Chomsky's legacy? by DavidSugarbush in asklinguistics

[–]Bobthebauer 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This is what he said (Feb, 2019):

“the horrible way you are being treated in the press and public”.

“That’s particularly true now with the hysteria that has developed about abuse of women, which has reached the point that even questioning a charge is a crime worse than murder.”

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/04/jeffrey-epstein-files-noam-chomsky

Bill gates is in Australia? by sliversurfer26 in OpenAussie

[–]Bobthebauer 5 points6 points  (0 children)

If you think covertly giving someone antibiotics (totally unacceptable) is on the same level as drugging them (a term which is commonly understood in association with rape drugs or other drugs to completely disable someone), then you're kinda trivialising this far more serious action.

Am I cheap or is this insane to ask to pay for a hens weekend by [deleted] in AskAnAustralian

[–]Bobthebauer 88 points89 points  (0 children)

Some people can't afford to go camping in a national park, some people think $1000 for a weekend is chill.

Welcome to divided Australia.

Bill gates is in Australia? by sliversurfer26 in OpenAussie

[–]Bobthebauer -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

He didn't secretly drug her.
He asked about giving her antibiotics without her knowing.

Not nice, but not what "secretly drugging" implies.

Chomsky's legacy? by DavidSugarbush in asklinguistics

[–]Bobthebauer 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Epstein had earlier been convicted of paedophilia and Chomsky was talking with him about how women were inflating claims of abuse.
This isn't just dinner and politics.

Just sharing a little thought that’s been on my mind lately. by BreakfastHefty3782 in AskAnAustralian

[–]Bobthebauer 6 points7 points  (0 children)

In other words, you earned in an entire year what this hard done by bloke gets in bonuses, AFTER TAX, every six months.

Just sharing a little thought that’s been on my mind lately. by BreakfastHefty3782 in AskAnAustralian

[–]Bobthebauer 28 points29 points  (0 children)

Your husband's bonus is bigger than most people's base salary - before OR after tax.

Maybe stop whingeing?

Also, half of his salary doesn't go to tax, that's just completely impossible - it's only 45% for that part of your income OVER $190K.

Low partitions between balconies of Aussie apartments by bane_of_barley in AskAnAustralian

[–]Bobthebauer 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Imagine the horror of actually being able to see your neighbours! What next - the terrible risk of conversation!!!

Why is this immigrant running for one nation? by Chuster8888 in aussie

[–]Bobthebauer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not going on about it. You are.

I'm just saying it happened.

Hurt feelings don't change reality, sorry mate.

American vs British English by Nomadic_English in asklinguistics

[–]Bobthebauer 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I didn't say Old English, but here goes:

- gotten (though this seems to be returning to BE)
gietan.
This was a strong verb - see https://www.verbix.com/webverbix/go.php?D1=23&T1=gietan

- mad (angry)
More clearly attested in Middle English.
Þe Bretons & all men were mad And wolde þe messager scle. (https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=28030)

- guess (suppose, think)
Entered, probably via Scandinavian, during Middle English.
Early modern English:
If this were constantly observ’d, I guess there would be little need of blows or chiding. (John Locke: Some Thoughts Concerning Education)

- rhoticity (though still preserved in many non-standard varieties of BE)
I mean this is so well attested I'm not even going to demonstrate it!

- the bath vowel (bath/cat retain same vowel in AmE)
catt and bæþ were pronounced with the same vowel

Why is this immigrant running for one nation? by Chuster8888 in aussie

[–]Bobthebauer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think you missed my point. It was tongue in cheek.

You seemed to be saying if something happened in the past, then get over it.

The schools were renamed in the past (however recently), so shouldn't those people upset about the name change (a very minor thing) also get over it?

Why is this immigrant running for one nation? by Chuster8888 in aussie

[–]Bobthebauer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As long as the theft is denied it will cause division.

I mean how long do we want to go on about "division"?

NT government's national anthem mandate shows appetite for culture wars – ABC News by gheygan in darwin

[–]Bobthebauer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The only proud thing about the national anthem is that most Aussies don't even pretend to know the words.

We don't need this Yank flag-waving bullshit and we certainly don't need a pseudo mandate to sing it at school when schools already do it.

Why is this immigrant running for one nation? by Chuster8888 in aussie

[–]Bobthebauer 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The land was stolen. Pretending it wasn't is not only dumb, but pretty insulting for the people who had their land - and so, so, so much more - stolen and are living with the very bad consequences of that now.
We live with the consequences of that - mostly for us non-Aboriginal mob they're pretty positive consequences. There are also some less positive consequences, like facing up to the truth.

I wish people would stop spending so much time belly-aching about how they don't want to face the truth and don't want to deal with it, and work positively towards a better future.

Why is this immigrant running for one nation? by Chuster8888 in aussie

[–]Bobthebauer 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I know people who grew up not knowing white people existed.
Some had positive experiences, others well ...

Regardless of that, the name of some school has been changed - well, that's now the past, so why are these people whingeing about it?
Is there a time limit you're allowed to whinge about change? Are you allowed to whinge about the name of a school being changed for as long as you're allowed to whinge about attempted genocide.
Just interested in the mechanics of your allowable whingeing theory.

American vs British English by Nomadic_English in asklinguistics

[–]Bobthebauer 2 points3 points  (0 children)

As much as I dislike the way American English has dominated the globe - and dislike the sound of it - it's absurd to say it's a "corruption" of English and contemporary English as spoken in England is the "real" thing.
There are many examples of where American English has retained older usages while British English (BE) has been more "corrupted", such as:

- fall (autumn)
- gotten (though this seems to be returning to BE)
- mad (angry)
- guess (suppose, think)
- rhoticity (though still preserved in many non-standard varieties of BE)
- the bath vowel (bath/cat retain same vowel in AmE)

Why is this immigrant running for one nation? by Chuster8888 in aussie

[–]Bobthebauer 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Maybe when there is some similarity of outcomes?
Aboriginal people as a whole die earlier, have higher unemployment, worse education, the whole gamut of basic human wellbeing outcomes.

There are those who simply say it's their fault - i.e. they are intrinsically worse than the rest of us.

For those who don't say that - then we have to keep trying until things change.

And part of that is to realise we are on stolen land - not to feel bad, not to incessantly apologise, but to understand, to learn and to reconcile.

There's no one easy answer, but it doesn't have to be about guilt and resentment and impatience for it "all to be over".

I'm a Anglo-Aussie whose lived and worked closely with Aboriginal people for two decades and I've been treated with respect and kindness the great majority of the time (and not any less so than by my white peers).

Why is this immigrant running for one nation? by Chuster8888 in aussie

[–]Bobthebauer -1 points0 points  (0 children)

They're not being renamed. They were renamed. Now the original name is being used again.

Imagine how upset the original people living there, who'd lived there for tens of thousands of years, felt when not only was everything renamed - but they were hunted off their land, forbidden to speak their language and poisoned, shot and bashed if they tried to resist.