PLAYING THE MARKET

Australians value freedom of expression but laws against hate speech are still essential

A flourishing society also requires more than just freedom of speech; it requires security, stability, a just legal system and a vibrant economy.

BY MATT KEAN

Australia is a country of great diversity. You can see it in the faces of the people that you work with. You can see it in the restaurants that line the main streets of our towns. And you can see it in the variety of religious and cultural events celebrated around the country: Chinese New Year, Diwali, Hanukkah, Ramadan and Christmas to name a few.

However, the treatment of the Aboriginal peoples in this country stands as a chilling reminder that tolerance has not always been embraced. The Cronulla riots similarly reminds us how quickly what we have achieved can be put at risk.

him - a very dangerous ambition to have. And who knows this better than Rizwan’s wife Chitrangda Singh, who in a role severely conscripted by the plot’s bristling sinewiness, manages to nd her redemptive moment in the grand nale.

disagreed on issues, spoke their minds openly, made room for flippant banter even through trials, took things with a pinch of salt and knew that under it all, love and harmony were alive and well. Savage times indeed.

the mentor and the protegee together. Saif and the very ne and con dent debutant Rohan Mehra just don’t have enough scenes together. In fact Rohan builds a better bond with Saif’s screenwife Chitrangda Singh in just one scene where the teary-eyed protegee tells his mentor’s wife that sometimes you just need to give the one you love a tight slap. The written word seldom gets to be conveyed with such unvarnished directness in commercial Hindi cinema where everyone either talks orid or over-casual.

That is why freedom of speech is not absolute. In this country, it is criminal to disclose secrets which risk the lives of Australian soldiers. It is likewise a crime for a corporate executive to disclose market sensitive information to his mates. The law protects us from slander and protects privileged comments made to our lawyers.

In Baazaar the emotions are tightly reined-in as caustic vitriolic conversations are let loose with not a care about who’s eavesdropping.

When I went to bed that night, I was just a tired mum who needed a laugh and a good rest. When I awoke the next morning I was still a tired mum who needed a laugh and a good rest - or so I thought…

Saif Ali Khan’s Shakun Kothari’s destiny run on the same lines. Except that Saif as the wily ruthless

A glance at my phone revealed that

When debutant Rohan Mehra enters the plot as Rizwan there is no Shakun Kothari around. We know Rizwan idolizes Shakun and wants to be like

I had seemingly awoken as a different person - foreign even to myself. A couple of people had responded to my innocent comment informing me that I was silly, rude, condescending and sanctimonious - heavy words from a couple of sombre individuals who don’t know me from Adam. A few matter-of-fact exchanges later, I found myself being analysed (for free) - my way of thinking, my perception of myself/others and my complete lack of decency in not offering an apology for joking about people being turned into Lassi.

The proposed amendments to the Racial Discrimination Act were put forward on the basis that the current wording of Section 18C inappropriately constrains our freedom of speech.

There is no redemption for Shakun. He is showman a ball of re hurling down an abyss, and enjoying every moment of it. The lm takes great pride in being clued into the inside workings of the stock market. Yet it never lets the tone of know-all self-congratulation come in the way of telling us the story of ‘When Shakun Met Rohan’.

I’m reminded that we live in ‘civilised’ times.

My quibble with the rivetting script (Nikhil Advani, Parvez Sheikh, Aseem Arora) is that it takes its time in bringing

I’m amazed every time I chat with older folk. They grew up in ‘savage’ times. They regularly laughed at each other, vociferously

That section makes it unlawful to do an act in public which “is reasonably likely… to offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate another person or a group of people” if “the act is done because of the race, colour or national or ethnic origin of the other person”.

There is no doubt that freedom of speech is important but it is important because of the role it plays in our democracy. Freedom of speech ensures that when you or I go to the ballot box we can make an informed decision about who to vote for.

These, however, are the days when mental health, support, love and harmony are stretched thin across the ever-expanding void between our carefully laid cornerstones of civilisation. The damage wreaked by technology, busy lifestyles, lack of grace and an inability to listen to one another hides behind the façade of compassion, politically correct conversations and carefully filtered jokes. One must even keep abreast with all the words deemed taboo in certain social situations by people reading between the lines of a dictionary. Everyone readily engages in external battles for countless noble causes - animals, the environment, human rights and even comments on social media. However, how many of us stop long enough to engage with the internal battles that rage within ourselves?

As a society, we recognise that these restrictions do not hurt our democracy or way of life. Indeed, we understand that they are necessary to maintain it. And laws against hate speech are no less necessary, because racism and bigotry tear at the heart of our social fabric.

My favourite line, and the one that says it all about Shakun Kothari, is the one in the run-down Gujarati bhojanalaiya. “You think I come here because I love the food? No, the food is terrible! But it helps me never forget where I came from.”

The brilliance of the line is never forgotten in a morality tale that never pushes its righteousness into our face. In fact I suspect the very assured debutant director Gauravv K. Chawla actually enjoys his grey protagonist’s amorality.

I’m reminded that becoming highly ‘civilised’ has led us to becoming highly sensitised, highly strung, easily offended and comfortably hood-winked into a sense of ‘progress’.

Saif’s blustering warmth keeps Shakun Kothari from falling apart even when the stakes are heavily weighed against him.

The one saving grace is that the day is fast approaching when no one will need a culture sample to make yogurt. Our fermented gazes falling upon a bowl of milk will quickly yield a variety of curds corresponding to the individual - reek, Indian, Australian, Lebanese and even Vegan if that’s your thing.

Racism and bigotry leave people feeling exiled in their own home. They do not improve the quality of public debate nor do they assist the wise completion of a ballot paper. They are insidious because they attack a person because of their identity; their heritage. They imply that a person is inferior because of who they are. They are hurtful, divisive and can lead to individuals and entire communities feeling unwanted, unvalued and second-class.

While some of the other supporting performances just don’t match upthe ever-brilliant Manish Choudhary struggles in an underwritten role; Radhika Apte as Rizwan’s go-getting colleague makes space for herself. In a way she tokenizes the lm’s morality. In today’s times you have to push your way into attention.

I’m just an observer of life and my opinions are certainly not for everyone. But I will say, life is always a figurative combination of curds and whey - the ratio doesn’t always meet personal preference. However, don’t be too quick to toss out the whey. If you look close enough, the whey is just as valuable as the curds.

As a society, we recognise that restrictions on free speech do not hurt our democracy or way of life. Indeed, we understand they are necessary our social fabric

Subhash K. Jha

Know Thyself as Soul

Comments today can also revive memories of past wrongs. Unfortunately, few ethnic groups have been spared the pain of racially justified persecution. Examples such as slavery in the United States and the Holocaust are well known. In recent times, the world has seen genocides in Rwanda and Bosnia, while today in North Korea persecution is justified by racial supremacy.

You are a soul of a permanent unchangeable nature, and if you would live as a soul, you would never be aff changed by outer changes.

-Sant Baljit Singh

Freedom of speech is necessary so that as a community, we can debate political ideas and so that individuals can have a say on decisions that affect them.

Sant Baljit Singh

Section 18C ensures that everyone has a role to play in that debate.

Together, we have built a vibrant, rich and diverse society. A society not focused on the differences between us, but founded on the strengths our differences afford us. Section 18C stands, not as a threat to freedom of speech, but as a protector of the purposes which that freedom serves, and as a guard to an achievement exceptional in this time and rare in times before.

Nurture your spiritual life through meditation on the inner Light (Jyoti) and Sound (Naad) and realise your true self. All events are free. for further information 1800 462 193 www.knowthyself.org

Matt Kean is the Member for Hornsby and Parliamentary Secretary for Communities.