An open letter to Basil Zempilas – Lord Mayor of Perth / Basil Zempilas from Ares Chaplin sent in response to him deleting a comment from me that likened his behaviour to that of a wife beater who expects high praise for not hitting his wife – to which he replied:
“I don’t mind the comment mate. And feel free to post again. But the wife beater part is why I deleted.”
___________________________
“Baz, I do hope you got the point and are starting to understand my persistence in commenting on your posts the way I do?
I once thought as you do. I didn’t understand white privilege, or male privilege and I was extremely dangerous because of it.
You have wealth, status AND privilege that you seem to be in complete denial of just like so many of your cohorts.
Please understand that when people in your position are racist, sexist, homophobic and say privileged and ignorant things, it gives other people who feel the same way a platform to behave in the same manner, and this often has horrific real world consequences for the people they judge and mock.
You do NOT represent the majority of the population mate.
Do you understand that?
You may be able to hide behind your status, privilege and money, but the vast majority of people will never experience that level of safety and privilege which you so clearly take for granted, while at the same time you judge and mock them for not doing so.
Homeless people, addicts and the long term unemployed have incredibly high rates of mental illness. These people desperately need our care, our understanding and our compassion Baz, not more of the same old ‘smelly bludgers’ rhetoric that the media takes great pleasure in spewing out to the masses year after year.
Can you be an ‘actual’ leader?
Do you understand what true leadership is, as opposed to just being in charge?
I highly recommend you start following Simon Sinek on this topic, he is the best in the world.
Can you put yourself in the shoes of a woman?
Or an Aboriginal person?
A person with mental illness?
A person living on an aged, disability pension or jobseeker payment of less than $40 a day?
Or a homeless person who isn’t even entitled to any welfare whatsoever under our current system because they don’t have a fixed address?
An LGBTQIA person?
A disabled person?
Do you have even the slightest clue or care in the world for just how hard REAL life is for the VAST majority of people who aren’t white, wealthy, middle aged men?
Do you?
Can you bring yourself to our level and seek to understand what it’s really like for most of us?
Do you understand that unresolved trauma plays a MASSIVE part in mental illness, addiction and homelessness?
Again, please allow me to recommend that perhaps you follow the work of Dr Gabor Maté and Dr Peter Levine to learn more about this if you do not.
Baz, you will learn to either hate people like me or you will learn to love us, because we will push you to better yourself like nobody else can or will.
So, going forward, do you open your heart and mind to us because it ACTUALLY matters to you and not just because it’s the right thing to do if you want to keep your job, which by the way is to represent the very people that you so often judge and ridicule?
In closing, I want you to know that none of this is personal mate
We are all just so sick and tired of the Trumps and the Scott Morrisons of this world looking down their noses at us from their thrones of exceeding privilege and ignoring our voices – the voice of the majority.
I believe in your ability to be better Baz, please don’t let us down and become just another corrupt, narcissistic, power hungry cockwomble like so many before you.
If you want to be a truly great leader, be the guy that listens, that humbles his ego and is a caring, compassionate champion of the people.
If you want an amazing role model to emulate please follow closely Senator Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Prime Minister Jacinda Adern in world politics, because like it or not, that’s the future if you don’t want to be out on your bum next week on a dying planet. Maybe give Greta a listen too!
Know that this is sent with love and good intent Baz, all heckling aside.
Don’t think for a minute that I’m going to stop demanding more of you though or calling for you to step down if you keep fucking it up.
Cheers mate, have a good weekend, Ares”
