Epiphany or on its way to being one?

[ajaxajax]

Hi all

 

Hope everyone, everywhere had a lovely Christmas! Mine was nice and quiet with some family over, and the presense of Jesus Christ too. But, that's all I believe I'd need this year.

 

I have been on ENA for at least a couple of years and, while I do have a fair amount of grievances, expressing them here may not have been the best approach to take. In fact, I have actually offended some people due to expressing the situations as how I see them. For example, I have many problems related to me living in my city of residence, Adelaide, but I don't know how talking about these problems on a US site would do too much good. I suppose watching glorified pornography on some MTV dating shows makes up one "grievance".

 

I also suppose my biggest problem is that I do not know how to express my grievances clearly enough to get some weight off my shoulders. I can. But I am not sure if expressing my opinions - even diplomatically - would cost me my future career as a pharmacist (through academic/professional interference) or worse. During my last tertiary studies in physiotherapy, I believe now that I was SET UP to fail. Even the boss of the physio course told my mother that I was "abrasive"! Because of this situation, my father kept on telling me for YEARS about not doing anything that he believed made me fail my placements. And I kept on being scared about my current course because the problems with physio made me think that I will EVENTUALLY fail pharmacy too...and thus forever end up stuck in the poorer class.

 

Even after my father's family fled Italy about 60 years ago, we did not have good financial fortunes in our city until about 10 years ago. This had reprecussions so severe, my father had severe alcoholism at a younger age (up to 4 bottles of Johnny Walker Red Label a day) and later on had to be on an antidepressant. My mother - who is not Italian - is also on an antidepresent and I am quite likely to be having depression myself.

 

And within the 50 years between those two times, Italy underwent one of the most drastic economic recoveries of the 20th century...but I feel it is not yet finished! Millions of Italians became realtively well off while we were still stuck in the rut for many sickening reasons! And even among quite a few Italians in my city, I have a funny feeling there is something that they don't like about my family...they just won't say what!

 

I also feel the very infamous North/South wealth divide is one of the reasons why quite a few Italians would abandon their nationality...if it was left entirely up to free will (not religion, family, traditions etc). Some of my father's distant family in our city have done it already - with bad reprecussions! If I could flood southern Italy with 500 billion euros, I would...but that's not possible! And if anyone says the reputation is ALL because of the Mafia...well, what about all the other mafias in countries from the US to Russia, from Colombia to Japan?!

 

These are only SOME of the grievences I would express without putting you guys off (hopefully) or making you fall asleep I just really want to protest my situation more locally but I am just afraid that I would make more trouble than what I deserve.

 

Would this protest be the best way? Thanks.

[waveseer]

If you use the private journal available here you can grievance all you want and nobody can see it or respond to it. The solo journal will allow others to see and not respond, and the regular journal will allow others to see and respond.

[ajaxajax]

That's one way...but I'm not so sure if writing any ENA journal would affect the relevant audiences at all. I tried one good example of something more "local". That was sending an angry response to an Adelaide Advertiser journalist who said that just because my paternal family's home city, Napoli (Naples), had a massive garbage problem last year "with no end in sight" (when it actually ended in August), Adelaide has "NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT with public services".

 

Well, in reality, Adelaide has hospitals at bursting point, has still no guaranteed water supply security even with desalination plans already under way, has waterways still being polluted near multistory residences and even has many housing trust homes being constantly wrecked by parents who cram up to 20 people - and a lot of rubbish - into one house! And the worst part is no one in authority even cares about it! The journalist sent a rebuff Email to me...but because of his disregard for media objectivity and for his apparent Italophobia, I didn't even bother to show the courtesy of opening it up. It was erased straight away.

[waveseer]

Sorry, I misunderstood. You are trying to reach your local community anonymously? That is a very difficult thing to accomplish. Secret meetings, underground newspapers (online?), attending town meetings, writing government officials, public protests, getting watchdog groups involved. Those are just a few ideas.

[ajaxajax]

With or without anonymity, that is very hard... You see, I have heard from people going to town meetings and so forth and they only got the "in one ear, out the other" treatment from politicians and other hosts. An online underground newspaper...could think about that. Just have to worry about whether you'd be tracked down...but you can't keep yourself bottled in just because of possible intimidation.

[waveseer]

Historically, change has come as a result of appealing to those oppressed to organize themselves or appealing to other separate powers to apply pressure. I think I'm going to stop on that note because even though I live in a free country, I am careful.

[hey jo]

Well, in reality, Adelaide has hospitals at bursting point, has still no guaranteed water supply security even with desalination plans already under way, has waterways still being polluted near multistory residences and even has many housing trust homes being constantly wrecked by parents who cram up to 20 people - and a lot of rubbish - into one house! And the worst part is no one in authority even cares about it! The journalist sent a rebuff Email to me...but because of his disregard for media objectivity and for his apparent Italophobia, I didn't even bother to show the courtesy of opening it up. It was erased straight away.

 

i just thought this is a pretty interesting read, as I am planning (after five years or so) to shift from NZ to Adelaide to work in an operating theatre, but after reading this, it put me off just a wee bit. Eh well I'm assuming by Adelaide you meant Adelaide, Australia. But yeah, pretty interesting. I will still need to check it out for myself. Hey, you never know who reads these posts.

 

Historically, change has come as a result of appealing to those oppressed to organize themselves or appealing to other separate powers to apply pressure.

Agreed.

[ajaxajax]

Ah...New Zealand. Often got the impression that New Zealand has everything...except for a financial edge over Australians lol. Yes, I am referring to Adelaide, Australia. You believe the bursting point situation was bad, recently doctors (especially surgeons) threatened to move interstate unless their renumeration packages were generally increased by about A$2,000 PER WEEK! Wish I could fix the hospital problems, but it's obviously a BIG team effort! But, don't take just my word for it...look up articles such as the one below, filter out the typical political diversions and see for yourself:

link removed

[Arielle]

Ajaxajax, have you thought about setting up an anonymous blog? You'd be able to vent your frustrations plus target the right people at the same time. There are various ways to market your blog, but never underestimate the power of people finding you through major search engines. I know it might not start a revolution in Adelaide, but it would at least be one more way for people to get the word about what is really happening there. If newspaper reporters aren't doing their jobs, then the citizens of Adelaide need other people to step up.

 

I can't believe the journalist was callous enough to say that Adelaide had no problems with public services simply because another city apparently has their own problems. I live in a relatively affluent city, and our residents complain all the time! Are we not supposed to try to improve ourselves just because some people in a different part of the world are worse off?

 

If you do ever write a blog, I bet it would be fascinating. Just from this one thread I've learned a lot about both Adelaide, Australia and Italy.

[ajaxajax]

Ariella (giggles)...I thank you too for you input. I wouldn't mind setting up a blog, which would be fun to make.

 

As I have mentioned, the only problem is how to prepare for any reprecussions stemming from what I would do. Even on the Net, an "anonymous" person would need great care to not get tracked. Usually, the most callous people on the planet do things that other people think are wrong and yet they themselves think that it's as right as the Holy Bible! And so, they would do their best to avenge in any way possible, including tracking down. But, that shouldn't and musn't stop me acting from my anger and concern over what I consider as wrong.

 

If I could do something that would eventually better myself, and other people, with or without a revolution, then I'd be happy.