August 11, 2003

TAXES AT PLAY

Hi there, taxes! What have you been up to lately? You’ve been encouraging violence and racism? Do tell:

A taxpayer-funded website encourages young Australian-Palestinians to become virtual rock throwers in a mockery of Middle East violence.

Players can write messages of hate on a website "rock" and watch as a young man loads it into a slingshot before firing it into the distance.

The Virtual Palestine website has become a forum for racist propaganda as angry anti-Israel activists declare jihad, or holy war, against the Jewish state and call for "Western crusaders" to be humiliated.

"A (sic) Islamic army number in the millions will rise and push back and degrade the Western Crusaders," said one anonymous posting, removed after Herald Sun inquiries.

"Buy (sic) wiping out Israel and dooming millions of Jews into the sea in one gigantic push, you the Palestinians will Dumbfound Western leaders by collapsing `Israel' in a couple of days."

Another message says: "Palestinians must to died (sic) They are all terrorists."

The grant's recipients, Sydney-based Virus Media, said the website aimed to open a free and open dialogue about Middle East issues. and it was not censored because of freedom of expression concerns.

"It's a free country," director Enda Murray said.

Not for us poor bastards who fund this junk. Jew-Hatin' (The Game) is just the start of Australia's tax-funded artistic entertainment, which also includes:

• $80,000 given to Collingwood artist Michael Buckley to travel to India and Ireland to examine the difference between human gestures in those countries and Australia.

• A $28,000 presentation on the unique sounds of the Great Fences of Australia.

• Refugees in Victoria received a $31,000 grant last year for a project "which uses stories about important meals" as a catalyst for their work.

• A musician from NSW was paid $80,000 to research traditional Arab music styles and conduct workshops with Sydney youths to produce a "new form of hip hop" CD.

• Christmas Island youths received $11,000 to learn break-dancing.

And this might be my favourite:

• A group of Queensland artists made a $45,000 animated video which explored how they perceive themselves.

Let me guess ... as “deserving”?

Posted by Tim Blair at August 11, 2003 01:51 PM
Comments

Whenever our money is put to such a ridiculous use there is an instantaneous uproar but no action ever seems to be taken. No looney Council loses some or all of its grant. Nobody is castigated (publicly at least) by the paymasters and before long you find another example of the Moonbat Brigade at their best.
Someone needs to be seen to lose their job and Grant Allocations need to be seen to be cut before there is the slightest dimunition in such lunacy.

Posted by: Michael Gill at August 11, 2003 at 02:07 PM

• A $28,000 presentation on the unique sounds of the Great Fences of Australia.

That reminds me of a short article I read a while ago in the Spectator about (blind) British MP David Blunkett. He travelled to New York, and said that although he couldn't 'see' ground zero, he could 'hear it'.
Perhaps we could send him a copy of the C.D. when its produced? (If this is what the grant recipients had in mind?)

Posted by: TimT at August 11, 2003 at 02:26 PM

Well, it is pretty damn sick, imho. Mind you, the private sector can also produce some pretty sick games and toys

check this one out

Posted by: Sickie. at August 11, 2003 at 02:29 PM

$80,000 given to Collingwood artist Michael Buckley to travel to India and Ireland to examine the difference between human gestures in those countries and Australia.

Maybe we could email him some snaps of gestures for his collection.

Posted by: Cracker Barrel Philosopher at August 11, 2003 at 02:37 PM

This is what really pisses me off about John Howard. He's been PM for 7 years yet he still funds this artistic crap. Lefties complain that John Howard is slashing government spending etc etc. If only.

Posted by: Mike Hunt at August 11, 2003 at 03:00 PM

Dear Australians.......please send me $5,000US and I will do nothing, absolutely nothing. I feel that this non act of my artistic talent expresses mankind at it's highest level. I guarantee that you will get your money's worth.

Posted by: wallace at August 11, 2003 at 03:12 PM

I'll do it for half the price.

Posted by: pooh at August 11, 2003 at 03:36 PM

Do the sounds of the great fences of Australia differ according to regions - is there a slow Queensland drawl compared to a clipped Adelaide twang, for example? And what of the lesser fences - are they different or are they being discriminated against here?

Perhaps as well, the ARGC might provide money, for a postgraduate thesis on all of this : The Semiotics of Fence Sounds as a Paradigm for Postmodern Australian Society. Should be good for a PhD in Cultural Studies.

Posted by: Rob (No 1) at August 11, 2003 at 04:47 PM

Nothing compares to the soothing sound of the wind rushing through an Adelaide brush fence ahhhh.... on second thoughts the crackle/roar of the same fence on fire isn't too bad either on a Saturday night.....

enough enough I am getting homesick :(

Posted by: Rob at August 11, 2003 at 05:27 PM

And I got $65K to do an MA and a PhD!

Regrettably, nothing to do with fences.

Posted by: Buddy Ebsen at August 11, 2003 at 06:00 PM

I want a grant to develop my idea for producing sculptures made entirely out of earwax.

Posted by: Habib Bickford at August 11, 2003 at 06:03 PM

• Refugees in Victoria received a $31,000 grant last year for a project 'which uses stories about important meals' as a catalyst for their work.

Or they could spend the $31,000 on the actual meals.

Posted by: ilibcc at August 11, 2003 at 06:24 PM

Tim, can you get me one of those grants? I want to make a trip-hop/trance/drum & bass record using the voices of various Aussie officials reading the names of various official Aussie landmarks -- only those meeting Official Australian Naming Rules, of course. Just think: a phat beat, a sexy snaking bass, John Howard saying things like "Sydney Harbour Bridge" and "Dog On a Tuckerbox."

Posted by: Ken Layne at August 11, 2003 at 07:20 PM

Wallace

How about we keep the money here and send you the dickheads who normally get the grants.

They can run for governor of California with the rest of the weirdo's.

Posted by: Gilly at August 11, 2003 at 08:42 PM

Gilly, no, thanks but we are already sufficently endowed with wierdos. Personnally, my money is on the porn queen.

Posted by: rabidfox at August 12, 2003 at 02:27 AM

"A musician from NSW was paid $80,000 to research traditional Arab music styles and conduct workshops with Sydney youths to produce a "new form of hip hop" CD."

Actually, a Morroccoan band beat them to it some time ago. Aisha Kandisha's Jarring Effects put out "El Buya" (a mixture of Morrocoan music, hip-hop and electric guitar) in 1990, 13 years ago. It's pretty good too (though hard to find), and I usually HATE hip-hop. (They also put out a Bill Laswell-produced follow up album a few years ago that I haven't heard)

Oh, and Aisha Kandisha have been banned from playing in their home country for the crime of singing about making peace with Isreal.

Posted by: Sean at August 12, 2003 at 08:55 AM

80 K for researching Middle East based hip-hop? I could do it for about forty bucks- that's the cost of a hand-held recorder, and all I would have to do is stand around in Lakemba and Canterbury recording the caterwauling pouring forth from assorted Skylines and Silvias.
Or why not drag "Sleek the Elite" off to a recording booth in a Westfield?
By the way, my project involving earwax sculptures is a bold statement about how government in Australia doesn't listen to yoof, (and the plight of reffos for good measure).
Where's my cheque?

Posted by: Habib Bickford at August 12, 2003 at 11:26 AM

Tim

A Richmond artist earned a cool $36,000 for using six cars to execute 'wheelies' at Docklands, creating rubber 'art' on the ground (Herald-Sun editorial 12/8/03).

It's not you, is it?

Posted by: ilibcc at August 12, 2003 at 12:01 PM

My pro-israeli essay was deleted from the Virtual Palestine message boards...

Didn't contain a shred of 'hate talk' either.. So much for 'a free country,' I get my posts deleted from a service I PAID FOR.

Posted by: Murdoch Software Engineer Std at August 12, 2003 at 10:47 PM

Yes, this is all very funny, but shouldn't you guys do something about it? Start writing emails and letters to whatever gov agency issues those grants? Call your representative? Flood newspapers with your outrage? Start a petition?
We all sit on our hands and complain about taxes but clearly, the true outrage treshhold is never crossed
because there is no taxpayers revolt. And I say we need several of them right now. As silly as many people perceive the recall in CA, it is, in a sense, that kind of movement.

Posted by: Katherine at August 13, 2003 at 03:35 AM