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Last updated on March 6th, 2018 at 12:29 am
“In these hedonistic and self-focused times, broader issues of community interest, equity and minority rights are sidelined or given lower priority,” wrote the Sydney Morning Herald’s Geoff Kitney last January. “While individualism has flourished we, in our debt-laden castles and our fear of the unknown which the new world order of global terrorism has created, have become more selfish and less tolerant … I also believe that the power of individualism is breaking down a sense of community and community responsibility which will have long-term consequences for cohesion and ethical standards.”
So much for what Kitney believes. Here are some facts:
Many charities are reporting unprecedented levels of generosity this year, with a late surge of donations boosting their Christmas coffers.
Children’s hospitals also said they were overflowing with gifts. A record number of presents arrived at the Sydney Children’s Hospital at Randwick.
Spokeswoman Jan Forrester said “thousands” had poured in, with deliveries being made right up until Christmas Eve.
Donations to the Salvation Army are up 10 per cent on last year. And donations to overseas charities have increased as well, according to Tim Costello. The likes of Kitney (and Hugh Mackay, whose wayward views may be read at the Costello link) should be kept in pits and doused with lye until they appreciate the kindness of their fellow Australians.
- Might be of interest where the generosity came from… Any bets on how generous the McMansion set really are? Is it because the “greedy, selfish” howard lovers can trust economic conditions, so they can afford to be more generous?Posted by petedenham on 12/26 at 04:21 PM • #
- For those interested in the cost of traditional “giving”,here is the the updated cost of the 12 days of christmas.
- “While individualism has flourished we, in our debt-laden castles and our fear of the unknown which the new world order of global terrorism has created, have become more selfish and less tolerant “- Geoff Kitney.
??? I get angry reading reading this stuff. This is just meaningless crap. More nothing. OY GEOFF- This is twaddle. It contains nothing that can be guaged, proved or compared. What was it, you decided you wanted to sound aggrieved at society? John Howard’s disgusting society? You dickhead. A society where you can get paid to vague out and randomly assemble the words and phrases that fricken always get a big tick from the right crowd? “Debt-laden castles….fear of the unknown….new world order”.
Your a slave Geoff. You know that if you dont keep coming up with crap like this you might find disfavour with the Anne Summers’ and Adele Horins of your fucked up little Fairfax world. They might start saying the wrong sort of things about you.And wtf is this- “… I also believe that the power of individualism is breaking down a sense of community and community responsibility which will have long-term consequences for cohesion and ethical standards.”? If a 45 year old, bagpipe-playing, transexual Afghan refugee
with facial tattoos was considered unsuitable for a customer service job with Westpac, you’d be up in arms. Well, you would if Horin, Summers, Marr etc said it was OK.
- I think most people pick their politics to match their outlook , which is why 199 out of 200 socialists are miserable, misanthropic bastards.Posted by David Gillies on 12/27 at 03:10 AM • #
- After prefacing her remarks at a news conference with complaints about the status of women in America, a woman reporter asked president John F. Kennedy what he was doing to advance the interests of women in America. He replied, “not enough”, which got a big laugh from the other reporters.
The point is, to the critics that seek your demise, nothing you do is going to be good enough, and facts are irrelevant.
Probably the most influential contributor to the shabby myth that individualism equals selfishness was Plato who put the story in play in his dialogue The Republic. The mouthpiece for individuaism in that dialogue was a ruthless political opportunist and the voice of altrusim was a totalitarian collectivist.
Given the effectiveness of Plato’s spin against individualism, and the fact that western thought is well described as footnotes to Plato, we have inherited a legacy of thinking that indivudualism and altuism do not mix, a fallacy that was taken up with great energy by our modern socialists and welfare statists.
It is amply refuted by the facts of our own experience (unless we are very unfortunate in our choice of parents and friends) and by statistics as well.