Hypocrisy

An exercise for homework at writing class a couple of weeks ago was to write something about hypocrisy either from personal experience or a story where the central character experiences hypocrisy.

I thought long and hard about it and concluded that I have seen hypocrisy around me all my life.

As a boy there was a rule in our house that we were not to drink straight from the milk bottle in the fridge. This was unhygienic we were told as germs could spread from our mouth onto the milk bottle and grow and infect the next person to use the milk. One day, a hot day, not long after a lecture my siblings and I heard on this subject, I was in the hall which adjoined the kitchen and I saw mum go to the fridge, pull out the milk bottle and take a big swig. She wiped the milk from her lips and put the bottle back.

My parents  sent us kids to the local Baptist church for Sunday school every week. We learned the ten commandments and discussed bible stories. The commandment "Thou shall not use the Lord's name in vain" was another house rule at home. This did not seem to apply to my father who when he lost his temper would launch into such blasphemy the likes I have not heard the equal to this day.

At primary school we had assembly in the open every week if it was not raining. 'God Save The Queen' was played over the loudspeaker and the headmaster gave a short topical speech. We then marched to our class rooms in order to the tune of 'Colonel Bogey'. We were left in no doubt that we lived in the lucky country, the great democracy and the land of the 'fair go'. On to secondary school, a Church of England grammar school, we sang hymns at assembly, and heard speeches espousing the values and virtues of our nation and its heritage.

Yet it was not until 1967 and a referendum, that our indigeneous people were be able to vote at elections. At this time also, Australia was involved in a military conflict in Vietnam. War was never declared, but conscription by birthday ballot forced 20yo men into National Service. The 'Fair Go' seems negotiable, with political expediency foremost.

At school we were shown films about lung cancer and smoking. My maths teacher in year11, Pete Hutchinson, a fine man I add, fagged away in class as he marked papers while the students did maths exercises. Radio, TV, magazines, newspapers were full on with cigarette advertising at the same time.

As a young man now in my twenties I shared house for a while with another bloke, he engaged to a good church girl, righteous and virginal. In the months before the wedding he'd sneak out at night and visit a lady friend up the road, staying till early morning when he'd slink back before going to work. Of course his fiance was unaware of his nightly diversions. He dutifully attended church with her on Sundays.

I hardly need to mention the sexual predator scandals of the powerful established churches and even the Salvation Army in recent times. Hypocrisy of the highest order.

My sister is married to a retired doctor and had the good sense to read some of his medical journals. She told me of an article by a cardiologist in which he advised GP's to not recommend canola oil as healthy for the heart, because it isn't. Yet if you read advice from various sources canola oil is promoted as a healthy option. Canola is grown extensively throughout southern Australia and is an important commercial crop. It seems ethics go out the window when there's a threat to the economy.

The government and sporting bodies make a fortune from gambling companies and their sponsorship. Saturation advertising exists in all forms of the media and at sporting venues yet, despite the ruin of lives from gambling addiction, it's OK if the advertising is followed by the words "gamble responsibly".

And now the Emerald Tourist Railway, known as 'Puffing Billy', is building a $20m discovery centre in Emerald Lake Park with the help of Federal, State and local government, seen as a boost to the economy. This means trains spewing coal smoke particulates daily over the length of the track ever increasing in number, to make more money from Asian tourists. Ethics fenestrated.

The new blasphemy is to question or criticize anything that threatens the new God, the economy. Never mind pollution, or the general interests and public health. Money is the thing.

Yes hypocrisy exists everywhere. God fearing (old God) pilgrims and politicians are not immune.

If I sound judgemental, it's because I am a hypocrite. It is almost impossible not to be while interacting with people and society. As the quote from Jose Emilio Pacheco says-

"We are all hypocrites. We cannot see ourselves or judge ourselves the way we see and judge others."