With the world concerned with the Christchurch tragedy, it was easy to forget that Friday saw mass action as school students around Australia and the world protested for climate action. Crikey readers revealed their admiration for the tens of thousands of school kids who risked punishment to make their voices heard (as Guy Rundle put it, the protesters were showing why conservatives should be taking them seriously). Elsewhere, readers discussed the ongoing need for a minimum wage rise.
On the school climate strike
Allen Browne writes: It was inspiring for an old fart like me to be at the Brisbane gathering and see the passion of these fine young people. The highlight, for me, was an eight-year-old girl who spoke lucidly and intelligently for about three minutes, without notes and without ums or ahs or a single pause except for applause.
Gwen Clark writes: Please don’t associate being right wing with being a boomer. We marched in the moratoriums against the Vietnam war. We marched against Apartheid. We marched and protested against many things. I was a lefty environmentalist before there were such things. Climate change became apparent as early as 1985 and I have been in despair since as consecutive right wing governments have ignored the science, a worldwide phenomena. I think it is wonderful that kids are finally marching again, as we did. For a great cause.
Steven Westbrook writes: I think the best part of this wave of protest is that it will generate a new generation of activists to gradually take the torch from those who once felt despair as Howard proclaimed his war for neoliberalism and cultural conservatism won amid a seemingly apathetic electorate. These students are proving that their much maligned social media can be put to great constructive purpose.
On Australia’s minimum wage problem
Mary Wood writes: For heaven’s sake, what is the point of having a job if it does not pay a living wage? All this bullshit about jobs, jobs, jobs — why don’t they just admit that they would prefer a return to slavery?
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“Gwen Clark writes: Please don’t associate being right wing with being a boomer. We marched in the moratoriums against the Vietnam war. We marched against Apartheid. We marched and protested against many things”
#notallboomers
But seriously, it’s true that generalising about generations is inane whether it is boomers ranting about millenials or millenials ranting about boomers. Entire generations of people cannot be generalised.
It is fair to say that generations as they age get more conservative and that the Coalition vote in this country is propped up by the over 50s (even moreso by over 65s) as a vote of under-50s only would overwhelmingly turf them out.
As such, it is fair to say that a majority of boomers now- however they acted when they were young themselves- are Coalition voters who benefitted as younger people from Labour’s reforms in the 70s and 80s and benefitted from Howard’s lurks and purks for those who were already settled and wealthy and home-owning in the 2000s and are now firmly set on slamming the door behind them. But it is not fair to say all boomers are like that.
>> Mary Wood writes: For heaven’s sake, what is the point of having a job if it does not pay a living wage? All this bullshit about jobs, jobs, jobs — why don’t they just admit that they would prefer a return to slavery?
… Then they would have to house, cloth and feed said slaves. And obviously that would be a negative to the bottom line.
Slaves have to be fed unless there is constant replacements to be had.
Automation just means they need fewer so attrition would take a while to make a dent in the current oversupply.