when I was a young social justice Warrior at University I had a few core beliefs one eating animals or using any Animal product was akin to rape and murder two Islam was a religion of Peace three anyone from the developing world was in inherently virtuous and the prosperous West was inherently evil four gender was a social construct obviously and five Australia was an irredeemably racist nation and that Australia day was nothing more than a colonial Relic that had to go for me the biggest Milestone was in 2017 when my then beloved triple j radio station
stopped hosting the hottest 100 on January 26th that was the nail in the coffin from then on celebrating Australia Day became entirely outside the Overton window within my milar of University educated friends and colleagues it's safe to say that I've changed a lot since my University days as anyone familiar with quillet and my work would know but even so until this year I felt a little in the closet about celebrating Australia Day last Australia Day I simply went down to Bondi Beach to have a swim when I noticed something weird there wasn't a single Australian
flag waving the Australian flag at least in Australian cities has become a massive taboo almost akin to being a Neo-Nazi even my father proudly displaying an Australian flag in our front yard was asked by a friend's wife why do you have that swastika in your front yard I'm being serious another example after October 7th I attended a rally for Israel where I saw a man wearing an iconic Red Cap I initially assumed it was a Maga cap but on closer inspection and it actually said make Australia great again once I read it I complimented him
on it but moments later he was questioned by police I can only assume it was because he was a white male alone in a trump style cap in 2022 Cricket Australia initially avoided referencing Australia day during its iconic matches only to back track after public outcry and in 2017 council's in free manal Yara and daraban stopped hosting Australian citizenship ceremonies on January 26th promoting backlash from the then prime minister Malcolm turull retailers have also waited in last year ww worth said it would no longer stock ARR day merchandise only to reverse that decision a few
weeks ago so it looks like ww worth feels the Vib shift of 2025 and it's not just them I've spoken to people around the world who sense it too now Ferguson senses it as he wrote in the Australian without us even realizing it it feels like celebrating Australia Day is becoming more acceptable again and it's not just the holiday itself it's what it represents increasingly not only Australians but many in the west are refusing to Fain guilt for who we are these of shaming white colonists have lost their grip I'm not saying the shaming will
stop what I'm saying is that it no longer wields the power it once did Ferguson argues that this Vibe shift is thanks to Donald Trump's re-election and I tend to agree his victory signaled that ordinary Americans want to prioritize their country and a tide of woke ideology and its shame driven identity politics no doubt Australia day will see protests your social media will be full of kefia clad Arts students led by their supreme leader Lydia thob calling it Invasion day but i' bet good money that this year in Bondi Beach we will see more people
decked out in Aussie Flags than last year as Pascal Brookner wrote in perhaps my favorite quette essay Europe and I would argue Australia as well is consumed by guilt unlike the US which severed its ties with Europe Australia remains Tethered to the monarchy and its p received ills some Australian Republicans think that cutting ties with the monarchy will cure us of this guilt but anyone familiar with the far-left and as I said I was part of it knows that nothing will ever be enough even if we became a republic created sorry day which we already
did Chang the date of Australia Day voted yes to the indigenous voice and renamed every town and river with Aboriginal names it still would not satisfy the insatiable demands of woke ideologues like dealing with an abusive partner the only solution is to have some self-respect and refuse to be denigrated there are malevolent actors out there for example Iran would love to see us destroyed Tran's Billboards don't just call for death to Israel but also death to the United States and the West in general you can't plate abusers or politely request respect the only option is
to demand it and present consequences for non-compliance for an abusive movement the consequence is to stop playing their game stop trying to Plate them by removing Australia Day products from shelves or changing the date as Pascal Brookner said of Europe either it becomes a convincing World player or it will be dismembered by hungry Predators waiting to devour it Peace by piece it is therefore imperative that we retain our self-confidence as combative accidentals convinced of the uniqueness of our contributions to civilization and who make no excuses for our existence the same applies to Australia we're still
a young country and while our national identity may not be as firmly established as Americas or Europe's we share a clear foundation in a judeo-christian moral framework that emphasizes the value of human life free freedom and individuality there's much to be proud of having traveled extensively I can confidently say there's nowhere else I'd rather call home of course we're not without our challenges tall poppy syndrome and underwhelming culinary scene and ongoing challenges in education labor productivity and housing affordability and yes indigenous Australians do face serious and complex issues but these cannot be reduced to a
simple Narrative of blame on white colonization changing the date of our national holiday won't magically improve life expectancy Health outcomes or educational attainment for indigenous communities so this Australia Day for the first time in years I'll be celebrating and guess what I'm not ashamed in fact I'm organizing a party for quette in Adela the hometown of our founder CLA Layman you're welcome to join us it's going to be fantastic head to quilt.com to grab yourself tickets and hopefully I'll see you there celebrating our fantastic country on our national holiday the 26th of January this video
is based on an essay I wrote which was published in the Australian on Wednesday the 15th of January you can read it on the Australian's website and let me know in the comments I'm not 100% opposed to changing the date but as I've said I don't think it's helpful to give into the demands of virtue signaling bullies it doesn't get us anywhere but that's not to say that there aren't some good reasons to change the date if you've got some let me know in the comments section thanks for watching
