Right now, there are raging infernos all over Australia.
We're talking people dead, homes destroyed, suffocating smoke.
And yea, I'm quite concerned about my friends there but so far, so good.
Everyone appears to be safe.
Here's the thing, though.
Apparently this is just the beginning,
and it's forecast to get worse.
Now there's a part of me that really feels
for those forced to flee their homes,
leaving their property,
livelihoods behind them.
Having to rely on the kindness of the state
and strangers.
But there's also the part of me that's
vengeful and petty and goes
"Hey you motherfuckers, you
either stay put and take in all that smoke and fight those fires yourselves,
or guess what? There's fine accommodation waiting for you assholes
on Nauru and Papua New Guinea!"
I wonder how it's probably lost to so many of them,
the similarities of their situation
with that of the refugees whose detainment (and torture)
they wholeheartedly support.
This includes fucking children
I still remember many years ago,
reading about little kids who were displaying signs of PTSD
from being detained on the mainland.
Can't even imagine what it's like for them on those godforsaken islands.
You wanna know what's both depressing and infuriating?
During and after this crisis,
these same assholes
would likely (shamelessly) continue supporting that practice.
Oh hell, don't be surprised if most of them
began blaming the refugees themselves for siphoning off
government resources.
Be prepared for all kinds doublethink,
flimsy justifications,
all of which boil down to: I deserve it, not them.
After all, they've shown their brazen hypocrisy regarding citizenship
(let's not forget most Australian citizens today are the descendants of immigrants).
Fuck those people.
Now, I'm quite certain there's also many decent Australians (including activists)
who are on the side of those refugees,
who despise this despicable government policy.
That's the thing about crises, isn't it?
Everybody's affected.
Well enough of that.
