Desperate Liberals
(Thanks for humouring me everybody, shitty Monday and my shitty mood seem to have passed and QP is bouncing back.)What a soap opera! You couldn't write this shit. In fact there's a thought: New character for Neighbours, a sanctimonious senator who moves into Ramsay Street and is shocked to discover crusading hippie and occasional dyke Sky Mangel is in fact his daughter. Or is she?
I'm talking of course about the revelation that Daniel O'Connor is not in fact Tony Abbott's son.
I'm so, so close to feeling sorry for Abbott. There's two ways to approach this: Go with the standard left conspiracy theory that Abbott orchestrated this "rediscovery" all along as part of his anti-abortion crusade, and you have an evil scheme blowing up in the man's face, leaving poor Daniel the real victim in all of this. This, however, is a very, very cynical take on it (not that I'd put it past Abbott's capabilities).
The other way is to take this revelation at face value, and Abbott is left robbed of a biological child after 27 years, and that's something I'd wish on very few people, even a devious anti-choice, anti-queer politician. Daniel will perhaps feel quite relieved the mean-spirited bastard isn't his old man, but there might just have been an opportunity here for these two men to learn and grow from one another, by which I mean for Tony to learn how not to be such a holier-than-thou arsehole.
Of course, this also throws into disarray the pro-life argument that fed on the original revelation. Arguably, if Kathy Donnelly had had an abortion 27 years ago, the current predicaments of 4 people - herself, Abbott, O'Connor and O'Connor's real father - would not be so chaotic and tumultuous. Abbott would not feel numb, Daniel would never have become an political football and a 27-year lie would never have existed. These are the sort of realities pro-lifers need to face instead of gazing through their rose-coloured specs at a shiny world of glades and bunny rabbits where all unwanted children are adopted into happy, uncomplicated families who'll never lie to them.
posted by Sam @ Tuesday, March 22, 2005
3 Comments:
Indeed no...Although the Hollywood spin does make one wonder who might play the Mad Monk in a moofie. Hrm. Mel Gibson? Who better to play a rabidly homophobic Catholic Bible-basher than another rabidly homophobic Catholic Bible-basher?
Must say I don't feel an ounce sorry for the Abbottsta. If he didn't run around making his private life public to every TV station that wanted to interview him about his long-lost son, this shock news wouldn't be so "numbing" an experience now - especially when (again) it is in full public view. Bet Danny-boy swore his head off (again) when he found out about this bizarre twist.
Danny's the one I feel most sorry for in all this. I imagine he feels relief that the Mad Monk's not his old man, combined with frustration and anger about yet another complication in his life over which he has little control. Not to mention apprehension about having to get to know yet another new father...Poor guy.
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