One of the big cultural differences between Australia and America is our manner of expressing patriotism. Australians have never been big on the whole brass-band pageantry of American “good old Stars‘n’Stripes forever” public patriotism. Similarly, we don’t go in much for the ostentatious American-style “thank-you-for-your-service” public veneration of the military.
That does not mean, however, that Australians do not respect and honour our veterans, our war dead especially. Anzac Day is one of the most revered on the Australian public calendar. When official events were cancelled last year due to the Chinese virus, millions of Australians self-organised “driveway dawn services”. Even in my little Tasmanian country town, our street was lined with flickering candles as residents stood in the pre-dawn darkness to listen to the Last Post on portable radios, calling the minute’s silence.
Anzac Day truly is a people’s day for Australians. Naturally, the left-elite hate it. The more so because, no matter how much academic historians deride “Anzackery”, no matter how many sneering, bilious tweets the darlings of the media elite spit out every April, Australians quietly persist in honouring their fallen, and such unfashionable notions as patriotism, sacrifice and heroism.
But the left-elite have quite different priorities – and it shows in which public events they allow to go ahead.
For the second year running, Anzac Day is officially all-but-cancelled. Not so other public events.
The gleaming pageantry of Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade couldn’t be dulled by a Covid-forced venue change on Saturday night as marchers — well, most of them — moved from the streets to a stadium.
Revellers usually line the traditional parade route through the city’s LGBT hub, but due to COVID-19 concerns, the event was held inside the Sydney Cricket Ground to an audience of 36,000.
Contrast that to the mere 500 permitted to attend Sydney’s Anzac Day parade.
The hypocrisy of not just the political elite but finger-wagging public health employees was on full parade alongside the mincing twinks and hulking drag queens. The next time a sanctimonious TikTok nurse is sternly browbeating you to wear a mask and stay home, remember that plenty of them figured that it’s perfectly safe to flame it up at a Big Gay Out.
“It is such an amazing event we’ve had this year, to really be together, to fight what we’ve had,” Dr Bushan Joshi, who marched with other frontline health workers.
Joshi, one of the 5000 parade participants, said it was amazing to see so many people together, safely celebrating at the SCG.
Veterans were left to reflect bitterly on just where they obviously stand in the priorities of the great and good of politics, public service and corporate Australia.
As one veteran commented:
As a veteran I am angry that we are not given the same and equal opportunity to show our pride, our honour to reflect on our service and sacrifice feom fallen comrades; most of mine that died has been by suicide. I would like the LqBT community to support our tradition with tolerance, and friendship, and respect, the same respect they get. But that’s never going to happen[…]
This has shown the country which Australians are more important, which Australians matter.
Another wrote:
This is a great opportunity for veterans, like myself, to understand how we are valued by this nation.
The Australian
This disgraceful display of double-standards raises a far bigger question: just what is the point of the Gay Mardi Gras any more? The point of the event was originally gay rights – but that’s a struggle long past won. As The BFD’s John Black recently wrote, with the right to marry, adopt children and serve in the military achieved, and homophobia nowadays a condition as rare as rickets or polio, one wonders what all the fuss is about.
When Anzac Day parades are cancelled, but Gay Mardi Gras goes ahead with the full sanction of the state, and the ostentatious participation of police and corporate Australia, then it is fair to ask why “gay pride” is even a thing any more. The notion of being a discriminated-against, marginalised group is obviously false.
One could be forgiven for thinking that the only point now is to remind the rest of Australia just who’s at the top of the totem pole.
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