to create a social force (Walker, 2008: p. 289). The pub-rock scene is not dead, however, and the greats like Midnight Oil and Cold Chisel will live in the memories of Australians forever. Their ability to create social cohesion through song, the stamp of a foot or the pumping of a fist shows the undeniable power music can have over a society. These ideas of the suburbs, consumer society and rock’n’roll can all depict an image of Australian culture and identity but progress since World War II would best be understood if we look at ‘time’ since 1944.
The 1940s were a decade of continual insecurity according to Kirkby (2008). The Second World War ended but simply gave way to the Cold War – the Soviet Union being the new enemy. It was an era when Aboriginals were oppressed and only recognised as native ‘flora and fauna’ – a status that was held well into the ‘60s (Kirkby, 2008: p. 184). The beginning of original Australian music however was initiated through a live jazz sound developed to help entertain foreign servicemen. The ‘40s also brought with it a new creativity that became evident through art, poets and intellects who portrayed distinctly Australian themes and culture. The beginning of diverse immigration also began as the Government sought to increase a stagnant population (Kirkby, 2008: p. 182). This flow of new knowledge, new cultures (however suppressed) and new ideas – known as cultural traffic – undoubtedly formed the foundation of original Australian rock music.
The ‘50s, though, were a conservative decade with Robert Menzies being Prime Minister for its entirety. In a sense it was fascistic – women were expected to stay home and raise their families, men were the sole income earners of the household and aboriginals and immigrants were still expected to assimilate into ‘the Australian way’ (Murphy, 2008: p.188). Public life in the ‘50s could be seen as a retreat into the ‘private sphere’ – that of family and household – whilst the ‘public sphere’ was dominated by middle-class values (Murphy, 2008: p. 187).
The ‘60s and ‘70s soon changed this. These decades were a revolt against the conservative fifties. The anti-consumerism, anti-materialism, anti-war and anti-conservatism of the ‘60s essentially depict the two decades for it was an era that saw a youth political revolution and pursuit of counterculture (Beilharz, 2008: p. 192.). Music began to take off, signifying the liberalisation of identity, and through cultural traffic a hybrid of sounds immersed the public. Sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll are a literal description of these decades as youth rebelled with psychedelic passion. We cannot get a sense of where we are today without looking at the past – the sixties saw a sense of individualism that we can match today with the neo-liberal tendencies of our society (Beilharz, 2008: p. 197).
The social change of the ‘60s lost most of its momentum in the early 1980s with the rapid rise of globalisation through technology that allowed for the internet. The ‘alternative lifestyle’ sought by many flowed into the angry punk movement in reaction to the coming to power of right-wing conservatives, Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan, in the UK and USA respectively. They typified the neo-liberal system by deregulating the economy, giving less power to trade unions and privatising services. It was an era that saw working-class wages fall whilst professional salaries increased exponentially (Rundle, 2008: p. 199). Being at the hands of a volatile economic system built upon consumerism and scarcity may be what is influencing many musicians in an ‘autonomous society’ (Rundle, 2008: p. 201). The 1990s saw another shift in culture – the ‘subculture’ which removed itself from the mainstream yet, unlike the angry punk movement, the culture expressed through Nirvana and Radiohead had a negative vibe (Rundle, 2008: p. 203). This may reflect the change in perspective for the new generation about the world they live in; perhaps even a flow on from the failures of previous revolutionary movements leaving them feeling helpless. Examining the period since World War II gives a solid example of how public life and culture have progressed until the full integration into the globalised, capitalist society we are today. Identity has been transformed into one that is based on lifestyle, according to which consumer goods one has.
There are divisions, boundaries and distinctions to help “define the integrity of what is contained, differentiate the identity of constituent parts, and establish a form that distinguishes it from other societies” (Papastergiadis, 2008: p. 336). They constrain us as a mass and form a society, for without divisions there cannot be society. Australia has misleadingly promoted itself as an egalitarian culture when in reality “the society is structured by cultural, sexual, and economic division” (Papastergiadis, 2008: p. 337). Aboriginal culture and the extreme barriers they have faced in our society through conservative and fascist policies spawned an era of ‘activism’ in Australian rock music by the likes of Midnight Oil, Paul Kelly and Yothu Yindi who were all trying to promote the culture and identity of the indigenous population. From this we can draw on Ghassan Hage (2008) and his notion of ‘insiders and outsiders’. He notes that although the insider sets boundaries and is in control of the relationship it is often the outsider who best understands the causes and effects of this process. The insider often exploits the outsider insofar as having them far enough on the inside but not allowing them the status of an insider (Hage, 2008: p. 343). Today, in a capitalist monetary system it is the person that has nothing to sell that is the outsider of all humanity (Hage, 2008: p. 345). Because of this, music is now sold as a commodity and often very little more. Often those who write the songs are not even the ones who perform it as it is sold for publishing rights to record labels.
Despite there being a massive shift in gender relations since the end of the Second World War which has seen women entering the ‘public sphere’ and the workforce (Ballantyne, 2008: p. 383), rock ‘n’ roll still has a very masculine culture. The sexual revolution throughout the ‘60s set out to challenge the perceptions of women in society which saw them entering universities and the workforce in large numbers (Ballantyne, 2008: p. 384). However, males are still considered the power and authority in the ‘public sphere’, a division that is evident in the lyrics of various female artists, including Sonic Youth’s ‘Kool Thing’, albeit non-Australian. Women’s role in the Australian rock scene has also been limited with rare exceptions as most successful female artists are subject to the objectified pop industry.
As we can see the progression of Australian music runs almost parallel with that of Australian society since World War II. From a free form of expressive art that represented the social struggles of the ‘60s and ‘70s to an integrated industry in the market economy Australian rock music is indicative of Australian identity, culture and public life being consumed by the capitalist system. Technology and consumer lifestyles have moved rock music away from a social force and into a mainstream, profit-driven culture. The masculinity of rock ‘n’ roll can be seen as an allegory to the masculinity of Australian society and public life. Whether the music will once again be able to achieve its power of social cohesion is yet to be seen but if so it will, no doubt, coincide with the expression of Australian culture and identity of the time.
References
Ballantyne, G., 2008, ‘Gender’ in Sociology: Place, Time & Division eds. P. Beilharz and T. Hogan, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne, pp. 383-387.
Beilharz, P., 2008, ‘The Sixties and Seventies’ in Sociology: Place, Time & Division eds. P. Beilharz and T. Hogan, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne, pp. 192-197.
Davison, G., 2008, ‘Suburbs’ in Sociology: Place, Time & Division eds. P. Beilharz and T. Hogan, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne, pp. 14-20.
Hage, G., 2008 ‘Insiders and Outsiders’ in Sociology: Place, Time & Division eds. P. Beilharz and T. Hogan, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne, pp. 342-345.
Kirkby, D., 2008, ‘The Forties’ in Sociology: Place, Time & Division eds. P. Beilharz and T. Hogan, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne, pp. 180-186.
Langer, B., 2008, ‘Consumption’ in Sociology: Place, Time & Division eds. P. Beilharz and T. Hogan, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne, pp. 250-254.
Murphy, J., 2008, ‘The Fifties’ in Sociology: Place, Time & Division eds. P. Beilharz and T. Hogan, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne, pp. 186-191.
Papastergiadis, N., 2008, ‘Division’ in Sociology: Place, Time & Division eds. P. Beilharz and T. Hogan, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne, pp. 336-342.
Rundle, G., 2008, ‘The Eighties and Beyond’ in Sociology: Place, Time & Division eds. P. Beilharz and T. Hogan, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne, pp. 198-204.
Walker, C., 2008 ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Music’ in Sociology: Place, Time & Division eds. P. Beilharz and T. Hogan, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne, pp. 285-289.
Wright Mills, C. 1967, The Sociological Imagination, Oxford University Press, London. pp. 3-24.
Hi all,
Well I’m new to blogging. But after many stressful moments when I’ve needed an outlet for my thoughts, frustrations, hopes and dreams I realised that this may be the medium most appropriate to my cause.
A little about me?? I am currently enrolled in a Bachelor of International Relations at La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia and hope to continue my education with postgraduate studies upon completing my undergraduate degree. I am 20, have an amazing family and girlfriend, and am angry at the world! Well maybe not angry, but frustrated.
Studying international relations has allowed me to add body to my thoughts which allows me to understand most of what I already believed a lot better. I have a firm grasp of world affairs and why some things are the way they are. People will want label me left-wing but I see it as merely having a progressive view of the world and society. I seek to share my ideas with you and hope that you can share your ideas with me. Some of what I say will be opinionated and others will be reasonably researched.
I have travelled to Cambodia and have seen gross inequality and poverty. The way forward is through education. Not formal education through institutions but through dicussions with as many people as you can. Knowledge is valuable.
I will talk about world affairs, culture, society, religion, music and even films.
I hope that you will enjoy what I have to say.
Peace.
