make-believe.org

joe

hello

Ned

I went to the anti VSU rally yesterday and I’ve got to say I was appalled by the level of argument that our Union “representatives” were putting forward. Generally all they could muster was some line about how the “uni lifestyle” (read: beer, bands, whether or not their will be a hairdresser on campus) would be damaged by the legislation being passed. Not only this, but in their usual display of how not to have any political influence, they resorted to personal attacks on any politician that sprang to mind (there was a lot of “Nelson get fucked” type rhetoric - persuasive stuff), and at one point handed the running of the whole rally over to a “cheerleading squad” dominated by a hairy bloke with a mohawk in a pink tutu. And people wonder why the battle looks hopeless. A friend of mine who is not exactly given to public speaking became so enraged that she got up, took the microphone, and reminded people that the VSU legislation actually threatens the intellectual integrity of the university - the funding of research papers, the publishing of student work in journals and many postgraduate jobs as well - not that most of the intellectual kudos the uni had left wasn’t destroyed with the introduction of so many (or actually, ANY) full fee paying places anyway, which probably explains the general lack of interest in the whole bloody thing in the first place. *breathes* Is this really the extent of the opposition? Talk about playing into the enemy’s hands. Is there another rally out there that we don’t know about, where instead of screaming bloody murder, someone actually addresses some of the broader repercussions that VSU will have, or is the union redundant after all, if all it does is give a few funksters some mic-space every now and then? The government must be rubbing its hands with glee.

Ned

oops. *there

Amelia

Damn straight Ned.

The anti-VSU rally was stupendously cringeworthy. I nearly puked when the squeaky voiced young female MC got up and said, ” I hope that our actions here today inspire Australia’s refugees to also get up and take a stand.” YEAH! ‘cos those refugees, they’re all slackers who just DON’T UNDERSTAND the value of a tutu clad cheerleading squad and who OBVIOUSLY need to establish a More Beer club in order to get the government’s attention. And get in some fire twirlers, for christ’s sake!

Tragic, tragic times.

Vince

Ned, sounds like you went to the Melbourne Uni anti-VSU thing (unless tutu-ed hairy blokes with mohawks are more ubiquitous than I think they are). I was there too - and was pretty disappointed as well. I don’t know… I get the feeling that the reason the rally was so flat was that the speakers are dumbing down their language. Could be possible that they’re apprehensive about alienating the already apathetic majority of student even further. I think losing so many years in succession to a diseased right-wing ticket in the Union elections has made the left-prone students wary of ressurecting their image as shrill, unintentionally repellant radicals. That could explain the cutesy (and oddly pleading) bent of yesterday’s rhetoric.

I remember what your friend said, and it’s stuck in my mind. I guess at least she was free to get up and try to plug the gap she saw in the rhetoric. And partly because of what she said, but also partly because of the vagueness of the rest of the rally, I’m going along to the collective they’re running on Thursdays at 1 to see if I can’t find out a bit more about this for myself.

Ned

I saw you there Vince - I shoulda said hi, but well… I’m shy. But yes, I did wonder whether there was an element of keeping it to an easily digestible level, which unfortunately for most people who actually care about the problem, is quite a nauseating level. Is it inconceivable that with serious arguments they might win over more people who are important to the cause, even if that means fewer actual heads in the crowd?

Might well see you on Thursday.

samantha

The fight has been lost.

We lost our chance to effectively repond to the threat of VSU. We knew it was coming and the majority of student organisations australia wide have made no real moves to insulate themsleves against the impact.

It is lost.

Mitchel

It is a sad time for student unions I must admit, yet it really is inevitable. The problem with many of these unions is that the administrative goons that are employed by them are some of the most lazy, uncaring goons imaginable. I know personally some of these people and it sickens me to think of the waste that these people symbolize. One manager at a campus in melbourne has been over heard saying that all students are fuckheads and doesn’t care what happens to them. I know first hand of three employee earning over 38 grand a year who do fuck all at the expense of female staff members who are left to pick up the slack. These pricks will only provide a good level of service if you have big tits and a scandinavian passport. I have been associated with student unions for some years, and if they fold these wankers should be held responsible. They know who they are.

Courtney

God Life sucks really bad. I mean every thing is going wrong.