So it turns out we have a lot of freedom loving people here in "Greater Sydney".
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
You could tell because several thousand of them took to the streets to march about it in Sydney and in Wollongong. They weren't afraid to risk the long arm of the law, such was their belief in the cause.
They followed a rich history of protest in Australia - from the anti-Vietnam War moratoriums to the Iraq war protests, from the marches for nuclear disarmament to the rally to save the Rabbitohs.
It's good to know we have so many willing to take a stand despite the risk to themselves - from the law or from COVID. They'll risk not just a $1000 fine - if they then infect their partners, children, parents, these people might die. Now that's principled - they won't let some selfish care for their parents' or kids' lives stop them from marching for the cause.
In Sydney, one bloke stood, resplendent in an egg yolk yellow custom muscle shirt which read, in what looked like comic sans italics, "FREE SPEECH: more important than your feelings".
Our brave warrior. Here to protect the legacy of those who defended this nation in the world wars. Deep in his own culture wars, he will defend his right to offend, or something, in the name of freedom, or something.
Did he look familiar? Had I seen him leading free speech protests outside the Canberra trials of Bernard Colleary and Witness K, accused of revealing information in the public interest about Australia's bugging of East Timorese negotiators in oil and gas talks? Has he and his ilk been fighting against government overreach in the name of "security"?
Or had we come to know them for their fearless advocacy on behalf of public servants, who are increasingly constrained in what they can say to journalists or on social media?
I doubt it. While Australia has faced genuine battles over freedom of speech and the public's right to know, these clowns have been nowhere to be seen. What draws them out now? Freedom to be self-indulgent.
These are my human rights, they cry. But do they protest for the human rights of First Nations people, of refugees, or of people with disabilities?
Are these the same people who complain about "mandatory" voting - having never lived under a regime that doesn't let you vote?
Turns out the egg shirt was ironic: for the members of New South Wales' Dumb Rebellion, their feelings are all that matters. How they feel about staying home, wearing masks, not being able to go to the cafe, matter more than whether they spread a deadly disease.
Some of them were tough enough to take on a journalist while he was reporting on the march, stealing his phone and running off across Hyde Park like they'd accomplished something. They wore masks, which apparently isn't an invasion of human rights if you wear it to hide your identity. Luckily the genius who led this filmed it all to his social media with his name on it.
"Fake news" he cried at the 7 News reporter, the line taken straight from US Trumpers, seemingly clueless about where Seven's proprietor sits on the political spectrum.
Don't believe the mainstream media, they cry, while sharing anti-lockdown clips from Alan Jones on Sky News - the channel owned by Rupert Murdoch, the Grand Dragon of establishment media.
Don't let government invade your privacy, they cry, while getting their "information" from Facebook - the corporate behemoth which accesses your contacts and shares them, targeting ads at you by knowing everything you do online.
Folks: we welcome your belated interest in how the world works. I encourage you to keep asking questions, but perhaps you could treat the "answers" with a little more scepticism.
Many braver people than you have been fighting for freedom of speech, putting their necks on the line for the public's right to know, doing their best to hold the government to account, while you've been busy on Facebook and the PlayStation while living well into your 30s at your mum's house.
We depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support.
Sign up for breaking news emails below: