How to lose friends and influence people. It's easy: Insult and denigrate them 18 September 2023

 

Australians will vote on a referendum question about the creation of an indigenous Voice to parliament and the executive on October 14,  2023.

One very notable feature of “debate” about the Voice proposal is the propensity of Voice advocates to respond to questions about the Voice or disagreement with the proposal by hurling personal abuse at questioners or unbelievers.  Our experience teaches us  that when proponents of an idea behave this way they have no valid case. If they had a valid case they would patiently repeat it, in detail, as often as required to get their message across.

Prof. Megan Davis said that questioners are illiterate because they were in her opinion  incapable of reading the Langton/Calma document which would supposedly answer all their questions. In fact that document, which I have read,  raises many more questions than it answers.    

When the Nationals declared their opposition to the Voice, Noel Pearson referred to the Nationals Party as “a squalid little party” and its  leader David Littleproud as “a kindergarten kid”.

He castigated Senator Jacinta Price as “punching down on blackfellas” having been “drawn into a tragic redneck celebrity vortex” orchestrated by the Institute for Public Affairs and the Centre for Independent Studies.  

When former Prime Minister John Howard expressed a negative appraisal of the Voice,  Noel Pearson responded with …”but who can arrogate to themselves that kind of presumption that their own views should be the view that prevails ?”   Mr Pearson appeared to be unaware that he was doing exactly that which he claimed Mr Howard was doing. 

Actually  Mr Howard was simply expressing his considered response to the Voice proposal but  Mr Pearson’s reaction shows just how intolerant are Voice proponents to any form of negative feedback and how they refuse to engage in reasonable debate or discussion about any of the issues.

When The Nationals took a stand against the Voice Prof Marcia Langton said in response       

 “We have to take these matters seriously. This is too important to play nasty electoral politics about … it would be terribly unfortunate for all Australians if the debate sinks into a nasty, eugenicist, 19th century-style of debate about the superior race versus the inferior race.”

I do not pretend to know what Prof Langton thought she meant by this strange outburst but it is clear she was attacking the messenger, not addressing the message.

Recently Prof Langton said that the No campaign is based on “…base racism…or sheer stupidity”

Leader of the federal opposition Peter Dutton asked the Government to answer 15 questions about the Voice proposal. The questions were not answered and the PM’s response was to accuse Mr Dutton of “trying to confuse the issue” and of engaging in ”cheap culture war stunts”.

The latest and perhaps most egregious contribution to the litany of insults comes from Geoffrey Robertson, an Australian lawyer resident in England,  who authored an article published in the Sydney Morning Herald on 16 September 2023.

The headline of the piece reads “ If the No wins, the world will think we’re racist anyway”.   

This suggests an extraordinary level of grandiosity from Mr Robertson who appears to believe that he possesses some mysterious superpower which gives him the ability to know what “the world” thinks.

He said “However much we may enjoy the spotlight on the world stage, the danger is that on October 15 and afterward, it will be interpreted by outsiders, whether we like it or not, as the vote of an ignorant and racist populace.”

My comment on this:

First, I think it highly unlikely that those of us who support the No vote have any interest in the world stage with or without a spotlight. That is more likely to be Mr Robertson’s preferred performance arena.

Second, Mr Robertson is telling Australians who vote No that they are “an ignorant and racist populace” but is doing so in a manner which is sneaky and disingenuous by pretending that this adverse assessment is coming from nameless  “outsiders” whoever that might be.

At least Prof Langton and Noel Pearson speak their insults directly and take responsibility for them.  

Mr Pearson has even acknowleged that some of his outbursts might  have damaged the referendum Yes case.  Indeed they have.

 Update 6 October 2023:  At a Yes rally attended by the prime minister yesterday, veteran broadcaster Ray Martin accused  people who don't know (how the Voice will actually work)  and vote No of being dinosaurs or dickheads too lazy to do a google search.