Do we lack a sense of community?

There are many reasons for, and no easy answers to, dysfunction in society. But here's what I reckon ... let's party like it's 1969!

Commercial television news bulletins have become depressingly familiar in recent years. Every night, from the top, it’s a line-up of crime, more crime, some politics (often related to crime), and then more crime.

It didn’t used to be that way, and that’s not necessarily because there is more, or worse, crime than before. It depends how you look at the stats.

What is quite clear is that the proliferation of CCTV, dashcams and ubiquitous camera-equipped mobile phones means there is plenty of video footage of crimes occurring and/or of crime scenes just before or after a crime has been committed. And that means television news bulletins can meet their most pressing need: to have actual vision to accompany the news.

Of course, this fulfills our need to know what’s going on in our backyard — and that is a very important function of local TV news. Sometimes, however, it distorts or exaggerates actuality because… hey, we’ve got pictures!

(Clue: you know something is really important when they tell it to you even when they don’t have pictures — except maybe of a reporter standing outside a court that has been empty for the past two hours.)

I try to watch at least the first segment of the news on free-to-air commercial television because the timing suits me, and I want to be informed about goings-on in my own backyard.

However, in common with many others, I’m spending less and less time watching what is now referred to as “linear” television.

Instead, I watch a lot of streaming content (some of it from the FTA channels’ own catch up sites) and, increasingly, videos on YouTube that are made by amateurs who are in touch with topics and communities that interest me.

Which brings me to one of my favourites: a vlog by Steve Rosse, an American of about my vintage who lives in Thai Mueang, a seaside village not far from Phuket in southern Thailand.

For many months, Rosse has used his YouTube channel, to document the lead-up to the village’s annual Turtle Festival, which is underway as I write this.

The retiree claims to be the first foreigner to march in the Turtle Parade, alongside a turtle artwork he created from found materials, including hundreds (maybe thousands) of disposable cigarette lighters that washed up on the beach.

This year’s parade featured several other larger-than-life turtles along, along with school and community marching bands, children dressed up in colourful costumes and good citizens demonstrating whatever it is good citizens do.

Those villagers not in the parade — plus visitors and the rest of the expatriate population — lined the streets to cheer.

It all ended up at a local park, kitted out with lights, streamers, food and craft stalls, carnival attractions and an entertainment stage.

A wave of nostalgia ran over me when I watched the latest video — not just because I’ve lived in Thailand and still have friends, but because it reminded me of my own childhood here in Brisbane.

And it got me thinking, not for the first time in my adult years, about Warana — the community celebration we used to have in this city that was replaced by an arts festival.

Before you start jumping to conclusions, this will not be a rant against the Brisbane Festival. It has been, and remains, a good thing; something that a cultured and grown-up city ought to have.

But the festival, very deliberately, does not encourage free-form grassroots community involvement.

The street parade that used to attract thousands of participants and tens of thousands of viewers (lining the streets and watching the TV coverage) was the first to go. It was dismissed as a cheesy remnant of times gone by. As if the thought of ordinary people taking part in a celebration of their own community was somehow out of place.

My argument is that the people of Thai Meaung, Thailand have got it right. At least for the duration of the festival (10 days from memory), they are getting to know their neighbours, enjoying each other’s company and celebrating their community.

This kind of interaction won’t solve youth crime, or any other major problem. But it will counter the loneliness and sense of isolation that affects many of us, and make people feel good about who they are and where they live. Surely that’s an important step in creating social harmony.

It would bring strangers together, and it provide encouragement for the musicians, dancers, artists and designers of the future.

I know there are school fetes and local community fairs around Brisbane, plus the odd council-sponsored free event such as outdoor cinema. But there is nothing like Warana, where everyone can join in, if they so choose, and nobody is judged on their contribution.

With the council elections just around the corner, I’d very seriously consider voting for the Brisbane mayoral candidate who pledged to bring back Warana.

©2024 Brett Debritz. If I’ve inadvertently used copyrighted material, failed to give credit where it’s due, written or said something you disagree with, or otherwise upset or unexpectedly delighted you, please leave a comment, email me or connect with me at @debritz on X or @brettdebritz on Threads. I also have an experimental YouTube site, @radiobert. Links are provided as a courtesy; I take no responsibility for their contents or give any warranty of their veracity. Illustrations: Bing Image Creator