If the weather report says the maximum temperature in Hobart was only, say, 18 degrees C, don't believe it. Well, it's true, but it feels a lot hotter. Because the ozone layer down here is thinner, the sun feels really harsh. The air is cool, so as soon as you go into shade it feels cool. But in the sun, it's really, really hot. I'm gonna have to be careful not to get sunburned.
Everything in the public square seems to be increasingly conflicted. We seem to be operating with less and less shared values. It feels like we're less and less sure of what holds us together as a 'society.' A retreat into 'tribes' both drives this social fragmentation and is a result of it. Post-modern scepticism towards metanarratives, which has now become culturally normal, significantly contributes to this fragmentation. If we no longer believe that objective truth, independent of our individual or tribal perspectives, exists, we will no longer believe we can appeal to that objective reality as common ground for debate. All we will do is exert power to magnify ourselves and punish those who disagree with us. Because we believe that our cause is right, we will always think of ourselves as the victim of other people's aggression. Therefore, as Stephen McAlpine says, we will always think we're punching "up." We'll valorise ourselves as the ...
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