More like.... Big... Dumb... Out............ Yeah

The Federal Government says the organisers of Sydney's Big Day Out should cancel the event if they are worried about violence, rather than discourage people from displaying the Australian flag.

The organisers of the Big Day Out do not want people to bring the Australian flag to Thursday's concert in Sydney because they are worried it could be used to inflame racial violence.

from your ABC.

Event producer Ken West said the use of flags last year after the Cronulla riots and recent clashes between Serb and Croatian fans at the Australian Open tennis had forced his hand.

"I didn't like the behaviour of last year and we have moved the event from Australia Day this year partly because of the way the flags were used," Mr West said.

"The Australian flag was being used as gang colours. It was racism disguised as patriotism and I'm not going to tolerate it.

from Rupert's Telegraph


There are about 4000 things wrong with this. Isn't it bad enough that The Vines are going to play? Couldn't they have just left it at that?

I mean, obviously there's a fair bit of racial tension down here, especially in the... lesser suburbs of Sydney. And I guess I've never really liked those yobbo Aussies that wear the Australian flag as a cape. But banning the Aussie flag because a bunch of Shire tools beat up some Ay-Rabs? Calling it 'gang colours'? That's not cricket, just like how The Vines aren't musicians.

Bloody Yobbos

Aren't the organisers just fueling racial tension by telling Bruce Smith that he can't wear his Aussie Flag Stubbie Dispensing Hat because some Serbs and Croats fought at the tennis for the 16039th time? When have Serbs and Croats not fought at a sporting event?

Aren't they just giving ownership of the Aussie flag to the rednecked, brown-bashing minority, and taking it away from the law-abiding, silently racist majority?

To use a really bad analogy, this is like telling your teenage daughter she can't wear a slutty dress, then cutting a hole in the back of her jeans. You might think you're doing the right thing, but really, she's just going to get raped from behind.