When I was a kid I remember witnessing things happening around me – the behaviour of the adults – and thinking “this is crazy – why isn’t anybody saying anything?”
Fast forward to 2020 and sometimes I feel the same way, although the difference now is that people are saying something, it’s just that the “adults” don’t seem to be listening.
I may not be the only one who thinks this way. Recently I was visiting a family member – a pensioner – and in their sparsely furnished unit I noticed a scrap of paper stuck to the fridge with a magnet, somewhere between the power bill and an overdue rates notice. Written in pencil was what I can only assume was an old saying, I can’t remember it exactly so I’ll paraphrase:
“The rich use the media to lie to the poor, to convince them that they are the problem, so they will turn on themselves and help maintain the status quo.”
To whatever extent you believe that, what I am seeing at the moment is the people in the middle trying to help up those below whilst simultaneously fighting against the injustices and corruption of those at the top. Robo-debt and the so called “Sports Rorts” affair are surely just the tip of the iceberg, stories that only broke the surface and came into view when questions were asked – they would have otherwise stayed submerged in murky waters like everything else.
That might feel like a gloomy outlook alongside the joyous occasion of being able to present you with the 50th edition of The Westsider – a great milestone that owes much to our Community Partners, volunteers and readers – but it doesn’t have to be.
What we have established here at The Westsider is a voice; an independent media platform which everyone can use to be heard. 50 editions of your stories, and those of your friends, neighbourhood and community.
So whether you’re a regular reader, or have picked this paper up for the first time, thank you, and feel free to use us to amplify your voice.
Maybe even “the adults” will listen this time.
Derek Green,
Managing Editor, The Westsider
