Working Class Man
I was just reading the latest ABC news coverage of what seems to be a growing awareness of a child protection crisis in this country.
From my small knowledge of child protection issues, I can see that child abuse cases are an indicator of the health of our society in general being linked with family violence, drug and alcohol abuse and just poverty. So what all these reports are really telling us is that Australia’s underclass is growing in numbers and probably snowballing as todays victims grow up to become perpetrators of abuse on the next generation.
I believe this is the legacy of Australia’s economic boom times over the last ten to fifteen years. Many of us have ridden the wave of housing markets and stock markets while many others of us have been left behind. For those who are excluded from the market, there is low self-esteem and hopelessness.
We as Australians need to find a sense of value that isn’t exclusively linked to our net worth. We need to have a sense of dignity and virtue that doesn’t stem from what the bank thinks of us. In an ideal world, I’m talking about a greater sense of community and less individualism but I don’t know how we can make that happen. Please post your solutions to Australia’s problems in the comments.
