The shifting landscape of standards and values in modern society

By Graham Pinn

The concept of "standards" has become a nebulous term, subject to constant reinterpretation and manipulation. In the modern era, it is becoming increasingly difficult to ascertain what the word "standard" even means. What was once acceptable behaviour or opinion has now become anathema.

How often, in modern social or traditional media, does a news article start with a conclusion, and then confirm that conclusion by omitting any contrary evidence?

Traditionally, a journalist’s approach was to report the facts rather than give an opinion – no longer. In the current "woke" world, ideology rules; equity, diversity, and inclusion are the supposed hallmarks, but this duplicity means diversity of opinion is often absent.

The government plans to introduce a bill to prevent unintentional spread of false information (misinformation) and intentional dissemination of false information (disinformation).

The obvious problem is, firstly, who decides what is true or false, and secondly, the government’s self-exclusion from examination; currently, 20,000 submissions will need to be processed before the bill is submitted. Will the bill have any effect, particularly when information is intentionally omitted, as opposed to committed?

How will the Australian Communication and Media Authority (ACMA) decide, when pre-existing hate speech legislation is being ignored by the Human Rights Council?

In his prophetic book "1984," George Orwell described a future era where the past was regularly revised and concepts of normality rewritten; the oft-quoted line “who controls the past, controls the future; who controls the present controls the past.”

Social activism means we seem to be reaching that mentality, with regular attempts at rewriting the past. Increasingly, behaviour by one politically correct group is acceptable, whereas a parallel event for those with alternative views is blocked.

The current blatant double standards example is the Israeli/Palestinian conflict; Israel is winning the battle but losing the media war, as Hamas’ intentional and brutal slaughter, and hostage capture, have been airbrushed from the story.

Despite its illegitimacy as an authority, its use of civilians as human shields (its facilities hidden under schools and hospitals), inflated Palestinian casualty figures (only women and children are killed) are used to indicate Arab genocide.

This agenda is apparently believed by the gullible, even though Hamas' long-stated intention is the destruction of Israel and the genocide of the Jewish race; the Israeli Defense Force is committed to keeping civilian casualties to a minimum. Meanwhile, the 100+ hostages still held in captivity are forgotten.

The United Nations, UN Women's Organisation, and UN Children's Organisation (UNICEF) condemned Israel’s response, with no mention of the barbaric slaughter that precipitated the war.

The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has a staff of 13,000, mostly Palestinian “refugees”; apart from supplying relief, it is involved in education, and comments have for years been made about indoctrination of the next generation, so that it will never accept a “two-state” solution – just one, with the elimination of Israel.

The funds supposedly for new build in Gaza have been diverted to a massive tunnel complex, and the Hamas bosses live in wealth and luxury in Qatar. The final straw was that staff members were involved in the October 6th massacre in Israel, and funding has been suspended; the UN itself has made no comment about its own organisation, and Labour continues to support it. The finding of the headquarters tunnel system, under the UNRWA headquarters, has again produced no response.

The bizarre involvement of groups such as the Greens Party, Gay organisations, and academia defy the reality that they would be denied any existence in Palestine; their double standards trumpeted as Israel has been labelled a colonial oppressor.

South Africa, a blatant exemplar of racial disharmony, has referred Israel to the International Court of Justice on grounds of genocide, ignoring the admitted genocidal intention of its antagonist. Even more bizarre is the ICJ verdict, stating Israel “must prevent genocidal acts,” with no mention of 100+ Israeli hostages.

In our own country, there are similar examples, unsurprisingly from our ABC. In a recent rare occasion when reporting balance was enforced, an employee was fired for breaching social media guidelines, giving her opinion about the Middle East conflict.

Despite clear racist breaches, she then claimed the ABC was racist in firing her, and she would seek an apology and compensation; meanwhile, 200 other members of the ABC staff collective have passed a no-confidence vote on their boss. The ABC charter, endorsing lack of bias, according to staff means Hamas is a victim. A similar perspective is offered by Victorian teachers, who believe it is their role to inform children about Palestine; rather than education, they believe it is obligatory to give students propaganda.

The response of authorities to these protests is salutary; there were thousands, carrying Palestinian flags and placards, who blocked the entrance to Parliament House, shouting neo-Nazi insults against Jews and Australia; but no arrests were made.

There is the usual breathtaking ignorance of history; Hamas is part of the Muslim Brotherhood, an organisation intent on eliminating ALL other religions, starting with Jews. Their connection with the Nazis and Hitler goes back to the 1930s; their ambition is to overthrow Western Governments and replace them with an Islamic theocracy.

Meanwhile, a gathering of 60 “far-right,” “neo-Nazi” National Socialist Network, “brandishing” Australian flags, were blocked from boarding a train to Sydney, on grounds they were a threat to public safety. They were prevented from attending Australia Day events, with two arrests, for what they might have done.

This is the standard modern insult to someone you disagree with; which group were the neo-Nazis, were they both neo-Nazis, and how did the police decide who was worthy of arrest? It should be remembered that Islamic terrorist attacks kill around 20,000 each year; right-wing attacks are rare.

The current lack of enforcement of hate speech, even death threats, against Israel is apparently the result of faulty legislation, rather than lack of enforcement by police; similar attitudes prevail with Christian abuse, but insult Islam and the mob will come for you with impunity.

There have been numerous examples of high-profile individuals, including Prime Minister Morrison hounded from office because of Christian belief, no equivalent Muslim examples. It appears that saying something offensive or hateful about someone is an offence, but threatening them with death is not.

Excluding the relevance of section 93Z of the Crimes Act, section 31 of the Crimes Act makes death threats an offence punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment. The continued abuse of Jews and Jewish establishments has produced no response from the Labour party or the police; Christianity’s turn will come.

Once again, fear of being accused of racism prevents action, and a different standard of accountability is applied to one group. A Jewish legal organisation, which is taking up the matter of hate speech from Palestinian supporters, is itself now also subject to death threats, still no action.

Meanwhile right-wing groups in NSW are harried by Police for having supposedly racist gatherings, when no violence is threatened.

Defying reality, systemic racism, according to activists, is still in abundance, but supposedly only applies to the old colonialists. The US has had a Black President, current VP, and numerous senior government ministers; the UK has a Hindu premier, and other cabinet ministers from the Subcontinent and Africa, and Scotland has a Muslim Prime Minister – hardly supporting systemic Western racism.

The field of sport has been occasionally involved in racial controversy, usually headlines involving white players abusing coloured; attempts have been made to clarify what is racial discrimination, but it remains “in the eye of the beholder.”

One classic involved an Aboriginal player who protested about being called a black bastard – complaining about being called black (which he was) as opposed to bastard (which he wasn’t); being called a white bastard does not seem to count.

Aboriginal soccer star Sam Kerr is currently being accused of “a racially aggravated offence” with abuse of a British police officer (race unidentified); there is a deafening silence from the football authorities.

Further confusing the issue are two NRL players in conflict on the pitch, after Ezra Mam (Aboriginal) was called a “monkey” by Spencer Leniu (Samoan) - anybody remember “what goes on tour, stays on tour”?

Every race has its element of discrimination, tribal culture is widespread, rather than only involving the West; do we hear any commentary on the discrimination by Japanese, Chinese, or Malay cultures, let alone mention of Arab antisemitism?

White Supremacy and systemic racism remain academic obsessions, positive discrimination and reverse racism, in employment and education, have resulted in the less able achieving undeserved levels.

The British Empire imposed a world moratorium on the slave trade in the early 1800s; this was not just rhetoric, their navy made sure that slavery from Africa, including a far larger and longer-established Arab trade on the East Coast, came to an end.

The loss of life in establishing that ideal is ignored, and the cancellation of historical figures, such as “invader” Captain Cook continues, with vigour, including recently being sawn off his plinth in recognition. Local councils are cancelling citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day, now relabelled invasion or dispossession day.

Mirroring the Monty Python, “Life of Brian – What Have the Romans Ever Done For Us?” sketch, there is selective memory lapse about the benefits of settlement – improved health, education, accommodation, life expectancy, etc.

The one day that Australians can come together is being cancelled as racist, whereas Aboriginal groups have a racist NAIDOC week of Government-funded activity, limited to a small minority.

This is in addition to Survival Day, Apology Day, Close the Gap Day, Sorry Day, and Mabo Day – all tax-payer funded. The National Indigenous Australian’s Agency has $4.5 billion funding, which has conspicuously failed to “close the gap”; an audit of their activity (as with the ATSIG Commission) is avoided, whereas any non-Aboriginal Corporation would have been shut down. Even Chinese New Year appears better supported by local government than Australia Day.

At least the racist Voice was rejected; even then, states refuse to accept the verdict and attempt to introduce their own version.

The imposition of black affirmative action in university selection has now itself been cancelled by the US judicial system because it disadvantages better-qualified Hispanics and Asians (whites still don’t seem to count). Discrimination persists in this country, and there are considerable educational, employment, and financial advantages from, however tenuously, identifying as Aboriginal.

Universities still adopt a lower admission standard for those claiming Aboriginality, who live in remote communities; a push is underway to give similar advantage to those living in urban areas, to “close the gap.” Lowering the standard does nothing to close the gap. In 2018, UT Sidney muted a plan to build a National First Nations College, by 2023; this blatant racist approach has, so far, failed to eventuate, apparently a more inclusive society is achieved by apartheid. The latest suggested virtue signalling is to suggest appointing an Aboriginal Governor-General.

An NSW Aboriginal “heritage advisor,” with a history of apprehended violence orders, remains employed after threatening a female employee with violence because he was a “cultural knowledge” holder. It appears there was also concern that his sacking might have adversely affected the, then forthcoming, Voice vote; the threat to the white female employee was considered of lesser importance.

Advice was given not to report the incident to the police, and attempts were made to remove her instead, on grounds she was mentally unstable. Subsequent psychological support was offered, not to the victim, but to those who worked with her, and might have been upset that the incident had been reported in the press. Details only came to light when the NSW Government failed to block the release of information.

The “deputy vice-chancellor of the Indigenous Education and Research Centre,” James Cook University; Professor Nakata demanded an increase in indigenous enrollments from 670 to 1000; when told by a female staff member that was impossible, he on 3 occasions, starting in November ‘23, threatened to take a spear off the wall to use on her. The woman has been on stress leave since, with still no comment from the University’s HR department.

Actual threats resulted in an unsafe workplace, something not normally tolerated, but it appears that a violent Aboriginal man sits higher than a frightened, white woman, in the victimhood stakes. “Micro-aggression” is the source of regular complaints, when real aggression is ignored.

Information about cultural endemic domestic violence and child abuse in Aboriginal communities is suppressed; despite this being a cultural reality. These problems are, as a result, not addressed, for fear of being accused of racism when revealing the truth.

Much is made of the over-representation of Aborigines in jail – 30% versus 3% in the population; rather than indicating a greater level of crime committed, these statistics are distorted to indicate racist policing and sentencing. Statistics of deaths in custody are also manipulated for political purposes, the reality being that the Aboriginal male death rate is higher out of jail than in jail.

The story of dispossession runs thin when over 50% of the country has been returned to Aboriginal control.

The legal system has been similarly undermined; in sexual assault cases, as was amply demonstrated in the Higgins case, the presumption of innocence now no longer applies. Without evidence of consent to sex, men are now guilty, in the court of social media and increasingly in the court itself, with the onus on defence.

The MeToo# movement, with its complaint of toxic masculinity, has altered the balance of justice. The horrific rape and torture of Jews by Hamas on October 7th produced no response from this MeToo# movement, a clash of activist agendas. A man was recently arrested for threatening to kill Ms. Higgins, whilst no police action is taken against Muslims openly threatening to kill Jews in Australia.

Breaking-the-law by climate change protests is often ignored, or protestors given minimal punishment for their “eco-terrorism.” Environmental destruction by mining is considered intolerable, but similar destruction by wind or solar is, inexplicably, acceptable.

We were also reminded of double standards during COVID, when those protesting for climate, BLM, or MeToo# were ignored by police, while those protesting against mandates or lockdowns were handled roughly. Who decides which protest marches are “good” or “bad”? The ultimate example must be the illegal Aboriginal Tent Embassy on the lawns of Old Parliament House.

Established 50 years ago; the movement turned violent in 2022, with disputes between rival groups, and an attempt to burn down the building. At least the instigator, who claimed Aboriginality, was given a jail term.

The BLM protests, where players “took the knee” in support of a drug-taking criminal, who resisted arrest, then pulled a gun on police – shot and killed in self-defence – produced no response, with the NRL giving the Green Light to BLM. Aboriginal players now, as a token, do the same, without any response about the 60+ aboriginal deaths in custody, as distinct from over 1000 white deaths.

“Black Lives Matter” is a blatant racist organisation, with the support of anti-Semitic organisers; there is an attitude that other lives don’t matter. The Australian BLM doesn’t appear to know, or care, about the plight of Aborigines in Australia; it is simply a vehicle for general unrest and disruption.

Western governments and companies are continuing to bow to pressure, particularly from sporting organisations, with UK, US, and Australian premiers kneeling for photographs; how long before this voluntary submission becomes obligatory? An example of intimidation tactics was a Liverpool school’s sudden withdrawal of permission for the Daily Mail to use a photograph; it is worrying that these tactics are becoming acceptable.

Political intimidation is now the name of the game; employers are frightened to employ anyone with a dissenting view; a woman lost her job because she was once a member of the English Defence League – no trial, no evidence presented, just the accusation.

Mobs now have the power to have people sacked for anything they choose to find offensive, no matter how long ago or how tenuous the connection. As with George Floyd, any accusation, no matter how false, now means guilt until proven innocent, with violent mobs as judge, jury, and executioner; these threats have now made their way into political circles, with 2 attempts to physically assault Members of Parliament – luckily without success.

Our education system has failed; at least in the UK, where “influential parent lobby groups” are fighting to retain a high standard of education, and not introduce dumbed-down American-style attitudes of political correctness. Academia here is also under attack, with university staff not being able to give views which do not conform to the new standard of “wokeness.”

A petition to “decolonise education,” started by Aboriginal academics, has produced the usual response of universities bending over backwards to comply; previously education was to be free of bias, rather than indoctrination. A similar situation prevails in the US, with the Teaching American History campaign, for a balanced, positive perspective on American history, including Western civilisation and its contribution to the world.

The reality of the struggle for freedom in the world was amply demonstrated by Tiananmen Square in 1989, by the Middle East uprisings in the Arab Spring, by the struggle of Hong Kongers for freedom from communist China, and by the struggle of Afghanistan for freedom from the Taliban. Each of these struggles has been compromised by the collapse of Western standards.

"Freedom of speech," "freedom of expression," "equality before the law," and "presumption of innocence" are no longer protected, but rather under attack from the usual suspects – the “woke,” the "cancel culture," and the “social justice warriors.” It is to be hoped that, as history has demonstrated, a “silent majority” will speak up before it is too late.

The most recent, and horrifying example of double standards, is the refusal by the ICC to accept Israel’s membership, but accepting Palestine as a member state. This is despite Palestine not meeting the requirements of statehood – no stable government, no defined borders, no recognised population, no military forces, and no capacity for international relations.

This is not the first time the ICC has displayed anti-Semitic bias, with no other group subject to such scrutiny; an earlier attempt to prosecute the USA for war crimes in Afghanistan was similarly declined, as was the investigation into Chinese treatment of Uyghurs.

In conclusion, double standards abound in every aspect of modern life – religion, politics, education, sport, and social media. The once-heralded standards of honesty, integrity, and ethics are eroding away, as relativism and moral ambiguity take their place.

The true victims are those who seek truth and justice in a world increasingly defined by hypocrisy and deceit. It remains to be seen whether society will reclaim these lost values or continue down a path of moral decay and societal collapse.

By Graham Pinn