[CaptainJackSparrow]

National Pride is soaring

By Ben Johnson and Stephen Corby

The Sunday Telegraph, February 5, 2006

(No newslink for this article)

Demand for Australian Flags and symbols have risen dramatically in the wake up the Cronulla “riots”.

Tattooists and retailers have fielded a huge demand for symbolic paraphernalia as the line between patriotism and nationalism becomes blurred.

Union Jacks and Southern Crosses are being permanently recorded on the bodies of young Australians as tattoos.

This nascent nationalism is also reflected in the rise in the sale of Australian flags and a growing tendency to tote them in public.

Nelson Iturrieta, a tattooist a Liverpool’s Dutchy and Son Tattoo Studio, says he is inking between 30 and 40 Southern Crosses a week.

“It’s really just become really popular, all that national pride stuff, particularly with the younger guys,” he says.

“The Southern Cross is one of the most popular tattoos at the moment

“Were also getting people asking to get the words ‘Aussie Pride’ tattooed on them, usually next to a Southern Cross.”

It’s the same story at Panania, where Chuck Sekulla, from the Body Art Tattoo and Body Piercing studio, says the flag is poplar with clients.

“We do the flag a fair bit, and even the Eureka Stockade flag, but none of them are as popular as the Southern Cross,” he says.

“There’s a real national pride thing going on.”

Bulk flag supplier Australiana Flags has experienced a boom in business recently.

“I’ve never seen so many flags on Australia Day-or any other day, for that matter,” managing director John Vaughen says.

Sociology Professor John Carroll, of Latrobe University, says Australia’s new found nationalism stems from terrorism.

“There’s a growing sense of the value of our (Western) civilisation and what it stands for, and at the same time a decline in the language of multiculturalism,” he says.

[Phil]

In the context that it's in, I think this growing nationalism among White Aussies is GREAT. Glad to see they're not going to lay down and give away their country to the "multicult."

[Chocky]

It certainly is a postive development, and one that I would not have predicted given the general apathy and indifference that you often find in the Australian culture. It gives me more confidence and hope for Australia's ability to face the future then I've felt for a long time. Perhaps the era of political correctness and embracing of multiculturalism is finally coming to an end in this country.

The angsty hand-wringing of all the politically correct media commentators when they discuss this new trend is fun to watch too

[JayBee]

Good for them!

In Europe, we will all be rushing out for flags too.

Green ones with crescent moons on them.

[Liamj]

Just keep marching boys, you'll get a helmet at the end of the trench.

[Specop_007]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Liamj', ':')roll:

Just keep marching boys, you'll get a helmet at the end of the trench.

[peaker_2005]

What I worry about is blind support for the government's agendas (last time I heard, the majority support them again). The main problem is that we have no real opposition.

Now, don't get me wrong - I love the Australian people - but I'm just worried that the public is being misled by TPTB towards an awful future.

I'm most certainly not voting for HowardCo next time (if there is indeed another election).

[Liamj]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '"')..It was not desirable that the proles should
have strong political feelings. All that was required of them was a
primitive patriotism which could be appealed to whenever it was
necessary to make them accept longer working-hours or shorter
rations. And even when they became discontented, as they sometimes
did, their discontent led nowhere, because being without general
ideas, they could only focus it on petty specific grievances. The
larger evils invariably escaped their notice."

[elroy]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('JayBee', 'G')ood for them!

In Europe, we will all be rushing out for flags too.

Green ones with crescent moons on them.

[lotrfan55345]

Soaring from... a very limited number in the first place and still is a very limited number.