Harmonised Walking

Here are the much promised photos and two short videos from the Walk for Harmony.

It was an exceptional turn out on a windy Sunday afternoon. The spirit was fantastic and it was wonderful to see so many different cultural groups, large or small, marching down the streets of Melbourne as a united mass.

Personal favourites were the constant rhythm provided by the Brazilian drumming troupe and the numerous Chinese dragons parading through the crowd. Was an enjoyable event that will hopefully become a staple of Melbourne's cultural calendar.

Walk for Harmony

Tomorrow afternoon, through the streets of Melbourne, a celebration of diversity and multiculturalism will be taking place. The Walk for Harmony looks to highlight the many different cultures that have shaped the city's dynamic and made it into the urban landscape it is today.

But the walk taking place tomorrow afternoon will also be addressing another agenda as well. It will be looking to tackle concerns both domestically and abroad regarding the recent violence towards Indian students. While this violence should not be condoned in any circumstances, as any violence against individuals of any background should not be acceptable, the representation of the attacks against Indian students appears to have been excessive in its promotion of Victorian's as racist. While there has been a recent increase in attacks against Indian students, which is a disturbing trend, there has not been any decisive evidence that indicates that Indian students have been specifically targeted.

Just because Indian students have been attacked does not mean that Victorians are racist. These people may be targeted because the attackers have perceived them as vulnerable individuals rather than a disliked group. This is not a refusal to acknowledge the recent spate of violent attacks, but a critique on the notion that these attacks have all been fuelled by racism.

Hopefully tomorrows Walk for Harmony will be a reminder of the generally accepting and tolerant character of all Victorians, and highlight how diverse and unique our society is. It will also indicate the number of people who support this diversity and multiculturalism, and subsequently oppose the recent outbreak of violence against the community of Indian students.

Geelong v St Kilda - Over hyped?

Channel 7 is claiming tomorrows AFL match between Geelong and St Kilda as the 'biggest home-and-away game in history'. It is rhetoric like this that has led to this game being over hyped in the media. Yes, it is a big game. There is no doubting that. It is an unprecedented occurrence for two undefeated teams to meet so far into the season. But, at the same time the end result will only lead to one outcome: one team will be on top of the ladder as a result of winning the four points.

As a Geelong supporter, a loss tomorrow is far from the end of the world. We won a similarly over hyped match against Hawthorn last year, but subsequently lost the Grand Final against them. Teams of this calibre can beat any opponent with the right mixture of effort, commitment and luck. Last year is a reminder that winning games during the regularly season does not indicate that the results will be the same during the finals.

A win from a Geelong perspective will prove a few things. Firstly, that the Cats are still the best team in the competition. Secondly, that Geelong has developed the mental toughness to cope with the build-up to big games like this. Perhaps it will also reinforce a psychological edge that Geelong has held against the Saints in recent match-ups.

A loss for the Saints could be the spark to get them over the line come finals. Like Hawthorn last year, they may learn enough and gain some valuable experience that could turn the results come finals. As I said earlier, winning tomorrow afternoon does not guarantee finals glory.

If Geelong is too lose, it is not the end of the world. It could be the wake-up call to make them focus harder at winning another premiership. Geelong fans should see a loss as a potential catalyst that pushes this team back to their peak. It may be the loss the club needs, much like the loss to Port Adelaide in Round 21 in 2007. The bitter taste of defeat against a rival can later lead to the sweet taste of success.

A win for the Saints could be a double edged sword. It will swing the media and fans expectations entirely onto their shoulders. The media will begin to anoint the premiership as theirs to lose. Simultaneously, the players and coaches will have further confidence that they can in fact win it all. It may also trigger the reinvigoration of the psychological edge held by the Saints over the Cats leading up to the 2007 season

Regardless of the outcome, for the sake of the fans I am hoping that is a quality game of football. While it will be hard to live up to the expectations brandished by various media outlets this week, hopefully it is a high-quality match-up by the leagues two front-runners.

Oh. Before I forget. Go Cats!