Barry socking it to the greens at STRANGE TIMES

Barry socking it to the greens

Published

keza

on October 22, 2008

in fun, green/environment and the pseudo-left

. 17 Comments

Here is nine minutes of Barry’s comedy gig at the 2008 Australian Environment Foundation Conference dinner.

Our report of the conference itself can be read here.

17 Responses to “Barry socking it to the greens”

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1 Jennifer
October 24, 2008 at 10:18 pm

Very funny! Jen
2 Steve Owens
October 29, 2008 at 2:17 pm

Well done Barry, yes those Greens full of crap fear mongering, with no evidence to back up their lunatic claims oh yeah if you eliminate their “evidence” which is usually just emotion wrapped in a statistic.I’m still livid about how the Greens in Canada forced the government to close the fishing industry on the Grand BankThe Grand Bank was arguably the richest fishing ground in the world with Cod up to 7 foot. Fishermen would say that the fish were so thick that you couldn’t row a boat though and that to catch fish all you had to do was to tie baskets to the sides of your boat.Then in comes the Greens with “youll overfish” “factory fishing will deplete the stock” and of course “you shouldn’t trawl the spawning areas”Well the fishers put the Greens in their place with questions like “We have fished these waters for generations, We manage the resources for our families future, Who knows and cares more?”Now I know that in the mid 1990’s the fish of the Grand Banks disappeared but this doesn’t mean that the Greens were right it’s probably due to natural variation in numbers we just need to wait for the Greens to be proved wrong. We have waited over 10 years a few more years wont hurt.
3 Steve Owens
October 29, 2008 at 7:38 pm

Barry, Those Greens are up to it again. When the cod never returned the government turned to the seal cullers for an explanation. The seal cullers pointed out that the new young cod were being eaten by …seals (maybe even it was the seals who made the cod disappear) Anyway the government were set to increase the seal cull purely in order to protect the cod when who steps in, you guessed it the greens with their idea that seals ate both young cod and fish that ate young cod in about even numbersWhat can you say about these idiots first they allow the cod population to be devastated blaming the poor factory fishing industry while letting the seals off the hook, now they want to stop an increase in the seal cull. Well have the Greens ever conducted a seal cull no of course not just like they never ran any factory fishing. All their “knowledge” is from books and “research” Its about time they butted out and left the management of earths inexhaustible resources to those with a real interest in their management the government and the companies that develop these resources
4 byork
October 30, 2008 at 5:49 pm

One of the differences between sarcasm and comedy is that the latter is intellectually challenging for both the performer and the audience. Sarcasm, as Shakespeare rightly said, is the lowest form of wit. Sarcasm requires no deep consideration, challenges no-one intellectually, and appeals to group-think. So far in my limited ‘wannabe’ efforts in stand-up comedy, I’m finding a diverse range of people are responding favourably, in some cases to views that they would not normally be open to consider. Comedy can reveal the abusurdity underlying much of what is accepted as ‘normal’. The green outlook is a case in point. At a time when (it seems to me) 90% of stand-up comedians in Australia are pandering to their audiences’ prejudices rather than offering anything that is genuinely left-wing and challenging, I’m keen to keep trying. Of course, it has to be funny – and the green world outlook provides no shortage of excellent material. Comedy is an effective weapon in revealing the reactionary nature of the green outlook. Many of the PC comedians I’ve seen just aren’t funny. The jokes about Bush being ‘stupid’ have become predictable and not funny. And besides, if Bush really is a joke, then Saddam and his fascist cronies certainly got the punch-line! (boom boom),Barry
5 Steve Owens
October 30, 2008 at 6:44 pm

Barry , It saddens me that my style of humour doesn’t come up to your and Shakespeare’s standard. Ive always thought that with political humour the crucial thing is the politics with the joke being secondary. To prove this I just have to ask you “would you laugh at a racist joke” well of course you wouldn’t but what if it was funny?As to our friend GW being the butt of jokes I suggest that he just stop supplying the comedians with such rich and I mean rich material.
6 anita
October 31, 2008 at 6:26 am

I’m not sure about the answer to the question would i laugh at a racist joke…Well i find Irish jokes extremely offensive but think i’ve heard some that made me laugh. I wondered about the joke i recently told Bill Kerr that he put on his site…Have you heard the one about the Labor Minister who visited the South Australian Pitt Lands and asked one of the locals what he thought about the fact that the Rudd government had said sorry to the stolen generation? No. Well here it is and a true story to boot – A Labor Minister visiting the Pitt Lands asked one of the locals what they thought about the Rudd government’s apology to the stolen generation? The man walked away and consulted with some others and then returned and answered ‘Brudda we dunno nuthin ’bout dat stolen generator’. To me that joke is both funny and sad. Sad because it shows that we are not even close to developing a political strategy that speaks to the needs of the people of these areas as opposed to serving the symbolic/political needs of the ruling class. Do i need re-education?
7 Steve Owens
October 31, 2008 at 10:20 am

Seriously Barry if you’ve decided to do stand up good luck to you. My point is that even though we may have ideological differences with the greens and even though we may find some of their positions to be loopy it doesn’t preclude them from getting some stuff right. On the issue of the Grand Banks the Greens were spectacularly correct. Most arguments arnt resolved so clearly.
8 Steve Owens
October 31, 2008 at 7:10 pm

Barry I heard you speaking on the radio about the wresler Killer Karl Kowalski well done man
9 byork
November 1, 2008 at 5:54 pm

I like the Australian Environment Foundation’s approach because it is evidence based and seeks to act on real practical issues rather than responding in a green ideological way that really has at its heart a reactionary opposition to modern industrial society. There’s abundant material for comedy among the green movement and its supporters in the mainstream media (who actually have a lot to answer for in promoting irrational alarmism). There are some real doozies in this list of 600 problems caused by global warming/climate change: http://www.numberwatch.co.uk/warmlist.htm That 0.7 degree increase in global temperature over the past 120 years really has a lot to answer for! Anyone know about “solastalgia” – it’s the latest mental disorder caused by individuals feeling very sad when their local natural environment is changed by, you’ve guessed it, global warming/climate change. I think it’s a variant of “ecosystem distress syndrome”. (And no: I’m not making this up!). Oh yes, and let’s not forget ‘carborexia’ – a condition in people who become obsessed with reducing their personal carbon footprint. Personally, I like “plasticbagaphobia”. (Okay, I admit it: I made that one up). Any others? Barry
10 Steve Owens
November 1, 2008 at 9:32 pm

Barry when I was a child an issue on the TV was lead polution from the Pt Pirie lead smelter. The opposition was lead by Ali Fricker a green who almost out caracatured the hippie green steriotype. Every night she was there stating that the lead smelter was poisioning the children of Port Pirie. Every night the government and the company spoke about safety and responsibility. Eventually the blood lead levels of the children were released to show that Ali was right the company was poisoning the children. Heres a skit, you explain the above to the audience and then to condem the greens chant more lead for kids more lead for kids funny no?
11 byork
November 2, 2008 at 6:26 am

The comedic material is not in people opposing lead pollution, or any form of harmful pollution – you don’t need to adhere to the green world outlook to do that – but isn’t it hilarious that that world outlook leads them to see CO2 as a pollutant? Australia’s Minister for Climate Change, Penny Wong, described carbon as a pollutant in her recent ‘green paper’ on the issue. Now that’s funny! (For science-based critique of her paper, see Professor Bob Carter here: http://business.theage.com.au/business/wongs-climate-paper-clouded-with-mistakes-20080728-3md1.html ) What next? A campaign against hydrogen in the water supply?! Spiked on-line are flogging t-shirts with these good witty left-wing slogans: “CO2 makes the world go round”, “Humanity is underrated”, “Bomb the bans”, “Stop illegal immigration (make it legal)” and “Humani nil a me alienum puto”. The last one, in Latin, is Karl Marx’s motto: Nothing human is alien to me. Check out the t-shirts here: http://395679.spreadshirt.net/en/GB/Shop Anyone have any ideas for similar slogans?Barry
12 Steve Owens
November 4, 2008 at 8:44 am

Barry if it were only so simple.Ill give you another exampleIn Sydney the Greens took up the cause of preserving historic houses from development. The Greens were supported by the Builders Labourers Federation NSW branch. The developers were a particularly nasty group of people during the course of the campaign they kidnapped and torchered greens in fact they kidnapped a woman named Neilson and her body was never found. Allies of the developers were the Builders Labourers Federation National Branch. The national branch was given support from the Communist Party of Australia (Marxist Leninist) of which you Barry were a member. So here we have it, there’s a social struggle and your in an organisation that’s on the wrong side. My questions are what should you do and what did you do?
13 Steve Owens
November 10, 2008 at 9:24 pm

Barry? Barry? Have you nothing to say? Or are you just saying nothing?
14 Steve Owens
November 10, 2008 at 9:36 pm

Barry it may help to remember in relation this matter that “most psychotic delusions are internally coherent. They just have nothing to do with reality” You as a member of the CPA(ML) may well have opposed the BLF(NSW) because they were agents of Soviet Social Imperialism and thereby had no problem in allying with the right wing developers who were murdering people. Hey if your making an omelet you must break some eggs or some other such delusional nonsense.”Your silence is very reassuring”
15 byork
November 11, 2008 at 6:47 am

Steve, for future reference on your part: I don’t feel obliged to comment on something just because someone else thinks I should. This thread was started by someone other than me (with my approval), to let people know about my attempt at stand-up comedy which sought to have a go at the greens and pseudo-left. You might find someone interested in the BLF, etc., but it’s not me (for now). Barry
16 Steve Owens
November 12, 2008 at 7:14 pm

Barry I’m not interested in your views on the BLF. What I think is relevant in this thread is your attitude to the Greens. In the 1970’s when you were very politically active the Greens in Sydney squatted in houses to stop them being demolished. In response the developers sent in members of a local martial arts club to beat the Greens up. Greens were also kidnapped torchered and murdered. I’m just asking what position you took when Greens were being beaten and murdered here in Australia, honestly I cant see what so hard.
17 byork
November 12, 2008 at 7:50 pm

Okay Steve! So you can let go and move on: I hereby reassert my opposition to murder, kidnapping and torture. I also reassert my opposition to the reactionary green world outlook.