Australia celebrates dangerous ideas

Image from sydneyoperahouse.com

I’m currently in Sydney, Australia to attend the Festival of Dangerous Ideas, a weekend festival hosted by the Sydney Opera House. More than 50 speakers and performers will participate in panel discussions and debates in a public forum to discuss issues that are considered “dangerous,” or controversial in modern society. Speakers include Christopher Hitchens, Catholic Archbishop Cardinal George Pell, Aboriginal activist Gary Foley, and many more.

A festival of dangerous ideas is a weird concept for an American to understand. Back in the motherland, ideas such as Socialism or health care for all are so controversial that their mere mention is enough to give a Republican an aneurysm. We Americans are trained from the cradle never, ever to discuss religion, sex, or politics at the dinner table. And yet here is Sydney — not only embracing the controversial, but actively encouraging participants to push the boundaries of social norms — to challenge the audience, themselves, and the world. It’s a beautiful thing.

Just glancing at the festival’s schedule is enough to make a polite American sweat. A few examples of discussions: No Human Cure Justifies Animal Experimentation, Polygamy And Other Islamic Values Are Good For Australia, Yes To Child Labor, No To The Minimum Wage, Religion Poisons Everything (This one is Christopher Hitchens’ doing,) By 2075 The Aboriginal Genocide Will Be Complete, Make All Drugs Legal, The Old Should Pay For Themselves, Why We Enjoy Killing, The Arts Don’t Deserve A Place At This Festival, Freedom: The Most Dangerous Idea Of All, Bring Back Conscription.

I come from a country where Americans can’t even sit quietly through a town hall meeting to learn about health care reform, so the idea that adults in other countries not only accept and encourage the discussion of controversial ideas, but enjoy having their horizons expanded, is quite a novelty.

Of course, I don’t agree with many of the ideas being peddled at the Festival of Dangerous Ideas, but that’s not the point. The idea of the festival isn’t to preach to the choir. If one feels uncomfortable during the festival, that’s a good thing. Those feelings of queasiness and anxiety are signs that one has left their comfort zone and is dangerously close to having their preconceived notions challenged. At the end of the festival, one’s ideologies will either be stronger for having had them challenged, or they will leave the Opera House with the most precious gift of all — a new idea.

As the festival’s official website declares, “Through courageous discussion, we aim to stimulate, provoke and engage with the wider world.” And isn’t that the point of living together in a global society? Only through the collision of ideas can the very best of humankind rise to the top. If we don’t talk about the most dangerous ideas, we can never shape the very best ideas. Sydney should be applauded for hosting this event. I’d love to see a similar event in New York City.