Australia nanny state: Have we become a nation of idiots?

[Dry Rot]

Bit of food for thought with this article. Worth a full read.

I've certainly noticed the ever increasing regulation of everyday life here. Are we getting it right, or are the Europeans showing that regulation (or lack of it) does reflect an idiot factor in the respective societies?

Here's the thing I've come to realise: Australia has too many idiots. We don't have a lot of idiots; we don't even have a middling number of idiots. But we still have enough idiots to reach a tipping point where things are being ruined for the rest of us.

This realisation came to me recently in Europe. Now, I don't want to be one of those people who goes to Europe for the summer and comes home saying everything is better over there – but I've just been to Europe for the summer and everything's better over there.

It feels freer. It feels more fun, more relaxed in places like Italy and Spain and France and the Netherlands. It feels like you're given the right to make your own decisions there, and you're given the trust to not stuff those decisions up.

http://www.traveller.com.au/australia-the-land-of-the-idiot-gi36oy

 

[the PILL]

I think we are generally "try hards" always looking for a pat on the head from anyone that will notice which leads to being ripped off through general trade which rIpples down to the basic consumer...

We roll over on many things for convenience and other nations know it...

 

[little graham]

If you have to ask, you're just a slighty smarter idiot.

 

[Malifice]

It's always surprised me that despite our identity as 'knockabouts with a disdain for authority' we're actually one of the first to advocate for a police state.

 

[Richard Pryor]

This guy sure enjoyed his holiday.

 

[kickazz]

Firstly, hate the term nanny state, it has become a cliched crutch for those who do not want to engage in a proper debate on this topic.

OK, personal bugbear out of the way......

It's true, a lot of the restrictions come about due to having to look after the 5% who are a bit too thick to look after themselves. I guess many Australians tend to embrace the egalitarian nature of our society, and with that comes a bit over-governance.

The other thing to always be aware of is the indirect impact an individual's poor choice can have on the rest of us. David Leyonhjelm used the bike helmet example - if one chooses to not wear a helmet, then one is only putting oneself at risk. This is not technically true. Should that cyclist suffer head injuries, then the state will end up providing care. Same with things like seatbelts or smoking. A truly libertarian approach would also remove all recourse to help from the state should such poor choice deal you unwanted consequences.

The Greens push to banning online in-the-run gambling annoys me, it comes across as an arbitrary limitation of freedom that is not aligned with their ideology. But again, one could say that it might save the state money in the long run with regard to other social impacts.

The authour of the article cites singing in the streets and general public joy as something missing in Australia. I put that more down to the nature of Australians as very conservative 'pull ya head in' type people than anything else.

We do have rule of law here - many a country would be jealous of this. But in some areas, maybe we could pull it back a bit. I saw an operation on the weekend nabbing drivers with expired regos - would have been about a dozen cops involved. Seems a waste to me....

 

[Pie eyed]

Australia nanny state: Have we become a nation of idiots?

Commercial TV ratings say yes...Australians are total ******* morons.

 

[Chief]

Bit of food for thought with this article. Worth a full read.

I've certainly noticed the ever increasing regulation of everyday life here. Are we getting it right, or are the Europeans showing that regulation (or lack of it) does reflect an idiot factor in the respective societies?



http://www.traveller.com.au/australia-the-land-of-the-idiot-gi36oy

Freer and more fun?

Taxi drivers in Paris riot - tip over cars, burn tires, beat up Uber drivers - and the government changes the law for them.

Europe is a decrepit cesspit. Covered in dog poo because the "free and fun" people don't want to be told they should clean up after themselves.

 

[The Punter]

The place where he went to on holiday felt more fun. Then he came back here to work.

Hmmmm.

 

[blackcat]

Bit of food for thought with this article. Worth a full read.

I've certainly noticed the ever increasing regulation of everyday life here. Are we getting it right, or are the Europeans showing that regulation (or lack of it) does reflect an idiot factor in the respective societies?



http://www.traveller.com.au/australia-the-land-of-the-idiot-gi36oy

Have we become a nation of idiots?

stupid question

 

[RICHOLEGEND12]

As soon as something bad happens the answer here is regulation. Lockout laws, excessive fines for traffic offences, stupid as **** laws like fining people for not locking their cars.

 

[Barry_Badrinath]

So he went on a summer holiday to Europe, and it felt more relaxed and fun than his time in Aus, where he spends the majority of his time working, running errands, etc?

He makes some interesting points but it's hard to view this as any sort of objective observation.

It would be interesting to ask some German tourists this summer what they think of Aus.

 

[Seeds]

Bit of food for thought with this article. Worth a full read.

I've certainly noticed the ever increasing regulation of everyday life here. Are we getting it right, or are the Europeans showing that regulation (or lack of it) does reflect an idiot factor in the respective societies?



http://www.traveller.com.au/australia-the-land-of-the-idiot-gi36oy

It's a worry when the travel writer is making accurate statements about the problems of our society. You really know things have gone very wrong when this is happening.

 

[Seeds]

The place where he went to on holiday felt more fun. Then he came back here to work.

Hmmmm.

Hmm what? He is Australian. What a dumb post.

 

[Jones_3_16]

Europe is a decrepit cesspit. Covered in dog poo because the "free and fun" people don't want to be told they should clean up after themselves.

Great post boss.

The author of the article linked in the OP is totally delusional if they think that Europe has a model worth emulating in Australia.

Europe is totally over regulated to the point where it's industry has been strangled to death.

There are three growth industries in Europe: Government largesse; rent seeking; and small bars.

Hardly something worth copying here.

 

[Jones_3_16]

Bit of food for thought with this article. Worth a full read.

I've certainly noticed the ever increasing regulation of everyday life here. Are we getting it right, or are the Europeans showing that regulation (or lack of it) does reflect an idiot factor in the respective societies?



http://www.traveller.com.au/australia-the-land-of-the-idiot-gi36oy

I would hate to break this to you Dry Rot - the EU is the ultimate nanny state.

The OP and the author of the article quoted are just self loathing Australians who deep down wish they could sitting in a coffee shop in Paris - jobless - talking about "how unfair the austerity measures are on the unlucky Greeks".

 

[smokingjacket]

I would hate to break this to you Dry Rot - the EU is the ultimate nanny state.

The OP and the author of the article quoted are just self loathing Australians who deep down wish they could sitting in a coffee shop in Paris - jobless - talking about "how unfair the austerity measures are on the unlucky Greeks".

Yes and no.

France has fairly intrusive industrial regulation but not the culture of regulation of the public sphere.

Cities in Europe tend to be much denser so people live and play in their own neighbourhoods, rather than making a trip from the suburbs to the city to cut loose like Australia.

It's reasonable to suggest parts of Europe could learn things from the Australian industrial model and Australia from the way Europe opens it public space up for people to live and play in.

 

[Maggie5]

Not a nation of but there are quite a few idiots in a place in Canberra called Parliament House. Then again some of you put them there so not sure what that says.

 

[Lebbo73]

Not a nation of but there are quite a few idiots in a place in Canberra called Parliament House. Then again some of you put them there so not sure what that says.

The some of you would be referring to those that put people like Adam Bandt, Ludlum, Sarah Hanson-Young, Larissa Waters, etc in Canberra!

 

[Chief]

It's reasonable to suggest parts of Europe could learn things from the Australian industrial model and Australia from the way Europe opens it public space up for people to live and play in.

Europe has the tradition of the town square as an open public space. Australia has in some places tried to emulate that, but Westfield is mostly the new town square making this public good private property. In Brisbane they turned King George Square into this fugly thing:

The US don't really have this tradition, though some older cities have these spaces.

 

[Slax]

When you no longer have a media that is interested in journalism, but only in sensationalism it is fair to say that the public is of sub par intelligence. Investigative journalism and even a bi-partisan media is dead in this country, when the only mainstream media that sits in the centre is constantly picked on by government and the rest of the media for being leftist you know the country is too far to the right.

 

[Hoops]

As soon as something bad happens the answer here is regulation. Lockout laws, excessive fines for traffic offences, stupid as **** laws like fining people for not locking their cars.

Is this true? Where?

 

[Bunk Moreland]

We just have too many politicians. More lawmakers = more laws.

Three bloated levels of government.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

Nanny state is misused, overused and abused. Like Political correctness it's become almost meaningless as people use to it for anything they just don't like.

It's easy to go on holiday, visit the sights, hang out in the cool neighbourhoods, get drunk and/or take drugs every second night, and decide "This is way better than where I live!". There'd be people from the duller parts of Europe and North America who look back on their time in inner-Sydney, inner-Melbourne and the Great Barrier Reef with similar thoughts. Nobody visits the Cranbournes on holiday...

 

[carnthemlions]

Europe has the tradition of the town square as an open public space. Australia has in some places tried to emulate that, but Westfield is mostly the new town square making this public good private property. In Brisbane they turned King George Square into this fugly thing:

The US don't really have this tradition, though some older cities have these spaces.

It's just ******* horrible. Green space? Nah * that, let's cover it in concrete. Not that you could say planning has ever been a strong point of this country.