So Long and F**k Off

Today in Sydney, there's a purer light in the sky...and I feel more nourished. The beast is gone, for now, and the warmth has returned to our hearts.

Yes, the paragon of the Whingeing Westies, Alan Jones, has announced he'll be off air whilst he is treated for cancer. I don't usually wish ill on anyone, but...I like to think of my fellow Sydneysiders as open minded, tolerant people - so why do they listen to, and believe, radio hosts somewhere to the right of Ghengis Khan?

Jones shamelessly exploits the prejudices of his (mostly Sydney) audience, feeding on fear, ignorance and jealousy. Here's Jones in the lead up to the Cronulla riots:

My suggestion is to invite one of the biker gangs to be present in numbers at Cronulla railway station when these Lebanese thugs arrive. The bikie gangs have been much maligned, but they do a lot of good things.

These Middle Eastern people must be treated be treated with a big stick, it’s the only thing they fear. They don’t fear fines and they laugh at the courts.

Lovely, huh? But it's nothing new. In 1993, Jones described the choice of Mandawuy Yunupingu as Australian of the Year as an "insult" and said he’d been granted the award simply because he was black.

But for those who like this sort of thing, "They find it comforting to hear him. He seems so strong, it makes them feel safe. It's his strength and reassurance. Almost like they are listening to Daddy." (For more in this vein, see here).

They'll have to cope on their own now. As for the rest of us, I think we deserve a few drinks - some to celebrate, some to forget.

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