I Used To Love Australian Culture - Now I Hate It

I am truly worried about what Australian culture is doing to my boys. Yes, much of what they learn comes from the home and family environment, but so much also comes from school, friends and the internet. Plus, and this is the kicker for me currently, the local footy club.

Yep, the same old culture that existed when I was a teenager, having first come over from Singapore in 1988, is still there - bragging about drinking, laughing about violence, and treating women poorly. To be honest, I haven't seen any of the last one in recent years, but statistics say that violence against women in this country is rampant, and an absolute scourge on our society. Alcohol-fuelled violence is a key part of that, and drinking is deeply embedded in what in means to be a "true blue Aussie".

The other day I was having a conversation with one of the other GM's about the culture of Carlton FC. To me, that is where the club is failing. I don't know exactly what about the culture is wrong, but it seems that it is not truly a team environment, and people aren't fully invested in it. There are power-brokers behind the scenes, and too much individualism. As the old saying goes, a champion team will always beat a team of champions, and that is the situation Carlton finds itself in. This GM agreed with me, and said when he played, it wasn't enough that I had to beat you, I had to hurt you too. This was the guy that hip-and-shouldered me at a meeting a year ago when we had disagreed about something at work. So that's his solution to problem-solving - violence, or physical intimidation at the very least. That's a part of this culture I see a lot of, and really don't like it. The worst part is that he can't see that this is a problem.

You know, I like a drink as much as the next bloke. These days it's less and less, as decades of overdoing it have taken their toll on my body. Plus I don't like being drunk anymore. I like feeling clear-headed, and wanting to do stuff. When drinking, it often becomes just about the drinking, and actually being a contributing, active person, kind of goes out the window. It is that for me anyway.

Another example is an experience I had at a very popular local barber recently. I was there with my 1-year old son, waiting for a haircut. It was the day of the barbers last ever footy game, and he had a few friends in the shop talking to him about it. All he could talk about was how he was going to king-hit the opposition, and basically be a thug. They all thought it was hilarious, and egged him on. How it ended, I do not know, but I do know that kind of thing does happen. Maybe I should have called him out on the spot, but I guess I'm a bit of a coward in that regard. Maybe a keyboard warrior. God I hope not. I did talk to B about it though, and explained why that kind of behaviour and even those kinds of thoughts, are very dangerous in our society. I do believe it is that kind of machoism and glorification of violence, that, when combined with alcohol (and often when not) lead to bad situations, and I imagine are often at the root of our domestic violence problem.

I may be wrong, but I don't think so. All I know is that when I was an impressionable teen, I thought these kinds of guys were cool, and couldn't wait to get into the drinking culture. I could never join the physical side of it, because I can't deal with that. I naturally shy away from hard physical contact. I do have a temper though, and yes, it does cause damage in my life, even recently. We all have our failings, but when the society we're in glorifies the kind of talk and behaviour that can lead to violence, I think we have a problem. I just don't want my kids to grow up thinking this kind of behaviour is ok.