Monday, June 17, 2013

Extraordinary Popular Delusions & the Madness of Crowds

Charles Mackay would have loved these examples:

1) Judging by Kevin Rudd's photo-ops with doomed Labor politicians in vulnerable Western Sydney seats, you'd think the Messiah had at last put in an appearance. This is the bozo who once crowed that support for Israel was in his DNA and threw a party for Israel's 60th birthday in federal parliament. And yet, there he was on the telly last week, being mobbed by citizens of Middle Eastern appearance in what looked like Bankstown.

2) Ten thousand Sydneysiders crammed into the Sydney Entertainment Centre yesterday to listen (at a cost of $337-$721 per seat) to the Dalai Lama discourse on ethical living. A nearby World Refugee Day Rally at Sydney Town Hall would've drawn but a fraction of that number.

And since this is the bouncing bonze's 8th visit to Australia, forgive me for asking: where is all this heading? Footie season, cricket season, Dalai Lama season?

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