The Age article on web site - Page 2

"neuroinf" <neuroinf@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1125040715.249773.290570@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> This is what I sent to "letters" at the Age:
>
> Of course as a cyclist, I am offended by the "opinion" piece (Shembri)
> on cyclists. Now that we can't ridicule races, or religions, it seems
> that it is ok to ridicule those who choose to say no to the steel cage.
>
>
> The characterisation of Melbourne cyclists is far from accurate. I
> suspect that he wrote this somewhere across the Internet, where he has
> run out of funds and was desperate to get payment for one article. Hey,
> Jim, you ought to visit sometime, there are no bicycle couriers in
> Melbourne anymore. The simple fact (in Melbourne) is that 99% of
> cyclists, and 99% of motorists are (thankfully) very well behaved
> towards each other. We don't read about that in the media: what sort of
> a story would that make: civilisation breaks out all over?
>
> Having said that, I kept a count last week at every red light I saw. It
> took five days before I saw a red light where there was not at least
> one car running the red light. You car drivers are crazy, man.
>
> I could complain about the trivialisation of the word "Nazi", and I
> could complain about the ridicule, but mostly I complain about the
> complete lack of writing talent that this opinion piece shows. Wherever
> you are Mr Shembri, do us a favour, stay there and give up writing.
>

Not that I think it was a good article (I wrote a letter too) but there are,
in fact, plenty of couriers in Melbourne.

cfsmtb wrote:
> dtmeister Wrote:
> > He made anti-pram comments? He's claims to be a fscking author of
> > childrens books!
> Put it down to trendy post-modern cynicism.

i thought is was actually untalented, unsatisfied and uninterested.
(and lonely)

> It's the New Black.

there is no such thing as the "new black"!

black never went into fasion, therefore black never went out of fasion.
anyone that tells you otherwise is probably a fasion victim and uses it
as an excuse to justify their wardrobe "makeover" every season.

black is a perfectly sensible colour for a wardrobe (and its contents).

kim

A sensible letter (imho) about the article got into print this morning:

'Nazi' is not a word to be used lightly

When I saw Jim Schembri's article "The Bike Nazi Party" in Friday's Age (Metro, 25/8), I read on with concern. I presumed that it would be a discussion of the hitherto undocumented existence of a neo-fascist group of bike riders bent on immortalising the superior genes of the Aryan race, and advocating mass murder and political mayhem.
I was horrified to realise that Schembri had used the term, "Nazi Party" in a light-hearted article discussing the often annoying, but far from homicidal, antics of Melbourne's lycra-clad bike brigade. "We all yearn to be unshackled from convention"? Is that what motivated the Nazis? Boy, did they ever unleash the inner beast. How about "we all wish to herd millions of innocents into gas ovens"?

I am not a reactionary; quite the opposite. However, it seems grossly insensitive and irresponsible to allow the term "Nazi" to formally enter the vernacular as a term of jest.

While Jewish comedians such as Mel Brooks have used comedy to undermine Hitler's legacy very effectively and appropriately, they do so in context and with a sense of history. However, to use the term "Nazi" as Schembri has done removes it from its terrible origins. In an attention-deficient age when history is something that happened last week, respected and skilled writers such as Jim Schembri could use their voices to remind our society what the Nazi Party really stood for, and the terrible legacy it left us.

In a very real sense, Hitler's repulsive campaign directly led to the current wave of terror and fear that is engulfing the world. We should never forget what he did.
Meaghan Wilson-Anastasios, St Kilda East

http://www.theage.com.au/letters/index.html

cheers,
ali

The title says it all really.

Exactly. Also, it was an appalling lack of judgement by The Age running the article in the same edition that reported the tragic death of that young man in Collingwood. Schembri's certainly no John Birmingham or Tim Winton.