Adams/Orwell fallout

Well, my post on Harry’s blog of my Adams/Orwell satire (see also my earlier post on this) seems to have struck a chord, albeit a dissonant one. It drew the following comment:

Damn right you should apologise to him [Orwell].

Dumb arse.

Comparing an economic liberal to a ficticious [sic] stalinistic socialist...

Posted by: Cory, Olsen - October 12, 2005 at 17:35

Wow! It wasn’t my conscious intention to compare or equate our Prime Minister Howard with Stalin, but rather to satirise the epiphany and entry into Grace of the hitherto notoriously anti-Howard Adams. However, I guess it’s quite possible that my choice of literary metaphor was somewhat influenced by my deeply held Howard-scepticism.

But, hang on! I was as sceptical towards Mr Howard’s predecessors – Keating, Hawke, Fraser. (I had no opinion on Whitlam or his predecessors, as I was an apolitical teen/preteen during that period.) Well, almost as sceptical but not quite, admittedly, however my particular assessment of the Howard Government’s performance is underpinned by reasons I’ll openly defend.

Aren’t I entitled to “an opinion”, just as Cory comma Olsen is entitled to his reverence for his alpha “economic liberal”? Isn’t it in the so-called Aussie “larrikin” tradition to be sceptical of authority? Why should Howard be any different? Who conferred his halo of inviolability?

And why is it that the merest whiff of criticism of the man draws fire such as the spray from Mr comma Olsen?

It seems that the more elections Mr Howard wins, and the more he consolidates his ascendancy (the Senate being now virtually his), the more shrill and paranoid become his defenders. Curious!

Anyway, I posted a brief response to Mr comma Olsen:

Touchy! Actually I was satirising Adams’ epiphany.

Dumb arse.

Posted by: Jacob A. Stam - October 12, 2005 at 18:07

I do regret calling Mr comma Olsen a “dumb arse” (however I do applaud his good Aussie spelling of the epithet). Having descended to that level, I felt soiled and in want of a piping hot shower. Blog rage is an insidious phenomenon.