The cancel culture affecting Australia

Yesterday, I visited a neighbouring suburb to consult my excellent chiropractor in the usual way. His healing hands are magic. But he did mention that many clients of his were cancelling their appointments. The fees had increased, clusters of respiratory infections had appeared, and the rate of inflation was decreasing each household’s expenditure.

After finishing his appointment, I checked my phone. Our premier here in old Melbourne town had cancelled our state’s hosting of the entire Commonwealth Games in 2026. The projected costs had increased, and the budget was limited. No single state in Australia really wants to host these games. It’s financially ruinous.

It was the utmost of the current cancel culture.

Really, I wondered, how much of the Commonwealth even remains at this time in history? As loyal Australians, we always expect our golden girls to win the gold medals in swimming, smashing world records as they can. We realise the British track and field competitors are planning to win the athletics. Same as normal, except the next games are cancelled.

After my chiro, I needed to make an appointment with my regular general practitioner, a wise old owl, the uncle of local medicine, and a great team. There, in the clinic, no more bulk billing, even for pensioners like me. The once-crowded waiting room had only one patient, and only one receptionist.

The cancel culture had struck again.

Next door, in the library chute, I returned my books. I was hoping to borrow some more epic literature, a great little book centre. But, no, dreading the council funding cancellations, the madam librarians were having a stop work day. They are running scared that their jobs will be cancelled soon enough. Not many job vacancies for redundant librarians these days.

From there, I travelled upstairs to the upper level of the shopping centre. Workmen had, indeed, spent nearly two years renovating and expanding the former glory of a retail shopping experience. The shops have been ready now for the past four months for lease. On the whole, these lovely shop spaces are still empty, bare, no small businesses there.

To start a small business on any premises, the future hopeful has to conduct market research and cost analysis of how much needs to be sold weekly to make ends meet. Business owners need to make a living salary, to cover expenses, insurance, salaries of staff,  and cleaning. In this place and time, very few small business owners are taking that plunge to sell goods, coffee, lunches, or anything else. It was as if the whole suburb was cancelled from retail therapy. Yes, cancelled.

So, I drove home – even the traffic was minimal. The cost of petrol keeps rising, adding to pricing increases for all goods. Still no  Commonwealth Games venue. It shall take a great deal of Federal Government funding to convince a city in cancel culture Australia to undertake to host such a draining expense.

What is your suburb like these days? Here, in my little hometown, we silvers are holding the fort, hoping for reduced inflation, less of this cancel culture. None of us in our generation are running this economy today, a modern cancellation culture.

I cannot design any realistic solutions, can you?