Comments on: How to Confuse a Socialist Alternative Member

By: Justine

Justine — Fri, 29 Jul 2005 15:08:04 +0000

Not to appear a history freak, but the ORIGINAL use of SA was, if I recall rightly, the “Sonderabteilung” (special dept.) of Hitler’s racial-purity apparat — the volks (sorry for the weak pun) who brought us the “final solution.”

In case you were curious!

Hugs, Justine

By: Aimee

Aimee — Tue, 12 Jul 2005 00:34:13 +0000

Alexis, I was referring to the Socialist Alternative. Although I’ve got Socialist Alliance stories too…

I agree re there being too many “SA” acronyms around these days. Also, if they’re as socialist as they say, why can’t they just have one organisation?

By: Stuart

Stuart — Sun, 10 Jul 2005 17:16:03 +0000

It’s always interesting to cast a critical eye over how different media outlets treat the same issue. Something as simple as referring to the issue as “industrial relations *reform*” vs. “industrial relations *changes*” speaks volumes about the political bias of the person using the terms.

By: Alexis

Alexis — Tue, 05 Jul 2005 02:01:18 +0000

Sorry, just wondering: did you actually mean Socialist /Alliance/, or were you definitely referring to Socialist /Alternative/? (Too many ‘SA’ acronyms nowadays . . . . i check my news feeds, and see a headline like “SA protest against public housing restrictions”, and wonder: “Does that ‘SA’ stand for South Australia, Socialist Alliance, Socialist Alternative, or South Africa?” )

By: Aimee

Aimee — Fri, 01 Jul 2005 17:51:54 +0000

I just went and read the Age’s website, and you’re right. Ooh, it makes me angry. Typical of the media’s focus on business, rather than looking in to why so many people thought it important to protest. I also noticed in the article I linked to yesterday that they’d done their best efforts to report the more extreme chants and actions, and make it look like a big pro-Labor rally rather than anything else. From where I was, most of the chants were specifically related to the cause. I don’t doubt that people were chanting personal things about Howard, but to report those slogans as the bulk of what was being chanted is just stupid and a misrepresentation of what’s actually happening. But I guess you can’t be too careful, after all those violent S11 protesters.

Just remember: protesters = troublemakers! Much like a creepy lecturer I had once believed female students only ever file harassment complaints against lecturers to cause trouble and not because they might have, y’know, any valid grounds to make a complaint, the media seem to be enjoying promoting the notion that people only stop work and protest to cause trouble. There wouldn’t be any valid reason to do that, ever. Oh, no.

By: adam

adam — Fri, 01 Jul 2005 16:38:26 +0000

I was there too, with my boss. And nobody’s docking my pay. Have you seen the age’s front page report today? It’s all about the dramatic cost to the economy, lots of quotes from business and government, nothing from Trades Hall or protestors. Say it loud, say it proud: Fuckers.