You should have known better

Some time last week, a 14-year old Australian teenager was arrested for drug possession in Bali, where he was on holidays with his parents.
He and a friend had apparently been approached by a drug dealer on their way to get a massage. The boy, named Lewis Mason bought $A25 worth of marijuana from the dealer. He was arrested after leaving the place he got the massage. He could face a maximum of 12 years in jail if convicted but his lawyer, Mohammad Rifan, stated that because of his age Mason could be charged under provisions for juveniles, which would mean a maximum of 6 years. Unfortunately, Indonesia does not have a juvenile court system and so Mason would have to serve out his sentence in an adult prison if convicted, most likely in Bali's 'Kerobokan Jail' where Australians Schepelle Corby and the 'Bali 9' are serving their sentences.

Naturally, Mason has been distressed throughout all this and his parents are devastated. It was also reported that the drug dealer who approached Mason had told him that he hadn't eaten in days and desparately needed the money, and so Mason was simply doing him a favour. Mohammad Rifan also claimed that the Kerobokan Jail was 'a nightmare for adults' and so would not be a safe place for a teenager.
Meanwhile, Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd had announced that he and the Australian Government were working closely with Indonesian authorities to bring Mason back home.

Ok, I don't mean to kick the kid while he's down, but I find it hard to feel too sympathetic over what's happened to him. While I pray that he and his family are safe and doing well, the kid still committed a crime in Indonesia and so should still be subject to their laws. Would it be fair to others who are doing time for the same crime if he was pardoned just because he was younger than them? No, it wouldn't. Sure, we can all hope that he doesn't go in heavy but if he ends up serving the maximum penalty for his crime then people should get over it. It's Indonesia's laws and no one else's.

As for the kid's excuse that he felt sorry for the dealer, come on!!!! If he wanted to help the guy out, why not just give him money and NOT BUY THE DRUGS? Even if he had no intention of using the drugs the fact that he purchased them makes him look like a fool. At 14-years old one should be aware that drug possession is a criminal offence and in recent years it's become pretty clear that such a crime is a pretty big deal in Indonesia and that harsh, sometimes life-threatening penalities await offenders. When you apply for a passport you are warned of these things. Well, Mason is a 14-year old boy AND has an Australian passport. He should have known better. It doesn't take a genius to know that if someone offers you illicit drugs AND asks money in exchange, YOU SAY NO!!!!! Not only would it be a waste of your time, but it's a lousy way to lose money and could cost you your life.

Surely Mason has heard of Schapelle Corby, Michael Sacatides and the 'Bali Nine'. They're all serving prison sentences for drug offences in Indonesia and two of the Bali Nine ringleaders are on death row. Better yet, has he heard of Van Tuong Nguyen, the young man hanged in Singapore back in 2005 for the same crime? While Mason may not serve the same harsh sentences they got, he should have known that what he did was wrong and would land him in big trouble, especially in Indonesia.

At the end of the day, no one should have to go through what he's going through, and no parent should have to see their child caught up in this ordeal. But seriously, and I hate to say it, but the kid is simply paying for his own mistake and while Rudd and the Australian government can fight all they want for his release, their battle could be futile. As for Lewis Mason, I wish him all the best and hope that he's learned a valuable lesson from all this. And I also hope that others would learn from this story and realise that doing dumb things overseas may seem like fun, but in the end you could end up paying a hefty price for your actions - and help won't come easily.

King Kyle is a royal idiot

Yesterday morning, Kyle Sandilands, one half of the Sydney breakfast radio show 'The Kyle and Jackie O Show' on 2DayFM let slip on air that he had fathered a love-child.

While a song by British singer Adele was playing, Sandilands and his co-host Jackie O were heard having a conversation in which the secret came out, presumably unaware that they were still on air. Natually, listeners were shocked at the admission but many also believed Sandilands was bluffing.
Their suspicions were confirmed today when Sandilands admitted that he made the whole thing up, mainly as part of a game with his co-host in which they had to come up with the best 'stunt'. He also conceded that he was partially motivated by his love-hate relationship with the Australian media, in that he wanted to waste their time with a shocking stunt that would get them talking. Interestingly the Austereo network, the station's provider also suggested to media outlets that the stunt was a means of lifting the show's dwindling ratings.

If you ask me, Sandilands can call this a publicity stunt all he wants but I think he just added another entry to his long list of idiot moves. Pretending to have a love child? Really, Kyle? Wow! I'll bet the media would really go easy on you now! Also, way to sully your already battered reputation even further! As if the mysterious sickies, poor health, fiery temper and pointless rivalries with other MORE SUCCESSFUL celebrities weren't bad enough, you had to go the whole way and trick people into believing that you fathered a kid.

I stopped listening to his and Jackie's show a long time ago because I finally grew tired of the same old crap they have on it. Whether it's trying to pick fights with people, trying to start fights between listeners, saying and/or doing dumb things, these two would do just about anything for media attention, which makes Sandilands' claim that he finds the media irritating just a tad meaningless. Seriously, how they managed to remain one of the country's most successful radio shows makes me sick. You can accuse me of not having a sense of humour all you like but I prefer to not have to listen to vile, too-much-information-style anecdotes and idiot stunts on radio while I'm eating my breakfast. Seriously, how some of the things they do get approved to go on air in a MORNING show boggles the mind. After all, this is a time when children are being driven to school by their parents.

If Kyle and Jackie really wanted some publicity for the show, how about some GOOD publicity for once. Maybe Sandilands could finally find the willpower and the balls to get off his big, fat backside and get his health back on track. He keeps going on and on about how bad the state of his health is and that he could die soon if he doesn't make changes, yet he doesn't seem to be doing anything about it. Taking sick leaves and then partying on the same day is NOT looking after yourself, Kyle. Nor is drinking God knows how many litres of coke and full-fat lattes and eating junk food all day. It's not rocket science, man. All you need to do is start earting properly and start moving. Walking for 30 minutes a day is a good start. Kyle Sandilands finally getting his health on track. Wouldn't that be a feel-good story?

Bottom line is, Kyle Sandilands needs to realise that while some people are laughing with him, more are laughing at him and that the negative press about him far outweigh the positive. Time to start doing some good if you want to remain relevant, man. Eventually people are going to get tired and stop paying attention - and given that you seem to be one serious attention seeker I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want that.

Lies don't work

During the week, Australian olympic swimmer Kenrick Monk made the startling revelation that he had fabricated a story concerning a skateboarding injury.
He had initially told his family, friends, the police and the media that he had been the victim of a hit-and-run driver. Inevitably, his conscience got the better of him and he came out with the truth. He was not hit by a careless driver at all. Rather, he simply fell off his skateboard and hurt his arm. Why did he make up a sensational lie, you ask? Because he felt that it would be more interesting and less humiliating than falling off 'something that a 10-year old can ride'.

It goes without saying that what Monk did could seriously damage his reputation, his career and even his chances at making the 2012 London Olympics. Sure, he didn't hurt anyone but himself but lying to the media isn't going to make him any friends and lying to the police is a criminal offence. Way to flush your career down the toilet, Kenny! Not only do people now know that you cannot ride a skateboard but you've pretty much done your personal image irrevocable harm.

This fiasco is another example of people who will actually go through great lengths to hide their insecurities and failings in order to 'improve' their image. Me personally, I never understood why some people do that. Sure, everybody's got those 'skeletons in the closet' that they wouldn't want anyone to know about and had something embarrassing happen to them but the truth is, lying and telling fibs will only intensify the problem and these things have a tendency to come out, even if it takes years to do so. Remember Marion Jones? She cheated her way to all those olympic records during the Sydney 2000 games and got away with it until 2007, when she finally admitted her crime. Clearly, even if you succeed in ensuring that no one finds out the truth, there will always be that little voice in the back of your mind calling you a liar and a fraud who will somehow convince you to spill the beans.

So people, please realise that lying and fabricating will get you nowhere and will mess you up much more than you realise. Making up stories about yourself is not only a waste of time but it is also, to be perfectly honest, a pathetic thing to do. Just be yourself! If people can't respect you for being you then tell them to get lost. If people can't accept you for who you are then they are not worth your time.

PS: Kenrick, I myself cannot skateboard to save my life and I'm not ashamed to admit that I've tripped, fallen, stumbled etc. Things like that just happen sometimes. It's not an excuse for you to tell some lame lie and damage your reputation as a result.

If it aint broke, don't fix it

On the 4th of September, the TV program 'Sunday Night' featured an adventure writer and one of the show's cameramen and their encounter with Brazil's Suruwaha Tribe. Considered one of the most elusive people on earth, the tribe have lived the same way as they had for thousands of years and still retain ancient rituals like human sacrifice. According to the show, only a few scientists and government officials have been granted access to the tribe and that 'Sunday Night' would be the first and only show on TV that would have access to them.
Naturally, I was intrigued about the documentary but also somewhat concerned. The cynic in me thought that it would be nothing more than an exploitation of a tribe of people who are best off left alone. Well, I decided to put my pessimism aside and watched it.

I wish I didn't. Why? Because my suspicions were confirmed. What I saw were two ignoramuses who zealously tried to make celebrities out of these people and suggest that it would be a good idea to somehow civilise them. They also had the audacity to insinuate that the tribe were savages and that their practices and rituals were unnatural and constantly referred to them as 'Indians' (You're not in India, guys. You're in the Amazon. Call them Natives if you want but how about dropping the nickname that only came to be thanks to a historical faux pas). Talk about a total lack of respect. And to top it off, I fear that what these two guys did is expose this peaceful tribe to the rest of the world and when that happens, it usually leads to people invading their land, destroying the tribe and its culture and trying to assimilate them into a society they are unfamiliar with where they are likely to fall prey to poverty, crime, unemployment and all the other traps in society.

First of all, you can call these people's practices and culture savage and unnatural all you want but that's because you are looking at it from your own perspective. For the Suruwaha Tribe, it is all normal and a part of their life. I'm pretty sure they would look at us 'civilised folks' dressed in fancy clothes, eating with silver utensils, getting around in vehicles, suffering from diseases etc and think that it is us who are living unnaturally. These two had no right to barge in on this tribe's space and criticise their way of life. Surely you wouldn't let someone into your home and tell you to your face that your lifestyle sucks.
Secondly, if you look at history, from the Australian Aborigines to the Native Americans you'll see that invading native land and trying to change the people and force them into a world they are unfamiliar with is dangerous work. You remember what happened? These people fell prey to diseases introduced by the settlers, had their homes taken away, their culture was destroyed, they turned to crime out of desparation etc. In the present time, they are still more likely than most to be unemployed, jailed or living a shorter life expectancy. Clearly intervention and civilisation didn't benefit them 100%. Do we really want the same thing happening to the Suruwaha Tribe?

I guess if there's one phrase that sums up my thoughts on this matter, it is 'if it aint broke, don't fix it.' The Suruwaha Tribe is perfectly fine leading their current life, their culture is what it is and they should be left alone. No one should be trying to intervene in these people's lives just because they think some aspects of it is disgusting. If people have a problem with it, who really cares? It's not your life, people, nor is it your culture and you really have no business telling people what's wrong with their way of life and try to change them.

One person's idiocy, everyone loses.

September 11 this year will mark 10 years since the terrorist attacks in New York City. It was one of those events that sent shockwaves around the world and I think everybody still pretty much remembers what they were doing when they heard about it. Me? I was getting ready for school. Upon arriving at school everyone was talking about some crazy thing that went down in the 'States'. During the next few weeks the attacks dominated every news outlet, Osama Bin Laden was identified as the mastermind of the attacks, the world grieved with the US and most notably, hatred and fear of Muslims ran riot.

I read the newspaper this morning and in a section devoted to 'Ten Years On' since the attacks, a small article was included in which an Australian family of Palestinian Muslim heritage express their sadness over the hatred Bin Laden caused. The father, Neil El-Kadomi laments how people give them dirty looks in the streets, how people question their religion and how some media outlets add fuel to the fire by continuing to incite fear and hatred of Muslims. El-Kadomi stressed how he and his family, and average Australian Muslims are proud to be Australian and proud to practice their faith and that they condemn the acts of extremists.

Don't you just hate how when one person from any given community or minority screws up or crosses the line, everyone instantly hates on the rest of their people? Not only is this unfair to the innocent parties of that community, it is also an act of pure ignorance. No one should be made to suffer from another person's idiocy. I get angry whenever I see stories on current affairs shows that talk about some 'Muslim Uprising' and how 'Western' culture is in serious danger thanks to Muslims. Ok, so maybe there are some extremists out there who take their religion too far but that shouldn't be an excuse to hate on the entire religion and its worshippers, especially since Muslims in general do not condone such acts and view it as going against their faith which preach the power of peace.

It isn't just Muslims that's getting a bad rap. Migrants and people of ethnic backgrounds also take the heat whenever one of their own commits a crime and also when they are VICTIMS of a crime, accident or tragedy. For example, you look at the news and read about how an Asian or African person committed a crime, you immediately hear the masses calling for these people to be banned or sent back to their countries, normally with the use of racist epithets. Just recently we saw in the news how a young African girl was mauled to death in her Melbourne, Australia home by a neighbour's American Pitbull Terrier. While the girl's family received an outpouring of sympathy from the country, a few shitheads out there (I try not to use profanities in my blogs but in this case I felt it was appropriate) used it as an opportunity to racially attack the victim, praise the vicious dog as a 'True Aussie Hero' and tell other people of the same heritage that the same fate awaited them if they didn't leave the country.

This repugnance has got to stop. Just because someone who represents a community or a minority screws up it is no reason to hate on the other innocent people within that community or minority. It is an unfair and ignorant practice and has no place in an accepting society. Criticise the culprits, not their people.

Taking things too literally

I recently read a newspaper article by Australian journalist Jane Watkins that made me laugh and cringe at the same time. In it, she writes about the revelation that the late, great Tupac Shakur's fellow Outlawz rappers rolled up his cremated remains and smoked them. Why? Because apparently in his song Black Jesus he included the lyrics 'Last wishes, n***as smoke my ashes'. According to Outlawz member E.D.I Mean the group THOUGHT (that's right, emphasis on the word 'thought') he was serious about it and so they were simply honouring his request.

Watkins then goes on to note that these guys are a bunch of idiots who did something that one would only expect in children - they heard something, took it literally then did as they heard without giving it a second thought. In this case, they 'twisted up some of that great-granddaddy California kush and mixed the big homie with it' according to Outlawz member Young Noble. While I commend Mr. Noble for his eloquent description of rolling up weed and ashes I think perhaps he and his friends should have thought about it first. While it's possible that Tupac was serious about the strange request they weren't sure whether or not he was and so it's possible that they desecrated his remains for nothing. Watkins refers to the recent death of Ol' Dirty Bastard and notes that it is highly unlikely fellow Wu-Tang Clan member Method Man made a request to not have the late rapper's body washed prior to his public vieweing because his nickname wasn't Ol' Tidy Bastard and that the hip hop industry needs to get it into their heads that people, including some of their own, still take their often-controversial lyrics literally.

And so we move onto the real issue here, which is people's tendency to take things that they see and hear too literally. Like I just said, song lyrics are infamous for this, as we have seen time and time again people getting into trouble thanks to the things they hear on the radio. 'Gangsta' rap and death metal often get the heat from this, since their lyrics often glamorise a lifestyle of hedonism, crime, excess, murder, sex crimes, drugs, substance abuse etc. I'll admit now that I am guilty as charged for enjoying these extreme musical genres but I am also smart and mature enough to realise that such music is for entertainment purposes only and not meant to be taken seriously. How people still have a tendency to take the lyrical content of these songs to heart and get into trouble as a result is just mind-boggling. You'd assume that they've already learned long ago the difference between right and wrong. But with some people, this is clearly not the case.

'Gangsta' rappers usually stress in interviews that their songs are all about stories from their often troubled past, their experiences and how it made them the people they are and as something of a warning to their listeners and people in general of what can happen if you choose to follow such a path. Death metal artists often talk about how their genre calls for dark, horror themes and that listeners should not take their lyrics too seriously other than just to unwind. A sane person would listen to these types of music and be wise enough to know that the things they hear are not meant to be taken seriously. It is strictly enterainment, nothing more nothing less.

It is the same with video games and TV. Sure, we all at one stage have watched a violent film, seen stunts performed or played gory video games but again, they are for entertainment purposes only and should not be taken literally or imitated. Sure, we've heard about action film and violent video game addicts who went on to commit mass murder and acts of terrorism, but all these people were described as sociopaths, psychopaths, unstable and insane. Likewise, we've seen people die needless deaths or suffer serious injuries due to attempting stunts they saw on TV that clearly came with a 'don't try this at home' tag attached to them. These people usually had the words 'idiot', 'moron' and 'stupid' tied to their names. Unless you fall under these categories you really have no excuse for taking these things too literally.

Here in Australia, the TV series 'Underbelly' came under fire for supposedly glamorising the seedy street life and criminal lifestyle. Apparently people started to emulate what they saw on TV and decided that such lifestyles looked 'fun'. What a joke. Anyone with a grain of sense would see that the bad guys in this film often pay for their crimes with their lives in brutal, horrible fashion and that those who survived are left scarred for life or rotting in a jail cell. Also, this show was intended to tell the story of some of Australia's most notorious criminals and show the consequences of their actions. It is not a show that you watch and model your life on. It comes with multiple warnings and an MA15+ rating for a reason.

Really, I can only think of two things that can curb such behaviour; positive influences from your parents and maturity kicking in. My parents drilled into my head when I was a child that sometimes you see and hear bad things on the radio and on TV, but that you need to be smart enough to know the difference between right and wrong as well as know that you shouldn't take everything you see and hear too literally. Most songs you hear on the radio and some antics you see on TV involve dumb and/or dangerous things that only an idiot would attempt and while it seems unimaginable that people would do them, you'd be surprised at how many people still take the bait. It's understandable if a child has such tendencies, it is part of their nature to be curious about the world around them and for that you need to keep them on the straight path. But when adults make that kind of mistake it becomes both worrying and embarrassing.

Pitbull Terriers: To ban or not to ban?

Sometime last week in Victoria, a young girl was mauled to death by her neighbour's American Pitbull Terrier. As predicted, the debate as to whether or not to ban the popular but dangerous dog breed resurfaced, with many people agreeing that it is time to take action. However, there are still people who disagree, claiming that it is the owner's fault for not training the dog more diligently and for leaving it unguarded. For these people, American Pitbull Terriers are generally loyal and friendly to their owners.

First of all, my condolences go out to the family of this little girl. Losing a child is hard enough. I can't imagine how traumatising it would be to watch them die in such a horrible, gruesome manner. As for this debate, I really don't know what to say. While I totally understand why there are calls to ban the breed, I think it would encourage illegal smuggling and trade of these dogs. That's usually what happens when you ban things nowadays right? But at the same time, these dogs are bred to hunt and fight. Not exactly the ideal traits of a family pet. While they may be useful in guarding people's properties it's in their nature to attack. So if we were to look at it in this light, the dog was just simply carrying out what nature intended it to do. I remember a line from that film 'Jurrasic Park', in which Dr. Grant (Sam Neill) shakes his head in disbelief at the sight of a goat standing in the T-Rex's cage, waiting to be eaten. He mutters to himself that it is in the T-Rex's nature to hunt down prey and so placing a goat there for it to eat will be an act of suppressing the creature's natural urge.

But at the same time, pitbulls remain a popular breed and the United Kennel Club describe them as a loyal, friendly breed, generally non-aggressive towards strangers and that any aggressive behaviour is highly uncharactersitic. However, due to their excess energy, athleticism and background as fighting dogs they require lots of exercise and proper training and socialisation at an early age. Add it all up and it becomes quite clear that only strong, experienced dog owners should own them.

In light of what I've just written here I guess I'd side with the folks who believe that banning pitbull terriers is not the solution. However, I think there needs to be some sort of screening process for potential owners of this breed, if there isn't one already. Prospective owners should have proven experience with a wide range dogs as well as the right type of personality to handle this breed. They should also be willing to make the right kind of arrangements on their properties to accomodate the dog. People are made to undergo tests and examinations before they buy guns, surely they can do the same for people who are looking to own a dangerous dog breed.