Struggle Street Thoughts.

In response to the rather clever marketing, I watched the SBS show “Struggle Street”. To those that have not seen it, or, heard about it, this show is about life in the decidedly working class Sydney Suburb & predominately Housing Commission area of Mount Druitt, the struggles of the unemployed/unemployable in a complicated world. Whilst this Sydney location was highlighted in this case, In truth, this could have been set in many rural towns/cities; or in similar suburbs of Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra… ANY WHERE in Australia.

Chief amongst the complaints about the unfair portrayal of the citizens as a pack of toothless drug addled Bogans & ignored the positives (or at least downplayed the positive works) happening in this city – Indeed, a Highlight for me, was the positive action of one young woman who stepped in to save a young girl who had been kicked out of her home after a disagreement with here mother.

In many ways, the show seemed to be a soap opera, but with real people & very with real issues, not the saccharine sweet shallow Bimbo/Himbo seen on the Australian Soap operas that seem to be having a drama over someone kissing/shagging/hating/loving/stealing… The issues depicted in Struggle Street were very raw & very real. Consequences were dire for these people. To watch it in some ways was shocking; in other ways, it was, as someone described, it “Poverty Porn”.

To many this show represents a rallying point; that call to arms to Say to the Rest of Australia: We Have To Fix This! Others will just be dismissive, as they see themselves as far too removed from “those People”, safe in the knowledge, that they will never ever EVER have to live in “that sort” of housing, or in that sort of situation, secretly, getting off thinking about how their life is SO much better than the life of the residents depicted in this show… that typical dismissive of “OH, What a pack of Booners… AND …Gee, I’m Glad that I live in (insert Middle Class Location Here)…”

To my mind, however, what this show highlighted is the effect of the Weird upon every single one of us. I refer to the Weird in this case in its Scots or perhaps slightly archaic form meaning the Unearthly hand that governs your fate… Think of the Norns, the witches that governed your fate… To sum it up differently, “There, But for the Grace of the Gods, Go I”

What I saw when I watched, was, this is your life if something goes wrong. 

Suddenly. 

Brutally. 

Systemically.  

Not in any way your own fault. 

The Australian in this case rapidly finds out that Australia quite simply does not give a flying toss about them or where they end up. This Australian, unless they have very large support networks, will be made into the sort of Human Flotsam & Jetsam that they had previously sneered at on this show.

As always, it is just so easy to blame the victims; we have throw away lines about “well, if you only applied for more jobs”… “If you didn’t look the way you do” … “If your wore some Nice clothes” … “If you stopped taking those recreational drugs” … In all cases these little snide remarks hide the fact that the person usually making them is only a Norns burp away from a similar fate.

In Australia, we have long despised those that are not “economic”. That is actively growing the economy. We treat the disabled appallingly. We despise those that are not able to work; we tell those that have been feed through the corporate grinder of “downsizing” “Hey, It’s Just Business” & the law of Supply & demand - It’s not Personal…And to those whose industries are collapsing about them & leaving them with training & work experience that is no longer required we say; Just back on the band wagon.

All of which, the individual must pay for themselves. We continue with the Victim Blaming.

I support the Anger of the Mayor of Blacktown in the defence of his constituents. I too am sick of the poverty porn aspect of some of these shows & the middle class twat-dom that applaud the “edgy” nature of the work whilst knocking down that bottle of Sav-Blanc – these are real people & they are not there for the entertainment of the mortgage belt. Unfortunately, there has been a History of the press in “picking on” the residents of the Western suburbs & television shows can easily fan these flames even if unintentionally.

As an Australian, I am ashamed, that we have a country where we so readily accept that generations of unemployment, & lack of opportunity are seen as acceptable. We can’t deny this problem & the sooner we fix these situations the better the outcomes for US ALL. Just remember that old bar room quip about sports stars that don’t make it to the highest level of their sport: What is the most Wasted Natural Resource? Talent! How much Talent must Australia waste? The waste in this case is easily measured in the human terms.

So, as with all things; what can I do? I am continuing to stop the victim Blaming (I have said this before) and by challenging the bigoted throw away one-liners that we all say...

...AND by not repeating them

I will watch the last double episode of Struggle Street, but I will be Supporting the residents of Mt Druitt, because they are humans like me, & there, but for the grace of the gods, go all of us 

Leigh