Charlley McQuade-Hall
A reoccurring thought that quite frankly keeps me up at night is, have we noticed how different society is today?
If you don’t have a box of masks in the glove box and three in your bag and one in the wash, then who the hell are you? Not to mention you’ll have booster shots one, two, three and four on record ready to be whipped out at any time you get blocked up by a sorry waitress.
You also want to be sure your phone isn’t supposedly flat, otherwise you might be a suspect unvaxxed, the new age troublemakers, menaces and conspiracy theorists out to wreak havoc and break down the fabric of our society.
Who would have thought Covid-19 could have uncovered this rebellion of people.
All it took was a virus which we can all agree has a lot to answer for. The unvaxxed come from all walks of life truckies, teachers, artists, musicians, athletes, doctors (albeit now deregistered), checkout chicks, miners, and a few of your local waywards. They seem like ordinary people but don’t be fooled, being unvaxxed means they know something you don’t or quite the opposite, you or whoever, perhaps the neighbour, knows something they don’t.
Information that goes against the flow of social media’s narrative will be considered by authorities as misinformed, though a notice on your phone will set us on the straight and narrow if we ever steer in the wrong direction.
I suppose no one wants to end up in Facebook jail for voicing their opinion. A platform that functions and exists for freedom of speech has also changed. Twisty, twirly kind of society, don’t you think?
So, you may think, well, why make such a kerfuffle about it?
Well John, I’ll tell you, your dress code has changed, your social life, your work life, your family’s holiday plans, and probably your attitude towards people and politics.
Society has been through a few unpleasantries that you and the person closest to you have seen, felt, and heard about. Fear and confusion have clouded and also regulated a lot of thoughts and ideas.
You might have been the one to be updated on every Covid case, chasing down news and victims, or the opposite, you might have had your head in the sand to put distance between you and the chaos.
Yet others found themselves rallying for, dare we utter it, freedom, wanting their fellow Aussies to hear them.
So, let’s reflect, and empathise because that’s the only thing left to do. Although not too much empathy for those who sew, breed dachshunds, and have a newfound love for photography because we see you and how well you’ve done during the pandemic with your social media platforms booming with good business.
For old times’ sake let’s start by doing what we do best, cheering on the underdog, holding up the downtrodden. Thank the producers for trying to provide for us, even though we took a ute load more toilet rolls than we needed. Thank those that have been supporting others when they struggle to support themselves. Pray for those who have lost loved ones. Send love to the parents that continue to protect their children from doom and gloom-filled media, and who fight for their children’s childhood.
Thank everyone for doing the best they can.
We are Australian and we are united by one voice – you are, we are, we are Australian. Our catchphrase that we have fought for, died for, and thrived for. Why cast freedom off when it’s the one thing that keeps us strong.
Our society has changed, you may have noticed, and it’s time to be Australian again, whether you’re vaxxed, unvaxxed or other.
