This week I was rather bemused to see protests in America wanting to “save Australia”. The thing is, Australia doesn’t want, or need, saving. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s wonderful to see such kind-heartened Americans taking time out of their working day to want to save us – I’m just puzzled what they are saving us from?
From: news.com.au
From what I understand they believe there is tyranny going on. Australians are being held captive, forced to be vaccinated and being deprived of our basic rights.
The thing is, most of Australia are quite happy doing the right thing, stopping the spread of covid and protecting their families and friends. Take for example where I live (Australia’s capital)… over 96% of 12+ years old have had their first vaccination and 70% are fully vaccinated. We’ve had no protests and hardly anyone knowingly breaching covid restrictions.
And the results speak for themselves:
- In New York State, population 19.5 million, there have been 2,449,261 cases (12.5%) and 55,531 deaths (0.3%), according to Johns Hopkins University.
- In all of Australia, population 25.7 million, there have been 115,000 cases (0.4%) and 1357 deaths (0.005%).
For much of the last year and a half, much of the country has had (or still has) ongoing freedoms the rest of the world haven’t. I think this tweet says it all…
Are you happy with how your country has responded to covid and where you are now?
October 8, 2021 at 10:35 pm
Ok I am SO glad you posted this because my chiropractor keeps bringing up covid. Hes an amazing chiro but over the last few weeks I can CLEARLY see his anti-covid safety anything.
Little comments like “how do you feel about the Prime Minister forcing injections” then last week our vaccination passport started and hes all “how do you feel about him segregating 30% of the population. I mean just look at places like new zealand and australia” where I cut him off and was like “OH! Australia is doing soooo good!” Because of course I have you, an actual person living there, as my source, and hes all “wooowww we need to get you reading and researching! Dont believe *local news station*, they are actually under oppressive non-ending lockdowns”
LIKE I HAD NO IDEA AJ! I SHALL COME AND SAVE YOU MY LITERARY FRIEND!!! PACK THE BOYS (including S) AND THE DOG!!
Needless to say, I have lost some connection with him haha but now starting to notice all the things he’s been saying and how he never actually wears his mask? Its just looped over one ear? *sigh* so sad…. thought he was a good one….
October 9, 2021 at 5:29 pm
One of our states, Victoria, has had the most lockdowns of us all – but my friends there are resigned to them and as they don’t want to get covid accept that while not fun, have to happen. But until the middle of this year I hadn’t had to wear a mask. Maybe your chiro needs to stop relying on Facebook as his source of information 😉
October 9, 2021 at 11:09 pm
Hahahaha!!! I’ve just decided to try to avoid the topic when I’m in from now on. We are down from twice weekly appointments to once a week. We tried 10 days once but it was too long haha! Thankfully things are holding better now. He is very talented in his medicine so I’ll have to ignore the anti-covid measures talks
October 10, 2021 at 11:13 am
If it gets too much, maybe we can quote your Aussie friend who also works at a chiro practice 😉
October 8, 2021 at 10:35 pm
Very strange, yes! And somewhat scary, because we HAVE had protests here in Melbourne, largely made up of violent right wing nut cases who think it’s their right to do what they want even if others get sick, and there were certainly posters put up with a QR code leading to an antisemitic web site. And there were protests in WA and Queensland which are not in lockdown! So… are there Americans watching these and coming to the wrong conclusion?
October 9, 2021 at 5:32 pm
The behaviour of those protestors were appalling – but as you say, they were right wing nut cases and were shunned by the majority. Maybe that’s what those in America have seen? But they were only for a few days and the protests have been many months apart. Not quite sure where they got the idea we were being oppressed by our government.
To think we’ve had people lining up in long queues of their own volition for the jab!
October 8, 2021 at 11:28 pm
Having spent the past few days, I haven’t heard of these protests.
Australia has been brought into our political discussions. Years ago, when I lived in Southern Utah, I wrote an editorial against a new state law that forbid churches, schools, hospitals (even mental ones) from barring the carrying of weapons inside. The mayor of a neighboring town wrote a reply (which, accounting to the paper’s rules for editorial columns I couldn’t respond) about how Australia banned all guns and the country was so violent. Thankfully, an Australian government official was vacationing in our region, read the article, and wrote a letter to the editor setting him straight and giving official sources for his information!
October 9, 2021 at 5:33 pm
I wonder why Australia is the poster child for terrible things? The reality is we are well looked after by our government, have an amazing country to live in and probably don’t appreciate enough how jolly lucky we are to be living here!
October 9, 2021 at 1:25 am
Maybe you could hold rallies to Save America! Unfortunately, most of our COVID problems come from the open southern border. 20% of the tens of thousands who cross unabatedly (is that even a word?) enter the US with COVID and aren’t treated or vaxxed. Sigh.
October 9, 2021 at 5:35 pm
Oh no, Jacqui! I hadn’t heard that. How awful. I guess they then can’t afford medical treatment in America? In Australia, we have a public healthcare system…
October 11, 2021 at 1:18 am
They could get treatment for free but they are here undocumented so are afraid to. I just got my booster and paid nothing, required no ID. Just got it. I don’t know why we don’t give them the vax as they enter the country. Sigh.
October 9, 2021 at 1:33 am
🙂
October 9, 2021 at 2:00 am
Hmmpf. Why don’t the Yanks want to save Canada first? I thought we were more than next door neighbours – I thought we were friends – and now I feel slighted. 😉
Deb
October 9, 2021 at 5:36 pm
Maybe I should start a “save Canada” rally. What would you like us to save you from? 🙂
October 10, 2021 at 1:17 am
Okay, rub it in; a little salt in the wounds will make you stronger.
COVID is a political beast in America. I don’t think anyone, anywhere needs rehash the crap that made it so.
A majority of America is in awe of countries that had strong leadership from the beginning of the pandemic, we didn’t have that. We had an appalled leader who mainly felt the pandemic was a personal affront. We haven’t yet recovered from that because a small and very vocal group scream about everything around the edges, so that don’t have to face reality, COVID is not done with us yet.
They believe that the economy only works if we pretend all is safe and open it all up. They do not see what is happening with supply lines and jobs, neither of which are healthy and thriving.
They think the rest of the world should listen to them because they are loud.
October 10, 2021 at 11:15 am
Haha, definitely no salt here, BF. But I agree with you, it’s always the loud voices which make people assume because it is loud it must be right and listened to.
Our international borders are opening next year, so maybe some of these loud voices will come and see for themselves?
October 10, 2021 at 7:51 am
Really? I hadn’t heard of these rallies. The misinformation out there is fierce. There’s this meme I’ve seen, where the conservatives are writing something about how awful such-and-such would be, but what they’re describing is good, actually. So, not shocked they’d think Australia is suffering when you’re not at all.
October 10, 2021 at 11:16 am
The misinformation about everything (not just covid) is appalling – I blame social media. The number of people who read something on facebook and take it as gospel is downright scary.
October 10, 2021 at 11:15 am
Hehe I just might! I also already have lol
October 12, 2021 at 6:37 pm
Wow, I’m stunned by the protesters (don’t they have their own business to mind?) and impressed by Austalia’s high vaccination rate. In Switzerland we can’t seem to overcome 60% of fully vaccinated people. Many sceptic folks around here who “won’t be told by the government what do do”, which means the rest of us still have to wear masks and present our vaccination certificate to get into events and restaurants.
October 17, 2021 at 1:09 pm
Gosh, 60% is a low ceiling to reach for vax rates. I had heard it was hard to get from 70 to 80%, but herd immunity definitely needs to be higher for you guys. Fingers crossed people start to present their shoulders!