The way our politics is becoming increasingly focussed on individual gain gives Raffaele Piccolo grave misgivings about where we're headed as a nation.

I AM SITTING ON an early evening train heading out from Adelaide to the northern suburbs.

There is a ticket inspector a few rows up front from me; he is accompanied by a security guard. They walk past me and continue into the next carriage.

The group of boys a few rows back stick their feet up on the chairs. A pair of girls just opposite me does the same, placing their feet on the chairs.

The ticket inspector and the security guard re-enter the carriage on which I am travelling and begin to walk to my end of the carriage. The group of boys and pair of girls see them approaching and quickly remove their feet from the chairs and place them on the floor.
As soon as the ticket inspector and security guard have passed, they place their feet back on the chairs. They continue to remove their feet from the chairs and then place them back on the chairs as the ticket inspector and security guard move about the carriage.
This is not an uncommon sight on public transport services in Adelaide.

In fact, when I have ventured interstate I've seen similar behaviour on public transport services. Nor is it a behaviour that is confined to young people. No matter the age of the commuter, feet are often placed upon chairs and quickly removed as ticket inspectors approach.

Neither is this behaviour confined to public transport services.
Rubbish does not simply fall from the sky — it accumulates in our streets because a bin may not be convenient at the time we need it.

I recall once being at a train station and on seeing that a fellow commuter had dropped their ticket on the ground, brought it to their attention. Without any sense of embarrassment they informed me that the ticket they had dropped on the ground had expired.

I was shocked, not only by the fact that they had not battered an eyelid upon being caught littering, but also the frankness with which they communicated their explanation to me. As if littering was acceptable. I informed them that there was a bin nearby. However I only received a blank stare in response.

An awkward few moments followed and that was that.

Now these are just a few personal anecdotes, and by means did not involve any thorough research. But it is something that I witness on a daily basis as I make my travels into and about the city.



Joe Hockey, the then Shadow Treasurer famously gave a speech in 2012 entitled: ‘The End of the Age of Entitlement'.

I do not intend to enter into this debate; however I do note that my anecdotes may similarly support such a conclusion.

Instead I wish to focus on another debate by asking the following question: Are we a selfish society?

Based on my limited anecdotal evidence the answer is yes.

Unfortunately, I do not imagine that the group of boys and pair of girls on the train ever considered the effect their actions might have on the comfort of others. Likewise, I do not think those who let rubbish fall to the ground, rather than search for a bin, ever consider the affect that their actions will have on others around them. I acknowledge that there may be other reasons besides selfishness, but bear with me for a moment.

The extent to which we might be a selfish society can also be seen in our most recent Federal election.

For example, in an article published on news.com.au, a summary of the policies of the major parties was each preceded with the introduction: ‘if you are…’; ‘if you’re…’.

The article sought to provide the reader with information about how different policies would affect ‘you’ if ‘you’ had children, or if ‘you’ were an apprentice or small business owner. The whole article, like our policy debate, was focussed upon the individual and how they would be affected. Not about society at large.

But it was not just the reporting of the election that sought to focus upon the individual, it was also policy as announced by the respective parties:

‘Labor has run up record debt that you will have to repay - a debt that will surge past $300 billion by Christmas’

‘If you choose the Coalition, you'll get a new government that will…scrap the carbon tax so that next year alone your family will be $550 a year better off’.

‘Labor’s better on education. If you’re the parent of a child going to school today, getting your children ready for school, feeding them, working out all the dramas which you have before you send your kids to school every morning…’

The question is: who do you trust to fund the education needs of your children? Who do you trust not to make savage cuts to the education budget for your children?’

But it is not all doom and gloom.

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But it was not just the reporting of the election that sought to focus upon the individual, it was also policy as announced by the respective parties:

‘Labor has run up record debt that you will have to repay - a debt that will surge past $300 billion by Christmas’

‘If you choose the Coalition, you'll get a new government that will…scrap the carbon tax so that next year alone your family will be $550 a year better off’.

‘Labor’s better on education. If you’re the parent of a child going to school today, getting your children ready for school, feeding them, working out all the dramas which you have before you send your kids to school every morning…’

The question is: who do you trust to fund the education needs of your children? Who do you trust not to make savage cuts to the education budget for your children?’

But it is not all doom and gloom.




THE TITLE SHOULD READ.... 'WE ARE A SELFISH SOCIETY"

its been happening for years not just over the last 6 months...OR DID THE FEET ON THE SEAT ONLY HAPPEN SINCE THE 7TH??


as for the C&P above... its funny how the left never mention how the carbon tax we would never ever have.. has affected our mining  exports??>.

its all about sneering at a presumed $550 a year better off WORKING FAMILIES WILL BE>...

its interesting when labor have working families as their best interesting.. alls good.. but not so when its the Libs..

never mind.. lets hope China lifts its  game and lifts its imports on our minerals..

that we shouldnt be sending them as they are polluting the world at a far greater rate than we are....

all very confusing...but lets get back to feet on seats...was the gentleman that witness this so aggrieved he was unable to stand up to said children and tell them off or at least make  the inspectors aware of them?????...

as a society we are sitting back more and more and letting someone else fix all that ails us..

most find fault after fault with the police yet I bet they are the first ones they point to to fix everything..


what a shame this citizen didnt see fit to stand up to these children at the time of the offense...

yes I agree! you sir are getting more selfish.

Divide and concur???????


I think the population growing, bad civic planning is why we don’t know each other—and people are turning their homes into one–house gated communities even tho crime is low.

Only time I speak to others in my neighborhood is when they pass my property when I am working in the vege patch in my front yard. If I walk my dog at night—hard to tell which house has people in it—everything is shuttered and curtained so much. This is an unhealthy trend.

Are we becoming a selfish society?

No completed that transition decades ago.