Sitting in a coffee shop at Westfield Parramatta, it was a sad reflection of modern life that a little girl in a pram was waving at different customers waiting for coffee, only to be ignored because they were all immersed in social media, eyes fixed on their mobile phones like adoring phantoms from another world. While legislative efforts were needed to rescue the youth of today from this addictive social media, full marks must be given to actor Guy Pearce as he exiled himself from social media and apologised for his part in perpetuating a false narrative about Israel and Palestine (“Aussie star’s apology over anti-Israel social posts”, DT, 2/12).Before our fingertip access to the streams of public opinion, it was rare for a non-expert to be quoted in the mainstream media on important stories. Sadly today, credibility with excellent presentation skills results in us accepting dubious arguments. Coincidences are deemed proof by conspiracy theorists and government rebutting these ideas counterintuitively reinforces them. Overly opinionated on matters of international intrigue on which we exert little impact, we foolishly ignore our own world and little kids in prams wanting to put a smile on our faces.
Alan Sexton, North Parramatta 3Dec2025