Hugh Mackay Quotes

33 Hugh Mackay quotes:

"Although we love the idea of choice - our culture almost worships it - we seek refuge in the familiar and the comfortable."
"But many researchers operate as if it is their responsibility to demonstrate that video violence has a direct effect on the behaviour of young children, because that will help to explain why society is becoming more violent."
"But the rule seems to be that the bigger and more life-changing the decision, the less it will seem like a decision at all."
"Despite the availability of cheap and effective contraception, it looks as if we are not as careful in our decisions about reproduction as all the talk of family planning might suggest."
"Even more worrying is the violence we do to our personal relationships when we let media consume time we might otherwise spend with each other."
"Far more people have enjoyed Jane Austen's work on television than will ever read her books."
"Frankly, I'm more worried about the violence we do to ourselves and our children by allowing the media to create an expectation of instant gratification."
"How have we managed to dodge the rather obvious point that happiness only makes sense by contrast with sadness - or perhaps with tedium - and that uncertainty, the very essence of imperfection, is our default position?"
"I wish we didn't have to own up to a policy deliberately designed to inflict suffering on people who have already been traumatised in the countries from which they've fled."
"Indeed, in the present climate of mistrust of institutions, many people who yearn for a more meaningful and fulfilling life would regard the church as an unlikely place to go for guidance."
"Is it possible that literacy standards are falling because young Australians are growing up in a culture in which they can be entertained and informed, and in which they can communicate effectively, without having to master any but the most rudimentary literacy skills?"
"It seems inevitable that the magic of the written word will fade."
"It's Australian to do such things because, however uncivilised they may seem, it's human to do them."
"No one welcomes chaos, but why crave stability and predictability?"
"Obviously, every child should be given the best possible opportunity to acquire literacy skills."
"On average, Australians watch more than three hours of television a day, compared with 12 minutes a day spent by the average couple talking to each other."
"One reason we resist making deliberate choices is that choice equals change and most of us, feeling the world is unpredictable enough, try to minimise the trauma of change in our personal lives."

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