A rude awakening to rouse the masses

Over the weekend, Australia and the world watched in horror at the tragedy that unfolded in Bondi Beach.

At least 16 people have died as two gunmen fired into a Hanukkah festival that was taking place near one of our most iconic beaches. Several are fighting for their lives as you read this.

This event is tragic on many levels.

Firstly, it was a massacre that took away many lives and tore families apart.

Secondly, it was clearly a crime motivated by hatred towards a particular community – the Jewish community.

Thirdly, only three police officers were on duty for the festival that was taking place.

Ironically, an unarmed citizen took it upon himself to wrestle the gun off one of the shooters, potentially saving many lives even if the gunman later continued the killing spree. This occurred in a country with strict gun control.

Fourthly, our country, and Western civilisation, have eroded their traditional values. Those in charge are making its people embrace a suicidal empathy using ideology and misguided thinking. It now faces a clash on our own territory with cultures and values that clearly don’t respect ours.

Our hearts go out to all those affected.

Let’s be clear about something: this incident isn’t a one-off act by some deranged lunatics. It’s the result of a system that enables such people to exploit it.

I’m not blaming just the incumbent government, but the many of the last three decades.

We’ve inherited this from a combination of complacency, comfort, corruption, and a childish belief that there’s no malicious intent among some to our community.

If you think this will be the end of the matter, I have to inform you with a heavy heart that it’s not. We’ll have to live with events like this for a while. I explained why in last week’s article about the problems our country faces and must overcome.

The burning question is this: will the tragedy in Bondi Beach on Sunday be the rude awakening we need to rouse Australians to reclaim their country and restore their values?

Living the consequences of a system in decay

In recent years, we’ve seen an increasing number of mass shootings, stabbings, violent crime, burning and looting, and civil unrest.

They were gut-wrenching, but it was even harder for many to stomach the idea that our society was slowly destroying itself.

However, as these events happen more frequently and involve predominantly people of certain backgrounds or values, it’s hard to dismiss this as being merely coincidental.

I’ve written some articles in Fat Tail Daily over the past four years highlighting this insidious sabotage of Australia and the Western civilisation.

While many write back in support, a small proportion who disagree vehemently and dismiss my concerns.

Even last week, a handful of them jeered my article in the comments section. Their most common line is to tell me to stick to gold and precious metals investments and stay out of politics. They dismiss the problems I see in Australia as being crazy and divisive.

Perhaps they do live in a different Australia to most of us – in relative security and comfort, isolated from trouble. That may sustain a smug ignorance of the plight that most Aussie battlers face.

To them, I’ve one thing to say:

I can stick to my gold and precious metals investment tips as you ask. But will you have a life or liberty to enjoy the gains if Australia continues as it does?

I’ll await them to pop their head up this week given what happened on Sunday…

As for the rest of us, we see the consequences as a direct result of our system rotting away.

Our economy ditched various industries over time, selling them overseas and leaving many workers without a livelihood. We shifted our focus to resources, real estate, overseas students, and living off the fat of our land. To top it off, we face a demographic cliff and an insurmountable debt pile.

The younger generation resents their parents’ generation for bequeathing them unaffordable housing, rising living costs, and jobs that don’t help them get a footing in life.

To address our rising debt, government budget blowouts, and an ageing population, our government (both major parties) has sought band-aid solutions and quick fixes that the taxpayers have to pay for.

Worse still, the government has worked with businesses and academic institutions to dress this up as our country becoming more inclusive and diverse. They shut down dissension through overt and covert threats. A vast majority of Australians is deeply indebted and is struggling with keeping up. They grudgingly play along with this sick agenda for fear of losing what they have.

Today, Australians share their land and riches with some who don’t share that intention. Those meant to lead our country have not only failed us, but have often sold us out, whether quietly or blatantly so.

We’ve let in something we ought not, fed it and it’s now fighting us.

A parallel with Hong Kong –
different tragedy, same format

A few weeks ago, you may have watched as seven buildings in a Hong Kong housing estate went up in flames.

That estate was five minutes’ drive away from where I grew up, in Tai Po. So it was close to my heart, even though I don’t know any relatives or friends who live there.

How is this similar to the Bondi Beach shootings? It goes back to the root cause of the tragedy.

The estate fire came from accumulated policy errors and malfeasance of several parties. Rising property prices have plagued Hong Kong for decades, thanks to the government slowing land release and zoning. It benefited many property investors and developers and led to a wealth inequality that dwarfs ours.

Large real estate firms lobbied the Legislative Council in 2016 to mandate property maintenance works. This is meant to be a good thing, as such maintenance should help improve living standards, safety, and help resale value. But unscrupulous officials, property investors, and building developers had another plan. They infiltrated strata committees to help them win tenders for these jobs, pocketing handsomely in the process.

While shoddy work practices played a direct part in causing the fires, the root of the cause is a corrupt system that piled on the proverbial tinder.

The fires were preventable if not for developers and contractors using flammable protective nettings that easily caught fire to maximise profit. Moreover, the developer violated safety standards and good practice when they simultaneously conducted maintenance works on all the buildings, again to save time and costs. Fire from one building spread easily to the others.

Hundreds, if not over a thousand people, are now dead. Several thousands are now homeless and destitute.

The scale of the loss is huge, and it was so unnecessary.

To rub salt on the wound, the government and the complicit media spread false information blaming the bamboo scaffolding as the cause for the blazes. They hoped to deflect blame and accountability. However, they backed down after furious backlash from the public, aided by netizens who were eyewitnesses pointing out that a large proportion of scaffolding remained while the netting was all but incinerated.

Expect the scale of justice to remain undressed for a long time, just like our own tragedy on Sunday.

Looking beyond the tragedies
and to a slow recovery

While many grieve at these tragedies, it’s important that we think about our individual role in moving forward.

This doesn’t mean we don’t pay our respects and feel the gravity of what we’re seeing unfold.

If the ordinary Australian can see beyond their own lives and truly stand up for their neighbours, our country can undergo revival.

It’s hard, no doubt about that. The realities of keeping our job, putting food on the table, paying our bills, and looking after our health are all important priorities.

But casting aside some of our costly habits, resisting conformity, and building our wealth on real money rather than debt, these all add up over time.

Most of you who read this have your head well above the water, even as the tide rises. Responsibility falls on us to reach our hand to grab those who are struggling.

As I close this article, may this Christmas transform us so we can help bring Australia to its former glory.

Take care, and let’s do it together for our fellow Australians.