From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 16 April

It is Newton’s Third Law of Motion: Action & Reaction: for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

IN short: if object A exerts a force on object B, object B exerts an equal and opposite force on object A. It’s tit-for-tat. Something in which children engage!

Alex Greenwich and Mark Latham are NSW politicians. Recently, both men have been involved in a most indecorous, public, verbal slanging-match.

Echoing what one said to the other serves no purpose. For those keen for graphic detail it is on the public record; however, and unequivocally, neither has covered himself in glory. While one comment is more putrid than the other, neither is blameless. Both have behaved badly and neither party should be striving for public affirmation and posturing for personal sympathy.

In this instance, several insidious issues are at play, both of which demand a seismic shift in the public discourse and celebrity zeitgeist. Much of the decline is exacerbated by social media.

Direct access to the public through any form of mass media comes with an onerous responsibility, and accountability. Opinion and abuse are often conflated. Incumbency, whatever the role, does not, by osmosis, endow the wisdom of Solomon. The pursuit of fame is relentless, markedly in politics where the constant seeking of a photo opportunity borders on obsessive, even megalomaniacal.

To behave badly is easy. Behaving well requires much greater effort and a constant application; a determination to be superior to your former self and not to other people. A private secretary was asked by a visitor to Buckingham Palace how they should behave when they came face-to-face with The Queen. The reply was simple, and immediate, “Her Majesty asks only that you be civil.” Regrettably, it is that lack of civility which has all but disappeared from our lives. Once, a man opening a door for a woman was de rigueur. Now such an action is labelled sexist and misogynistic.

History notwithstanding, it is difficult to imagine the prevailing mindset – even hubris – which emboldens someone to write judgmentally of another, and then to bridle if the reaction is raucous, even odious. As ye sow, so shall ye reap.

We live in the age of celebrity, something which Andy Warhol predicted long before social media contaminated our lives and radicalised society’s mores, and not necessarily for the better. Warhol wrote, “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.”

The list of the top-ten social media influencers is headed by Cristiano Ronaldo with 780 million followers. Arguably the world’s greatest footballer, he is gifted with much personal charm and charisma, and a sound moral compass. He is, from all accounts, a man of functioning intellectual

capacity. Others on the list are more questionable. Some are famous for being famous and living absurdly hedonistic lives.

It could be argued, freedom of speech has come to mean any one person has the right to say whatever they like about another, with impunity, regardless of the effect. In the constant pursuit of a headline, it has been forgotten there are laws to protect one person from another person’s spew of vitriol.

Whatever the station in life, we need to learn to control our tongues and moderate our language; to temper the truth with kindness; to be mindful of sensitivities and sensibilities; to mind our manners; to listen, even ignore. Pause and consider the source before reacting!

To say it differently, and with respect – one for the other.

Roland can be contacted via [email protected].