The Melbourne Narrative

[jeemak]

Surely having this sort of upbringing and the advantage of this education is that you should be able to make a more educated and informed decision. Or maybe if you're an entitled arse, these things won't change that.

Possibly the upbringing and education drives the privtitlement.

[EasternWest]

I mean these blokes are dickheads and the fraud stuff in the NT is serious, but 3 months jail for crossing a state border? Wow. Are we really OK with with this?

I have this idiot friend who was on a first date with a girl. He goes to the bar to get some drinks and there's a guy at the bar wearing a hat. He says to the guy "I like your hat" and the guy says "thanks". Then my friend said "I'm going to take it a try it on" and the guy says "if you touch my hat I'm going to punch you in the mouth".

My idiot friend thinks about this for a second then takes the hat. Long story short after the girl took my idiot friend to hospital there wasn't a second date.

Nominally I agree with you Axe. In isolation this jail time is way too excessive. But I have trouble feeling sympathy for these guys because they ignored a whole heap of guys at bars that said "if you touch my hat I'm going to punch you in the mouth".

If these were 2 working class Bulldogs supporters instead of entitled MCC toffs would everyone have the same view?

No, I'd call them bogans instead, and the hat story would still apply.

By the way, that's a 100% true story and he is an absolute legend of a guy, but he's also a moron.

[Twodogs]

I have this idiot friend who was on a first date with a girl. He goes to the bar to get some drinks and there's a guy at the bar wearing a hat. He says to the guy "I like your hat" and the guy says "thanks". Then my friend said "I'm going to take it a try it on" and the guy says "if you touch my hat I'm going to punch you in the mouth".

My idiot friend thinks about this for a second then takes the hat. Long story short after the girl took my idiot friend to hospital there wasn't a second date.

Nominally I agree with you Axe. In isolation this jail time is way too excessive. But I have trouble feeling sympathy for these guys because they ignored a whole heap of guys at bars that said "if you touch my hat I'm going to punch you in the mouth"..

Reminds me of a time years ago we went to a pub in Richmond to see a band..A huge Bikie asked my best mate the time and my mate said that it was time for him to get a watch! Then he told him to wash his hands (we were in the toilets at the time) the Bikie guy was so stunned that he couldn't speak. We walked out of the dunnies quicksmart.

No, I'd call them bogans instead, and the hat story would still apply.

By the way, that's a 100% true story and he is an absolute legend of a guy, but he's also a moron.

I agree with you too. They took a chance knowing exactly what the consequences were if they got caught. And I'd say exactly the same thing if they were bulldog supporters. The WA govt and population have worked hard and are pretty close to emerging from an international pandemic with a minor miracle Anne these guys have risked that. Personally I think they have gotten off lightly.

[The bulldog tragician]

They are in jail for falsifying documents for their little jolly, not just sneaking into the state. It was a deliberate and preplanned strategy. They were arrogant enough to get into the rooms and be in photos because of their sense of entitlement. There are a lot of people I feel dreadfully sad for in this pandemic but they are not among them.

[The Underdog]

Well none of that goes to my point. These blokes are entitled twats but that doesn't change the fact that the punishment is extreme and some of the border rules are often insane.

If you think these border rules are insane, wait until you hear how long some asylum seekers have been locked up for.

[Axe Man]

If you think these border rules are insane, wait until you hear how long some asylum seekers have been locked up for.

Absolutely agree but completely unrelated.

[1eyedog]

Not sure what your upbringing has to do with much when you're committing fraud at the age of 39. I mean imagine being 39 and having to rely on how you were brought up as a child to determine whether you were of sound character (it does go the other way, however):

https://www.smh.com.au/national/melb...13-p58zm8.html

Mr Rafferty said Xavier College graduate Babbage had an “excellent” upbringing and had completed an aeronautical engineering degree at RMIT, noting a conviction – especially for fraud – would have a significant impact on his current career as a financial planner.

I wonder if this means they get done in the NT when released from WA's system:

The pair have also been summonsed to appear in a NT court over several charges including contravention of an emergency declaration, giving false or misleading information, uttering a forged document, and criminal deception to obtain a benefit.

NT Police say while the pair flew into the NT from a Melbourne airport via regional Victoria before it was declared a hotspot, they did not isolate until a negative COVID-19 test was returned, as directed.

It is also alleged Burbank and Babbage falsified documents to obtain NT driver’s licences and open bank accounts in the Top End.

You may be right about these guys but it's far more complicated than this. How you were raised can have a hell of a lot to do with breaking the law at the age of 39, and beyond. You don't just drop grief, trauma, a lack of parental support, a drug addiction, anxiety, sexual abuse or bullying you live with it forever and, if you survive it into adulthood, you do the best to manage it, often unsuccessfully. My feeling on this matter is you really need to be living with these challenges on a daily basis to truly understand why people make the choices they do.

We never know what someone has gone through in their lives. People with trauma from their childhoods often take a survivalst mentality through life i.e. they're prepared to increase risk because they have nothing to lose. I'm not saying this is the case for the accused, I haven't read the article, but to suggest that how you were raised doesn't impact your whole life and the decisions you make throughout it is very, very near sighted.

Just wanted to make that clear.

[jeemak]

You may be right about these guys but it's far more complicated than this. How you were raised can have a hell of a lot to do with breaking the law at the age of 39, and beyond. You don't just drop grief, trauma, a lack of parental support, a drug addiction, anxiety, sexual abuse or bullying you live with it forever and, if you survive it into adulthood, you do the best to manage it, often unsuccessfully. My feeling on this matter is you really need to be living with these challenges on a daily basis to truly understand why people make the choices they do.

We never know what someone has gone through in their lives. People with trauma from their childhoods often take a survivalst mentality through life i.e. they're prepared to increase risk because they have nothing to lose. I'm not saying this is the case for the accused, I haven't read the article, but to suggest that how you were raised doesn't impact your whole life and the decisions you make throughout it is very, very near sighted.

Just wanted to make that clear.

Thank you for your reply mate, I probably haven't articulated what I was trying to say properly in this instance.

I'm well aware that much of what forms people's character, actions and behaviours is impacted by formative year experiences. What I was trying to say here is that referring to a privileged upbringing in attempting to mitigate the offenders actions was (in my view) a poor reading of the play in this specific example, given he decided to commit acts of fraud at the age of 39.

[1eyedog]

Thank you for your reply mate, I probably haven't articulated what I was trying to say properly in this instance.

I'm well aware that much of what forms people's character, actions and behaviours is impacted by formative year experiences. What I was trying to say here is that referring to a privileged upbringing in attempting to mitigate the offenders actions was (in my view) a poor reading of the play in this specific example, given he decided to commit acts of fraud at the age of 39.

Thanks mate I obviously misunderstood and I do apologise. I feel quite strongly and protective about people who have had troubled childhoods is all. I completely agree with you now that I understand the position.