The Rant Thread...

[Miska]

agreed tho i think the greens are a little better then u say!

[Swallow]

Nah, they are wanky, they can't make up their mind if they want to be an interest group or a catch all party, so they have policies which appease most people, then scare people away with other, such as the legalisation of all drugs. I wish they'd just make up their mind and take a stance....

unlike the Nationals (fence-sitting bastards!!!! Just pick a damn side!! You're either a lib or you;re not!!!!!)

[Natally]

I really don't like the greens. they're not quite evil, but I still don't like em.
Liberal's the one to go!

[Swallow]

*stares blankly. calmly pours a glass of water. picks up a glass of water, fills mouth, and then spits it out*

LIBERALS!!!! Oh, i better stop talking now, i might hang myself....

[Miska]

i was a huge democrats fan, but after all that trouble where thye have really disgraced themselves i went greens, cos labour is nothin and liberals...dont get me started!

[Dameon]

FLIT!!!

Don't you bag out my Greens!!! *shakes fist furiously at Flit*

KSL

[Elspeth]

*steps in*

Argh! A political debate! Cream pies are going to be thrown ANY MINUTE NOW.

*steps out*

*steps back in*

*throws a cream pie*

[Swallow]

*throws a cream pie at Buneater and then goes back to serious discussion*

the greens are an important political party, i just wish they would make up their minds as to what type of party they want to be, when they do that, they'll get more votes, i'll bet...

Nah, i'm more angry at the EVIL NATIONALS!!!! fence sitting bastards

[Lauren Hedgehog]

as to why Australians are so stupid in general, well I'd say because being good at sport is valued more than being able to learn stuff

OK, ready for another rant ;D

I went to my stupid primary school the other day and in the hall they have photo's and info about everyone of the many students who has represented the school in sport at city,state or national level. But where is the science shield? I found it while helping out with my brothers class. It is completely covered with dust in a box under the back of the stage with a whole heap of rubbish. I was so annoyed also because my name is the last on it. The teacher who was interested in science left so there was no longer any push to award it. The school no longer gives ANY awards for academic achievement because 'it makes people feel left out', yet the end of year awards night consists of every student being given a certificate telling them what they're good at and tropys and medalians for groups who won in their division at sport, people who represented at state or higher level , sportsman/woman of the year level etc. etc.

so no wonder Aussies are stupid, it's drilled into us at an early age that it's brawns over brains any day

[Miska]

i agree lauren hedgehog! my primary skool always gave dux to teh sporting champ! argh! stupid ppl!

[~Dani~]

My school si equally obsessed between sport and academics. We have a speech night and a sports night!

[Miska]

that is good! at least they knowlege both

[Elspeth]

My secondary school was just like that, too. Everywhere you went, there was something to do with sport. Then, we got a new principal, who wanted to expand the school's horizons a little. He raised funds and built a theatre for the school. I was in the school band, so I was slightly excited about the whole thing, especially knowing I was going to be part of the first performance in the new theatre.

We had a couple of dress rehearsals for the opening ceremony, so we could get our act together and also so all the students could experience the opening ceremony, even if it wasn't quite the real thing. A couple of days after the opening ceremony, we had a mini-debate in class, about whether the school valued sports over other achievements. All the sporty people said they were left out, that there was no emphasis on sport etc. I was starting, open mouthed at them, thinking of the newsletters full of sports results, the sports clubs run during lunchtime, the athletics and swimming carnivals that run twice a year and interrupt you whether you do sport or not...

Turns out, they were complaining because we "practised" on them with the opening ceremony. I mean, what? I felt like standing up and saying: "Well, until we stop the school twice a year and force everyone to play an instrument competitively, whether they can or not, then you're speaking crap."

But I didn't. I was even shyer when I was in secondary school.

To any potentially sporty Ober.net members, please don't feel I'm attacking you. Sport has a place in school and achievement should be acknowledged, but not at the expense of those who try to achieve academically.

Miska> I can't believe your primary school gave the dux prize to the best sports player. That's just... so wrong.

[~Dani~]

Yeah that is so true!
I sort of am hopeless at sport so it is good our school is also obsessed with acdemics.

[Feather]

Buneater the parallels with my own high school experience are astounding...

And even at the college I'm in. Seems college 'spirit' is only measured in a) how much sport you play and b) how much you drink. No kudos for involvement in arts activities, or for woooping everyone's butt at academics. Needless to say the college is always bragging about how many ppl here have an HD average in order to recruit nice middle-class kiddies but it still doesn't count as college spirit.

But this is all just a microcosmic view of the country we live in. Sport is hugely (over )prioritised - like there is practically ZERO arts funding since 1996, and no investment in higher education. I mean, higher education is now viewed as a commodity to be bought by consumers on the free market, rather than a social benefit. Grrrr. A matter very dear to my heart. And when people write to the editor and say well why should I fund your degree when you might make mega bucks out of it I think... don't you realise educating society in general is in our social interest as a nation?? Grrrrrr. If you start thinking user pays then why am I paying for rural drought relief when I live in the metropolis? THe same argument goes. We live in a society and so we pool our collective resources for the benefit of all.

Okay way off the topic of sport there I know...

random statistic: each gold medal Aus won at the olympics represents around $40 million in taxpayer buckeroos. (That's a looooot. HEalth and Education, anyone? No thanks we're busy watching the olympix.)

like buneater I am a big sporting fan myself... but there has to be some balance, perspective and equity about it. Grrrr.

[Dameon]

I work in the arts, and it is SO hard for us to get funding.

In fact, we're funded by the Health Department, because there simply isn't enough money for the ACT Arts Minister to approve giving us some. And the Education Department won't even think about it! We teach all kinds of art to Canberran kids to help them cope with social problems

I bet if we used sport to deal with problems, we'd get a ton of cash from Education!

KSL

[Feather]

you are joking... the health department? what a farce.

no arts funding... but when Western civilisation pops its head up to say what it's proud of, artistic acheivements are up there at the top. We rattle off Beethoven, Picasso, Da Vinci, Goethe, Shakespeare, Moliere and co at the drop of a hat as the crowning achievements of our way of life. But fund it? Hell no.

(note absence of David Beckham, Jana Pitman and Mal Maninga in above list)

[Miska]

well u no all the arts is old fashioned and wasteful! not hipand deffinatley requires not tallent! so y would u waste money on it! (not sarcasim)

[Squarmi]

I'm actually going to disagree with you Feather on how college spirit is measured, at least at Sancta. We measure college spirit by how much a person supports the college, no matter how they do it, whether it be playing or supporting sport, or getting involved in cultural activities or supporting cultural activities. We have just as many dinners for the cultural and academic people as we do for sports people, and most of the dinners don't have alcohol at them. We're encouraged to support our sponsor pub, but that doesn't have to be by drinking excessively or drinking alcohol at all. Just a couple of quiet ones is as valued as people getting smashed. And we as a college had the biggest support turnout for debating of all the colleges, Wesley almost didn't provide seating for the supporters and got a shock when at least 10 of us arrived on their doorstep to support. And when we put in for roomdraw points at the end of the year, supporting is as valued as actually playing. Not only that, we had a VD (victory dinner) when we won the debating competition.

Sorry, rambling. Some people might value sport more, but the schools I've been to and the college I'm at value sport, cultural and academic achievement equally.

Squarmi

[Feather]

wow, wish my college was like that. I'm glad you've had such a positive experience. not that mine has been heinous, lotsa good stuff, but I stand by my earlier post

Feather ;D

[~Dani~]

You have a house named Wesely? I am in Wesely house at school and no thanks to me we won champion house.

*coughs* Sorry that was a bit off topic!

[Miska]

lol! no not too off the topic cos wesley always wins the comps! well from wat ive heard

[Squarmi]

Yeah, Wesley is one of the colleges and unfortunately they do win a lot of the sports but they place huge emphasis on sport and that's one of their criteria for getting in there. We take everyone basically.

Squarmi

[Talmina]

i dont think ill ever forget the year that my primary school wouldnt let me play on the netball team.

but my high school and college both were really great and encouraged academic achivement possibly even over sporting achivement. hell in yr 10 we got in trouble for chanting for our boys volleyball team when the grand final was played at our school. so in our true school spirit whe started cheering for the other team, they were hotter anyway

[Squarmi]

Right. Rant Time.

My Dad is getting married and selling the house I've lived in since I was four and a half. That's over 15 years of memories that he's just selling off, willy nilly. I'm so upset. Not only that. This has all been boiling up inseide me for a month because he wouldn't let me tell anyone because he hasn't told his parents yet. But he's telling them this week so now I can talk. All my memories of my childhood and my Mum are encased in that house and he doesn't care. All he cares about is whether I'm happy that he's getting married and that I like Mary. She's nice enough. I'm not home very often anyway. It's not going to be that big a deal. Ok, and that seems contradictory cause I'm making a big deal about him selling my home and then saying I'm not there anyway. But I like to go home sometimes and be able to feel the way I feel at home. Like I can still feel Mum around me. But I won't have that in a new house. It won't be the same at all. I'm not expressing myself very well here. But I just want to be able to go home during the holidays and have that home feeling, and go and lie on Mum's bed where she slept and look at her things, still where they were when she died and look at her jewelery still where it was five and a half years ago. It's like she's still there. But I'm never going to have that when we move. I didn't really mind when Dad told me he was getting married again. I always knew it would happen eventually. But when he told me about my home, I burst into tears. But had to hide them cause he sounded so excited and happy. And hearing me upset would have made him cranky and depressed and I'm sick of him acting like that. I just... I just want everything as it was before.

Squarmi