{"id":981,"date":"2018-09-13T16:56:00","date_gmt":"2018-09-13T16:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dingo.news\/voice\/?p=981"},"modified":"2023-11-30T15:16:57","modified_gmt":"2023-11-30T07:16:57","slug":"enforced-patriotism-is-surely-no-patriotism-at-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dingo.news\/voice\/enforced-patriotism-is-surely-no-patriotism-at-all\/","title":{"rendered":"Enforced patriotism is surely no patriotism at all &#8211; Ben Pobjie"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n\r\n\r\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;\">Our great country, I have been informed, is in peril.<\/span><\/h4>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;\">\r\n\r\n<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">From every side come malign forces to threaten our democracy, our prosperity, our safety, our very existence. The latest spirit of evil seeking the destruction of all we hold dear, is\u2026a nine-year-old schoolgirl.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">\r\n\r\n<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">I know, I was surprised too. But it must be true, because it is this tiny child who is occupying the thoughts of some of our most patriotic and red-faced public figures.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">\r\n\r\n<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">The girl in question is Harper Nielsen, who threw Kenmore South State School in Brisbane into uproar when she refused to stand for the national anthem. Harper declared that the anthem was not inclusive of Indigenous Australians and ignored their presence prior to colonisation, and that she would therefore not be showing it the usual deference.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">\r\n\r\n<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">From here, events moved quickly. Kenmore South gave the pint-sized revolutionary a lunchtime detention for \u201cblatant disrespect\u201d, threatened with suspension and told she could not leave the office until she had signed a written apology.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;\">\r\n\r\n<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The <em>Courier-Mail<\/em>, having checked its news barrel and found it completely empty, decided this qualified as a story and<\/span> <span style=\"color: #800000;\"><a style=\"color: #800000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.couriermail.com.au\/news\/queensland\/year-4-student-harper-nielsens-advance-australia-fair-boycott-leads-to-detention\/news-story\/4368e8e72309376d9e6ae0eee994c06f\">brought Harper to public attention<\/a><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">, upon which members of that dank under-stairs cupboard of Australian politics that might be termed \u201cthe usual suspects\u201d made their thoughts &#8212; for want of a better word &#8212; clear.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;\">\r\n\r\n<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Political relevance-hunter<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/tendaily.com.au\/news\/australia\/a180912nye\/schoolgirl-faces-suspension-after-refusing-to-stand-for-national-anthem-20180912\"><span style=\"color: #800000;\">Pauline Hanson declared her desire to \u201cgive her a kick up the backside\u201d<\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\">. Defamation enthusiast Alan Jones raged against Harper\u2019s views, saying that \u201ccolonisation brought the kind of tremendous wealth that all Australians now enjoy\u201d.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;\">\r\n\r\n<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><div class=\"ose-x ose-uid-a87f34d1b8d375ba5008e0c7ca2b6ae6 ose-embedpress-responsive\" style=\"width:600px; height:550px; max-height:550px; max-width:100%; display:inline-block;\" data-embed-type=\"Twitter\"><blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"600\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">9 YEAR OLD REFUSES TO STAND FOR NATIONAL ANTHEM<br><br>&quot;Good on the school for trying to instill the respect for our National anthem and pride in our country.&quot; <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/PaulineHansonOz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@PaulineHansonOz<\/a> <br><br>Join the conversation on Facebook: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/DREXBZlKip\">https:\/\/t.co\/DREXBZlKip<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/cdMtd300it\">pic.twitter.com\/cdMtd300it<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Pauline Hanson \ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddfa (@PaulineHansonOz) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/PaulineHansonOz\/status\/1039703189254094849?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 12, 2018<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/div><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Former politician and Facebook video auteur Mark Latham sputtered that \u201cnot standing is a behavioural problem, so kick her out\u201d &#8212; and he knows a thing or two about behavioural problems. And Queensland\u2019s Shadow Education Minister Jarrod Bleijie highlighted the state opposition\u2019s priorities clearly.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">\r\n\r\n<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">\u201cShame on her parents for using her as a political pawn,\u201d Bleijie fulminated on Twitter. \u201cStop the silly protest and stand and sing proudly your National Anthem. Refusing to stand disrespects our country and our veterans. Suspension should follow if she continues to act like a brat.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;\">\r\n\r\n<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/JarrodBleijieMP\/status\/1039683305837228033<br><br><\/p>\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">So there you have it. Powerful media personalities and elected officials alike find common cause in directing the nation\u2019s hatred onto a girl of nine. A proud demonstration of just how robust and tolerant is our national discourse.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">\r\n\r\n<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Now, unwashed leftist layabouts such as myself might argue that Harper actually had a point about the anthem, that by taking such a stand she was showing herself as a passionate, principled and intelligent person who is not afraid to speak her mind, and that Australia needs more nine-year-olds willing to stick up for progressive causes.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">\r\n\r\n<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">But I know not everyone thinks like me, and that\u2019s OK. I know a reasonable person could be of the belief that rules are rules and it\u2019s preferable for a student to follow the rules of their school. I know that there are good and decent people who will sincerely believe that the anthem is an important symbol of our nation, and that Harper is misguided to consider it a symbol of oppression. And many fine people will suspect that her parents are indoctrinating her, and disapprove of that.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">\r\n\r\n<\/span><\/p>\r\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\r\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">But if you believe any or all of that, I still have to ask you: why would you care?<\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;\">\r\n\r\n<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">A little girl broke the rules at school. As Shakespeare said, big freaking whoop. Is this what makes you angry, in 2018? Is this what you find so offensive it cannot be allowed to pass undenounced?<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">\r\n\r\n<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Are you so easily triggered by the most infinitesimal provocation that a little girl getting her bolshiness on drives you into breathless spittle-flecked fury?<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">\r\n\r\n<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">One girl, nine years old, at one school, not standing for the anthem. If you work at that school, this might be something you need to address. But when you\u2019re not connected to that school in any way? When you\u2019re a multimillionaire media superstar? When you\u2019re a shadow minister? When you\u2019re a <em>federal Senator<\/em>?<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">\r\n\r\n<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">People of power and privilege and wealth, blessed with giant megaphones, using all that to slag off a fourth-grader. Whipping up hatred and abuse and death threats &#8212; DEATH THREATS &#8212; against a child because they are so horribly insecure that even the mildest expression of divergence from their worldview sets their glass-jawed souls aflame.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">\r\n\r\n<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Harper may have disrespected this country, but how fragile is Australia, that it can\u2019t take a bit of disrespect? What kind of fearstruck populace are we, cowering in terror that someone might come along to hint that we\u2019re not as good as we think we are? What can you say about a country that needs to cry havoc at the smallest slight, except that it is a country that doesn\u2019t truly believe in itself?<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">\r\n\r\n<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Moreover, what can you say about a country that demands public persecution, for anyone who makes use of our treasured freedom of speech for non-approved purposes? What is even the point of standing to honour this country, if we don\u2019t have any choice?<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;\">\r\n\r\n<\/span><\/p>\r\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\r\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Enforced patriotism is surely no patriotism at all, and a little girl who sings an anthem because she\u2019s been ordered to isn\u2019t respecting anything except the threat of punishment. The fact is, an anthem that you\u2019re not allowed to stay seated for isn\u2019t worth singing in the first place.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;\">\r\n\r\n<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Meanwhile<\/span> <span style=\"color: #800000;\"><a style=\"color: #800000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/australia-news\/2018\/sep\/12\/suicidal-12-year-old-refugee-on-nauru-will-die-if-not-removed-doctors-say\">on Nauru, another little girl has attempted suicide multiple times<\/a><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">and will die if she isn\u2019t taken off the island, according to doctors\u2019 warnings to Australian Border Force.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">\r\n\r\n<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">But it\u2019s the girl who won\u2019t sing who gets us angry.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">\r\n\r\n<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">Because that\u2019s the kind of country we are.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; color: #000000;\">\r\n\r\n<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><em>Feature Image: Dingo News<\/em><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;\">\r\n\r\n<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><a style=\"color: #008000;\" href=\"https:\/\/10daily.com.au\/views\/a180912lyx\/for-we-are-young-and-free-not-to-stand-if-we-dont-bloody-want-to-20180913\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Article source (opens in a new tab)\">Article source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"color: #008000;\">\r\n\r\n<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"color: #008000; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\"><a style=\"color: #008000;\" href=\"https:\/\/10daily.com.au\/authors\/ben-pobjie\">Ben Pobjie<\/a><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;\">\r\n\r\n<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Writer and comedian<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">\r\n\r\n<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"color: #000000; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;\">Thu 13 Sep 2018<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;\"><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><!--StartFragment--><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;\"><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>READ MORE:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/tendaily.com.au\/news\/australia\/a180912ige\/impressed-and-proud-father-praises-9-year-old-daughter-who-refused-to-stand-for-national-anthem-20180912\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">&#8216;Impressed And Proud&#8217;: Father Praises 9-Year-Old Daughter Who Refused To Stand For National Anthem<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;\">\r\n\r\n<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>READ MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/tendaily.com.au\/news\/australia\/a180912nye\/schoolgirl-faces-suspension-after-refusing-to-stand-for-national-anthem-20180912\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">Pauline Hanson Calls Schoolgirl Protesting National Anthem A &#8216;Brat&#8217;<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;\"><\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><!--EndFragment--><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Our great country, I have been informed, is in peril. From every side come malign forces to threaten our democracy, our prosperity, our safety, our very existence. The latest spirit of evil seeking the destruction of all we hold dear, is\u2026a nine-year-old schoolgirl. I know, I was surprised too. But it must be true, because [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":986,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[135,624,31,3,392,286],"tags":[79],"class_list":["post-981","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-australias-move-to-the-right","category-education","category-media","category-political-issues","category-racism","category-refugees","tag-abusing-a-child-in-the-the-name-of-patriotism"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dingo.news\/voice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/981","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dingo.news\/voice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dingo.news\/voice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dingo.news\/voice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dingo.news\/voice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=981"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dingo.news\/voice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/981\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dingo.news\/voice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/986"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dingo.news\/voice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dingo.news\/voice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dingo.news\/voice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}