Siege in Martin Place, Sydney

[kfc1]

Yeah, the "I'll ride with you" hashtag had quite a profound impact on a young Muslim lady I'm working with currently (I'm a community nurse).

She was really afraid of the potential backlash from the events earlier this week. Sure enough, she had rocks thrown at her windows early on Tuesday, and called me in a distressed state, too afraid to leave her house. When I visited her and told her about the hashtag concept, she was pretty overwhelmed by the support. Despite her not personally using PT, the notion that people in the community cared enough to add a message really brightened her day.

Good to hear - thank you for sharing.

 

[kfc1]

The mental illness and fear are not mine. Did you hear how #illridewithyou started?

Greens candidate, Rachael Jacobs, was on a train in Brisbane when she noticed a woman at the other end of the carriage fiddle with her headscarf then later take it off. She didn't trouble herself to find out why. Then she fabricated the rest of the encounter. “She might not even be Muslim or she could have just been warm” Jacobs later admitted. But why worry about the facts when assumptions suit your narrative. “Tears sprang to my eyes and I was struck by feelings of anger, sadness and bitterness,” said Jacobs. Her tears were for the “victims of the siege who were not in the cafe”.

This is a demonstration of mental illness and of living in constant fear of a reality that doesn't exist. No one was threatening this woman who took her scarf off. Yet we have thousands of global twits feeling good about playing their part in preventing a racist incident that never happened.

Very interesting to read the whole thing:

Confession time. In my Facebook status, I editorialised. She wasn't sitting next to me. She was a bit away, towards the other end of the carriage. Like most people she had been looking at her phone, then slowly started to unpin her scarf.

Tears sprang to my eyes and I was struck by feelings of anger, sadness and bitterness. It was in this mindset that I punched the first status update into my phone, hoping my friends would take a moment to think about the victims of the siege who were not in the cafe.

I spent the rest of the journey staring – rudely – at the back of her uncovered head. I wanted to talk to her, but had no idea what to say. Anything that came to mind seemed tokenistic and patronising. She might not even be Muslim or she could have just been warm! Besides, I was in the "quiet carriage" where even conversation is banned.

By sheer fluke, we got off at the same station, and some part of me decided saying something would be a good thing. Rather than quiz her about her choice of clothing, I thought if I simply offered to walk her to her destination, it might help.

It's hard to describe the moment when humans, and complete strangers, have a conversation with no words. I wanted to tell her I was sorry for so many things – for overstepping the mark, for making assumptions about a complete stranger and for belonging to a culture where racism was part of her everyday experience.

But none of those words came out, and our near silent encounter was over in a moment.

 

[Moo]

If you hate what the majority in your view label your views and threads then why bother posting?

What are you trying to achieve?

Debate.

No one has any more right to post than anyone else.

 

[Lester Burnham]

Very interesting to read the whole thing:

She made the whole thing up.

It's hard to describe the moment when humans, and complete strangers, have a conversation with no words. I wanted to tell her I was sorry for so many things – for overstepping the mark, for making assumptions about a complete stranger and for belonging to a culture where racism was part of her everyday experience.

But none of those words came out, and our near silent encounter was over in a moment.​

 

[Moo]

She made the whole thing up.

It's hard to describe the moment when humans, and complete strangers, have a conversation with no words. I wanted to tell her I was sorry for so many things – for overstepping the mark, for making assumptions about a complete stranger and for belonging to a culture where racism was part of her everyday experience.

But none of those words came out, and our near silent encounter was over in a moment.​

Funnily enough having lived in the ME for 5 years - racism is far, far worse there than here.

 

[clogged]

Yeah right, the thread was locked before anyone had a choice more like.

My timing in hindsight was perhaps premature, the content however had been proven to be 100% sound.

Intelligent high fliers don't tend to live in southwest WA, as a rule.

 

[romeoh]

I heard a different story of how it started on RN-young man made his own badge up, at home, by himself, and wore it the next day and made a deliberate decision to sit next to a muslim woman on the train to work.
But who cares how it began-we have already been given an example of its being useful.

 

[RisingPhoenix]

Intelligent high fliers don't tend to live in southwest WA, as a rule.

South west?

Lulz.

 

[MC Extra Dollop]

1. casual racism directed against Muslims is bad, how do we stop that?

2. people using Islam as an inspiration to commit horrifically violent atrocities is very very bad, how do we stop that?

Wouldn't the people that fit into the latter category start out 'casually' as well? Or are they committing 'horrifically violent atrocities' before they've even reached adulthood? Perhaps finding a way to stop either before the 'casual' phase becomes an all-consuming hatred might be a good thing to aim for?

 

[JeffDunne]

This is a demonstration of mental illness and of living in constant fear of a reality that doesn't exist. No one was threatening this woman who took her scarf off. Yet we have thousands of global twits feeling good about playing their part in preventing a racist incident that never happened.

Can I ask, why does it piss you off so much?

The sentiment is what people are responding to. I'd question your ability to think rationally if you believe people are somehow feeling a part of the episode on the train. That's ridiculous.

I'm not a fan of twitter as a means to distribute information. 140 characters just doesn't cut it. A hashtag even less.

But what's the harm if people are simply expressing an endorsement of an inclusive society?

 

[Lester Burnham]

Funnily enough having lived in the ME for 5 years - racism is far, far worse there than here.

I watched the latest Russell Brand video and I agreed with his point that the political authorities can use incidents like this to impose excessive security on the populace. But I got the shits with him when he said "here are some facts about Australia. It's free and it's safe and it's open - as long as they tell you what they roughly tell you to do". What countries are you comparing us to Russell? Why don't you get on the case of countries that have serious human rights, democracy and women's rights issues?

 

[Lester Burnham]

But what's the harm if people are simply expressing an endorsement of an inclusive society?

Selectively expressing an endorsement of an inclusive society?

 

[Moo]

It's sad that it's taken two days for Australia and Bigfooty to wake up to the bigoted nonsense that is #i'llridewithyou

Regardless of the lunacy of the inventors - I still think the # was a positive thing.

 

[sherb]

Regardless of the lunacy of the inventors - I still think the # was a positive thing.

Yes it was. It was an act of inclusion. And that's a good thing for the country.

 

[MC Extra Dollop]

It's sad that it's taken two days for Australia and Bigfooty to wake up to the bigoted nonsense that is #i'llridewithyou

It ought to be brutally clear cut....we had an unfolding siege in Australia's largest city, clear role of fundamentalist Islam in the mix....and instead of focusing on the lives hanging in the balance, the narrative was hijacked and turned into some multicultural PC tweet wankfest that served to demonise the Australian community as violent bigots en masse.

One of those focuses was within the individual person's control, the other was completely out of their control. Pretty simple, I would have thought.

And who has 'woken up' to it, incidentally? It seems that the people that thought it was a good idea when they first saw it feel the same way. And the people that thought it was a load of shit when they first saw it also feel the same way.

 

[Moo]

It does seem these days that if one is born exclusively of white origin (especially men), then they are born into a life of continuous apology for being born of white origin.

Yes If only I could live the lucky and racist free life of an Aboriginal man or asylum seeker...instead alas I am cursed to be a white man.

 

[RisingPhoenix]

And there he uncloaks his true feelings and intentions folks.

Steer clear.

What did I say that was wrong?

There are clearly issues with Sydney's Lebanese Muslim community...simply pointing that out.

 

[sherb]

What did I say that was wrong?

There are clearly issues with Sydney's Lebanese Muslim community...simply pointing that out.

You singled out an entire community. Not elements of it, but the entire community.

Don't play dumb, you knew precisely what you were saying. That's why I singled out that particular phrase.

 

[Jakko]

View attachment 98875 #saysmoreaboutmyissuesthanthoseofAustralia

Not a big fan of traditional white Australia I would suggest.

Too bad we fought the wars, and whose sweat and toil built this proud nation you and your ilk now want to demonise.

If Mzzzz Jacobs doesn't like it then she can leave - she is the racist and the bigot for mind.

Is she the one who started the hashtag?

I think she's a bit hot, even if she would hate me.

 

[romeoh]

It's sad that it's taken two days for Australia and Bigfooty to wake up to the bigoted nonsense that is #i'llridewithyou

It ought to be brutally clear cut....we had an unfolding siege in Australia's largest city, clear role of fundamentalist Islam in the mix....and instead of focusing on the lives hanging in the balance, the narrative was hijacked and turned into some multicultural PC tweet wankfest that served to demonise the Australian community as violent bigots en masse.

To the scum who have bought into it I ask this....where has the backlash been? If we are so horrible a nation of people, why have we seen no reprisal attacks? No mosques burnt? No assaults?

Then think back to the mayhem which served as the 'backlash' to the day time events on Cronulla Beach all those years back.

There is a community in this nation that is intolerant and thuggish and violent, and it's not the Anglo Saxon/Celtic one that's for sure.

The narrative was 'not hijacked'-I can't recall any incident in our history getting non stop wall to wall coverage on all channels and all media outlets like this did-and it was about the siege situation and the people inside. You must have been under a rock to miss it.
You have also missed the whole point of it. It wasn't about demonizing the 'Australian community' ( which by the way does consist of muslims and non-muslims). It was not about our nation being horrible-you have made this whole paranoid thing up -its all in your rather unusual mind.
It was actually about including and accepting and tolerating, even valuing differences.
You might want to up the dosage on your happy pills-what is in the waters this week? Is it something about the time of the year-Christmas makes you nervous or something?

 

[romeoh]

Selectively expressing an endorsement of an inclusive society?

That doesn't mean anything.

 

[Lester Burnham]

Yes If only I could live the lucky and racist free life of an Aboriginal man or asylum seeker...instead alas I am cursed to be a white man.

Nothing is more pathetic than victimhood by proxy.

 

[Sydney Bloods]

What did I say that was wrong?

There are clearly issues with Sydney's Lebanese Muslim community...simply pointing that out.

what the actual ****?

you do know the bloke was iranian right?

different ****ing country, different community and demographically speaking the majority of lebo mozzies in Sydney are Sunni's. so its even a different branch of islam.

 

[romeoh]

Nothing is more pathetic than victimhood by proxy.

Jeepers, have you read the last couple of pages of this thread? Plenty of things more pathetic by the looks.

 

[Raz0r6ack]

Yes If only I could ive the lucky and racist free life of an Aboriginal man or asylum seeker...instead alas I am cursed to be a white man.

So are you to blame for all the terrible things that white's did before you were born?