New Catallaxy

The Melbourne Syndrome revisited

This was an article I wrote exactly a year ago: The Melbourne Syndrome which was published at the American Institute for Economic Research. What remains the most astonishing part is how little has changed. Victoria is still governed by our own version of Captain Bligh who knows only how to order others about while understanding nothing about how to deal with the actual problems we have. Just do what you are told and stay in your house.

I invite you to go to the link to see how creepy the parallels are, but let me quote from what was published one year ago. 

Now why should it be the “Melbourne” syndrome? There are plenty of places similar where you find such attitudes. It should be called the “Melbourne” Syndrome because Melbourne has now implemented the hardest and longest lockdown at the hands of one of the most far-left and incompetent political leaders in the world, a leader who nevertheless retains high approval ratings, within a state in which the coronavirus issue went from benign to statistically explosive (although the death rate is still near invisible at something like 0.002% per head of population). 

I therefore believe Melbourne should have the “honour” of bearing the name of this widely observed form of political insanity.

We are the most compliant people on the planet dealing with the harshest set of restrictions found anywhere on the planet. It does bring to mind Einstein’s definition of insanity: Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. We have been doing the same thing for a year, nothing has improved, but Melbourne now holds the record for the longest lockdown of any city in the world. But then there was this near the end of the article.

And do people resent this fantastic intrusion on their lives? Do they feel the heel of the state and wish to see it lifted? Here are the results of a poll of Victorians over whether they support the measures that have been taken:

The lockdown might be draconian, but Victorians overwhelmingly support the public health restrictions imposed to curb the second wave of coronavirus infections…. New research shows 72% of the sample backs the decision of the Victorian government to impose a curfew between 8pm and 5am, 71% supports curbs on leaving the house, while 70% endorse restrictions on business and the requirement that people travel no further than 5km from their house.

That was something like four lockdowns ago. Nothing has improved. Nothing is better. We are more tightly locked down than ever. And Daniel Andrews is still loved by the majority of Victoria’s citizens. So I will end as I ended a year ago.

You can therefore still see traces here in Australia’s origins as a penal colony.

Steve Kates

8 responses to “The Melbourne Syndrome revisited”

  1. min Avatar
    min

    What I see in Melbourne is a real life play out of Stanley Milgram ‘s obedience , authoritarian experiment that is the majority of people blindly following instructions no matter what the consequences. When instructions given by a person perceived to be the more authoritarian such as in uniform or doctor or leader the more complicit the instructed .
    Those giving out the orders fall into the other experiment The Stanford Jailer Prisoner where those put in the power behave in an abusive, inhumane manner . . Name one CMO that has not put extreme conditions with no exceptions on people in dire circumstances. , unless of course you are a film star, footballer etc. We are behaving exactly as those in those experiments . .

    5
  2. min Avatar
    min

    The Stockholm Syndrome on the other hand is where a bank robber kept hostages who had no access to outside for information, other people eg rescuers and dependent on their jailer for food etc so they developed a distorted attachment to their jailer . Attachment theory probably could also explain some of this behaviour . In Victoria around the same time as the Stockholm Syndrome occurred were two groups of kidnapped school children who did not suffer SS and of course the famous Patty Hearst affair where Stockholm Syndrome was used to explain her behaviour but was not accepted by the judge as like Melbournites she had some choices about whether to comply or not. I think that is why that judgement was made

  3. Shy Ted Avatar
    Shy Ted

    The Gold Coast syndrome – can’t work it out. One day everybody masked (‘cept me), another day/location almost no one. Coercion/threats seems to consist of 4 D-grade cops patrolling the streets of better suburbs where one might enjoy a social bruncheon. If they were budding defectives they might have read the side of the mask box, including that little oval with EO inside it, but they aren’t budding defectives. Don’t know why my keyboard sometimes types t as f.

    1
  4. MatrixTransform Avatar
    MatrixTransform

    Don’t know why my keyboard sometimes types t as f.

    Tat Tingered Fypisf

  5. Slim Cognito Avatar
    Slim Cognito

    Having recently spoken to a friend in Melbourne who has been living under this madness for the last 18 months, I can tell it has had an effect on him. The constant messaging has instilled a fear that we are all going to die unless we comply. Anyone spotted not wearing a mask is the enemy as they are the reason why lockdowns are not ending. The loss of perspective is actually quite sad.

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  6. Miss Anthropist Avatar
    Miss Anthropist

    I never thought I would sympathise with a left wing group but defund the police.
    They have degenerated into a mob of out of control thugs and a real threat to health and wealth.
    They can be reemployed as militia in some other hellholes but in third world countries. They’ll be happy there.

  7. Suelyn Avatar
    Suelyn

    Slim,
    It’s not just in Victoria – I’ve seen the same in Queensland. I’m stunned at just how hostile people have become towards those not wearing masks/not vaccinating. They aren’t even allowing that the people may have a valid reason, just an instant hostility/hatred. And yes, from what I’ve heard, they have a completely unrealistic belief in the utter lethality of Covid-19 – they truly seem to believe getting it is a death sentence.

    3
  8. Winston Smith Avatar
    Winston Smith

    Stories From The Big Smoke:
    Suelyn:
    Whilst in Brisbane for a medical checkup, I spoke to an old friend I’d known for 54 years.
    He and his missus are very much of the Left – were in Young Labor, etc.
    Both are ABC watchers, and while they have access to, and watch other stations, they have been utterly conditioned into the WZV Is Galloping Death On Stilts.
    I’m mystified by the change in him, especially since he admitted he was ‘terrified’ of the ‘disease’.

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